Themed trivia nights, happy hours with D.J.s, live music, networking, art, and more are rolling out as part of the city’s attempt to give downtown San Francisco a jolt of activity and attractiveness. Beginning Aug. 7 and running through late October, free activities like those will test locals’ appetites for a return to the central business district.
Mayor London Breed calls the effort Bricks at Embarcadero Plaza, and said it was “the perfect complement to a suite of events and activations happening throughout Downtown.”
A lot of downtown revitalization ideas have been floated over the past couple of years, including a now-nixed idea of a new downtown University of California campus or replacing an emptying mall with a soccer stadium. In late June, the Board of Supervisors approved the creation of new entertainment zones downtown, where restaurants and bars can sell alcoholic drinks for consumption outdoors, becoming the first city in the state to take advantage of SB 76, which was authored by State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). The first pilot entertainment zone was announced in May to be Front Street between California and Sacramento Streets.
“We’ve put forward policies and programs that have helped begin our work to revitalize downtown as we adjust to a new future,” said Mayor Breed.
Overall, the city is now filling out the Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future, which Breed announced in February 2023. That plan’s leading points are to ensure a clean, safe and inviting downtown; a diverse business base; flexible use of buildings; easier establishment and expansion of businesses; a growing and prepared workforce; thriving arts, culture, and nightlife; public spaces that showcase downtown; good transportation connections; and the telling of the city’s story.
“In the last year we’ve put forward policies and programs that have helped begin our work to revitalize Downtown as we adjust to a new future,” said Breed back in February on the one-year anniversary of the Roadmap’s release.
In the realm of less-flashy but possibly longer-lasting approaches, Breed introduced legislation on Aug. 5 aiming to simplify the city’s permitting process for businesses opening or switching to a new type of business (in locations not needing construction). It follows on changes the city’s Office of Small Business, Department of Building Inspection, and Planning Department have been implementing since late 2022, all with the intention of making it easier for businesses to start or survive in the city.
“Through our office’s work helping small business owners navigate the permitting process, we understand the hardships they experience, often before they can truly begin their permitting journey,” said Katy Tang, director of the Office of Small Business. She said Breed’s latest legislation, if passed, would allow “entrepreneurs to open or transition their business more efficiently and represents a needed shift in the way government operates.”
In the meantime, trivia night this Thursday, 3–7 p.m.
