So… what in the name of Karl is happening to downtown?
And who are WE to care so much (and want you to care too)?
We are not a consortium of tech bosses, we are not working for City Hall, and we are not a PR company. We are people who live in SF and work downtown, who are concerned about what’s happening and want to see it start getting better before it gets worse. Simple as that.
It’s pretty sketchy and very empty downtown.
Whether you went there yesterday and felt bummed out, haven’t been in literally years, or just finished doomscrolling yet another story about a major store closure, the truth staring us all in the face is that 2019 might as well be a hundred years ago.
As you can see, we are dead last in downtown recovery rate post-pandemic.
The good news is, each of us can do something about it. The bad news is it’s a bit of a sticky situation. Let’s dig in.
Statistically speaking,
SF has the highest percentage of the easiest jobs to perform remotely.
Compared to every large city in the US and Canada. That wouldn’t have been a big deal if a global pandemic never happened. But...it did happen. Every other city had a professional/industrial mix that required more people to be physically present downtown. We did not. And we are starting to really see the direct effects.
While tourists have started coming back, workers haven’t.
It’s understandable–there are many significant personal advantages to working from home, from commute times to kitchen proximity to extra hugs from the fam. That is not to mention the feeling of danger and discomfort many experience in the areas near the Civic Center in particular, as open-air drug markets have spread.
Still, the raw numbers are staggering.
144,303
fewer workers every day
$1.2B
in losses to local businesses
5x
the vacancy
rate
One way to start turning things around is for more people to start Working From Work, more often, while we wait for longer-term solutions to develop and take hold.
Debates about productivity aside, we know this is good for small businesses, public transit funding (and improvements), and the general vitality that comes with lots of dynamite people sharing space and living life.
The thing is, downtown is the heart of the city in so many ways.
Even if it isn’t often celebrated as such. And if the heart stops working (and pumping out tax dollars!) then the rest of the city gets less healthy as a result.
We can’t pretend to have all the answers to what needs to be done, but we feel a good starting point is putting the most relevant information front and center.
It’s a cliche to say “let’s start a conversation” but this does seem to be a tipping point (or boiling point) for the city we love, and honestly there aren’t many productive talks currently about what this downtown downslide means for our collective future.
78% of SF office space is located downtown
The two largest revenue streams for the SF General Fund are property taxes and business taxes
More than half of SF business taxes come from businesses located downtown
That’s the complicated part, right?
If we accept that downtown will never be the same (not in a melodramatic way, just plain facts), it feels like it’s high time to start getting a better understanding of our collective and individual connections to what this all means for, well, all of us.
The easy version is to say: “Well let’s put more housing there!” or “Incentivize people and businesses to return!” From our research, it looks like the city is starting to think about those things, or at least talking about those things. But…it could take awhile
So here’s an important question. Type away.
It’s important to start thinking about that, because we need to let City Hall know, and we need to know they hear us.
It won’t be long before the economic impacts and budget deficits from all that lost revenue start hitting more of us where it hurts, not to mention the quality of life losses felt in fewer bars, restaurants, theaters, and the like.
Because, after all, it’s good to think about what makes a city a city.
Interdependence, interconnectivity, intertwined lives and experiences, motivations and expectations. And, yeah, having a vibrant downtown is part of that.
At the risk of repeating ourselves, one way to start making things better is for more people to try Working From Work, more often. Adding some regular WFW in addition to the WFH will go a long way.
Remote work alone will continue to cause a projected 27-43% decrease in SF commercial real estate prices. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars in annual losses.
So how do we get some of that back? What should downtown become?? What’s happening next and what have we found out???
There is the Vacant to Vibrant initiative already up and running. That’s for pop-ups and other short-term retail situations. You can learn more about that HERE.
There are your local district reps, who ostensibly are there to serve you as a member of the SF community. You can find yours by area code and get in touch HERE.
There are SF Planning Commission hearings you can attend in person or remotely.
Let’s remember, this weird beautiful city should be for all the weird beautiful souls living here. A healthy downtown is part of that, and always will be.
We are hoping to spark community-minded change from other people who love this city as much as we do. We want to see it alive and thriving. If you have more you want to know, or more you think needs to be done, or anything else…get in touch.