April Spears can see it coming.

Wave after wave of eager developers gobbling up land in the Bayview near her beloved soul food spot, Auntie April’s, and replacing derelict properties with apartments and condos locals can’t afford.

Shortly thereafter, she says, restaurants and bars catering to the area’s new clientele will pop up, raising surrounding property values, further displacing longtime residents.

“We all see what’s happening in the area, what’s going on. It’s inevitable,” she says.

The restaurateur is talking about gentrification, the likes of which can be seen throughout the city.

To help shape it, Spears is expanding her footprint in the neighborhood.

For her, the question is this: Why let the Bayview and nearby Hunters Point properties fall into the hands of outsiders who don’t have the community’s best interest in mind — when a local can open a shop and hire from the neighborhood?

“My goal is to build my community and preserve African American legacy businesses in the community, “ Spears says. “I want many of us to work and stay here as long as possible.”

Her latest investment is 1701 Yosemite St., where she plans to open Cafe Envy, one of several food businesses she has in the works.

Still, it’s undeniable the cafe is shaped, intentionally or not, by the outside influences Spears sees coming down the pike. Cafe Envy is going to serve lighter fare, a stark departure from Auntie April’s popular fried chicken and waffles, fried shrimp po’boys and fried shrimp dinners. It’s a business model that could appeal to residents new to the area.

To boost the project, Spears applied for one of the city’s five new Type 87 liquor licenses. These are similar to the Type 47s that allow the sale of hard alcohol at restaurants but are relegated to underdeveloped commercial corridors like the Bayview’s Third Street. And also cheaper. A Type 47 on the city’s secondary market can cost $250,000. The new Type 87s are $13,800. (Over the next six years, 30 Type 87 licenses in total will be sold to San Francisco restaurateurs in tracts including Mission Street in the Excelsior, Taraval Street, Noriega Street and areas of Visitacion Valley and San Bruno Avenue.)

In an industry where small businesses like Auntie April’s are feeling the financial squeeze amid increased rents and rising operating costs, Spears says the $13,800 is a significant investment in the Bayview that not many are able to make.

“There’s definitely a desire among African American businesspeople that want to have spaces in the Bayview corridor. It’s just hard to get in the market right now,” she says. “There’s a lot of blighted properties and it takes a significant amount to upgrade the property. And that’s before financing everything else.”

April Spears is expanding in the Bayview out of choice and obligation. Opening Cafe Envy on Yosemite Street keeps the lot rooted in the community. It’s one step in a long-term goal: Keep black-owned businesses alive in the Bayview, gentrification or not.

“Preserving this area is doable,” she says. “We just need to grab ahold of things now.”

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips