San Francisco Flower Mart Tenants Hope To Stave Off Eviction From Historic Building
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— San Francisco Flower Mart tenants and its supporters are hoping to prevent eviction from the block of buildings at the corner of 6th and Brannan streets in the heart of the SoMa neighborhood.
The tenant's long-term lease expires in less than 130 days as Los Angeles developer, Kilroy Realty Corp., looks to acquire the building, where over 100 vendors are in operation.
The business has been at the location since 1956. Grower Dave Repetto said he wants to stay.
"Given Kilroy's realty takeover of the Flower Market Grower's Association, we need professional management that understands the flower business, not just the real estate end of it," he said.
Former Mayor Art Agnos is calling on Mayor Ed Lee and the planning department to come to the mart and tell the tenants what the city is going to do to protect the place.
"As we have seen in protecting the waterfront at 8 Washington or the Warriors' Arena, the people will speak up and protect their city from un-warranted, high-rise, high-tech development," said Agnos.
Kilroy has issued a statement saying they remain committed to preserving Flower Mart at its current location and that once the property is acquired, they will conduct outreach to create a modern facility.