The Facts

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood is taking a new approach to getting more grocery stores open in San Francisco.

Mahmood is introducing legislation that would waive some city fees in underserved neighborhoods, make it easier to divide large, empty supermarkets into smaller spaces, and encourage housing projects that include a grocery store.

The plan will go through the Board of Supervisors instead of appearing on the November ballot.

The Context

San Francisco has struggled to keep grocery stores open — and to replace the ones it loses. When the Fillmore Safeway closed in February 2025, it left the neighborhood without a full-service grocery store, and three grocers have since walked away from plans to reopen the site.

The GrowSF Take

The best way to get more grocery stores is to make them easier and less expensive to open.

Mahmood’s plan addresses the reasons stores struggle to open and survive: high costs, rigid zoning, large retail spaces, and too few nearby customers.