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Planning Dept pursuing enforcement actions against Alexandria Theater owners

On May 19, city officials were taken on a walk-through of the Alexandria Theater property by building managers. We did not receive specific details about what was seen during the inspection, but based on the flurry of improvements that took place just prior to May 19 (like removing all the graffiti after 90+ days), the management probably cleaned up as much as they could.

An important goal of the walk-through was also to assess the condition of the historic art deco murals inside the building.

The building continues to be a source of blight and vandalism. Earlier this week, someone broke into the theater, smashing a glass panel and a display case inside. Police responded to the late night break-in and searched the building with a police dog, but no suspects were located.

Since the May 19 walk-through, the city has continued pursuing possible actions they can take against the Alexandria ownership group, known as Alexandria Enterprises, LLC, as a result of their negligence in maintaining the building.

In April, 2013 the building owners received approval from the Planning Department for their proposed development, consisting of a small theater and commercial spaces in the main building, and a new residential apartment building on the back parking lot.

A requirement of their approved conditional use permit was that the owners “provide strict security and regular maintenance of the parking lot site and the theatre building to prevent any vandalism of the theatre interior, and to protect its resources (i.e., architectural features and details) until such time the Project is completed as designed,’ as stated page 27, section 23 of their Planning Department Conditional Use Permit.

In addition, the building owners are required to appoint a Community Liaison “to deal with the issues of concern to owners and occupants of nearby properties.” In other words, if neighbors are distraught about graffiti, trash or other maintenance with the property, they have someone to work with on the issues. To date, no liaison has been identified.

And lastly, the ownership is required to “maintain the main entrance to the building and all sidewalks abutting the subject property in a clean and sanitary condition.” Anyone who walks by the theater can see that is not the case as trash, broken glass and other debris accumulates in the main entrance behind unattractive cyclone fencing.

It’s the possible violation of these requirements that the Planning Department is looking into.

“The Planning Department is currently still working with the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) to pursue enforcement actions against the property owners of the Alexandria Theatre regarding maintenance and upkeep of the building,” according to Gina Simi, Media Liaison for the Planning Department.

Supervisor Eric Mar is also involved in the investigation and enforcement actions. Nickolas Pagoulatos in Mar’s office told us he is trying to arrange additional inspections for DBI and the Fire Department. Pagoulatos noticed on the May 19 walkthrough that the interior “looked like it had a lot of water damage”.

If Alexandria Enterprises, LLC is found to be in violation of these requirements, their conditional use permit may be amended or revoked, or the value of their property could be reduced as a penalty.

The theater is currently for sale on some obscure real estate websites. The owners are attempting to sell the building and the approved conditional use permit for the new development as a whole package.

So far the owners’ efforts to sell have been in vain, and their lack of action makes it very clear that they don’t have much interest in keeping up the property. Let’s hope that the city takes swift action to improve the situation.

In the meantime, if you see graffiti, trash or other damage to the building, call 311 or use their mobile app to report it.

In related news, the permit for Express Parking, which operates the back parking lot at the Alexandria, is up for renewal next month. On June 18th, they’ll go before city planning to request a temporary extension on their operating permit.

As reported in the recent KTVU news story (video below) and here on the blog, people camping in their RV’s in the parking lot is not uncommon, and the lot is not well secured or kept clean. Captain Simon Silverman of the Richmond station has asked the Permits section to attach the following conditions on the temporary permit extension:

    – Comply with all relevant laws and rules.
    – An attendant or security guard must be on the premises at all times while the lot is open.
    – When closed, the lot must be secured by a gate or chain lock.
    – Keep the parking lot clear of any drug activity.
    – Not allow people to reside in vehicles on the lot.
    – No mobile homes to be parked overnight on the premises.
    – The parking lot must be clean of all litter and debris.

Sarah B.

17 Comments

  1. This saddens me. I grew up a few blocks from the theatre and fondly remember sitting in the front passenger seat of my dad’s car every Sunday as he pulled the car to the front of the theatre and let me roll down the window to buy the Sunday paper from the newspaper man who stood under the brightly lit marquis (as well as mom taking us kids to watch movies like Herbie the Love Bug and the Three Musketeers).

  2. Pfff- Eric Mar? He is a absentee Supervisor, there is so much Crime in the Richmond, and i have yet to see he comment on any of it.

  3. I worked at this theatre my senior year and took pride in working and keeping it clean. i grew up blocks from the theatre as well, and saw a ton of movies there throughout my childhood. It’s been sad to see it fall apart, and i pray the damage on the inside, to the rare deco and artistic moldings, is minimal. I think it would do well as a neighborhood theatre again, especially with the ridiculousness of Van Ness keeping most away from that theatre. Sell it to the Lee Family (4-star/Presidio) owners.

  4. Hope the theater can be sold quickly and new owners can come in, make a decent profit and build the site into something without have to start the 10 year planning process all over. The reality is profitability is the only thing that will get the place redeveloped.

  5. So basically the only way to get *anything* done is to have a news team show up and get footage of mar saying he’s ‘working on it.’

    Hey KTVU, how about sending a crew to do a story on the abandoned storefronts at 6th and Balboa? Just yesterday I saw a homeless man sleeping in one of the doorways. A couple weeks earlier there was another one passed out on the sidewalk in front of the mortuary on 6th and Geary.

    I went and let the officers at the Richmond station know each time and I guess they took care of the issue.

    I’ll bet if there were happy meals involved or a truck promoting a strip club mar would’ve been all over it.

  6. “It’s the possible violation of these requirements that the Planning Department is looking into.”
    If there is a single politician or city official in this town who baffled as to why taxpayers are so cynical, this sentence sums it up. (I know this is a summary sentence written by Sarah, but I’m sure it’s an accurate description of where things stand.) Looking into possible violations? What is there to look into? Look AT it and you can plainly see the problems. It’s past time for the Powers That Aren’t to finally take immediate, definitive action. What’s the holdup? I’m quite serious in asking this question. Can anyone explain to me why this situation has been allowed to go on for years and still the only “action” that has occurred is a walk-thru and a let’s look into it further? If a representative goup of local residents could were asked to make a decision about this, it would have been done and over with years ago.

  7. “Nickolas Pagoulatos in Mar’s office told us he is trying to arrange additional inspections for DBI and the Fire Department. Pagoulatos noticed on the May 19 walkthrough that the interior “looked like it had a lot of water damage”.

    So does this mean Nickolas Pagoulatos was there but mar wasn’t?

    Unless I see the video/pics that’s what I’m led to believe.

  8. @Derek, don’t jump to conclusions. Mar very rarely comments directly on this website or to us when we are seeking comments.

    We know Supervisor Mar was at the May 19 walk-through, because he was seen interviewing with media outside the Alexandria that morning (not us).

    Sarah B.

  9. Hopefully the planning department (and other City administrative groups) will sock-it-to the present owners of the Alexandria Theater property with everything they’ve got! Make ’em pay! The scofflaws that own this property need to be taught a lesson!

    Better yet, San Francisco should make an *example* of them by fining them up the wazoo AND taking action that reduces the value of their property. This will put other scofflaw commercial property owners on notice that San Francisco *will* maintain community property standards. As it stands, too many commercial property owners in this town have had a free ride, freely engaging in near-anarchy as regards their LEGAL responsibility to the community. Hit the scofflaws owners of this property where it hurts – in their pocketbooks!

    I and many others are going to be watching this development very closely. There is NO way that the many YEARS of violation-on-violation piled up by the current owners should result in anything but serious consequence – financial, and otherwise.

  10. Agree with Renee and Phil – we need to keep pressure on Mar’s office and the Planning Department. Punitive actions/revocation of permits would be a huge loss to these absentee owners, as apparently their whole plan was to flip to foreign investors once the permits were acquired (and again, I think there was a connection to Walter Wong – the corrupt former employee of the Planning Department/’permit expediter,’ on this project, wasn’t there?). The property is listed on Chinese real estate websites for $12M. To have those permits revoked would hopefully force them to just sell and be over with it, or take a loss.

  11. Like Derek said, notice how Mar or his staff is quick to take credit whenever something kinda gets done. And even then it takes a chance for him to be on TV to get even that much done. How about he does something about the proliferation of “massage parlors” all over the Richmond? There have got to be at least a half dozen in the inner Richmond alone. Guess it’s okay to have these businesses but a Petco isn’t welcome.

    Apparently the only way to get something done is to either give him a chance to be on TV or his daughter has to bring it up to him. Hey, it worked for Happy Meal toys and E-cigs.

  12. Mike – Perhaps Eric thinks movie theaters are “Formula Retail”…like banks…and gas stations.

  13. I am disappointed in Supervisor Eric Mar, who now has a cushy $100k/year with tremendous benefits job after leaving SF State. All he cares about is publicity and short sighted and immediate change (Happy Meals, Petco, etc.). Go ahead and find out all the goodies he has accepted from special interests only to deride them publicly. Keep the Richmond blighted, while continuing the fight to ban toys. Your politician look and thick rimmed glasses don’t help.

    I am disappointed in my neighbors in the Richmond District for setting back the developers’ plans for so many years through planning and reviews only now to complain that nothing has been done. This sidelined $30M+ project, mounting fees, uncooperative (and really angry) neighbors (renee and phil stand out) don’t help. I would love to see the neighborhood improve (not gentrified) with (detrimental to progress neighbors) renee and phil the first to go (predictably complaining all the way out of the City is best).

  14. @Disappointed Richmond Resident

    1) Just how would you like to see the neighborhood improve? Please list and describe the processes that would you put in place to improve this neighborhood and what personal steps would you be willing to personally take to make them happen?

    2) We live in a Republic, with democratically elected representatives, we have to wait until election time to displace politicians who are not to our respective liking. What steps are you taking to replace Mr. Mar?

    3) San Francisco does have a planning process; it’s largely not the most transparent process, and it could be improved. That said, are you claiming that the owners of the Alexandria Theater property have been fully transparent in their management of that property? That they are not responsible for its current derelict condition? That they have *not* played the San Francisco development process to effectively let their property gain investment value without having to maintain it, and that in doing so have not been the cause if blight on that corner which detracts from other local businesses and personal property in the neighborhood?

    4) What proof do you have that Eric Mar is as incompetent as you claim? I don’t agree with many of Mar’s actions, but you make it sound like he is purposely playing he system to his advantage. Incidentally, are you in favor of the sheer waste that comes from Happy Meal packages, and the human misery that results from their manufacture?

    4) What proof do you have that I have actively fought *against* the approval of the Alexandria property plans. Good luck with that.

  15. Phil, I don’t like you or the people like you. You hold back the economy. If the City is represented by you, then I can see why there is no progress. You somehow think your opinion should carry weight (on ALL MATTERS), when you clearly do not have the knowledge or drive to even grow a neighborhood.

    Don’t forget, SF hates formula retail (except when they bring in Target, shop at Safeway, CVS, Walgreens, Round Table Pizza, Subway, drive out of the City for Petco, drive back in for some Chipotle).

    I hope you enjoy the empty store fronts. Good luck with that.

    And thanks again for picking out one element in the City you don’t like and jumping on board and attacking the owners (who happen to be an LLC and is more attackable than an individual, of course).

  16. And, Phil, please stop commenting on every single post that someone needs to be punished up the wazoo or the need to sock it to someone or how everyone is a scofflaw.

    I’d love to catch you jaywalking, or littering, or pushing an old lady out of your way. Then, let’s punish you up the wazoo and finally sock it to you, scofflaw.

    Mind your own business (or is that anarchist thinking?).

  17. Anyone else think the whole monstrosity should be torn down. The mural inside can be saved, but let’s get a new development with nice architecture, affordable housing with units for low income, retail on the ground. Look at the nice redo at the once Coronet theater location. Looks great and good housing.
    Just saying.

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