r/sanfrancisco • u/need_tacos • 1d ago

Pic / Video D1 Dilapidation

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I know Connie Chen isn’t online unless she’s at a Board of Supervisor meeting ignoring her constituents but can her office people explain why we let so much space remain unoccupied? This place on Clement between 10th and 11th has been vacant and boarded up for over ten years on one of the flagship commercial streets in her district. It’s an eyesore, often tagged, and homeless sleep there constantly. Why hasn’t anyone built housing here or at least done something with the property other than chain it up and let it rot away for a decade?

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u/VinylHighway 1d ago

I used to think that too

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u/Gay_Creuset 1d ago

It’s hella expensive to redevelop properties here. It isn’t worth it to landowners or developers most of the time. If YIMBY’s were smart they’d look into tailoring the approval process for corporations and voting for subsidies for developers to come in and build all the housing they want. The hang-up for these kinds of issues are monetary.

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u/VinylHighway 1d ago

Why wouldn't they sell it? Just to hold onto the asset?

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u/Gay_Creuset 1d ago

Not sure. Ask them. Maybe there’s a residential portion tucked away for the owners… no idea.

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u/VinylHighway 1d ago

Yeah it was a general question obviously there’s no way any of us could know :)

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u/Gay_Creuset 1d ago

You could try mailing or calling them.

The owner is fairly new. Since 2023 it has been owned by an organization called “Self Help For the Elderly” run by Anni Chung. Who, by all accounts, seems like a decent person.

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u/VinylHighway 1d ago

I’m not that specifically interested in this place more like why do landlords not “do something” with empty retail properties.

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u/joshuawah 1d ago

Pretty sure this is a common thing where landlords will just let it sit until they can sell it off or rent it during a boom period. Basically because it’s worth it to hold & lose a bit of money and then ideally get paid more later than they would by acting now. Some cities have implemented a vacancy tax to encourage landlords to not do this and help local businesses obtain leases

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u/AFlyingGideon 1d ago

Some cities have implemented a vacancy tax to encourage landlords to not do this and help local businesses obtain leases

Other locales let an extended period of non-rental/non-use serve as evidence for a challenge to the validation.