Mayor Breed Outlines “Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future
By In her State of the City address on Thursday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed discussed her plan to revive the struggling downtown district. Titled the “Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future,” the mayor's plan includes offering tax breaks to new businesses that move to the city, as well as pausing tax increases on existing businesses.[0]
Breed acknowledged that her plan for a revitalized downtown would require building three times as fast as the city did in the past decade.[1] The plan also includes implementing the Housing Element that the Board of Supervisors passed last month, which outlines how the city will achieve the construction of 82,000 new units of housing.[1] To initiate the plan, Breed issued an Executive Directive to City Departments, detailing the immediate actions of her strategy.[2]
The mayor also emphasized the need to build back the police force, and noted that public safety isn’t only about taking care of the city’s residents, but also its economy.[3] To protect existing companies, Breed said she will introduce legislation to pause tax increases on retail businesses, hotels, manufacturing sectors and arts and entertainment.[4]
“We have our challenges, but this isn’t an end to downtown,” Breed said in her address.[5] “It’s a call to action, to reimagine what our future holds, what we can be, to think about what kind of city we are and what kind of city we can be.” She noted that the revival plan will also prioritize arts and culture to bring the streets alive, and reiterated that the city needs state and federal funding sources to make the plan a reality.[6]
With her plan, Breed aims to create a more diverse and resilient local economy, and ultimately make San Francisco a leader on housing.[3]
0. “Breed's plans for a reimagined downtown San Francisco” Axios, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2023/02/10/san-francisco-downtown-reimagined
1. “SF mayor defiant in State of the City: ‘like air, I rise'” Bay Area Reporter, America's highest circulation LGBT newspaper, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.ebar.com/story.php?322751
2. “Mayor Breed launches Housing For All plan —” Asian Journal News, 9 Feb. 2023, https://asianjournal.com/usa/northerncalifornia/mayor-breed-launches-housing-for-all-plan/
3. “Mayor Breed outlines her priorities for San Francisco” KRON4, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/mayor-breed-outlines-her-priorities-for-san-francisco/
4. “Breed gives the most conservative speech of her career, pushing cops and tax cuts – 48 hills” 48 Hills, 10 Feb. 2023, https://48hills.org/2023/02/breed-gives-the-most-conservative-speech-of-her-career-pushing-cops-and-tax-cuts
5. “Mayor London Breed Announces Tax Breaks, Other Incentives Aimed at Reviving SF's Downtown” SFist, 9 Feb. 2023, https://sfist.com/2023/02/09/mayor-london-breed-announces-tax-breaks/
6. “SF Mayor London Breed Outlines Plans For Downtown Recovery In State Of The City Address” California Globe, 10 Feb. 2023, https://californiaglobe.com/articles/sf-mayor-london-breed-outlines-plans-for-downtown-recovery-in-state-of-the-city-address/
