After hearing from scores of Asian American residents staunchly opposed to a new cannabis dispensary that would be located near a preschool, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 to allow the project to move forward.
The new dispensary, called the Green Mirror, would be located on the second floor of the Gold Mirror Italian restaurant on Taraval Street. The dispensary project received a conditional use authorization from the city's Planning Commission earlier this year, but was controversial from the get-go. In a heated February meeting, Planning Commissioner Rachel Tanner suggested community opposition was based on "misinformation on cannabis and used to target certain communities," specifically Black and Latino Americans.
A group of residents sought an appeal of the Planning Commission's decision to green-light the project, and a Change.org petition titled, "Pasta, Not Pot: Stop The Gold Mirror Cannabis Dispensary," was launched in February. The board heard the group's appeal on Tuesday.
Those opposed to the dispensary were mostly worried that it would be located near Happy Day Preschool, as well as the fact that the Planning Commission's initial approval allowed for onsite consumption of edibles. A very large group of residents, mostly elderly Asian Americans, spoke at the meeting to raise their concerns. It's not an exaggeration to say that the phrase "protect the children" may have been said upwards of 50 times during the meeting.
Many of the speakers required translators, which led to a handful of particularly blunt quotes, such as, "San Francisco has already been approving too many permits for dispensaries, please help us," and "marijuana does not do any good for us and is causing problems in San Francisco."
A large group of Asian American residents gathers to speak in opposition to a new cannabis dispensary.
SFGov TVDistrict 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who represents the area where the dispensary would be built, pushed the board to adopt a motion that would disapprove of the Planning Commission's original approval, but grant a new conditional approval with concessions. Those concessions included the prohibition of edible consumption at the site, a one-hour reduction in hours of operation and a requirement that only one entrance be used for cannabis deliveries.
Board President Aaron Peskin seemed to imply that Melgar ceded too much to the residents, asking how it makes sense that the dispensary must close at 9 p.m., when nearby stores that serve alcohol, another "mind altering substance," can remain open longer. Melgar replied that it was "an attempt to come to consensus in negotiation."
Another issue that prompted discussion was a city rule prohibiting dispensaries within 600 feet of a school. However, the city's relevant laws define "school" as starting with kindergarten, meaning Green Mirror technically can open despite its close proximity to Happy Day Preschool, which serves younger children. Melgar said she did not want to punish the business for how rules were written when it began the approval process. District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, meanwhile, said the "spirit of the law" meant that the dispensary should not open, and he voted against the project for that reason.
The board ultimately approved Meglar’s new conditional use authorization for Green Mirror, with only District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani and Engardio dissenting. Once the board vote was taken, the group of citizens who spoke in favor of the appeal promptly retreated from the board chambers.
From here, the project will need to obtain authorization from the San Francisco Office of Cannabis. As of Tuesday evening, the office's website said Green Mirror's application was processing.
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