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Board upholds abatement and costs for 2121 Laguna Street after review of retaining-wall repairs
Summary
The Abatement Appeals Board unanimously upheld DBI’s order of abatement and assessment of costs for 2121 Laguna Street, finding the notice and order appropriate given a multi-year history of unresolved retaining-wall deterioration even though the owner says repairs were completed and only paperwork remains.
The Abatement Appeals Board unanimously upheld an order of abatement and the assessment of costs for 2121 Laguna Street after hearing DBI’s case history and the property representative’s account of recent repairs and remaining documentation.
DBI recorded multiple notifications dating to 2018 and said the retaining-wall foundation deterioration required repair; the case was referred to court enforcement and an order of abatement issued June 28, 2022. At the hearing consultant Robert Caruso of the John Benjamin Company told the board a permit application was filed in 2020, a permit issued Jan. 5, 2023, and structural repair work began in July 2023 and completed in September 2023. Caruso said Applied Materials and Engineering (AME) performed special inspections and submitted reports but two required structural-observation letters from the engineer of record and a district inspector call remain outstanding, delaying final DBI sign-off.
DBI staff said the order and NOV were correctly issued because required permit work had not yet been finalized and missing documentation prevented permit closeout. After deliberation the board found the order and assessment were properly issued and voted, by unanimous roll call, to uphold both the order and costs. Commissioners noted the work appears to have been completed in the field but emphasized that procedural timelines and required documentation were not satisfied.
The board’s decision preserves DBI’s enforcement finding while DBI and the appellant were directed to coordinate to resolve the remaining special‑inspection and engineering-observation paperwork needed for final permit sign-off.
