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Commission approves ADUs at 1555 Oak Street but tenants say reduced garage service risks seniors' access
Summary
The Planning Commission approved plans to create three ADUs at 1555 Oak Street while recommending the sponsor seek an on‑street red curb to mitigate a tenant’s loss of functional garage space; tenant testimony emphasized safety, alleged hazardous demolition practices, and requests for equivalent parking access.
The Planning Commission approved a discretionary review for three accessory dwelling units (ADUs) within the Ground Floor of a 12‑unit building at 1555 Oak Street on March 11, 2021, after a contentious hearing in which long‑term tenants and neighbors urged protections for an elderly tenant who said the revised garage layout would render his long‑held parking space functionally unusable.
Planning staff recommended approval with a condition that the sponsor pursue a red‑curb/loading zone from SFMTA to provide temporary on‑street access and improve visibility for vehicles entering and exiting the newly configured curb cut. Staff also noted the proposed retaining‑wall and grading work and recommended the sponsor exhaust options with SFMTA to reduce conflict with street parking.
Tenant Don Virts, who told the commission his family has used the garage configuration for decades, said the new garage design would prevent access to the passenger side and create a safety risk for his aging family: ‘‘Any vehicle in the new garage must hug the wall on the passenger side,’’ his daughter told the commission, saying the arrangement would be impossible for a future wheelchair user who needs passenger‑side access.
Project representatives described structural and drainage measures they have proposed — including soil stabilization, a retaining wall, and a new subsurface drainage system — and said they planned to increase the on‑site garage footprint where possible and apply for an on‑street red curb to aid visibility. Sponsor representatives also said hazardous‑materials abatement had been completed in accordance with state and local rules and that no tenants were evicted to accomplish the renovations.
The commission approved staff’s recommendation 7–0 and included a strong, friendly recommendation that SFMTA be asked to consider extending a red curb in front of the building to aid safe access. Commissioners expressed sympathy for long‑term tenants and said the rent board or other enforcement mechanisms are appropriate venues to address alleged breaches of tenancy agreements or reductions in services.
Why it matters: The item illustrates the tension that can arise when owners retrofit multi‑unit buildings to add ADUs while existing tenants — often long‑term and sometimes elderly — rely on building services such as functional garage parking. Commissioners signaled support for SFMTA intervention to improve on‑street access and urged tenants to pursue rent‑board remedies if services had been reduced without agreement.
