Mayor Daniel Lurie is advancing his efforts to reform San Francisco’s notoriously complicated permitting system with a suite of proposals that aims to eliminate onerous requirements that hinder small businesses.
Lurie introduced a legislative package Tuesday that would eliminate permits for sidewalk tables and chairs that currently cost as much as $2,500. Merchants would also no longer need a permit to paint the name of their business on their facade or make routine improvements such as installing a new door opener.
Businesses would also not need to get city inspections to extend their hours or have limited live performances. The legislation would further expand the kind of businesses allowed on the ground floor in an attempt to give more flexibility to prospective tenants interested in filling some of downtown San Francisco’s many vacant storefronts…