[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by mhays

How do you keep the corporate stores away from a successful area? The only ways I can think of are (a) landlords that do it intentionally, and (b) preservation districts that mandate a lack of chains. For example the Pike Place Market doesn't allow chains to move in, though it does allow stores to stay if they become chains later.

I'm sure you are aware of this but others may not be and it does work (if by "working" you mean simply keeping out chain stores):

Five Things to Know About SF's Formula Retail Policy
By Racked Staff Jun 7, 2013, 3:00pm PDT

1. The San Francisco Planning Code regulates formula retail, a.k.a. "chain stores."
To fall under the formula retail rules, a store must have 11 or more US locations and a recognizable "look." That look could be determined by standardized merchandise, signage, decor, color scheme, uniforms, or trademarks. The city has a handy checklist to determine if a business is a chain store. The formula retail definition excludes certain common commercial uses like professional or medical offices, salons, and gyms.

2. How it works.
Our seven-by-seven city is divided into zoning districts where chain stores are either permitted, not permitted, or conditional. If a chain store wants to set up shop in one of those conditional zoning districts, it has to complete extra paperwork with the Planning Commission. In many cases, the Commission will notify the neighbors of the chain store's intentions, and the neighbors will have an opportunity to object.

3. Formula retail regulation is a relatively new policy.
San Francisco voters passed the original formula retail law in 2006. The San Francisco Chronicle explains that voters extended the law in 2012 to add banks and other financial services to the list of businesses that must seek special permits to open in mom-and-pop-dominated areas.

4. There are conflicting conclusions regarding the policy's effects.
Further proving that you can find support for any argument, small businesses and big box stores have presented conflicting evidence regarding the value of the rule. Last year, the San Francisco Bay Guardian reported that a SF Locally Owned Merchants Alliance study indicated that formula retail cost as many jobs as it created. Bay Area big businesses counter that the rule has unintended consequences, like penalizing homegrown businesses such as Levi's, Gap, and Pet Food Express for their success.

5. More regulation on the horizon.
As we discussed earlier this week, Supervisor London Breed wants to change to the current formula retail rules to ban companies with more than 11 outlets worldwide—or whose parent company has 11 or more stores— from opening in Hayes Valley. (Hypothetical example: Gap would fall under the formula retail rules if it wanted to open a Piperlime store in Hayes Valley because it has more than 11 stores worldwide. It wouldn't matter that there is only one brick-and-mortar Piperlime location . . . .

https://sf.racked.com/2013/6/7/76663...-retail-policy