Real Life Sf Live/Work

Live/Work Artist

In regard to the following article from SFGate

“Fees considered for S.F. live-’work’ lofts”

“Thousands of people who own live-work lofts in San Francisco have been using them exclusively for housing, an act that puts them in technical violation of city law.”
Which law is this referring too?

Do not support this unenforceable repressive law.

I have over 30 years of experience with live/work and I can tell you that people change their lifestyles throughout their lives, so there is no realistic way to control who and where people live and work. Our organization has been trying to do it for years. I have kept my live/work studio through many career changes and moved back and forth multiple times. I have watched people move into a small unit, get married, have children, move out to raise the family, while working in their units, and then move back and retire. How do you classify them?

What about those units that are work-only? Do they get fined too? Live/work should imply both are legal, not both are required. It’s amazing how many artists think they can live and work around toxic chemicals, become allergic, and choose between their art and their health. Should we fine them, force them to work with toxic materials, or force them to sell and move out of their homes?

People change and their lives change. Living implies change. Advancing technology is a major reason people change careers. How many film titling people are not using computers these days? Let’s be realistic about changing technology and how it effects people’s lives. No one can control it.

Live/Work Don’t kill it. Fix it. Put the tariffs back on the developers.

“Traditionally, the city demands that developers of standard housing pay fees for schools, affordable housing and other services, but the lofts were classified as commercial construction, absolving developers of nearly all tariffs…The problem here goes back to the city allowing developers to take advantage of loopholes in the law”

These deals were made with the developers, not the tenant/owners. Lift the freeze on live/work development and re-instate the fees on the developers. They will pass on the charges to the new live/work tenants. You’ll get your money that way.