San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is First to Utilize Downtown Flexible Zoning Legislation for Urban Sustainability Initiative, Yes SF
For Immediate Release: April 24, 2024
Media Contact: Emily Abraham, SF Chamber of Commerce, 916-294-5029
***PRESS RELEASE***
The Yes SF Initiative Will Open its Headquarters in Downtown San Francisco Fall of 2024
San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce signed a lease to open a ground-floor coworking, event space, and coffee shop as the headquarters for the Yes San Francisco (Yes SF), Urban Sustainability Challenge. The Yes SF Headquarters is the first space to take advantage of legislation passed last year by Mayor Breed that allows for office space on the ground floor in downtown, as long as it is paired with a retail, food and beverage, or entertainment use. This first of its kind space will be an illustration of a new downtown that is a dynamic mixed-use destination to live, work, and visit.
Mayor Breed’s downtown recovery zoning legislation passed in June of last year. In addition to the new “flexible workspace” use that the Yes SF headquarters will be utilizing, the legislation also waived regulatory barriers for office-to-housing conversions, expanded allowable areas for life science, light manufacturing, food and beverage processing, and formula retail, and allowed for a wide variety of uses on upper floors in the Union Square area which had previously only allowed for large single-tenant retail tenants.
“Downtown San Francisco offers unparalleled access to regional transit, cultural institutions and entertainment venues, and one of the most highly-skilled workforces in the world,” said Mayor London N. Breed. “The future of downtown isn’t going to look the same as it did before the pandemic, and that is why I passed this forward-looking legislation to allow for the widest possible variety of uses, including housing, academics, and creative new flexible spaces. I’m glad to see the Chamber putting these reforms to great use already, and I hope more will follow to bring more energy to Downtown.”
“The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce was a champion for this legislation in the Roadmap to San Francisco’s Future, and I am proud to bring not only new activation downtown with it, but a place where innovation and community can grow and thrive,” said San Francisco Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Rodney Fong.
“It is an honor for Red Bay Coffee to be the cafe partner for a project that is at the intersection of the thought leadership revitalizing downtown San Francisco. This cafe represents the best of what SF strives for –creative solutions, cutting edge sustainable technology and beautiful coffee,” said founder and owner of Red Bay Coffee, Keba Konte.
“As a San Francisco native I am thrilled to be setting the ‘coffee table’ for this exciting Yes SF Collaboration. Red Bay Coffee will show up with green jobs, delicious coffee and great design,” said Konte.
Announced in 2023, Yes SF is a collaboration among Deloitte, Salesforce, the World Economic Forum, Citi and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the City and County of San Francisco, and more than 20 other organizations to harness the spirit of entrepreneurship and to help drive innovation for more sustainable and equitable living in cities around the world, starting in San Francisco. Last Fall, 14 Top Innovators were selected by UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s open innovation platform, for their breakthrough ideas to bring new life to buildings, infrastructure, and outdoor areas in downtown San Francisco. The Yes SF brick and mortar location will house co-working space for sustainable startups, including the 14 Top Innovators of the Yes SF, Urban Sustainability Challenge.
“Yes SF uniquely brings private and public sectors together to push a vision for a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient city. San Francisco is already a global leader in sustainability, and I believe that through this collaborative effort, we can reach our goal of a revitalized and greener downtown,” said Rodney Fong.
“The ability for Top Innovators to have a physical space in San Francisco as they grow and scale their solutions is a critical milestone for the Yes SF Challenge,” said Alison Hagan, Managing Principal for Deloitte’s San Francisco practice. “This space will help to foster collaboration and innovation as they continue to rethink what urban transformation looks like and shape the impact they hope to bring to the city.”
“Salesforce is proud to support the Yes SF initiative, which represents a bold step towards creating a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient San Francisco. By leveraging the power of collaboration between private and public sectors, we can drive innovation and meaningful change in urban sustainability. The establishment of the Yes SF headquarters underscores our commitment to fostering a vibrant ecosystem where ecopreneurs, community events, and sustainable solutions converge to shape a brighter future for our city,” said Hydra Mendoza, VP, Chief of Strategic Relationships, Salesforce Office of the CEO.
Supporting Sustainable Startups in San Francisco
Yes SF is the first location-based UpLink Challenge created to help catalyze a new model of place-based change. The Challenge called for entrepreneurs to submit sustainable solutions that contribute to the significant needs of San Francisco through scalable improvements to urban spaces in its downtown area. From green roofs to curbside EV chargers to energy storage, the Yes SF Top Innovators are helping drive urban sustainability efforts that can help San Francisco become a role model for green cities.
“The establishment of a Yes SF headquarters downtown is an important step towards reimagining the city’s central business district as a world-leading hub for inclusive economic opportunity where innovative ideas flourish, partnerships thrive, and new sustainability solutions are born. Through our growing coalition of government, business and community partners, we are fostering a dynamic ecosystem that we hope will serve a model for cities across the globe,” said Jeff Merritt, Head of Urban Transformation at the World Economic Forum.
Community Event Space
Yes SF will host regular community gatherings, events focused on the revitalization of San Francisco, and programming for startups in the sustainability space.
To date, Yes SF has hosted over 20 events focused on showcasing sustainable innovators and highlighting their mission of sustainable urban transformation. The Yes SF headquarters, which are being designed by Gensler, plans to open in Fall 2024. There will be activations throughout the week at the headquarters, located in the heart of downtown, at the cross streets of Montgomery and Bush Streets.
For more information visit: yessf.org.
###