A home grown essay of How I Would Change SF
How can San Francisco be revitalized? Let me list the ways.
This June will mark two decades since I moved to SF from New York. It’s incredible that San Francisco currently has the opportunity, post-pandemic, to rebuild what is needed. Coming from NY, where things are refreshed on a seasonal basis, I was shocked by so many things about SF, even though I quickly learned to embrace and emphasize the uniquely good qualities.
In 2004, there were many empty storefronts in the neighborhoods, for a variety of reasons, I’m sure, but it was markedly obvious as years went by and some spaces remained vacant. And still remain vacant. In recent years the situation worsened and the pandemic highlighted what needs to change. Commerical leasing laws may need to be revisited, and bureaucracy streamlined.
On the positive side, SF is a flexible place to create. I’ve pretty much worked remotely the entire twenty years I’ve been in SF—working in an office maybe 3 years total, the rest in coworking spaces, cafes, a private library, and some work from home, etc. And it has enabled our team to thrive.
My immediate thoughts for revitalization are more artsy pop ups and events, and funding for them to become businesses that occupy storefronts, after these test runs. In a more permanent way—beyond Vacant to Vibrant. A focus on creating more of a chance for small businesses and artists to contribute to the life of FiDi and SOMA. I never particularly liked downtown SF and feel more of a match with leafy neighborhoods. Adding more trees and parks to downtown streets and spaces is something to consider.
The suggestion of adding a Burning Man sculpture garden downtown is attractive. I’ve never been to the festival but I do love the art. Recently, I saw a pitch for a larger than life Greek statue of Colossus to be added to Alcatraz. What about combining the efforts, and adding the Burning Man sculptures to Alcatraz as well? And maybe some to the waterfront, where people would board the ferry to take them to the park.
I feel office buildings with mixed use space, for coliving and cafes, and coffeehouses that are open past 6pm, are very important. When I recently attended a WE SF event, I tried to get a coffee in SOMA at 6pm before the event, and everything was completely shut down. This is shocking to experience in a metropolitan area.
One of the most important new use cases to consider, in my opinion, is coliving and coworking. Since 2017, I’ve been a member of Outsite.co and stayed at many of their locations, in California and around the world, over the years. For Outsite to open new locations in downtown San Francisco aligns perfectly with their business plan of engaging remote workers and entrepreneurs, while expanding into boutique hotel spaces (currently their model is mostly based on coliving in large homes). I’ve loved my coliving experience, and it has positively contributed to me growing a remote team and founding several experimental tech products.
There’s so much money made here in SF. How can we get people who win to stay? I’ve seen so many startup employees make their money but buy and settle permanently elsewhere. If this city prioritized safety and was more child-friendly, along with having less government and fees, it may be an incentive for more proactive people to stay and help SF thrive. Also, the Covid-19 pandemic response was too extreme. It discouraged people like myself from wanting to be here.
Nonetheless, we want to be here now and help bring SF back to life. How can WE get involved? In the meantime, I intend to keep my company here, buy property, get married and raise my family in SF.
In Peace, Love and Happiness,
Michelle Z