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The challenges facing Downtown San Francisco are the same challenges felt in urban areas across the country. The shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic has left the central business district reeling, but with swift, coordinated action, the city can usher a new, socially inclusive downtown that meets the needs of all San Franciscans and provides inspiration for downtowns everywhere.
Photo By Kathleen Sheffer Photography
The panel was led by co-chairs Kate Collignon, partner, HR&A Advisors, Oakland, CA and Eric Tao, managing partner, L37 Development, San Francisco, CA; and included panelists Antoine Bryant, planning director, City of Detroit, Detroit, MI; Mike Grisso, senior vice president, development and land planning, Kilroy Realty Corporation, San Francisco, CA; Paul R. Levy, president & CEO, Philadelphia Center City District, Philadelphia, PA; Nolan A. Marshall III, executive director, South Park Business Improvement District, Los Angeles, CA; Rico Quirindongo, acting director, City of Seattle Office of Planning & Community Development, Bainbridge Island, WA; Geeti Silwal, principal, Perkins&Will; Michael Spies, founder, Fuse Strategies LLC, New York, NY; Sujata Srivastava, San Francisco director, SPUR, San Francisco, CA; and Carl Weisbrod, director, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, New York, NY. ULI staff Victoria Oestreich, Natalie Sandoval, Barbra Gustis, Joy Woo, Diane Burnette, Joshua Weaver, and Kelly Annis supported the panel.
Date: May 22 – 25, 2023
Location: San Francisco, CA
Sponsor: City and County of San Francisco, ULI Foundation
Panel Chair: Kate Collignon, HR&A Advisors; Eric Tao, L37 Development
Like many cities, San Francisco’s downtown was significantly disrupted by the shift to hybrid work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, two-thirds of San Francisco’s total jobs were located downtown, representing more than three-quarters of the City’s total gross domestic product. Less foot traffic in the neighborhood has negatively impacted retail, small businesses, public space, transportation, and public safety. The declining demand for office space, in downtown San Francisco in particular, has impacted the ecosystem that is essential to the City’s economy.
Following the release of Mayor London Breed’s Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future, the panel was tasked with helping the city prioritize implementation actions and policy changes that will create a downtown neighborhood benefitting San Francisco’s residents, businesses, and the broader Bay Area region. While the panel’s findings are applicable to the entirety of Downtown, the recommendations focused on a 239-acre study area that falls mostly within the city’s historic financial district.
Sponsored by ULI San Francisco, the City and County of San Francisco, the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing, and the ULI Foundation, the panel provided short- and long-term strategic recommendations for leveraging the city’s existing physical assets, identifying opportunities for financial incentives, and implementing public policy reforms that promote the economic and social health of Downtown, with many of the recommendations aligning with key elements of the Mayor’s Roadmap.
Top recommendations include:
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