San Francisco turns down Ralph Lauren

Appropo of the previous article is this one from the San Francisco Business Times, "Anti-chain regulations rattle retail: S.F. won't let Polo pony up," about an example of the conditional use permit process that requires special approval for chain stores.

I think that we need to have this kind of review process. But that doesn't mean eliminate all chain stores. Nationally, 15-20% of retail space in thriving "independent" commercial districts is rented to chains. Chains do drive up rents. But they also act as anchors, attracting customers, and they set high performance standards (regular retail stores, not CVS...) which helps raise the level of performance for independent stores.

The trick is to balance the various concerns. Of course, nimbyism is nimbyism...