Lyanne Melendez

2 weeks ago | kesq.com | Lyanne Melendez

By Lyanne MelendezClick here for updates on this story SAN FRANCISCO ( KGO) - Van Ness Avenue was once San Francisco's auto row. Rambler, Dodge, Cadillac, Buick all had a stake in the city. The majority are now gone leaving behind large empty commercial spaces. "We're at 35% vacancy. We're at 250,000 square feet of vacancy," outlined Cameron Baird, senior VP of Avison Young. That's more than four football fields put together. "Eight of the sites are over 10,000 feet," added Baird.

2 weeks ago | abc7news.com | Lyanne Melendez

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Van Ness Avenue was once San Francisco's auto row. Rambler, Dodge, Cadillac, Buick all had a stake in the city. The majority are now gone leaving behind large empty commercial spaces. "We're at 35% vacancy. We're at 250,000 square feet of vacancy," outlined Cameron Baird, senior VP of Avison Young. That's more than four football fields put together. "Eight of the sites are over 10,000 feet," added Baird. In other words, small businesses have no business leasing these spaces.

3 weeks ago | abc7news.com | Lyanne Melendez

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A bill allowing San Francisco police to issue citations for illegal street vending is about to pass. If you've even walked in parts of the Mission District, you've likely seen the prolific black market of stolen goods. But the Mission now has one more problem to contend with: the dramatic increase of drug addicts on the streets. While we were there, an illegal vendor allowed us to shoot video of personal hygiene products he was selling on Mission Street.

4 weeks ago | abc7news.com | Lyanne Melendez

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A few years ago, San Francisco passed a tax on vacant storefronts. It's meant to penalize landlords who continue to leave their commercial spaces empty. The message was simple, leave it sitting empty and the city will tax you. "The entire idea of the tax wasn't to tax people, it was to encourage them to get realistic about their expectations of rent for small businesses," explained former San Francisco Board President Aaron Peskin, who authored the measure.

1 month ago | abc7news.com | Lyanne Melendez

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The possibility of reintroducing cars on Market street is once again a talker. "Cars, of course! It makes it real inconvenient to go into stores when you can't go on Market," said San Francisco resident Darren Williams. "Not cars, Waymo OK," expressed another San Francisco resident.