DBI director outlines 'Premise SF' permitting initiative and reports staffing, project, inspection and finance updates

Department of Building Inspection Director Patrick O’Riordan told the Building Inspection Commission on Feb. 19 that Mayor Lurie has launched Premise SF, a cross-departmental initiative intended to prioritize and implement systemic changes to the city’s permitting process.

“We will keep you informed as this effort moves forward,” O’Riordan said, describing Premise SF as a collaboration among DBI, the Department of Planning, the Office of Small Business, and the Permit Center to improve cross-departmental permitting and customer service.

O’Riordan announced an internal personnel change: Neville Pereira has left DBI and Mary Wilkinson Church, an architect who previously ran Milwaukee’s building department operations and who has been DBI’s permit services manager, will serve as acting deputy director for permit services while the department recruits a permanent replacement. He said a job posting has been published on the city’s hiring site and DBI channels.

In a monthly “major projects” summary, DBI staff reported several recent high-value permit filings and issuances. Items identified during the presentation included two filings (collectively valued at about $120,000,000) for a 22‑story residential project at 1123 Sodder Street, a $15,000,000 tenant-improvement application at 560 Mission Street, a newly issued seven‑story residential permit at 11 Frida Kahlo Way valued at $72,500,000 (128 affordable units and a community room), an 8‑story building with 148 affordable condos at 400 China Basin Street valued at $80,000,000, and a fourth-floor tenant-improvement at 345 Speer valued at $30,000,000.

Tate Handel, legislative affairs manager, briefed commissioners on local ordinance files and state bills that affect DBI. Local files discussed included 241069 (allowing accessory dwelling units to be separately conveyed and sold as condominiums), 241005 (adopting chapters of the California Existing Building Code into local code, with proposed amendments in progress), 240982 (amending local code to remove the ABE program), and 241067 (allowing tourist hotels and motels to be used for interim housing without abandoning the hotel use classification). State bills highlighted included SB 282 (automated online permitting for residential heat-pump systems), AB 6 (HCD working group on residential building standards for 3–10 unit projects), AB 253 (plan-check timing and private plan-checker procedures for small projects), and AB 306 (a temporary freeze on local amendments to certain codes through June 1, 2031, unless the Building Standards Commission finds an emergency need); Handel noted those bills were in various early stages of introduction or referral.

Deputy Director Matthew Green gave inspection-services metrics for January 2025: building, electrical and plumbing divisions conducted 10,073 inspections with 93% completed within two business days (DBI target 90%); housing inspection services conducted 851 inspections (74 routine multifamily inspections); the building/electrical/plumbing divisions received 376 complaints and responded to 99% within three business days; housing received 399 non-life-hazard complaints and responded to 92% within three business days; for life-hazard and heat complaints housing received 46 complaints and responded to 78% within one business day; housing inspection services abated 412 cases with a notice of violation and sent 35 cases on to a director’s hearing.

Deputy Director for Administration Alex Koskinen provided the finance update: DBI is 58% of the way through the fiscal year and has collected 62% of budgeted charge-for-service revenue. Koskinen said the department is projecting approximately $1,400,000 in surplus revenue, and that salary-and-benefits savings related to a mayoral hiring freeze are likely to affect expenditure projections.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the budget surplus and whether surplus revenue could be appropriated later to backfill previously discussed items. Koskinen explained that additional appropriations require action by the mayor’s office and the Board of Supervisors, either in the annual budget or via a supplemental appropriation ordinance.

Ending: DBI staff provided a range of operational updates; commissioners asked for follow-up on the audit implementation question raised during public comment and confirmed the commission’s next meeting date for March 19.