But... the reason the budget was unrealistic was because of SF's ridiculous permitting process. So I don't understand your point.
Part of me suspects some of the negative comments on here are from people seeing what they want cause SF is a popular target to hate on
We know that after 22 months, Yu still didn't have permission to open a business. We know that his rent was $7k/month. And common sense tells us he needed to rent the place before starting the permitting process.
Therefore SF's system placed a $200k+ burden on Yu. And it's obvious that a 22-month permitting process is unnecessary in almost any circumstance.
So the article establishes that SF placed an unnecessary burden, in the realm of $200k, on Yu.
What additional facts are you looking for?
Even thought the article buried in the article, the objections to opening were not upheld. But giving people a chance to voice their opinions on new businesses does seem reasonable (and is probably very common).