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Commission pauses Stephenson Street adaptive‑reuse project after safety and habitability concerns
Summary
The Planning Commission continued review of the 527 Stephenson Street adaptive‑reuse proposal after commissioners and staff raised questions about lofted sleeping areas, minimum ceiling heights, ADA and fire egress, and unit livability for very small units. The sponsor agreed to work further with DBI and return on December 15.
The Planning Commission continued action on a proposal to convert a four‑story industrial building at 527 Stephenson Street into a 62‑unit mixed‑use building, citing unresolved technical and habitability issues that staff and commissioners said need further review.
Planning staff described revisions that reduced unit counts and expanded interior courtyards to improve dwelling‑unit exposure from 38% to 64% of units. The sponsor said changes included enlarging courtyards, reducing the number of units from 67 to 62 and enlarging the commercial space.
Several commissioners, led by Commissioner Moore, raised detailed technical objections related to minimum loft heights, the legal definition of a sleeping loft, unit floor areas and the proportion of units that could be considered habitable under the building code. Concerns also included elevator and egress configurations, ADA maneuvering clearances near unit and egress doors, penetration of exit corridors by bicycle storage and mechanical equipment, and whether some studio/“loft” layouts effectively relied on mezzanines that would not meet the minimum habitable height and area rules.
Sponsor representatives said they had met informally with DBI staff and proposed to work further to address technical details, while the Planning Department said no building permit application had yet been filed and that DBI had performed a preliminary review. Commissioners expressed a mix of sympathy for the affordable‑by‑design approach and strong concern that the proposed unit layouts may not meet code or provide adequate habitability.
Given the technical questions that could require substantive redesign, Commissioner Antonini moved — with a second — to continue the item to December 15 to allow sponsor, DBI and planning staff to resolve code, livability and exposure concerns; the motion carried unanimously. The public hearing remained open.
