Board of Appeals pauses jurisdiction decision on 1139 Market after tenant complaints about bathrooms and sewage

The San Francisco Board of Appeals continued a jurisdiction request over work at 1139 Market Street after tenants and inspectors described prolonged bathroom problems and incomplete repairs.

Joseph Thomas, a tenant and the requester, told the board that bathroom work at the Budget Inn/National Hotel has stretched for months and that residents have lacked sinks and adequate toilet facilities. He said raw sewage was reported to city departments and that several bathrooms remain nonfunctional despite promises the work would be finished. “People using bathrooms have not been able to wash their hands coming out of the bathroom for 8 months,” Thomas said.

Rich Stratton, counsel for the permit holder, said the complaints had been the subject of a prior habitability lawsuit that settled last October and that the settlement included rent forgiveness. Stratton told commissioners the renovation work is essentially finished and was being turned over to Tenderloin Housing Clinic; he said the settlement required tenants to withdraw prior appeals. “The work is now 99.9% complete,” Stratton said, and he offered to submit the settlement pages to the board.

Department of Building Inspection (DBI) Inspector Joe Duffy and district housing inspector Robert Wallers confirmed a long history of complaints at the property and said work remains awaiting final sign‑offs. Duffy said some plumbing permits have been signed off and that partitions and other finishing tasks are underway, but he flagged uncertainty about whether sinks shown in tenant complaints were included on the approved drawings. “I do need to get to the bottom of that,” Duffy said, adding he would contact the chief plumbing inspector to verify compliance before final sign‑off.

Representatives of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing told the board the owners intend to lease the building to Tenderloin Housing Clinic as permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless residents and that the city had provided federal support to convert the property into 91 units.

Commissioners debated whether taking jurisdiction would halt the final inspection and delay the takeover by Tenderloin Housing Clinic. Several commissioners said a continuance to allow the permit holder to produce evidence about whether required on‑site posting and notice occurred would let work proceed while the board confirmed the procedural record. The board voted 4–1 to continue the jurisdiction request to Feb. 8, 2017, and asked the permit holder to present evidence of on‑site notice at that hearing.