A Jackson Square business was recently hit with a notice of violation for operating ground-floor offices in an area where only retail is allowed without a conditional-use authorization. Now, it's moving out.
Recreation, a design and brand strategy agency, was located at 701 Sansome St. at Jackson Street, which is part of the Jackson Square Special Use District. On Sept. 18th, the Planning Department issued a notice of enforcement to the firm and the property owner, Andrew Meyer, telling them the property is authorized for retail commercial use—not offices. The notice adds that the Planning Department received an application from Recreation for a conditional-use authorization on Jan. 14th, 2015, but "this application is either incomplete or not Code complying."
The notice also mentions a second violation: Recreation's windows were obscured by banners. "Pursuant to Planning Code Section 145.1(c)(6), frontages with active uses that are not residential or PDR must be fenestrated with transparent windows and doorways for no less than 60 percent of the street frontage at the ground level and allow visibility to the inside of the building," the notice states. "Visibility to the inside of the building requires that anything placed within four feet of the windows at pedestrian eye level must be at least 75 percent open to perpendicular view."
After we got word that Recreation was in violation, we noticed that the window banners came down. A real estate sign also went up, advertising ground-floor retail space.
"Staff at site said they had subleased it from the tenant that did not say that that office use is not permitted," Code enforcement officer Christine Haw said in an email. Recreation declined to comment for this article.
"After discussions with all interested parties, the tenant at 701 Sansome will be leaving," Ben Meyer, who co-owns Meyer Capital Partners, LLC with Andrew Meyer, told us via email. "We are currently looking for a retail tenant who will be a good fit for the Jackson Square neighborhood." We followed up with Meyer to ask how long Recreation had been there and what was there before it occupied the space, but he didn't reply.
Recreation has been at 701 Sansome since at least May 2014, when the Barbary Coast News, at the request of neighbors, looked into two businesses in Jackson Square that appeared to be out of compliance with zoning codes: Recreation and Kodama Diseño Architects (617-621 Sansome St.)
The Planning Department said that Kodama Diseño Architects was in compliance, but it has since moved to Oakland and its space is now for lease. Planning previously issued Recreation a notice of enforcement in September 2014 for obscured windows, which it rectified before subsequently putting up the banners.
Matt Stegman, a board member of the Jackson Square Historic District Association (JSHDA), said the group "watches these open spaces to ensure landlords don't try to not meet Planning code and slide through a conditional use permit at the hearing."
Other ground-floor spaces are currently open on Jackson, Stegman said, and JSHDA is "keeping an eye on these spaces, to make sure Jackson Square maintains an attractive mix in keeping with the Special Use District." With the robust economy, "there's no shortage of people looking for space. They kind of don't have any excuses now for finding suitable retailers."
