Why does a business need to appease one agency or another for the privilege of operating? If it’s dangerous to have them in that location they should be prohibited - if it isn’t, they should be allowed to operate their business without preconditions. The purpose of zoning should be to minimize actual harm, not micromanage the local economy.
That is the point of zoning. If every coffee shop became paid only, there would be no coffee shops and the financial district would be a dead zone of offices.
It isn't a micromanage, it is the intended feature of zoning.
The letter noted two distinct facts vs. typical restaurant reservations:
1) You have to pay to reserve at Workshop Cafe (unlike typical restaurant)
2) The reservation can be for an unlimited period of time (again unlike a restaurant reservation)
That 1/3 was designated as subordinate (ie non-restaurant) use. Fancy restaurants would have the same problem if they started using up a bunch of space for whiteboards and printers.
I wonder if the people running this thing will now attempt to make good with the zoning department and try things like your suggestion, or if a discussion like this has already occurred and they don't have a further way to negotiate out of a shutdown.
Comments
I used Workshop Cafe a little and liked it, but I agree with the planning commission.
All they were asking was for 2/3rds of the space to be available to the public.
They could have made 1/3 reservable. They could have charged for wifi in the other 2/3rds or came up with other ideas.
Why does a business need to appease one agency or another for the privilege of operating? If it’s dangerous to have them in that location they should be prohibited - if it isn’t, they should be allowed to operate their business without preconditions. The purpose of zoning should be to minimize actual harm, not micromanage the local economy.
That is the point of zoning. If every coffee shop became paid only, there would be no coffee shops and the financial district would be a dead zone of offices.
It isn't a micromanage, it is the intended feature of zoning.
does SF only allow fancy restaurants to take reservations for 1/3rd of their tables?
The letter noted two distinct facts vs. typical restaurant reservations: 1) You have to pay to reserve at Workshop Cafe (unlike typical restaurant) 2) The reservation can be for an unlimited period of time (again unlike a restaurant reservation)
That 1/3 was designated as subordinate (ie non-restaurant) use. Fancy restaurants would have the same problem if they started using up a bunch of space for whiteboards and printers.
I wonder if the people running this thing will now attempt to make good with the zoning department and try things like your suggestion, or if a discussion like this has already occurred and they don't have a further way to negotiate out of a shutdown.