3 ms·

He got SF's code changed, but permit nightmare over two sheds was 'final straw'

4 points by mikhael 3y ago

dekhn 3y ago
he did everything out of order, contributing significantly to his woes. You need to get the permits straightened out before you touch anything. And you also need to tell your neighbors (all the directly adjacent ones) what you plan on doing. Then, once you are building, you're actually in a much stronger position to go back to the permitting office and argue about what you can actually do. None of this is to defend SF- it's just practical points about how to achieve your goals with less stress.
- latchkey 3y ago
  Sure, you're describing how to navigate a broken system, but what you're really doing is victim blaming. Having to position yourself and jump through hoops, including getting a lawyer involved to change planning code, in order to get a shed installed in your own back yard, is absurd.
  - dekhn 3y ago
    Using the term victim blaming is a fairly weak rhetorical device that people use when they don't have a better argument. It can be true that a person is a "victim of SF's overly baroque permitting laws" while also being the source of their own problem. Remember that his neighbor has to see those little sheds every day, that careless work can damage property (and property values), etc, so they can be a victim too (and one whose actions did NOT cause their own victimhood).
    - latchkey 3y ago
      > Using the term victim blaming is a fairly weak rhetorical device that people use when they don't have a better argument. Attempting to justify yourself by calling my statement weak, is equally weak. Move on. It isn't "can be true", it is true. The whole article is about how the person is a "victim of SF's overly baroque permitting laws" AND had to fight to get the code changed, AND was successful in the end.
latchkey 3y ago
The article starts off with the real problem in SF, but doesn't really expand on it... NIMBY neighbors. Anyone can file a complaint about anything and the city has to follow up on it until the problem is resolved. This isn't just residential, but also commercial. It doesn't matter if you're doing things within the code or not, as soon as you are on the city radar, you are in for a world of trouble. Obviously, if you're on the edge of code, as this guy was, it is even worse cause you're not going to "win", without spending a lot of time and money. All the while, crime, homeless and drug use is out of control, because "that isn't my department." The city is too busy dealing with absurd cases like this. SF is broken and needs to hit rock bottom before it'll ever have a chance of being worthwhile again.

4 points by mikhael 3y ago

he did everything out of order, contributing significantly to his woes. You need to get the permits straightened out before you touch anything. And you also need to tell your neighbors (all the directly adjacent ones) what you plan on doing. Then, once you are building, you're actually in a much stronger position to go back to the permitting office and argue about what you can actually do. None of this is to defend SF- it's just practical points about how to achieve your goals with less stress.

latchkey 3y ago
Sure, you're describing how to navigate a broken system, but what you're really doing is victim blaming. Having to position yourself and jump through hoops, including getting a lawyer involved to change planning code, in order to get a shed installed in your own back yard, is absurd.
- dekhn 3y ago
  Using the term victim blaming is a fairly weak rhetorical device that people use when they don't have a better argument. It can be true that a person is a "victim of SF's overly baroque permitting laws" while also being the source of their own problem. Remember that his neighbor has to see those little sheds every day, that careless work can damage property (and property values), etc, so they can be a victim too (and one whose actions did NOT cause their own victimhood).
  - latchkey 3y ago
    > Using the term victim blaming is a fairly weak rhetorical device that people use when they don't have a better argument. Attempting to justify yourself by calling my statement weak, is equally weak. Move on. It isn't "can be true", it is true. The whole article is about how the person is a "victim of SF's overly baroque permitting laws" AND had to fight to get the code changed, AND was successful in the end.

latchkey 3y ago

The article starts off with the real problem in SF, but doesn't really expand on it... NIMBY neighbors. Anyone can file a complaint about anything and the city has to follow up on it until the problem is resolved. This isn't just residential, but also commercial. It doesn't matter if you're doing things within the code or not, as soon as you are on the city radar, you are in for a world of trouble. Obviously, if you're on the edge of code, as this guy was, it is even worse cause you're not going to "win", without spending a lot of time and money. All the while, crime, homeless and drug use is out of control, because "that isn't my department." The city is too busy dealing with absurd cases like this. SF is broken and needs to hit rock bottom before it'll ever have a chance of being worthwhile again.