Chase hit a wall in the Castro, says the Bay Area Reporter, which notes that the proposed bank at 18th and Castro was collectively (and perhaps barely metaphorically) booed out of the neighborhood by local residents and merchants. Said a planning commissioner: "I cannot see adding a bank branch at this iconic corner is a good thing to do." This, given that a Chase is already going into the former Dulux paint store a few blocks north. But the first and biggest stumble— and one that seems to happen with some frequency— was that a big national company decided it would just set up shop in a fiercely tribal distinctive and historical neighborhood, without performing "the type of outreach we are accustomed to here." Chalk one success up to Castro residents; the owner of the building, however, isn't as pleased, fearing now the space could stand vacant for a year or more. S'pose an American Apparel's out of the question...
· Online extra: Political Notes: Planning panel boots Chase out of Castro's heart [BAR]
· Castro Conundrum Solved: Building ID's Confirmed, Denied [Curbed SF]
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