SAN FRANCISCO FLOWER MART PROTECTION ACT

Be it ordained by the People of the City and County of San Francisco:

SECTION 1. Title
This measure shall be known and may be cited as the San Francisco
Flower Mart Protection Act
SECTION 2. Findings and Declarations
The People of the City and County of San Francisco declare their
findin!s and purposes enactin! this "nitiati#e to be as follows:
$hereas% the San Francisco Flower Mart is an irreplaceable public
resource of the hi!hest #alue ha#in! e&isted o#er '(( years pro#idin!
!rowers an outlet to sell thousands of #arieties of flowers to wholesale and
retail markets)
$hereas% it is in the interest of San Francisco to preser#e a uni*ue and
historic commercial center housin! o#er +( #endors% pro#idin! thousands of
workin! and li#in! wa!e ,obs which are disappearin! throu!hout San
Francisco)
$hereas% the San Francisco Flower Mart is the second lar!est in the
country and one of fi#e !rower-owned wholesale flower markets in the
.nited States)
$hereas% retail florists% flower wholesalers% e#ent planners% interior
decorators% !ift shop owners ha#e relied on the a#ailability of California/s
locally !rown product and #ariety superior to imports)
$hereas% it is the policy of City and County of San Francisco to create
and retain local ,obs and the closure of the Flower Mart would cost tens of
thousands of ,obs runnin! contrary to that policy)
$hereas% this uni*ue site has critical access to and from the ma,or
transportation links for commerce and local deli#ery of flowers from the
north% east and south Bay Area)
$hereas% reasonable 0onin! standards ha#e preser#ed the San
Francisco Flower Mart at this site for o#er a half a century)
$hereas% the Flower Mart property is current 0oned SA1"
2Ser#ice3Arts31i!ht "ndustrial4% 5(-667 8ei!ht and Bulk and is part of the
$estern SoMa Special .se 9istrict% the $estern SoMa Community Plan
Area and the Central Corridor Plan Area:
$hereas% the ;ilroy <ealty Corporation is in contract to purchase a
':=-acre portion of the Flower Mart site for >?@:@ million to de#elop a new
hi!h-tech campus with @66%((( s*uare feet of office space)
$hereas% theA;ilroy <ealty Corporation/s ac*uisition of the site% from
the San Francisco Flower Browers Association 2SFFBA4 was appro#ed by a
ma,ority of SFFBA shareholders on September ''% ?('5 despite a pendin!
shareholder lawsuit filed in the San Francisco Superior Court char!in! that
SFFBA failed to obtain a proper #aluation of the property and fair biddin!
offers% as well as other improprieties:
$hereas% a ma,ority of tenants leases e&pire on 9ecember C'%?('5
with no !uarantees from ;ilroy <ealty to renew the leases% !uarantee rental
rates or ensure that #endors will not be displaced%
ATherefore% the people of San Francisco declare that it is the policy of
the City and County of San Francisco that:
The e&istin! hei!ht limits and 0onin! for the San Francisco Flower
Mart shall be preser#ed and shall not be increased unless appro#ed by San
Francisco #oters:
SECTION . San Francisco Flo!er Mart Protection Act
The San Francisco Plannin! Code 2Part ""% Chapter "" of the San
Francisco Municipal Code4 is amended as follows:
(1) adoptin! the City and County of San Francisco Donin! Map
Sheet 8T(+ to preser#e the hei!ht and bulk district
classification of the property located at AssessorEs Block Fo:
CGG+% 1ot Fo: ((6 26G6 Si&th Street4% a 5(-66-7 8ei!ht and
Bulk 9istrict:
A
(2) adoptin! the City and County of San Francisco Donin! Map
Sheet DF(+ to preser#e the 0onin! classification of the property
located at AssessorEs Block Fo: CGG+% 1ot Fo: (((6 26G6 Si&th
Street4% as SA1" 2Ser#ice3Arts31i!ht "ndustrial4: A
(3) Pursuant to Sections '(@ and C(?2c4 of the Plannin! Code% the
followin! hei!ht and bulk district classification% is herby
adopted by the City and County of San Francisco:
9escription of Property 8ei!ht and Bulk 9istrict
Donin!
Assessor/s Block CGG+ 5(-667 SA1"
1ot ((6
SECTION ". E##ecti$e Date
"n accordance with the pro#isions of California Hlections Code
section =?'G% if a ma,ority of the #oters #ote in fa#or of the "nitiati#e% the
"nitiati#e shall !o into effect '( days after the #ote is declared by the Board
of Super#isors: