The 90-day ban on street vending on Mission Street kicked in Monday morning. Supervisor Hilary Ronen announced the ban in October, to combat illegal vending and keeps both permitted and unpermitted vendors off the street.
As of Monday, Nov. 27, vendors have access to an indoor space rented by the city at 2137 Mission St. It has room for up to 40 vendors from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, seven days a week. A second spot for nine vendors opened Tuesday in the parking lot at 24th and Capp streets. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week, Tuesday to Saturday.
A team of two police officers and two staffers from the Department of Public Works will be stationed at each plaza. A third team will patrol Mission Street. We will be documenting how many are out through the week.
Rachel Gordon, head of communications for the Department of Public Works, said the teams will be on duty from hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
Generally, Mission Local found that vendors arrived early at the two plazas, but would leave as soon as the city’s teams arrived. Many of the vendors sold small items from suitcases, paper bags or backpacks. Unlike earlier attempts to control the vending, the city’s teams are staying at the plazas so they remain clear during their shifts.
While we again saw some small vendors selling on the east side of Mission Street between 24th and 23rd Streets, they apparently left after the patrols walked by.
The two sites set up by the city have yet to fill with vendors and it is unclear where the more than 100 permitted vendors have gone.
The maps will be updated throughout the week.
The more I think about this, the more I support this ban permanently.
There’s no reason to have streets lined with sellers when the city provides indoor spaces for them.
well for one there are more vendors with permits (they paid for) than spaces
Those permits cost five dollars. Let’s not make it sound like they’re paying the thousands permits/ taxes that brick and mortar businesses are paying.
But the city is only providing indoor space for a limited number of vendors. How are they going to decide who gets a spot? What hoops will people have to jump through? Are those who are already more privileged going to get all the spots?
Nobody “privileged” is working as a street vendor. And the stalls will go to the vendors with permits. It’s not rocket science.
Oh, no, you mean to say that vendors of stolen goods who are currently sitting out in front of stores that pay rent and utilities might have to *jump through hoops*? Oh, the humanity!
these people paid for permits
stop conflating them with other people
Everybody supports the ban except for the vendors themselves.
They block the sidewalks, scare away visitors from outside the city, take business away from taxpaying brick-and-mortars, and many of them serve as an outlet for organized retail theft.
Do you live in the mission? Very few locals think someone selling shirts or crafts are scary
I’m not a vendor and I don’t support the ban.
I absolutely do not support the ban, and I very much appreciate the presence of the vendors.
Not everyone supports the ban in that the street merchants do not generate enough revenue or have the infrastructure to run a brick and mortar business. Nassau had this problem with the cruise ship terminal until they built a warehouse like space near the cruise ship docks that houses 400 vendors who sell a combination of handmade and commercially manufactured items that are frequented by both tourists and Nassau residents. Maybe the Mission Armory could serve as a similar venue for single vendors who can’t afford the rent of a storefront.
oh my god it was so nice walking mission st
I wonder how they will distinguish between the resale of stolen goods from local merchants, vs. people selling actual goods that they made or bought wholesale.
How can you identify when a good is stolen? So far, all I’ve heard is people making assumptions based on what the seller looks like, which seems problematic. Do you have a better method?
Wholesale purchases come with a paper trail. Handmade items are pretty easy to distinguish from stolen retail items. Thrifted/antique sale items would be the only items difficult to distinguish from stolen goods.
Mission street is finally a nice place to walk. Fully support this ban becoming permanent. Having less people hawking stolen goods on the street should help struggling brick-and-mortar shops on that corridor.
Mission street is a much more lively and enjoyable atmosphere with all the vendors and food stalls.