41–50 of 85 posts
So what good do use based zoning rules do? I can see prohibiting heavy industrial or chemical in residential areas but outside of that it seems like more harm than good.
The issue seems to be the combination of more than 30% of the floor space being dedicated to reserved seating, and the Cafe charging for those reservations. What's more surprising to me is that an area zoned for retail restaurants is not zoned for office use. I see shop fronts in strip malls converted to ad-hoc office space all the time. I assume this is a zooming regulation specific to SF? What would be the rational…
> I assume this is a zooming regulation specific to SF? What would be the rationale behind it? Preventing tech converting all the retail and restaurant space to offices.
For what it's worth, reading the appeal reminds me why its worth paying a high dollar real-estate lawyer who deals with the planning department all the time. The Cafe's appeal didn't address the basis of the complaint: supplemental versus primary use in terms of floor area. Basically, there was no basis for overturning the zoning official's determination because the appeal did not address the basis for the zoning official's determination.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not Nancy Pelosi, since it’s her daughter who is the one that is the lawyer on this case.
ignoring the matter of who was representing who, lawyers don't only represent people they like/agree with. (good news for criminal defendants!)
Nothing worse then having cafe shops being packed with people working on their notebooks taking whole tables and not allowing people to enjoy them to drink their tea. I wouldn't mind if they would forbid notebooks in cafe shops like Starbucks
They allow it because they make more money having consistent regulars who buy multiple items throughout the day, often entire meals. It'd stop if it weren't profitable.
It's interesting to hear all the positive comments here about Workshop Cafe, and at the same time in previous threads there have been many negative comments about WeWork. Can someone who has been to both and has differing opinions about them share how they differ?
I worked out of both WeWork shared space and at Workshop Cafe.
At WeWork you pay $350 per month (price varies) and get access to a shared space that is arranged like an open office (shared tables / desks). This is for the lowest plan, you can get dedicated office for more money.
Workshop Cafe is (was) arranged like a coffee shop, but with more seats. You pay per hour (forgot how much, but not much) for access to a dedicated table / desk. They have a better wi-fi than most coffee shops and they have outlets at each table.
It's also a coffee shop (you can buy coffee, tea, basic food).
They were both great for what they were offering.
This decision is a real shame. There is real value to a space like Workshop that provides food and business services in a social space in the Financial District. A decision like this, which does not take into account the consequences to SF's everyday life, is one of the thousand tiny cuts the city inflicts on itself to no purpose.
The real shame here is that the city is basically setting up a “ask permission before trying anything” environment. Quite antithetical for a location that prides itself on innovation.
It's a pity in this case because I really liked Workshop Cafe. I worked nearby and when we went by it felt like any other cafe, though a bit quieter. Also, the area right outside it was very pleasant for it having been there. This is definitely a loss for the feeling of that corner.
This was one of my favorite places to go work in SF. It was a cafe that was optimized for people working. I was disappointed recently when I found out they had shut their doors permanently. I was surprised too, because they always seemed to be busy. Apparently, they had an ongoing dispute with the zoning department over whether they were a "cafe/restaurant" or "office".
Which one pays more in taxes? Of course it’s that one then!
I am a big fan of the Japanese zoning system. I'm sure it has its flaws and that there are arguably better systems, but it seems much better than what we currently have in the US. http://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html
The issue seems to be the combination of more than 30% of the floor space being dedicated to reserved seating, and the Cafe charging for those reservations. What's more surprising to me is that an area zoned for retail restaurants is not zoned for office use. I see shop fronts in strip malls converted to ad-hoc office space all the time. I assume this is a zooming regulation specific to SF? What would be the rational…
I would guess that it's more about antiquated attitudes about how cities should be centrally-planned and heavily segregated by use. Some zoning control is necessary to keep chemical plants and steel refineries from blowing up in your backyard, but the notion that there needs to be clear delineation between "office use," EG clerking, and restaurant/bar use is why central business districts are all crime-ridden dead zo…
I can understand restricting retail use in areas otherwise zoned commercial if the area can't support traffic from, or doesn't have enough amenities for, the general public.
But what impact would an office have on a neighborhood that a restaurant wouldn't?
I used Workshop Cafe a little and liked it, but I agree with the planning commission. All they were asking was for 2/3rds of the space to be available to the public. They could have made 1/3 reservable. They could have charged for wifi in the other 2/3rds or came up with other ideas.