Bay Curious Were Chain Stores Once Banned in San Francisco?
Nov 20, 2025
Aaron Peskin, a longtime San Francisco supervisor and neighborhood advocate, shares his insights on local land-use politics and the historical resistance to chain stores. Scott Schaefer, a senior politics correspondent, explains the evolution of the city's planning code regarding formula retail. They discuss successful neighborhood efforts to block chains like Starbucks and highlight the controversy surrounding Lowe's. Additionally, they delve into the balance between preserving neighborhood character and the economic pressures posed by chain stores in San Francisco.
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Neighborhood Petition Kept Starbucks Out
- Aaron Peskin remembers neighborhood petitions to keep Starbucks out of North Beach in the early 1990s.
- That local fight succeeded and sparked similar neighborhood battles citywide against chains.
How The City Defined Chain Stores
- In 2004 San Francisco defined 'Formula Retail' as businesses with 11+ stores nationwide to regulate chains.
- That definition allowed neighborhoods to assign red, yellow, or green levels of control over chains.
Three-Color System For Chain Rules
- San Francisco used a three-color system letting neighborhoods ban, conditionally allow, or freely permit chains.
- Hayes Valley banned chains while Union Square and downtown remained green-light zones.