Van Ness Open For Business Merchant Survey

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) created a program to support businesses during major construction projects such as the one currently underway on Van Ness. The Open for Business program is focused on providing direct, customized support providing Covid-19 personal protective equipment for impacted businesses for the duration of the construction period. It may be familiar to you, as we reached out to businesses along Van Ness with a similar survey a few years ago.

OEWD and SFMTA have also been closely supporting businesses during the construction of the Van Ness Improvement Project in other ways through the City of San Francisco’s Construction Migration program, which you might also be familiar with.

We understand businesses are facing unprecedented hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these times are especially difficult for businesses where active construction is taking place. We hope this survey will help us to understand the experiences and priorities of storefront businesses on the corridor at this time. Your response will help us focus the remaining resources for the program and will help us tailor the support services to meet your specific needs. Thank you for participating.

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* 1. What is your name, your business's name, and the best way to contact you. This information is for internal use only.

Name

Company

Email Address

Phone Number

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* 2. Through the Construction Mitigation Program, the City of San Francisco has launched a Directed Business Support Grant Program for impacted merchants along Van Ness Avenue due to the significant delays. Qualified businesses can recieve grants of $5,000 - $10,000.

To qualify you must be a storefront business on Van Ness in the construction impact zone between Market and Chestnut Street and must have been established with no change in ownership on or after March 3, 2017. You can learn more about the grant at oewd.org/vanness.

Does this apply to you and would you like an OEWD staff member to contact you with more information?

Yes, I will go to oewd.org/vanness for more information

Yes, please ask an OEWD staff member to contact me with more information

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* 3. What is your business type (auto, restaurant, gym, etc.)?

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* 4. Is your storefront currently open to customers?

Yes

Not currently

We will not open our storefront due to COVID-19

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* 5. What is the best way for the City to communicate with your business?

Phone

Visit

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* 6. In addition to construction, COVID-19 has caused local businesses hardships. Among the issues listed below, what do customers most often talk about?

	Very Often	Sometimes	Never
Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person	Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person Very Often	Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person Sometimes	Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person Never
Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees)	Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees) Very Often	Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees) Sometimes	Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees) Never
Wearing face coverings in your business	Wearing face coverings in your business Very Often	Wearing face coverings in your business Sometimes	Wearing face coverings in your business Never
Finding their way along Van Ness	Finding their way along Van Ness Very Often	Finding their way along Van Ness Sometimes	Finding their way along Van Ness Never
Transit options	Transit options Very Often	Transit options Sometimes	Transit options Never
Parking	Parking Very Often	Parking Sometimes	Parking Never

Does anything else come up for your customers?

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* 7. In addition to construction, COVID-19 has caused local businesses hardships. Among the issues listed below, what do your employees most often talk about?

	Very Often	Sometimes	Never
Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person	Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person Very Often	Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person Sometimes	Safety concerns with shopping/dining in-person Never
Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees)	Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees) Very Often	Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees) Sometimes	Safety concerns about proximity to others (other customers and employees) Never
Wearing face coverings in your business	Wearing face coverings in your business Very Often	Wearing face coverings in your business Sometimes	Wearing face coverings in your business Never
Finding their way along Van Ness	Finding their way along Van Ness Very Often	Finding their way along Van Ness Sometimes	Finding their way along Van Ness Never
Transit options	Transit options Very Often	Transit options Sometimes	Transit options Never
Parking	Parking Very Often	Parking Sometimes	Parking Never

Does anything else come up for your customers?

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* 8. We will be making new marketing materials for the Van Ness corridor, based on a design created with business input three years ago – with the slogan “Connect with Van Ness.” The items will be distributed in early 2021 and we would like to know which is most valuable to you. Which of the following items are of interest to you?

A small number of high-quality, locally made, reusable, branded face masks

A larger number of disposable, branded face masks

Ground decals for physical distancing

Personal/giveaway-sized hand sanitizer

Branded bulk hand sanitizer (for workers or patrons at doors or counters)

Branded sanitizing wipes (for business use or customer giveaways)

Other (please specify)

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* 9. In addition to support during construction, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development offers other support services. Would any of the following be helpful for you? (Select all that apply)

Resources and information related to COVID-19, including reopening information and access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Small Business Consulting that offers one-on-one advising on marketing, finance, accessing capital, and more

Help negotiating a lease through Legal/Lease Negotiation Assistance

Small Business Loans to help you secure capital for your business

Help complying with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) through the Certified Access Specialist Program (CASP)

Help applying for a historical designation and lease support through the Legacy Business Registry and Business Grants

Personalized help with city permits and approvals through the Restaurant Acceleration Program

Other (please specify)

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* 10. Do you have any other comments of feedback that you would like to share or suggestions for future marketing materials?

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* 11. Would you like to receive email updates from the SFMTA to stay in the know about what is happening with the project and the Van Ness Business Advisory Committee?

Yes - please make sure you provided your email address at the top of this survey

No, not interested

No, I already get emails from the SFMTA about this project

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100% of survey complete.