Mirkarimi: National landlord may have pulled wool over Planning Commission eyes

From the San Francisco Sentinel, "A national landlord firm may have acted in "bad faith" through a misleading permit application harmful to tenants granted by the San Francisco Planning Commission, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi concluded today."

"District 5 tenants of the 13-unit Victorian apartment building approved for major structural change complain the permit was a ploy to increase number of units and drive current residents out. On Thursday several residents spoke before the Planning Commission, which no long has jurisdiction, to keep commissioners abreast of their appeal to the San Francisco Board of Appeals."

"Mirkarimi visited the site located at 800 Lyon Street Thursday at the request of tenant Marianne Beck."

"Beck cited tenant evictions and approved plans for fire escape restructuring she claims is life-threatening. "Since Prana 8 Properties took over the building they have systematically evicted many of the old tenants from our building," Beck wrote to Mirkarimi."

"Tenants are represented by Raquel Fox of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic and by Joe O'Donoghue, president of the Residential Builder's Association."