Relief Funds Secured for Taraval Merchants Suffering from Street Construction

Taraval Street construction. Photo credit: San Francisco Chronicle

Small businesses struggling on Taraval deserve some good news. I was able to secure $1 million in relief funds for Taraval merchants. They’ve been struggling to survive the entire street being ripped up to replace the train tracks and all underground utilities and infrastructure.

Taraval merchants after receiving the news of relief funds.

I worked with the budget chair, the director of the office of small business, and the mayor to help Taraval in this critical moment. 

Ripping up the street has been a major disruption and a business killer. Many merchants have reported huge losses in sales. What’s the point of brand new train tracks and boarding islands serving a corridor without any businesses?

When the construction is complete, it will benefit Taraval and its small businesses for the next 100 years. But we can’t give up on today’s merchants. We need them to be around when the train comes back.

That’s why these relief funds are so important. 

Funds should have been set aside years ago when this project was first planned. But that didn’t happen and money is tight in our current budget deficit. 

We are fortunate to have some unspent funds from last fall’s APEC conference of world leaders in San Francisco. During APEC, there were small businesses in SOMA who were harmed by no fault of their own. The merchants suffered from the decisions and actions of city agencies.

Taraval merchants have a similar experience. They are at the mercy of the SFMTA to finish this project as promised by the end of this year.

Initially the unspent APEC funds were only earmarked for SOMA businesses. I asked for an amendment to add Taraval merchants and I want to thank the budget committee for agreeing.

We are one city. We can help SOMA businesses who suffered during APEC last fall and Taraval merchants who continue to suffer today. This is about saving businesses, which benefits the whole city. Because if people stop shopping along San Francisco’s merchant corridors and go to Daly City, that’s less tax revenue for programs that serve all residents. 

The help we’re giving to SOMA and Taraval merchants now is just the beginning. We must plan ahead for every major construction project and disruptive event we know is coming. We need a dedicated relief fund that can offer small businesses a lifeline to get them through the disruption wherever it happens in San Francisco.  

Taraval Construction Update:
Many residents have asked about the parking situation on Taraval. Some of the parking lost during construction will return. The parking spots not returning are because of the new boarding stations that are required for accessibility and safety. Train passengers used to have to exit into oncoming traffic and it was dangerous. 

If you want to see what Taraval will look like when the project is finished, tour west of Sunset Boulevard where the first phase of construction is complete. You can see the boarding islands, landscaping, and beautification efforts. SFMTA has repeatedly told me that the final phase is on time to bring trains back to the full length of Taraval by the end of this year.

Residents and merchants can review an online list of updates for work that has been completed and upcoming work that is scheduled each week. Find the “L-Taraval” updates here.

Read a San Francisco Chronicle news article about the Taraval construction and relief funds.