Toyota Gets OK to Expand into Closed Cala Site

By Dmitry Kiper

The SF Planning Commission unanimously approved a Conditional Use Permit March 16 for San Francisco Toyota to occupy the closed Cala at Geary Boulevard and Fourth Avenue.

The permit will allow the company to operate an automobile service and repair center with 24 outdoor parking spaces. The proposal is to convert an approximately 22,300-square-foot, one-story building with mezzanine and 30 outdoor parking spaces to an auto service and repair shop that will include an office, an area for storing parts and approximately 600-square-feet of retail space. The hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekends.

Several members of the planning commission not only expressed their support for the project, but also thanked John Horton, president of SF Toyota, for keeping his business in the City. SF Toyota has five locations in the City - two sales locations and three service centers - and has been in operation for more than 30 years.

When Cala Foods did not seek to renew its lease, which expired in February, Bob Menzies, the owner of the property who already leases three other properties to SF Toyota on Geary Boulevard, approached Horton with an offer.

"It's exactly what we've been looking for to grow our service-parts department," Horton said.

The most pertinent issues for some members of the local community include traffic and noise. Jeanne Lynch, a pedestrian safety advocate, addressed the planning commission. She voiced her support for SF Toyota and mentioned the concern with which its management is treating pedestrian safety issues.

SF Toyota will not increase traffic congestion along Geary, said Horton. Cala Foods had dozens of deliveries per day, far fewer than the number Horton anticipates at SF Toyota, whose deliveries will come only in the evening.

Horton also said he does not think noise will be an issue because repair work will be done inside the building.

Furthermore, he added, modern car repair and maintenance techniques have become increasingly dependent on technology and less dependent on "noisy work."

The commission placed a condition in the Conditional Use Permit: If neighbors complain about the noise level, the auto shop will have to keep its garage doors closed as often as practically possible. The next step in the planning process is acquiring a building permit to make modifications to the building.