Rasputin Records closed its Haight Street store in November.  Within less than a month, Flamingo Vintage, a by-the-pound vintage clothing retailer, had moved in and was ready to open.  But Flamingo Vintage operates nearly two dozen stores in Europe, is expanding into Asia, and also operates stores in New York, Austin, Los Angeles, Houston, and Miami.  San Francisco planning laws consider a chain with 11 or more locations globally to be formula retail, with a requirement to apply for and obtain a conditional use permit before opening.

Flamingo Vintage failed to apply for a conditional use permit, and thus could not open in December, as planned.  During its December 19 meeting, the HANC Board voted to insist that all formula retail businesses in the Haight Ashbury must go through the conditional use process, and that HANC will not oppose Flamingo Vintage’s conditional use.

Stories about Flamingo Vintage appeared in Hoodline (https://hoodline.com/2019/12/just-weeks-after-closure-haight-street-s-rasputin-space-already-has-a-new-tenant)  and in SFGate (https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/haight-rasputin-new-tenant-sf-14881847.php)   SFGate reported that as of December 23, Flamingo Vintage had applied for a conditional use authorization.