Yousef Alsaad is fed up.
As owner of Garage Cafe Market, Alsaad has had a front-row view to the construction unfolding in front of his shop at 320 11th St. With bulldozers and jackhammers breaking up the asphalt at the intersection, traffic’s gone up and a swath of parking spots have disappeared — leaving Alsaad’s customers frustrated and reluctant to return.
“I lost a lot of money last year in my usual best months of business. Hundreds of dollars a day just gone,” he told me during a recent visit. “I’m behind on rent. People say it’s too hard to come here because of construction.”
Alsaad isn’t alone. I went out to Folsom Street this week to witness exactly how the city’s long-term construction, much of it involving underground excavation, has impacted the SoMa neighborhood — and it’s clear that the gripes are substantiated.
A main complication is that there are two separate projects. The city Department of Public Works’ is spearheading its ambitious “Folsom Streetscape Project,” which will reshape bike, transit and driving infrastructure along the corridor. Then there’s the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s “Folsom Area Stormwater Improvement Project,” designed to fix flooding on the street.
Much of the headache for area businesses is due to an overlap between the two jobs, particularly near 11th Street. The first phase of the PUC’s stormwater project, which focuses on sewer pipe replacement, began in late 2023 and is ongoing. Public Works’ streetscape construction, meanwhile, kicked off in March 2024 and continues to impact the stretch on Folsom between 8th and 11th streets.
The construction has created a number of detours, improvised driving lanes, and cuts to street parking. And although the city provides some information online about construction on Folsom Street, multiple business owners told me that they feel left in the dark, trying to stay afloat while struggling with discouraged customers. It’s become a kind of Groundhog Day cycle for people like Liz Ryan, co-owner of The Willows bar at 1582 Folsom St.
“I feel like the construction has been dragged out. It’s gone on for longer than I can even remember. It’s never going to be over, in my opinion,” Ryan said with a wry smile. “I think the city could do a much better job of sending us updates, dropping off notices, or getting our feedback.”
Across the street, I met with Manora Srisopa, the longtime owner of Manora’s Thai Cuisine. Her gripes were almost identical to Ryan’s — the construction has been on her mind since its debut in 2024, and it seems to be moving extremely slowly, she said.
A nearby detour on 12th Street has taken away street parking since January, and she’s heard no updates from the city for the future, Srisopa added.
“They just keep extending the no-parking zones every three months,” Srisopa said. “It’s tough already. We have customers who get parking tickets during a quick visit, and don’t want to come back. It’s especially hard for our lunchtime.”
The businesses are still finding their feet after losses during the pandemic, and the disruption on the street has made the recovery tougher. Alsaad told me that about four months ago, he had to tear down a $4,500 parklet outside of his store in order to accommodate the work. He claims that while a project manager from construction firm Mitchell Engineering initially reached out to offer compensation, Alsaad never heard back despite multiple calls, texts and emails to the company.
(Mitchell Engineering did not respond to requests for comment from Gazetteer SF.)
He also said that customers have run into trouble while obeying the city’s temporary parking restrictions near 11th and Folsom; while signs show it’s okay to park along the curb, ad-hoc changes to the adjacent driving lane means that a bus cannot squeeze by a parked car. It’s a recipe for conflict, with no clear answer.
“It feels like every three months there’s more work, more delays. Meanwhile, the city has nothing else to help us. No small-business grants, no relief,” he told me. “I think if each business can get two dedicated parking spots, for example, it will help. But it’s bad right now.”
Thankfully, there is some relief upcoming: The PUC’s stormwater construction around Folsom and 11th street is “close to wrapping up” in the “next few weeks,” according to spokesperson Nancy Crowley. The next phases will focus on streets in the north end of the Mission beginning later this year; the project is slated to finish in 2027.
But major construction is coming on the Folsom Streetscape Project, including the installation of bike lane infrastructure and pedestrian “bulb-outs” all along the thoroughfare. The work is scheduled to end in spring 2026, barring any delays.
Alsaad visibly winced when I told him that end-date.
“The city should compensate for the impact of construction,” he said wearily. “But I guess I’ll just have to wait.”
