A San Francisco tech mogul compares the awakening city’s downtown to a ghost town and shares shocking images of its once-busy streets now empty.
“This is downtown San Francisco, Monday morning at 9:20 a.m.” tweeted Michelle TandlerFounder of professional development firm Growth Path, earlier this week along with a series of images showing almost empty streets with few cars or people.
Posting a video of downtown on Friday, she wrote, “In the past these streets were full of office workers. Now they are practically empty.”
A recent report by security firm Kastle, according to CaliforniaGlobe.com, showed that just 39% of workers in downtown San Francisco were employed at the end of last month, even though mask requirements were lifted in March. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, city office occupancy rates were consistently at or near 100%.
Tandler and others fear many large firms will not renew their office leases, which will devastate small businesses and destroy local economies.
“I don’t think the San Francisco government fully understands how problematic this is,” she added on Twitter. “Either that, or they just don’t care.
According to one report, office occupancy in downtown San Francisco was just 39% last month. Twitter/@michletandler
Tandler wrote that the streets used to be full of office workers. Twitter/@michletandler
Tandler and others worry that large companies will not renew their office leases and will leave town. Twitter/@michletandler
“When these leases go through, companies will scale down or leave. These buildings are dependent on rent. Landlords pay $$$ taxes.”
Mayor London Breed has worked with local businesses to lure workers back downtown and handed out $40 million to small businesses to help them survive, the California Globe reported.