San Francisco is now in the Red Tier - which means many merchants in our district are opening for the first time or expanding their operations. It is a perfect time to get out and support our area merchants, all while enjoying some amazing foods and experiences! 

The East Cut CBD is seeking three community members to join its Board of Directors. Available seats include two non-property-owning businesses and one seat for a representative from the affordable housing/non-profit community. If you are interested in learning more about the qualifications and requirements for serving on The East Cut CBD Board of Directors please reach out to us at info@theeastcut.org. 

As a continuation on the theme of activation, this month we take a look at activating vacant retail spaces. To kick off this conversation is an article published in Medium in the fall of 2019 by Link2Lift, a consultancy that encourages organizational collaboration, leverage of under-utilized space, and greater impact.

The Link2Lift team notes that city centers used to be constantly buzzing and bustling with movement––but that started to change with the emergence of e-commerce. Nowadays, people have less incentive to drive downtown and spend time and energy shopping at multiple locations. Unfortunately, this has created many vacancies in downtown spaces, slowly taking the life out of city centers. That said, creative approaches to the temporary use of these vacant spaces could be part of the solution to this recent issue.

Urban planners have been coming up with creative temporary uses as a way to draw people in and activate these spaces. Because these vacancies are engendering less vibrant downtowns, the traditional sense of community is also dissipating. Moreover, research shows a link between vacant properties and decreasing property values, increasing crime, increasing risk to public health, and increased cost to municipalities. Activating vacant spaces not only revives the city but also the community, socially and economically. It should be noted that different locations might benefit from different types of temporary uses, so landowners should look inward first before trying to replicate a specific solution to their vacant spaces. Overall, while this new urban issue is becoming more and more prevalent, new and creative solutions are starting to surface as well!

With that in mind, since early 2017, The East Cut CBD has been turning vacant retail space into places for the community to gather through pop-up art shows and events, partnering with local artists and developers in the neighborhood. These events have proven successful in enlivening empty commercial space and showcasing the potential for storefronts in the district. What's more, they promote an increase in foot traffic, which acts as a natural buffer against crimes of opportunity; something which has been an increasing issue in San Francisco since March 2020.

Store break-ins are on the rise in San Francisco with some district merchants reporting tens of thousands of dollars in damages. In this article by the San Francisco Chronicle, security challenges across the City are examined with particular attention paid to the investment by small businesses to mitigate damages and the financial burden the spike in these break-ins has placed on them.

In our own district, we have seen dormant small businesses affected by this increase in crime. Natoma Cabana alone has experienced two break-ins in less than a month. Of particular note are the timings of break-ins; rather than sticking to the cover of night, burglars are become more brazen, breaking into cars and businesses during the day (as was the case for Natoma Cabana).

This reveals that desperation by certain groups combined with the reduction in daytime foot traffic makes certain districts particularly vulnerable. The CBD’s security ambassadors patrol 24/7, however, they cannot be everywhere at once. A vibrant street life is one of the most impactful ways to promote street safety. Busy streets encourage accountability, and a bustling neighborhood and its residents and daily visitors act as a natural buffer to crime. The CBD views fostering street vibrancy as essential to supporting the district's recovery, and as a result, is paying particular attention to temporary activations of public and vacant retail spaces.

While some cities have played around with vacancy taxes and vacant-storefront registries to combat the rise of e-commerce and empty retail stores, other cities are transforming vacant spaces into instant “social infrastructure.” For example, the Boston nonprofit CultureHouse is physically using vacant storefronts to create pop-up public spaces, hosting non-commercial events such as game nights, ping-pong tournaments, movie screenings, and more. By “social infrastructure,” CultureHouse means amenities, like parks and libraries, where people can interact with each other in the neighborhood.

Along with the benefits of social interaction, these pop-up spaces are being put up rent-free because property managers rely on the premise that the activation will enliven and bring business to the surrounding area. With vacant storefronts, people are discouraged from even walking in an area; activating these spaces, thus, works to increase foot traffic and cultivate a stronger sense of community. By partnering with local resources and bringing these vacancies to life, businesses are supported, and people are given a reason to stay in an area. CultureHouse hopes to eventually expand these pop-up spaces all across the country, and bring back the essence of community and public social interaction.

With similar intent, the East Cut CBD is hosting several pop-up events with local businesses that foster art, culture, and community, and activate underutilized retail spaces in the neighborhood. Our activation with Problem Library (opening this week) hosted by the Mira is an example of a rent-subsidized space to offer community members access to art activations in a previously vacant retail space. 

The Temporary Transbay Terminal activation is our best, upcoming example of an activation that combines social infrastructure like sports courts and picnic tables with the representation of local merchants via food trucks and a beer garden. The addition of a flex space further provides social engagement via potential movie screenings and other event-activations. What's more, if the CBD is able to bring in an affordable farmer's market, it will be able to support local growers and also the need for affordable, fresh produce. 

Finally, one could also argue that the development of the area in and around Folsom Street, which subsequently prompted the rebuilding of the streetscape, supports all of these activations. These improvements promote civic engagement by providing a more useable space for pedestrians and merchants via wider sidewalks, along with an overall upgraded visual experience that increases foot traffic. 

Overall, it is clear that organizations like a CBD help to take a holistic look at the needs of a given community and can serve as a linchpin to connect the needs of residents and visitors with projects being promoted, proposed, and considered by city agencies and developers.