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Artists and tenants urge council to protect live‑work spaces as restaurants move in
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Summary
Artists and live‑work tenants told the council during public comment that converting live‑work units to customer‑facing businesses such as restaurants is undermining artist housing. Speakers urged a special review to balance street activation with preserving spaces designed for artists' residential and studio needs.
Several artists and live‑work tenants urged the Emeryville City Council during public comment to study and protect live‑work housing after recent conversions to customer‑facing uses, including restaurants.
Brooks Jessop, a current housing‑committee member and live‑work tenant, told the council that live‑work units have been central to Emeryville’s redevelopment and to the city’s artist community. He said the units were not designed for restaurants and that converting them risks both tenant displacement and business failure. “Recently, there's been a push to start using live work for other kinds of business that are more customer facing like restaurants,” Jessop said. He added that live‑work units have limitations — ventilation, trash access and lack of outdoor space — that make them poor fits for restaurants and warned of noise and operational conflicts with artists who need quiet studio time.
Artist and live‑work resident Anzhi Chiu described how a nearby unit’s change in use affected her work: “a constant barrage of loud music, parties, and pop ups completely changed the atmosphere and have made it increasingly difficult for me to do my work.” Chiu said live‑work units allowed her to focus on creative work after years of balancing salaried jobs and that preserving quiet, functional space matters to the city’s arts ecosystem.
Speakers urged the council to form a special committee to reexamine the live‑work program and to consider representation from the housing, economic development and public‑art advisory bodies so any expansion of allowable uses for live‑work units protects artists’ housing.
Council did not take formal action on this item during the meeting. Staff and council members did not offer an immediate response beyond thanking speakers; several council members said they would discuss the issue with staff to determine whether a formal study or referral to an advisory body was warranted.
Ending: Advocates said they will continue to monitor live‑work usage and encouraged the council to consider a formal review that balances small‑business activation with long‑standing residential studio housing.
