Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 1250 Missouri Stop Work topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Zoning administrator issues stop‑work orders at 1250 Missouri after staff flags residential conversions
Summary
Planning staff reported stop‑work orders at 1250 Missouri Street after inspectors found rough‑ins and fixtures indicative of residential use at a site approved for industrial/commercial use; staff and the sponsor said they will meet, and neighbors and business groups demanded enforcement and a DBI‑Planning joint hearing.
San Francisco — Planning staff told the Planning Commission on May 29 that the zoning administrator had issued stop‑work orders at 1250 Missouri Street after finding plumbing rough‑ins, bathtubs and fireplaces inconsistent with the property's approved industrial/light‑commercial scope.
Brittney Bendix of the Planning Department said staff had reported earlier concerns to the commission and directed the zoning administrator to halt any construction suggesting residential occupancy. "The zoning administrator has issued two stop‑work orders, collectively requiring the cessation of any work pertaining to kitchen, laundry facilities, full baths and fireplaces," Bendix said. Staff reported the sponsor had agreed to remove fixtures identified in the orders and that any further work would wait for tenant‑improvement permits and planning review.
Representing the project sponsor, attorney Jim Rubin told the commission he recently rejoined the case and intended to work with the sponsor and staff to bring the building into compliance with the 2001 approvals. Rubin said he believed the fireplaces and bathtubs should be removed and that he would report back after meeting with staff and the owner.
Public comment was extensive and sharply critical. Business owners and neighborhood advocates from Potrero Hill and the Eastern Neighborhoods testified that the project appeared to be a deliberate effort to convert industrial space into residences. "This is a bait‑and‑switch," said a member of the Potrero Boosters. Tenant representatives and housing advocates urged the Planning Commission to hold a joint hearing with the Department of Building Inspection to determine how mechanical and plumbing addenda were routed and approved without adequate planning review.
Several commissioners urged staff to seek a joint hearing with DBI and to prepare a memo documenting how the building permit addenda were routed; the chair said staff intended to brief the commission again soon. The project sponsor's counsel acknowledged the sponsor had the right to appeal stop‑work orders to the Board of Appeals, and Planning indicated it would present its position if appeals proceed.
The case highlights frictions that the commission said must be addressed as part of broader Eastern Neighborhoods rezoning and enforcement work, where planners and neighbors want clarity about how industrial areas are preserved and how mechanical and plumbing addenda are routed between DBI and Planning.
