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Recent Eviction Battles Reveal Need for Change at Planning Department
There appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for three long-term tenants at Lyon and Golden Gate. In 2002, Prana 8 Investments purchased their building, a massive Victorian with 13 units of rental housing. In attempt to free up units to be rented out at market rate, Prana 8 filled out an over-the-counter permit application at the Planning Department that claimed certain units were illegal and needed to be brought up to code. Because the application for the permit does not require landlords to reveal whether tenants occupy units claimed to be illegal, Planning did not review the application, thus nearly allowing Prana 8 to evict tenants so changes to the ‘illegal’ units could be made. The problem - the units weren’t illegal, and the permit simply represented a back-door attempt to circumvent Planning Commission restrictions on the elimination of rental housing. The permit would have also allowed Prana 8 to seal up back doors and remove the porches and decks of many of their tenants, clearing the way for destruction of adjoining building where condos could then be built. Sadly, the building at Golden Gate and Lyon is not the case revealing this glaring loophole in the city’s planning process.
1980-1998 Golden Gate and 800-808 Lyon, a building constructed towards the close of the 19th century, looks like San Francisco’s version of the Winchester Mystery House. A sprawling Victorian with countless add-ons, the site likely served as housing for the city’s gravediggers during the first half of the 20th century.
When owner Rose Frauenhoff sold the building, which had been in her family for decades, the building had 13 units. Long-term tenants occupied several of these units, and enjoyed coverage by rent control. Prana 8 quickly went to work to force these tenants out of their homes. Three sets of tenants have already been displaced as a result, and another tenant must move out by May 1, 2006.
A campaign of general harassment began, beginning with replacing all of the units’ glass doors with thick wooden doors, enabling a master key to be created for the entire building. Unannounced entries by the landlord and appraisers began soon after.
Prana 8 also started issuing unnecessary three-day eviction notices to tenants. These included notices claiming that if they didn’t move all their possessions out of their storage units immediately, they would be evicted, despite storage space being part of their tenancy. Notices were also issued telling tenants to pay their rent within three days or move out on a date when rent was not due.
In addition, the new landlords intend to eliminate all the units’ back doors and porches, which many tenants used for gardens and gathering places, as well as back stairs, which provide the only fire escape. Prana 8 hoped to use the additional space provided by the destruction of the porches to build condos behind the Golden Gate and Lyon property, which they would then sell at a massive profit.
More
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=3036#more
When owner Rose Frauenhoff sold the building, which had been in her family for decades, the building had 13 units. Long-term tenants occupied several of these units, and enjoyed coverage by rent control. Prana 8 quickly went to work to force these tenants out of their homes. Three sets of tenants have already been displaced as a result, and another tenant must move out by May 1, 2006.
A campaign of general harassment began, beginning with replacing all of the units’ glass doors with thick wooden doors, enabling a master key to be created for the entire building. Unannounced entries by the landlord and appraisers began soon after.
Prana 8 also started issuing unnecessary three-day eviction notices to tenants. These included notices claiming that if they didn’t move all their possessions out of their storage units immediately, they would be evicted, despite storage space being part of their tenancy. Notices were also issued telling tenants to pay their rent within three days or move out on a date when rent was not due.
In addition, the new landlords intend to eliminate all the units’ back doors and porches, which many tenants used for gardens and gathering places, as well as back stairs, which provide the only fire escape. Prana 8 hoped to use the additional space provided by the destruction of the porches to build condos behind the Golden Gate and Lyon property, which they would then sell at a massive profit.
More
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=3036#more
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