For more about project LOFT, please visit http://rtmark.com/loft/.

This file is maintained by project LOFT participants.


DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING INSPECTION
HOUSING INSPECTION SERVICES
CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
1660 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-2414
 
NOTICE OF INSPECTION

COMPLAINT: 200035825
DATE:
25-JUL-00
BUILDING TYPE: L/W
NOTICE TYPE: FIRST WARNING
USE TYPE: C/R/A
Inspector: Karlson
IMPORTANT NOTICE - DO NOT REMOVE

UNDER TERMS OF MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 102.13 ("a live/work unit is a structure... with an integrated work space principally used by one or more of the residents"), THIS PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO INSPECTION AT ANY TIME. IF VIOLATIONS ARE FOUND, OWNER OF EACH VIOLATING UNIT WILL BE SUBJECT TO A FINE NOT TO EXCEED 10% OF PROPERTY VALUE, OR $15,000 , WHICHEVER IS GREATER. IF VIOLATIONS ARE NOT CLEARED WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS, OWNER WILL BE SUBJECT TO FURTHER ACTION BY DBI.

SECTION 102.13 WAS PASSED IN 1988 TO "LEGALIZE" ARTISTS LIVING ILLEGALLY IN WORK SPACES. THERE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN A NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 102.13, WITH "LIVE/WORK" RESIDENTS PERFORMING PRINCIPAL WORK ELSEWHERE, OR EVEN USING UNITS SOLELY AND ENTIRELY FOR RESIDENCE PURPOSES. WHILE DBI HAS NO REASON TO SUSPECT THE OWNERS/RESIDENTS OF THIS BUILDING OF VIOLATIONS, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT SURPRISE INSPECTIONS OF ALL UNITS CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME. INSPECTION CHECKPOINTS WILL INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:

  1. "integrated work space principally used by one or more of the residents" MUST BE FOUND IN THE UNIT AND MUST OCCUPY AT LEAST 66% OF UNIT (EVIDENCE OF WORK SPACE USE CAN INCLUDE EASELS, KILN, GLASSBLOWING APPARATUS, ETC.)
  2. PRIMARY WORK MUST HAVE BEEN PERFORMED IN THE INTEGRATED WORK SPACE OVER ENTIRE PERIOD OF OCCUPANCY (EVIDENCE MAY INCLUDE ARTISTIC RESUME, SUBMISSIONS TO GALLERIES/JOURNALS, ETC.)

THE CITY HAS DEEMED LIVE/WORK ABUSES UNACCEPTABLE AT THIS TIME FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. SINCE LIVE/WORK UNITS ARE CLASSIFIED AS COMMERCIAL, OWNERS DO NOT PAY SCHOOL IMPACT DEVELOPMENT FEES, ARE NOT REQUIRED TO SET ASIDE 10% OF UNITS AS AFFORDABLE (AS THEY WOULD IF UNITS WERE RESIDENTIALLY CLASSIFIED), AND CAN BUILD UNITS HIGHER AND MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER THAN RESIDENTIAL UNITS. THEREFORE, LIVE/WORK CONSTRUCTION FOR THE USE OF MOSTLY UPPER-BRACKET NEW RESIDENTS IS IMMENSELY PROFITABLE AND HAS EXPANDED GREATLY BEYOND THE INTENTION OF SECTION 102.13. THE EFFECT HAS BEEN TO EVICT MANY SMALL BUSINESSES, AND TO SHUT DOWN OR CRIPPLE OTHERS VIA COMPLAINTS OF NEW NEIGHBORS. THIS HAS REDUCED EMPLOYMENT FOR BOTTOM-BRACKET RESIDENTS AND FORCED MANY OUT OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, ALL WITHOUT COMPENSATION.

RECOMMENDED BY:


Recommender
Zoning Affairs
Phone No.

VERY TRULY YOURS,

FRANK Y. CHIU, DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING INSPECTION


SUGGESTIONS

The quickest way to get started is to download and print allnotices.pdf (opens using Acrobat Reader--click to download a free copy) on ordinary white paper (if you want to adhesive-spray or wheat-paste) or on sticky-back paper. This file contains twenty-four copies of the notice, each signed by a different "recommender" (reporter, with verified phone number).

Then go tape/stick/paste them up on SF live/work lofts! Printing or xeroxing onto sticky-back paper is convenient, or you might want to use an adhesive spray such as Super77; both are less conspicuous than wheatpasting. Also, you might add tape at the top and bottom to make them look as if they're just taped up like an ordinary city inspection notice.

The idea is to stick notices like this on live/work lofts for a while before holding the actual art inspection(s), to get the reporters curious ("Hello? I just got your inspection notice and I want to know what I have to do to avoid a fine"). Before holding the art inspection, you might want to call all these reporters and others to notify them of the event; perhaps plan it around another event, like a debate on Proposition L or the like. (See SaveSanFrancisco.org for more information.)

THE LIVE/WORK MUNICIPAL CODE

Municipal code 102.13 can be found here (or by visiting http://www.ci.sf.ca.us, clicking on "Municipal Codes," clicking on "Planning Codes," and searching on "live/work"). Here it is in full:

SEC. 102.13. LIVE/WORK UNIT.

A live/work unit is a structure or portion of a structure combining a residential living space for a group of persons including not more than four adults with an integrated work space principally used by one or more of the residents; provided, however, that no otherwise qualifying portion of a structure which contains a Group A occupancy under the San Francisco Building Code shall be considered a live/work unit. (Added by Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

This law was indeed passed to allow artists to live legally in the workspaces they were already occupying, and thus to protect them from eviction from those workspaces. The current live/work boom seems to be in literal violation of this law: how many such units have "an integrated work space principally used by one or more of the residents"? In any case, these units are in absolute violation of the spirit of the law.

HOW TO MAKE WHEATPASTE (STRONGER THAN WHITE GLUE)

  1. boil a quart of water
  2. mix well 12 tablespoons flour with some cold water (enough to make it kind of thin)
  3. slowly mix the flour/water mixture into the boiling water
  4. stir until thick--shouldn't take very long
  5. stir in four tablespoons sugar for extra strength
  6. allow to cool

Using an adhesive spray like Super77, or printing onto sticky-back paper, might be preferable to using wheatpaste, though, because then you don't have to carry around a jar or jug of wheatpaste; you can just carry a few around with you and stick them up at your leisure.

And again: If you'd like to stick/paste up these notices on live/work lofts, please click here to download and print.

OTHER FILES

For less download time, or to alter the notice, use MS Word 6.0 or later to merge notice.doc (or notice.rtf for other versions of MS Word) with inspectors.rtf, and print the result. (You may have to fuss with the formatting if you're using a Mac or Linux; this was formatted on a Windows machine. Look at allnotices.pdf--or, with any luck, the above HTML version--to see how the original formatting looks.)

All names and numbers in inspectors.rtf have been verified.

Also in this directory is allnotices.doc, which is in MS Word 8.0 format and contains all twenty-four letters, just like allnotices.pdf, but it might not format right on any platform other than Windows.

Again, the simplest thing is just to download allnotices.pdf and print it.

OTHER IDEAS

Make pamphlets explaining how to pass the art inspections. Include diagrams showing a typical artist's space, etc

Create an agency that helps illegal live/work loft owners become legal by becoming authentic, practicing artists. Radio spots, a website, ads... anything could work.

LINKS

SaveSanFrancisco.org
Live/Work Municipal Code