Mayor Lurie Signs Legislation Strengthening San Francisco's Wholesale Produce Market

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today signed legislation revising the SF Market’s long-term lease with the city, clearing the way for a new 67,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution building at 1900 Kirkwood Avenue with construction expected to begin in 2027. The project will expand San Francisco’s only wholesale produce market, strengthening the system that moves fresh produce from growers and distributors to restaurants, grocers, small businesses, and communities throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area.

The new project will build on Mayor Lurie’s work to help families put food on the table. Earlier this month, the mayor signed legislation establishing a new Office of Food Security Coordination, strengthening the city’s response to food insecurity. When last year’s federal government shutdown jeopardized SNAP benefits nationwide—known as CalFresh in California—Mayor Lurie brought together public and philanthropic partners to backfill food assistance for 112,000 San Franciscans in just a week. After the federal government cut hundreds of millions of dollars for healthcare and food assistance through H.R. 1, Mayor Lurie made significant investments to strengthen the city’s social safety net in this year’s budget.

“Our work to make San Francisco a place where families can put down roots and build a future starts with supporting the businesses that keep our city running and helping families put food on the table,” said Mayor Lurie. “For generations, The SF Market has helped make both possible, supplying the fresh produce that San Francisco’s small businesses, restaurants and grocers rely on to serve our communities. This new investment will strengthen the infrastructure that keeps fresh food moving throughout our city, bring new jobs to the Bayview, and ensure The SF Market can continue serving our city and region for generations to come.”

San Francisco’s only wholesale produce market, the SF Market campus currently includes approximately 485,000 square feet of warehouse and distribution space in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Through its network of independent produce merchants, the SF Market supplies millions of pounds of fresh produce to restaurants, grocers, and other food-related businesses throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area.

The 1900 Kirkwood Avenue project will expand the SF Market’s distribution capacity and provide existing merchants with additional room to grow. The project is expected to create approximately 125 permanent onsite jobs and 134 construction jobs, supporting employment and business growth in Bayview-Hunters Point.

“On behalf of the SF Market family, including our community of more than 20 market merchants, network of growers and agricultural producers, Bay Area food businesses who rely on fresh produce from the market, and the many partners who support our work, we are grateful for the city’s continued partnership,” said Terry Feinberg, President of the SF Market Corporation Board of Directors. “Our focus continues to be on delivering this new building that will create jobs and give longstanding market merchants the room they need to grow. It also represents something larger: a commitment to continuing to strengthen the infrastructure that keeps the Bay Area’s food economy moving for generations to come.”

“The SF Market is a critical part of the Bayview Hunters Point community, providing quality employment to hundreds of people and supporting businesses throughout the neighborhood and the region,” said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. “This important step helps ensure that the SF Market remains a strong member of our community for many years to come.”

The lease revisions also provide greater flexibility for future development across the SF Market’s 23-acre campus, supporting the market’s long-term plan to reinvest in the facilities that serve its merchants, the surrounding community, and the broader region. San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) worked with the SF Market to advance the lease revisions, helping establish the conditions for the new warehouse and future campus improvements.

“We’re proud of the longstanding partnership between the City of San Francisco and the SF Market and excited to see this investment in the facilities it needs for a strong and successful future,” said Anne Taupier, OEWD Executive Director. “A sustainable market means a secure home for the small businesses and quality blue-collar jobs it supports.”

Through the nearly two dozen independent produce merchants that occupy its space, the SF Market currently sustains more than 500 onsite jobs and supports thousands of businesses throughout the Bay Area, with the planned expansion expected to grow these numbers.

“For all of us who base our businesses at the SF Market, having the space and stability to continue operating here is paramount,” said Ray Mah, President of the SF Market’s Produce Merchant Association Board and President of Berti Produce. “This vote helps secure our future here and gives our merchants the opportunity to continue growing their businesses.”

“At Bi-Rite, we believe deeply in the importance of a strong local food economy. The SF Market has been an anchor of that ecosystem for generations,” said Patrick Mills, Co-CEO of Bi-Rite Market. “It supports the local businesses that literally feed our neighborhoods and helps keep San Francisco’s food community vibrant.”

The SF Market’s role in keeping food on San Franciscans’ tables extends beyond wholesale distribution. Through its Food Recovery Program, the market donates fresh, unused produce from its merchants each morning to community organizations, including Meals on Wheels San Francisco, Bayview Senior Services, and Farming Hope. The program distributes an average of more than 4,000 pounds of fresh produce daily. In 2025, it surpassed 10 million pounds of fresh produce donated since its launch in 2016.

“The SF Market’s Food Recovery Program is a foundational partner in our ability to provide a free grocery market for those experiencing hunger in Bayview Hunters Point,” said Maggie Shugerman, D10 Community Market Director. “Receiving fresh, healthy produce at no cost gives our community access to high-quality, nutritious produce and contributes to our shared mission to end food insecurity in our community.”