Petco's attempt to open an Unleashed by Petco on Geary Street suffered another blow with the Supes' approval yesterday of micro-legislation barring pet supply chain stores from a stretch of the street from 14th to 28th Avenues. They voted 8-3 on the bill, introduced by Eric Mar, specifically to support local mom/pop stores in the area from the low prices and huge selection- plus parking- a store like Petco might offer to consumers. Petco already has a store in the Mission and one on Sloat Boulevard, but the Unleashed locations are typically smaller and do not sell any live animals, specifically fish. Cal's Pet Supply nearby has thirty neighborhood investors who came out strongly against the new store, plus there are four aquarium supply shops nearby. According to a piece in the SF Appeal last month:
?Petco has vowed to do whatever it takes to fight the legislation. "The proposed ordinance exceeds the city's police power," said a lawyer representing the San Diego-based company. "[It] infringes on the project sponsor's equal protection rights and, if enacted, would be invalid under federal and state law.Mar's legislation did open that stretch of Geary Street to more restaurant use, so if Petco bails entirely, a new dim sum palace would fit quite nicely into the 5,000-square foot space, once previously occupied by a Walgreen's and vacant for two years. No word yet on a challenge in the courts. For the record, Petco does not sell puppies or kittens, but they are part of the Christian Values Network, from which Apple, Microsoft, and REI, among others, have withdrawn their online stores because of CVN's funding of anti-gay groups like Focus on the Family (Best Buy and The Gap are still in there.) No idea if that figured into the Board of Supervisor's decision yesterday- if it did, let us know in the comments.
· Petco Barred From San Francisco's Geary Street by Pet Supply Chain Ban [Sf Examiner]
· Richmond Neighborhood Fights Incoming Pet Supply Giant [Sf Appeal]
· Petco on Geary Coverage [Curbed SF]
· Connection Plus™ [Christian Values Network]
Ms. Madoc Henderson-Sonnichsen [Photo Credit: Richard Gullo]
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