>> small businesses where bonds of connectedness are developed and sustained over time with residents of the community. formula retail of businesses that come in the end to undermine all of those efforts and it creates a struggle for the soul of the neighborhood which is not necessary. i think the public policy and

the government should be doing what they can do support the efforts of all of us organizes as community members in the neighborhood to sustain the bonds of community and connectedness that we have and to help protect us against teem who see the storefront as mainly or i will say mainly a business opportunity and a chance to make a profit in a fairly well to-do community so i hope you will hear what i'm saying and support the efforts of us in noe valley. >> if you are hear to speak please move to this side. >> my name is sara and a former resident of fran and a graduate of san francisco state and now i am the community marketing manager for healthy pa, but my mom likes to tell everybody that

i am a -- >> if you work for the project sponsor you cannot speak during public comment. >> it is a little bit of a fine line there they can represent themselves. >> are you representing yourself? >> okay just make it clear that you are speaking for yourself but i do have a role at healthy spa as a potty planner. a large part of what i do is plan the events in store and in the community for healthy spa. there is something for everybody whether it's our monthly happy hours. >> i will have to stop you because you are talking about your job not your feelings as a person. >> you know what, i understand. i completely understand, so i will scratch the speech and just

tell you what i am hear to say. >> to the chair if i may just for clarity the product sponsor's team does get that time at the beginning but they are essentially for the sponsor's team such as lawyers or architects and doesn't necessarily include employees and we have had many hearings about bars where bartenders come and speak in favor of expansion of the site, so i don't want to limit the site because we have oveoftentimes allowed employeeso speak. i know it is confusing, but unless she was paid by her employer she is hear on her own time to speak on this project. it is a bit of a double-edge sword. >> i will resign and i didn't mean to ruffle any feathers and

i appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> van hart, i am a 60 year dog owner and a 20 year property valley in noe valley and developed a project three doors down and at this time we only own the retail space and i have a whole vision of noe valley for the last 20 plus years. people always have these ideologies of what they want from the city in general. i have a good tenant now and i have had two other tenants and

as you look for various tenants they have desires for the neighborhood and what we think is what we want and it's very interesting we talk about small business in this city but we do all sorts of things to discourage small business. this store one of the main things i have heard from all my tenants is i need foot traffic. the foot traffic is declined and goes through cycles right now and the next door neighbor to me was a large drugstore and now it's a title company wells fargo, so what's happened in the neighborhood is we have lost certain foot traffic-type retail and sometimes you don't always get what you want but a lot of times the people who come i have been very surprise surprised thd benefit that neighborhood. many years ago in a former lifetime in the city i had a

girlfriend wh who had one of the first pet stores in the city. [bell ringing] the store was opened in the mid-80s. >> sir your time is up. >> they su sub contractorred and she was the pet groomer in the store. >> thank you very much. next speaker please. >> my name is vascas. you may know it by the mission of the cdma is to unite th them. as healthy spa was applying for the permit i was introduced to the cofounders and they wanted to know how they could support

the cdma mission to help our merchant corridors be the best that they can be. they offered us a bronze sponsorship to the cognitive development dma. i want to be clear and say for the record never once did healthy spot ask for support in any capacity nor were the details shared with me or any other board members. as is customary the logo was placed with sponsors with a link to the home page. the cdma works hard to help them thriver and integrity and honesty are core values. i am a small business owner and we are all constantly looking for ways to support our fellow small business owners throughout the city. in light of the recent complicated events. we have voted to return the

sponsorship money. >> i want to thank you for taking our comment hear today. my name is anthony de la cruz. i am hear sp to support the heay spa. prior to moving to san francisco i resided in southern california specifically los angeles. this company is known for specialty products and services and exceptional customers service and enhancing the neighborhoods they are in and in the surrounding areas around their stores. it would benefit noe value in a healthy way. the high van cancy rate is

concerning. i serve on the board in the noe valley and we have spent countless hours going over this item and we have supported their application. every day i come to work i see a vacant storefront or stores that have closed. i predict that healthy spot would not only be an anchor store pet owners will be able to purchase unique products that are currently neighbor. healthy spot has never used a predatory pricing strategy. [bell ringing] they would coexist and cohabitate and work alongside with the other businesses to showcase their respective products to the public. they have committed to not carrying identical products.

they are committed to instiring healthy pet lifestyles by creating experiencing and fostering their communities. we recently learned from the study done from the office of -- i ask that. >> it's time please. thank you very much. >> my name is james graham i had the pleasure of working with andrew and mark at healthy spa in california but i have no interest in the business anymore. andrew and mark are individuals

and entrepreneurs that i greatly admire and respect. i have taken time to read the rhetoric and i feel compelled to provide insid -- through my cari have had the play schaue measurg in many. among these experiences i have not come across more earnest community-minded builders than andrew and the mark and i include my own family in that reference. they started their business to improve better and healthier lives for our pets. over the last ten years they have remained deeply committed to not behave like these large

chains. they have grown the number of stores to 14 and in the last few months ticked over arbitrary retail threshold of 14 stores. i am sure the commission will be able to see through much of the misinformation that was presented about how mark and andrew are and what the business really is. [bell ringing] >> your time is up. >> i will read a few more names. thank you. >> good afternoon my name is

jason lee. i have been a resident and dog owner for 12 years and known mark and andrew for 20 years during my college time at berkeley. [reading] has anyone visited any of their locations and made objective determination they are a detriment to the community.

we have seen a campaign to protect the self-interests of a few incumbents.

[reading] >> thank you sir your time is up. >> thank you. next speaker please. folks if you could move away from the door if you are waiting to speak, line up on this side of the door. >> thank you for your time. i am michael king and i met andrew back in 1990. we went to college at berkeley. after college he went to found healthy spa and obviously he has done well, but it's really hard to open a retail store now because of amazon.

i have been in san francisco since 1999 and in noe valley since 2009. i was in walking distance to 24th street. i am thrilled they chose that location to put their store hear. i have been to their pet stores in southern california and they are beautiful and they look great. you look inside and it's clean and vibrant and it will drive traffic and thrilled for the opportunity to bring my sister's pets into the store. i fully support the project and i think they come from a really good place because every store the different and it's a positive holistic approach to pet care. >> thank you next speaker.

>> my name is olga and i am the present of operating neighbors, a 30-year-old association. i am hear today on behalf of the association that ask that you deny the opening of healthy spa in noe valley. we do not need another vet store in our neighborhood. we have ten pet-related businesses within 1.5 miles of this location. they offer the same or similar pet foods, products or services that healthy spa is pre tending to offer. our small vendors that make noe valley the place that we love to live in won't be able to compete in these formula chain stores. we don't want to have empty

storefronts, but we don't need another pet store. we need a hardware store. we need to fill those needs in our neighborhood. it appears that healthy spot picked this location not because there was a need for the services but in order to drive out our independent small businesses that make our neighborhood very special. without them no one would want to be no noe valley because they contribute to the neighborhood and to the character. everybody walks their dogs. [bell ringing] please deny a conditional use permit. thank you for your time. >> my name is nicholas sack et and i director for legislative affairs. we are a nonprofit based in southern california.

eight years ago our founder was driving a bill that would ban the sale of puppy mill dogs in west hollywood. andrew was there as an example of a business that was able to succeed in a humane manner. that law passed and later was passed in the city of los angeles. last year and if anyone hear is a pet lover they may hear that ab4ab5 passed last year in california. that will would not have passed out andrew supporting us. he came to sacramento and testified on behalf of our bill when pet coand pet smart and the entire pet industry was opposing our bill it was our animal rights group and andrew. because of that success our

group is now trying to pass other forward thinking legislation in sacramento. when i see stickers that say keep the valley unique, he was the only unique pet business on our side when we needed him and i know he will be there for community and i support the project. >> hi name is christine and i was born and raised in san francisco and i was born no noe and i was born on jersey street and now i live in jersey street.

i met andrew and mark through the noe value merchant's association which i am a member. they have flown up from la for every meeting which i think shows their commitment. they have dined at my restaurant after every meeting which they don't need to do and it's been great getting to know them. i have never seen them act in a way that was negative or derogatory. there are almost as many dogs as there are babies in the neighborhood. i don't understand the issue. the local pet stores have the benefit of being established in the neighborhood for over 30 years and if they have been doing a job they should have a hefty base of customers lawful tloyal tothem who will not leav. there are 24 storefronts that

are closed and we need businesses to fill these stores. on a personal note, i would like to say as a young entrepreneur only three years into my business it is discouraging to see how people are acting in this situation. competition is a part of life and it should encourage us to make our businesses the best that they can be and not try to tear down those who have worked extremely hard for their success. >> thank you. >> rachel swan.

we were given the test of trying to approve or disapprove someone coming into our neighborhood and we thought about for a long time what we needed for noe valley. we spoke to many of our merchants, some over 30 year merchants in the neighborhood. it wasn't without disagreement but respectful disagreement on the board and we are in full support of having them in our neighborhood and i hope you can respect our decision as the board of noe valley merchants and thank you for your time. >> my name is hichi chen. i met andrew and mark at u. c. berkeley. i am a dog owner.

we have tried many groomers and we have done as far as redwood to find a groomer. it's like a haircut. i think healthy spa would be a fans tabernaclessic option. the f facilities are spotless ad they take too time to explain different consumers. it was a great experience because they took the time to build that relationship and that was the type of service i would drive across the city for, i would drive across the peninsula and i might drive across the bridge. during those hours i will be walking around noe valley and shopping. i have always appreciated their expertise and consult with them

on my dog's nutrition i care about ingredient sourcing and they know their products and they are not just googling product reviewing. they are going on-site and inspecting the suppliers. that is the type of passion i want for my dog. they hold dog halloween costume parties. i think they will add to an already great neighborhood. >> my name is young kim and i have been a native for 18 years and a dog owner just as long and i am excited about the potential about opening in noe valley. the two biggest reasons are the retail space has been void in

that space for over a year and it will help fill the retail pet void that's been in know valley. the other reason why is the specialty products and the services they provide. i think there is a small cross over with the stores around the area that you want to open and in fact i think there is less than like 30% of the products that are crossed over from the current stores from what they offer. i think the diversity of the products will only help drive more people to the neighbor. neighborhood. >> david win, i am a 23 year resident of san francisco. came up from san jose, and i want to tell you about my weekend journeys.

i live in the sunset area but i make the trek to noe valley to do my laundry. i go to spin city. it's nice and clean and a great spot to take my bulldog. he likes to stay outside and bask in the sun but i would have never found it had it not been for that whole foods out there. i have west lake down the street and i have stonestown and i stick make the trek to noe valley and my trip is going to put my laundry in and i take my two kids and dog to whole foods and pick up a couple vegetables and head over to the noe valley baking company to get scones and they are fantastic and you can freeze them.

i am a big advocate of noe valley. i pretty much do all my shopping every weekend. i spend a good $250 when i am there. i has been to a healthy spot in santa monica. west lake is right there. like in the past 20 years there was a lot of vacancies and they bring in the right store mix and all of the sudden you can't get into the parking lot. i am come hear as advocate for noe valley an. [bell ringing] >> thank you very much. >> anymore public comment on this item. please come up. if you want to comment line up

on this side of the room. >> daniel . i did want you to see how many showed up today in o oppositiono this. noe valley is a dog loves community and well established beloved hardworking businesses. (reading from text or handout). these businesses are legacy businesses, but they have also kept up with the evolving needs of the pet loving needs of noe valley. these businesses, our neighborhood and the city is now

being threatened by a growing predatory chain by the name of healthy spot. since it's 14 stores strong it must meet the conditions to be granted the conditional use permit. after speaking with several local pet businesses in l.a, we are convinced that they are a predatory corporation with unhealthy design on our city. [bell ringing] last month i was in the room telling you about -- this is the antithesis of that. i urge you to deny this cu.

thank you. >> sandra holly da. hands up who lives in the neighborhood? yes. please deny this chain store. it will cause significant issues that will inconvenience our neighborhood. the chain did not consider workability. the parking in noe valley is pretty crazy not to mention dealing with dogs all day to pe and poop. can't believe i am saying that in city hall. why allow another chain store in hear. no one likes empty storefronts but this is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. we know what happens to small businesses when chains come in. they undercut existing stores and everily you will see all the other stores close. this is not workable.

the lighthouse is a very good firm and i am sure the healthy spot people are very nice. there are other neighborhoods that are under served. this is a map of pet stores and services in san francisco and there are big areas that are not served. there are much better places where other pets could be served in this way. also i think the pet shop boys lied about their local support. we know many merchants who said they did not support it. the noe valley me merchant association did know vote this open to their members. >> todd, co-owner of puppies mud and scrub. i love my city.

the conditions they are to meet are that their chain business will not harm our neighborhoods. healthy spot does not meet many of these conditions. we will focus on three main conditions to show they do not qualify. the permit application states that tell healthy spot must prove that they will provide a development necessary or development for and compatible with the neighborhood or the community and two, that such use or feature will not be detriment tall to the health, safety or convenience of welfare to those working in the area. three, it will not -- the master

plan. we will show there is no need for another pet business and there is no desire. [bell ringing] we will show you how healthy spot will inconvenience the corridor and how they will affect the master plan because it affects our neighborhood and will destroy future opportunities. finally we will share with you our fear that it will not onl ht the neighborhood. [bell ringing]

>> thank you. good afternoon commissioners and neighborhood. my name is caroline gonzales. i am we have seen a lot of chann our city and some is needed and welcomed and some is not. healthy spa is not needed in noe valley. there is no need for the following reasons. the market is saturated. our pets are well served. market research shows there is no need for another in know valley. healthy spot will not create a new demand due to any of its products or services. there is no net gain which means more closures.

noe valley is tight-knit community and we would like to keep it that way. in addition to the animal company a half a block away and vip grooming 1.5 blocks away, 10 pet businesses within a mile. this is one of the most saturated areas in our city for pet businesses. what we cannot see are mobile groomers whose vans are frequently seen in the area and grocery stores and markets that also carry pet products. thank you for your consideration. denied. >> nancy why.

i own vip grooming. know value is home to some of the best loved best services. this shop has evolved with the needs of the neighborhood in which is why it has remained successful over time. they carry a variety of food and products for dogs and cats and they sell birds. a few feet away is walgreens which has an entire aisle of pet products or a block in the opposition direction is whole foods, now has an entire department dedicated to pet stores. these three options exist within one block of the proposed chain location. two blocks away is my grooming shop where we employ six groomers and we can do show cuts, japaneses cuts -- we have

won best of basics times. in 2016 at the request of my clientele i took over a pet wash station and added another groomer. vip scrub club has dental clinics, community events an pick up and drop off service. [bell ringing] there are three prominent mobile groomers that service the area and delivery trucks from amazon and chewies that have been seen roaming the area. our pet stores carry the products that their clientele ask for and curated their stores to meet the needs of the pet store this is our neighborhood. it is clear that noe valley pets are well serve t.

>> my name is alex and i am a pet groomer ot vip groomer. research shows there is no need for another grooming shop hear. our existing shops are not at capacity and most shops can take walk-in clients. there are over 30 groomers in less than 1.5 miles. every groomer can find a groomer to fit their needs. in san francisco there are 6762 dogs in district eight which is a noe valley, diamond heights,

glen mark, and a small portion of the mission. our current shops service 9730 dogs. if every single dog owner brought their dogs in our shops would still not be a capacity. should the dog population rise and more pet services are needed our local shops can have and will provide what the community needs. in 2016 at the request of our customers we opened vip scrub club on church street. on a personal note, i'd like to add that i've been a groomer for ten years. [bell ringing] there is no place like find aggressor home in a local mom and pop shop. >> can you hand that in please?

>> my name is rick french co-owner of the valley company. i am hear to talk to you about product. i don't have pie charts or graphs, i am just a little store 130 paces from this location. this chain says they have carefully curated product lines. what they have is dog food, cat food and some treats. that's what we all have. we have the same dog food, the same cat food that's already offered and available and sold throughout the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. it's the same products. we say birds and related ie steps but the bulk of our sales

comcome from -- the pet product market is totally saturated and that's why there hasn't been any new pet stores opened in my area in nearly 20 years. if there was more demand, don't you think that one of us would have opened another store? stands to reason. a few weeks ago mark and andrew approached me and asked to sign an agreement that they would not sell any products we sell other than what they carry which is what we all carry. it was shallow at best. why woulthey offered nothing net

the same products and services wrapped up in a flashy package. thank you for your time. >> my name is chris walker and i am an employee of vip grooming and i am not being paid to be hear today. they say they will provide different types of grooms and techniques such as japanese style haircuts but these are common practices that our groomers already incorporate. vip grooming one of the city's legacy businesses employs a groomer certified with the national dog groomer's association of america and specialty is breed show cuts and

hand clipping. these services are more rare. they site dog dental clinics and vip also serves this. they will not provide day care at this facility and if they offered dog handling classes there are plenty of trainers in the neighborhood that already have workshops. there will be no net gain for noe valley. despite their claps healthy spa would not provide products or services unique to the neighborhood and would not create new market demand and

provide no net gain for noe valley. >> steve pressman nearly 30 year resident of noe valley. my number one issue has to do with the law on the books that was adopted for a very good reason, which was to preserve the integrity and uniqueness in our neighborhood shopping corridors. i don't know care if we are talking about a pet shop business or a body piercing parlor, as long as it is independently owned and operated and not a brand store. turns out there is a long history of formula stores not working.

in recent years stores like general nutrition centers and others all failed. while it never reached it's stores of 12 in the bay area la boutique failed in all locations including noe valley. formula retail often raises lease and rent expectations. they often rent in places that have high percent square foot rates that are not sustainable for independent stores like the animal company and vip grooms that don't have that region of stores or multiple locations to balance out those costs so on

behalf of myself and other long-term pet owners, i would request you deny this permit. >> good evening, my name is anna teal. i am the manager of jeffrey's natural pet foods and speaking to you about the desire for a chain store. the chain pet store is not desired in noe valley and they are generally resist at no time to chain stores and specifically does not want a pet chain store. we know this because there is prokebroad opposition and resid. i am a member of my local pet

shop and weocate for small mom and pop shops. my own local pet job is my life's work. we have seen the effect that chain stores have had and sf has lost original members. we know your name and pet's name and we are blessed to see them grow from puppies to the moment they are adopted and we make recommendations on food, health, behavior and issue referrals to others who are local. when they pass we are there for them with hugs, tears, and love. there is a precedence for denies cu permits to chain