In a unanimous vote, the San Francisco planning commission on Thursday approved a hotly debated proposal for AutoZone to take over a now-closed Walgreens in Bayview — with some caveats.
“Is it perfect? No,” said commissioner Sean McGarry.
Despite residents’ complaints about adding yet another auto-parts shop to the neighborhood, and their desires for a grocery store or pharmacy, commissioners said the store could pave the way for more retailers to move into the neighborhood.
“We could use this as a stepping stone to make the situation better in the future,” McGarry said.
The Bayview-Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee, a community group that gives advice to the planning commission and the Board of Supervisors, unanimously voted against the proposal earlier this year.
Theo Ellington, a candidate for district supervisor who spoke against it at Thursday’s hearing, said 70 people signed a petition objecting to the plan.
Still, planning commissioners voted 4-0 to see it through.
As a way of assuaging residents’ concerns, the planning department required that the AutoZone incorporate a mural onto the building’s facade, refrain from high-intensity lighting and signage, and collect all fluid and auto parts inside the facility, among other conditions.
Walgreens occupied the space at 5300 Third St. until 2025, when a slew of the pharmacies closed across the city, citing “increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures.” The pharmacy was the second Walgreens to close in Bayview, forcing residents to travel outside of their neighborhood to access medications.
The buildings’ landlords, Raj and Veena Kaul, said on Thursday they were aware the Walgreens would close in 2020, and that they had searched for a new tenant for five years without success. But residents felt blindsided by the closure.
“Where was the community in all of that?” said Evangela Brewster, a Bayview resident, of Walgreens’ decision to abruptly close. “When Walgreens closed, it was really hard on this community,” Brewster said at Thursday’s hearing.
The now-empty storefront, located in the middle of Bayview’s commercial corridor on Third Street and Williams Avenue, could have been “transformative,” said Tyra Fennell, a Bayview resident, at an earlier July 9 hearing.
“This is valuable commercial space,” Fennell said then. “Bayview deserves a bigger vision for its future.”
Ellington, who is running to replace Supervisor Shamann Walton as District 10 supervisor, had circulated a petition asking residents to weigh in on the proposal.
Bayview-Hunters Point has a robust history of environmental justice due to residents’ disproportionate exposure to high levels of air pollution and the now-closed Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, which spewed toxic chemicals into the bay.
AutoZone, Ellington told Mission Local, would not be a good fit. The automotive retailer was forced to pay $11 million to the state of California in 2019 after allegedly illegally disposing of more than five million hazardous waste items.
“It feels like they’re trying to get one by us,” said Ellington. “There’s clear rationale as to why they shouldn’t be there.”
What should be on the site instead? Ellington said the neighborhood needs an “anchor institution” to replace the Walgreens. “One that could help bring much-needed foot traffic.”
Oronde Sterling, a Bayview resident and contractor, proposed a few ideas at Thursday’s hearing.
“Imagine if this space became a workforce development center where residents could train for trades,” Sterling said. “A business incubator … a youth mentorship program.”
Multiple new businesses have recently moved into Bayview’s commercial corridor, including new restaurants and soon, a highly anticipated bookstore. A nonprofit pharmacy is also expected to soon open in Bayview to replace the shuttered Walgreens.
But the neighborhood has struggled since the pandemic to recover from a significant drop in sales-tax revenue. The neighborhood lost both its main grocery store and its last pharmacy in 2025.
The landlords of the shuttered Walgreens said that AutoZone has proven to be a “responsible tenant.” The building, which has remained vacant for more than a year, said Raj Kaul, has been vandalized multiple times, and Kaul has had to pay insurance on the empty building. It has become a “financial burden,” said Kaul.
As is, the building is “not good for the community or anybody else,” said Kaul.
But many residents believe it could be better.
“My hope is we can dream bigger and build the neighborhood that we deserve,” said Ellington.
Bayview still needs more grocery and pharmacy options
I’m sorry that 35 years after I moved from BVHP its residents face the same challenges. During all these years the BVHP CAC has tried (long hours, all volunteer) to improve the district. The Safeway on Williams sold outdated meat and dairy–all of it was past sell-by. The manager told me they came from other Safeways around San Francisco. Huh! Then, even that terrible Safeway on Williams closed. We worked with Supervisor Maxwell to get a grocery store on 3rd. She pressured SF Planning staff. They agreed to ask operators but finally told us that no company wanted to be in BVHP because of low household income. Huh, again. Then, one small sleek new grocery store opened! It was an experiment by the UK chain, Tesco, and had the slickest refrigerator cases I had ever seen. I shopped there almost daily. I think it lasted 2 years. I read that Tesco leadership has been sacked for wasting money on experimental formats and far flung locations. This might not be much consolation but the T line connects BVHP with the 4th & King Safeway that fratures a commendably helpful pharmacy.
Whole Story, you missed the real issue – regulatory oversight of pharmacies, on-line competition and an over-presence of Walgreens in SF. All this cut into profits so Walgreens moved to greener pastures. The shoplifting accusation was inaccurate and a thinly veiled excuse for a quasi-public service (pharmacies) to abandon communities when their margins shrank. Were it shoplifting, it wouldn’t be just pharmacies that closed, and certainly not just the Walgreens.
Don’t get misled by the spin. Shoplifting was not the cause, not even in the top four. main reasons cited by Walgreens in their stockholder reports. Main Reasons were:
1. Low profitability and weak foot traffic. Walgreens said some closures were tied to declining revenue, especially in downtown areas after the pandemic and an over-saturation of brick and mortar outlets.
2. High operating costs. The company cited rent, staffing, and supply costs as major pressures.
3. Low reimbursement rates. Walgreens said regulatory and reimbursement pressures hurt pharmacy margins.
4. On-line competition. Walgreens was slow to respond to changes in technology and consumer patterns.
5. Retail theft. Walgreens had blamed theft in earlier San Francisco closures, but later statements emphasized economics more than crime.Retail theft. Walgreens had blamed theft in earlier San Francisco closures, but later statements emphasized economics more than crime.
“Low profitability and weak foot traffic” is due to many of us not wanting to be in a place where people are stealing by clearing the shelves. I took my business elsewhere (like online).
Shoplifting has a much greater effect on a business and customers than the dollar loss it causes. Crime is something customers will avoid if they have a choice.
This Planning Commission decision had a total of four votes. Four commissioners decided the fate of this important neighborhood decision — over its protests, no less — when there are supposed to be seven commissioners.
Where is the accountability?
Autozone is better than nothing. It will contribute sales taxes and provide jobs. An empty store doesn’t do that.
Autozone is nothing. Why have a citizen committee, if their recommendations are going to be ignored.
Theo Ellington’s AutoZone performance is a useful preview of his campaign: arrive after the community has already done the work, circulate a petition, offer no realistic alternative, lose 6–0, and issue an inspirational quote about “dreaming bigger.”
Bayview residents had legitimate objections. Turning those objections into a campaign photo-op is not leadership.
This is a shocking betrayal on the part of the board of supervisors. Steamrolling over the community’s clear call for more and better nutritional and health services, the board once again reveals its utter contempt for the wants and needs of ordinary people and their overweening eagerness to curry favor with corporate interests. I’m disgusted.
““Where was the community in all of that?” said Evangela Brewster, a Bayview resident, of Walgreens’ decision to abruptly close.”
Presumably, Ms Brewster, that same community did not spend enough at the store when it was open to make it commercially viable.
It’s clear that an a vacant Walgreens that devoted much more of its space to other departments than to its prescription pharmacy operations is not a site for a community pharmacy. For example, Daniels Pharmacy at Geneva and Paris (near Mission St.) operates an very, very busy dispensing pharmacy serving the community. They provide a great service with caring and carful service for all.
The rest of its space – a fraction of the size of a Walgreens or CVS – is sparsely stocked, I assume by choice of focus. This is not a criticism. My point is that an empty Walgreens is a huge vacant space. A store front that is primarily a dispensing pharmacy could not be, by itself, a suitable tenant.
So, what to do?
Perhaps it takes action to create and indoor “mall” of community services. Yes, a pharmacy. And also a grocery store, also a training center for jobs and academic training for entry into post-secondary schools, also a day care, also a senior center, also, if there is no library in the community, then a library.
I am sure that if The City cared enough – or was made to care enough – and would fund it well enough, such a complex could be created.
In the meantime it is a very sad state of affairs to see community unable to move the resources to provide what it needs. The current Mayor and his business friendly focus is not likely to devote much energy or funding. So what to do?
Has anyone developed some plans to expand or develop the old southeast medical building into pharmacy?
There a lot opportunity in that area but community leaders need to understand there is a senior home/nursing home. I think businesses haven’t been doing well in this area is not understanding the high concentrations of a senior population in that area. If you have businesses that can have support for that population that I think it will thrive.
There are also homeless shelters there too, so more opportunities to develop the unused buildings to give services or even resources to those communities should also be talked about more
There is a mi rancho grocery store near MLK pool and another grocery store near the opera house. They are not big in size but community has some opinions. I understand that they may not have all the community needs but there can always be room for a conversation about it. There is also a foods co near by the police station. I do believe the community needs a pharmacy nearby and that should be the focus.
The Bayview community had already been raising concerns about AutoZone, and the CAC had already voted unanimously against it. Theo Ellington appeared at the final hearing with a petition, offered no workable alternative, and then framed the 6–0 approval as a call to “dream bigger.”
Mission Local readers hate capitalism because it tells them things they don’t want to hear.
If a drugstore was making money there, it wouldn’t have closed. If the drugstore chains thought a drugstore COULD make money there, one would have moved in.
It’s a free country. Any entrepreneur in San Francisco could open a drugstore there. Why haven’t they? The answer is too simple for you.
Funny, I don’t see the word “shoplifting” anywhere in a story about people whining that a store closed.
You should look up this word. It is important.
You’re accusing people of “whining” that a store that provides necessary prescriptions and supplies to the neighborhood closed? You sound delightful!
FYI – you also sound misinformed and simple-minded, droning on about “shoplifting” rather than mentioning the fact that Walgreens themselves have mentioned their “[in]ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs” as reasons for their stores closing across The City.
Nor the fact that Walgreens opened 53 stores across San Francisco in a successful bid to drive competitor CVS out of business, and having completely saturated the area, saw revenues decline across all locations.
No, you sound like someone who wants to blame the people of the Bayview for not doing enough about “shoplifting,” which is about as smooth-brained a take as I can imagine. Congrats on that and have a great weekend!
Autozone is nothing. Why have a citizen committee, if their recommendations are going to be ignored.
Funny, I don’t see the words “private equity” in your comment.
The shoplifting thing was an excuse made up to cover up for over-expanding. Drug stores closed everywhere – urban, rural, suburban.
They used this excuse because they knew people like you would not only fall for it, they’d spread it to other people who fall for it.
Try to think before you speak.
Walgreens greatly overextended placing more huge retail stores than the population could support. It won its battle dominate many cities’ forcing the closure of many, many pharmacist-owned small businesses. Once consolidation was established the burden of running stores that were not opened in the first place with genuine optimism for their individual success could be shed. They were “loss leaders” from the get go. In a way, it was the big box store of dispensing pharmacies that had similar effect of Lowes’ and Home Depot’s effect on forcing many neighborhood hardware stores out of business.
Individual pharmacies could not cut the same deals in pricing prescriptions to avoid “out of network” or but second tier not “preferred” status within health insurance schemes.
And, yes, shoplifting became a huge problem nearly everywhere as neither Walgreens nor local police did nearly enough to end it. It became a too well-known easy target for grab and run. If anything, Walgreens optimized conditions for shoplifters. I saw it many times at the Geneva Mission Walgreens store. All of that well publicized victimhood helped give Walgreens a publicly acceptable reason for closures with community members scapegoated. Some people love that story as it fits their prejudices about poor people.
Tangentially, I wonder how Home Depot, Lowes, and Target stores never had the problem being nearly so victimized by the rings of retail theft and re-sale operations that helped Walgreens sympathy for their bottom-line enhancing store closures. But that’s another story …