Neighbors press Planning Commission to enforce code against Academy of Art; university pledges to comply

Neighbors crowded the Planning Commission to press for code enforcement against the Academy of Art University, saying the school acquired and converted multiple properties to student group housing without required permits and that city enforcement had lagged.

At a hearing on the Academy’s institutional master plan and related enforcement actions, Planning Department staff outlined a multi‑year timeline that began in 2003 and intensified in 2006 when notices of violation were issued. Scott Sanchez, Planning Department staff, said the department has identified multiple life‑safety issues — including lack of sprinklers, window failures, and seismic retrofit needs at landmark properties — and that the Academy had filed 14 conditional‑use applications in response. Sanchez told commissioners he supported allowing life‑safety‑related permit reviews to proceed without conferring land‑use rights, and said the department would expedite environmental review where possible.

Neighbors and local property owners described a pattern of conversions they regard as unlawful, including at 1727 Lombard (the former Star Motel) and properties in Lower Nob Hill and South of Market. One speaker representing neighborhood residents urged the Commission to direct the city attorney to pursue broad enforcement, saying civil and administrative remedies could deliver more public benefits than case‑by‑case conditional‑use proceedings.

Academy representatives, including attorney Michael Burke and President Alisa Stevens, told the Commission the university acknowledges past lapses, has assembled new staff and advisors, and is working to bring properties into compliance. Burke said the Academy had obtained permission from the seller of the Flower Mart to meet tenants and negotiate, and offered to proceed initially under existing rent scales and to discuss leases with tenants. Stevens apologized for insufficient outreach, described internal reforms and student services, and pledged to wait for needed permits before using any newly acquired property for institutional purposes that require city authorization.

Commissioners asked staff to identify conditional‑use applications they believe can be heard now and to bring forward those that staff think should be disapproved, while pursuing environmental review for larger site‑level impacts. Staff agreed to form a multidisciplinary inspection team (including fire and building inspectors) to assess urgent life‑safety matters and to present a prioritized list of projects to the Commission. No final enforcement action was taken at the hearing; rather, the Commission directed staff to accelerate reviews, bring discrete conditional‑use matters for Commission action when appropriate, and continue coordination with the city attorney’s office.

The department cited specific life‑safety priorities including seismic UMB retrofits at St. Brigid’s and 740 Taylor, unsafe windows at 1849 Van Ness, and building‑permit work at multiple addresses; the Academy’s counsel said the school would call inspectors to finalize outstanding permits. The Commission’s direction was procedural: expedite environmental review where feasible, present conditional‑use items for near‑term Commission review, and proceed with enforcement pathways for properties staff deems not approvable under the planning code.

Next steps: staff said an environmental review application would be submitted immediately and that the Planning Department would return to the Commission with targeted items it believes can be calendared for action.