Businesses affected by delayed Van Ness bus rapid transit project can now apply for grants
San Francisco’s first bus rapid transit system is more than halfway done along Van Ness Avenue, but businesses impacted by the delayed project have yet to receive grants from The City to help pay for rent, utilities, wages and other essential needs in order to survive.
The grant application was finally opened last month for businesses owners to apply, but city officials expressed concern over why it took so long when talks about helping businesses along Van Ness took place last year.
Peter Gabancho, the project manager for the $309 million Van Ness Improvement Project, told city supervisors sitting as the San Francisco County Transportation Authority Commission last month that the project is 57 percent complete. He said the transit agency is finally moving into the actual BRT buildout phase, which has been delayed due to sewer and water main work.
The project has gone over schedule by about two years and supervisors said they were worried about the businesses that have been affected by the construction along the corridor. Businesses like the Bootleg Bar and Kitchen, which closed in 2018 blaming construction work on Van Ness for its closure.
The transit agency last year received $38 million from the state’s Education Revenue Augmentation Fund with $5 million of that funding earmarked to help small businesses affected by delayed transit projects, such as the project on Van Ness. Grants were to be made available through the Office of Economic Workforce and Development (OEWD) who would disburse the grants to businesses who qualify for them.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who chairs the SFCTA, said he has heard from businesses that they have yet to receive a penny from The City:
“My understanding is that in the case of the Van Ness BRT project, not a single one of these grants has been distributed by OEWD and we have a lot of very frustrated people who are hanging on by a thread.”
Nehama Rogozen, the transit agency’s lead outreach coordinator for the Van Ness project, said OEWD just opened the application process and staff are currently doing outreach to businesses about the grants. Rogozen said the project “needed to be delayed enough” in order for businesses to apply and time was needed to set up the application process.
Rogozen said businesses will have until Oct. 31 to apply for a grant. On OEWD’s website, grants will range from $5,000 to $10,000 and distributed in two phases. The amount of the grant will be based on impacts to the businesses.
Businesses in the impact zone — between Market and Chestnut streets — can potentially qualify for a grant if they were an active business on or after March 3, 2017 with no change in ownership. Businesses established with no change in ownership on or after March 3, 2017, but had to move to another location in The City or permanently closed on or after Jan. 1, 2019, could still be eligible to apply and receive a grant.
The grant money can be used to help pay rent, utilities wages and even Covid-19 related expenses, including storefront renovations, indoor renovations to comply with health guidelines and personal protective equipment.
Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer said she was frustrated about the funds not getting to businesses sooner despite having a discussion with supervisors last year on how OEWD and the transit agency on distributing grants to businesses along Van Ness:
“They’ve been double and tripled whammied, not only by Covid, but then the shelter-in-place of course, but then this project that has been extended far beyond what they actually, I think, thought was going to happen.”
Peskin agreed that the distribution of the funding should have happened earlier and added that there could be no businesses to hand out grants to if they close down.
Supervisor Matt Haney said it puts into question whether city officials can tell businesses in the future if The City can support businesses impacted by delayed projects:
“We want to be able to say confidently that we are going to be able to support the small businesses and residents that are impacted.”
Peskin called for agency staff to report back to the SFCTA next month to further discuss in detail about the grant program and how soon businesses will receive grants after the deadline to apply passes.
Businesses can apply or download a grant application on OEWD’s website.
