Long-running Russian Hill business Lombardi Sports is getting ready to close its doors forever to make way for new condos. Faced with losses from several terrible ski seasons and the increasing pressure of online retailers, the Lombardi family decided to close the business. Neighbors were informed by a letter in the mail, and the store will shut down in January. The 50,000-square-foot building will be demolished and a new six-story structure with 62 condos will rise in its place.
The replacement of Lombardi and other local businesses like Flax Art & Design on Market Street with condos has led Supervisor David Campos to propose measures to protect long-running local establishments. Campos has suggested a registry of legacy businesses that would include restaurants, retailers, and manufacturers that have been in existence for 30 years or more and have "contributed to their neighborhoods in a meaningful way." There would be financial incentives for property owners to keep those businesses in place.
That may not have made a difference for Lombardi. The family that owns the property that the building stands on and felt that the sporting goods store was no longer the most lucrative use for the land.
· SF Development Boom Swallows Up Historic Family Businesses [SFGate]
· The Future of Flax [Curbed SF]