A brand new cannabis store to open at 2490 San Bruno Avenue in Portola? The community feels helpless and hopeless

(SAN FRANCISCO) A brand new cannabis retail store at 2490 San Bruno Avenue in the Portola neighborhood is in the process of license application. The Chinese community in Portola is shocked to hear of the proposal and feels helpless and hopeless from the city elected officials.

A virtual community meeting on the cannabis business license application is scheduled to be held this Friday on September 2 at 6:15 - 7PM.

The proposed cannabis business is owned by Pacific Pipeline. Jesse Henry is listed as the co-owner and CEO of the business on the meeting notice. David Ho, a political consultant and investor of the Sunset Pipeline cannabis shop at 2161 Irving Street in the Sunset District in 2017, is listed as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the cannabis retail at 2490 San Bruno Avenue.

If the license is approved by the city, it would be the second cannabis dispensary on San Bruno Avenue in the Portola neighborhood.

According to the city’s Department of Cannabis, cannabis business applicants must get feedback on their Good Neighbor Policy from business and residential neighbors. Applicants also must provide a notice to neighbors a minimum of 7 calendar days ahead of the proposed virtual community meeting. The notice needs to be in hard copy, either by mail, or by affixing copies to the outside doors of individual units.

The empty store at 2490 San Bruno Avenue is located at the heart of the Portola commercial corridor, next to a Walgreen Pharmacy, Star Learning Center, and a busy bus stop.

Reporter of this article had walked through several blocks on San Bruno Avenue around the 2490 empty store. Most of the merchants and residents being interviewed were not aware of the proposed cannabis dispensary, including the owners and managers at the Chinese restaurants, travel agencies, and Chinese medicine stores. When they heard of the news, they were shocked and strongly opposed it.

Edward Tang of Star Learning Center, which is at the next door of the 2490 empty store, confirmed that the center received no notice about the September 2 virtual meeting. He and other educators in the center learned about the cannabis business application from Wind Newspaper.

"We are very concerned about the opening of a cannabis store as our next door neighbor. Of course we will oppose their license application. We have been serving very young students from kindergarten to fifth grade everyday after school and on weekends. They are too young to know what is happening surrounding them. They are not able to make judgments about what is right or wrong yet," Tang said.

Tang continued, "It is a wrong location to open a cannabis retail here. Within several blocks from this location, there are two schools (one elementary school and one middle school) and a public library. So many young students walk by this block everyday, mornings and afternoons. There is a bus stop right in front of Walgreen and the proposed cannabis store. Many young people wait for the buses right here. It doesn't sound right for the city to let the cannabis store open."

The office of San Francisco/Shanghai Association is located on San Bruno Avenue across the street from the proposed dispensary. Hazel Lee, Founder and President of the association, found a hard copy of the notice about the virtual meeting under the door on the night of August 26. She was shocked, upset, and felt helpless and hopeless.

“There is only one pharmacy in Portola, but we will have two cannabis stores in Portola soon," Lee said. "Why we have seen more and more homeless people and drug addicts on our streets? This is the reason. This is the trend of our government."

Ellen Lee Zhou, former mayoral candidate and long-time Portola resident, was actively involved in the movement to stop the opening of cannabis stores in Sunset District in 2017.

"Since the city approved to legalize the recreational cannabis dispensaries, the elected officials have refused to listen to the Chinese community." Zhou said. "The elected officials have made decisions by ignoring the happinesses, health and wellness of their voters."

Zhao Zi Li, who has lived and owned a store in Portola for over 30 years, was sad to hear the proposed dispensary in her neighborhood. "Even though the elected officials keep ignoring us. Even though I am at the age of 80. I will get involved as much as I can to protest against this cannabis coming to our neighborhood," Li said.

The Chinese community had organized to speak out against the applications of several dispensary business licenses in recent years. The Board of Supervisors approved the application at 2161 Irving Street in the Sunset District in 2017. The Board also approved another license application at 5 Leland Avenue in the Visitacion Valley neighborhood in 2021. Both dispensaries are located in the largest Asian neighborhoods in the city. The Board of Supervisors also overwhelmingly voted for both licenses.

Marlene Tran was still very disappointed at the decision made by the Board of Supervisors last year to approve the license of the dispensary at 5 Leland Avenue in Visitacion Valley. In that case, the city's Planning Commission rejected it by a 4-3 vote and stated that two cannabis retail uses on a same block would violate the local law which restricts two cannabis dispensaries within 600 feet of one another.

Tran and residents of the neighborhood were loud and clear to speak out against the license last year. But the Board of Supervisors still voted 10-1 to overturn the Planning Commission ruling and let the cannabis shop open.

The neighborhood Supervisor Shamann Walton and Chinese American Supervisor Connie Chan were among the 10 supervisors to support the license. Gordon Mar was the lone supervisor who voted against it and supported the decision made by the Planning Commission.

Tran would join the Portola community to protest against the dispensary at 2490 San Bruno Avenue. Portola and Visitacion Valley are the next door neighbors side by side with each other. Many residents shop on and off of the buses along San Bruno Avenue in the Portola. "The proposed cannabis retail store will also affect our community," said Tran.

"I still have the letter that Supervisor Walton wrote to me when he was running for supervisor 4 years ago. He promised not to support having another cannabis store open in our neighborhood. But he voted yes for the license last year at 5 Leland Street and broke his promise to our community." Tran stated.

Wind Newspaper sent emails to Portola Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Department of Cannabis Director Nikesh Patel, Pacific Pipeline co-owner and CEO Jesse Henry, and Community Outreach Coordinator David Ho for comments on the 2490 San Bruno Avenue license application. No comments have been received by press time. Staff at the Department of Cannabis replied that the inquiry was received.