By Rigoberto Hernandez, Mission Local
The Mission restaurant boom that has transformed Valencia Street in recent years will continue to spread east on 24th Street and push out established businesses, many of which are owned by Latinos, a neighborhood merchants’ group fears.
Members of the Lower 24th Street Merchants and Neighbors Association are analyzing a range of options for preserving the current culture of the neighborhood. Among the possibilities under consideration are establishing a cultural district and imposing a moratorium on new restaurants.
“Talking about preserving the Latino culture, sometimes it’s a bad word,” said Erick Arguello, president of the merchants’ group. “People look at you like you are already on your way out.”
Talk of a moratorium on restaurants in order to slow gentrification is not new to the Mission. Last fall, the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association proposed a restaurant moratorium for Valencia Street. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that at least 16 new restaurants opened there last year, and according to Supervisor David Campos, that moratorium is still being considered.
Read the complete story at Mission Local.
