The two homes belonging to Wing King on 48th Avenue near Sutro Heights Park
Many readers will recall the early morning fire that burned on the hill below Sutro Heights Park in late January. At the time the SFFD determined that the fire had been set, most likely the result of a campfire from a homeless camper.
At the time, we had an email from a Sutro Heights resident about the owner of the property and his reclusive ways. He’s not well-liked in the neighborhood due to the poor condition of his property, and for his unwillingness to secure his property to prevent homeless encampments.
Chris Roberts, a reporter at the Examiner, published a story on Sunday about the owner, whose name is Wing King.
You may not realize anyone lives at 641 48th Avenue, but King, a licensed physician who last practiced endoscopy at UC San Francisco, does occupy the home. Visitors to the front door are instructed to write via email rather than ring the bell, and security cameras hover over the entrance.
King owns two homes on the lot, and according to the Examiner article, he uses one to live in, and the other for storage. Both homes have large back lots that border on the edge of Sutro Heights Park, and they are a favorite enclave for homeless campers and partying teenagers.
According to the Examiner article, the SFFD has had to come out multiple times to extinguish fires in the backyards:
Firefighters have doused blazes on King’s property five times since 2004, according to records. Once they climbed over a fence that “collapsed inward” in order to reach a small brush fire. A homeless encampment went up in August 2010. In February 2012, a man claiming to be a cop himself told police he was clearing the property. Other times, dried-out leaves and branches — the organic fuel available is ample — smoldered or blazed, once in a firepit in October.
It’s unclear what can be done to force King to maintain his property, but it doesn’t appear that a lack of funds is the issue, as he’s willing to fork over money for lawsuits and fines:
He has been sued regularly over the years, but not because of neighborhood fire risks. Rather, the suits are related to real estate dealings, mostly — his mother in Hong Kong, former business partners and a bank that extended a $1 million line of credit. He lost that large case — as he did The City’s lawsuit for nine false 911 calls made between December 2005 and July 2007 — by failing to show up to court.
King does appear to have some communication with the outside world. He called his neighbor, Frank Choy, on the night of the January fire. But Choy, and other neighbors’ patience is running thin as the properties continue to deteriorate and attract the wrong element. The Examiner article mentions that neighbors may be mulling over a lawsuit against King.
Read the full story at SFExaminer.com
UPDATE 3/19/13: The city has fired the first shot, giving King 15 days to prove that the homes are occupied or he faces penalties of up to $7,000 per home. [via SF Examiner]
Sarah B.
The January 19, 2013 fire that erupted at the back of King’s properties, as seen from Great Highway and Balboa.
Fire department was called again yesterday for a fire and encampment in that area.
Hello everyone, Nick Pagoulatos from Supervisor Mar’s here. We have been actively working with our City Attorney’s Office and Department of Building Inspection to address the potential fire hazards and public nuisances at 641-645 48th Ave. we are taking aggressive action to address the health and safety violations at this property. Clearly, Dr. King has been unresponsive to the City’s attempts to have him fix this problem so it is appropriate and necessary now to consider all of our administrative and legal options.
Supervisor Mar has met with neighbors and consulted with the National Parks Service staff as well and is making sure that they are involved in long term solutions to the area as well.
That house was considered “haunted” back in the 70s when I was a kid. I don’t know who the previous owner was, but even then there was a forlorn appearance to the place. My parents used to tell me not to go by there alone because “hippies were taking drugs” in the lot behind the house.
Why would he have responsibility to stop people from trespassing on his property and starting fires? Isn’t that the job of the police?
Ron, you have a responsibility for your property not being misused in crimes. If you continually leave your car keys in the ignition and the doors open and folks take you car on car races through the streets, you become the source of a public nuisance. Same applies to your home.
Speaking of fires, it sounds like Mr. King’s neighbors have their torches and pitchforks in hand. Heaven save San Francisco from the wrong element!
I seem to recall that a few (more? 10+?) years ago, he was hoping to develop the lots that he owns into 20+ (30+? More? Can’t remember) condos. To do so, he’d need to get permits to demolish the houses, which is no small feat in SF. Perhaps he’s hoping to let the properties deteriorate to the point where they have to be demolished.
We’re fairly near neighbors (down the hill, though), and the steps behind his property up to Sutro Park are magnets for encampments, trash, feces, stolen goods, etc. I wish he’d be more neighborly.
Used to be, others could submit a complaint to the Health Dept. and they could clear away overgrowth and slap a lien on the property. Have the regulations changed? Smaller budget? Different priorities? Fewer inspectors? Or a combination of these?
Many thanks to Supervisor Mar for working to help remedy this problem.
@6 Rebecca —
I live down the hill from 641. I don’t give a damn who lives there, I just don’t want a fire to destroy anyone’s home, including mine. The January fire, if not controlled as it was, could easily have done that.
To all the SFFD, thats about as close you will get to a wildland urban interface in sf…besides mclaren park! lol
I live further down the hill from Wing King for the last 12 years and I don’t think he want’s his property destroyed by a fire.I know for a fact that every time Wing King builds a wall to keep trespassers out,it gets kicked down by teenage punks,who spray paint the fences.The homeless then move into his yard,which is hard to notice due to the large trees .I don’t think Wing king should be forced to cut his ancient trees down,which are a part of Sutro Heights history,because of tresspassers and punks victimizing him.
The city should help him try to save these magnificent houses and yards by patrolling sutro heights more.The homeless start fires in Golden Gate Park as well,should we blame him for that too?
Patricia
We have long been curious about that property, which appears to be abandoned. I think the house near the public stairway that goes down to Balboa is strangely beautiful and extraordinary. I love that façade and the odd placement of the windows. The house should be renovated, not demolished for condos. A secure, tall metal fence should be erected around it to keep out intruders. With a little landscaping the garden would be magnificent. The ocean views from high up are fantastic. I keep fantasizing about what a wonderful property that place could be.