SF wants to buy, replace fast-casual eatery with affordable housing

Known as a hotbed of crime and quality of life missteps, the McDonald’s store at Haight and Stanyan has been a pockmark for years.

But now, according to the Chronicle’s Matier and Ross, San Francisco would like to purchase the Upper Haight McNugget purveyor and replace it with affordable (or otherwise) housing.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said that, after receiving a letter of interest from the city, “the proposal is currently under review.”

This isn’t the first time San Francisco has tried to snap up the neighborhood’s not-so-golden arches.

“The city has tried before to buy the McDonald’s site,” reports the Chronicle. “We’re told the previous owner hoped to develop the site himself, but that plan ran up against resistance from neighbors.

City intervention comes on the heels of a recent shooting inside the Haight Street eatery.

As Hoodline reports, “Last Thursday, a man was shot inside the restaurant after an altercation; police closed traffic on Haight Street and redirected Muni lines as they searched for the shooter, who has not been arrested.”

And after receiving more than 1,000 calls for police in a 3-year period, City Attorney Dennis Herrera threatened to legal action against McDonald’s Corporation in 2015. The mega-chain settled the suit with the city, agreeing to pay San Francisco $40,000 and increase security and lighting.

• SF’s happy deal: Buy McDonald’s outlet, build housing [SF Chronicle]
• City Offers To Buy Upper Haight McDonald's, Build Affordable Housing [Hoodline]