Commission approves PDR live‑work accessory use at 2823 Eighteenth with conditions to ensure PDR remains primary use

The Planning Commission approved on June 16 a staff‑initiated discretionary review to allow accessory residential use in nine existing PDR units at 2823 Eighteenth Street for artists, artisans and craftspersons under Planning Code Section 204.4(b).

Staff recommended conditions to ensure PDR remains the primary use: each PDR occupant who also lives in the unit must hold an active San Francisco business license for the location; owners must file a tenant report every two years demonstrating compliance; and the department may inspect units with reasonable notice if evidence suggests a primary PDR use is not being maintained.

Counsel for the sponsor said a PDR lease addendum will require tenants to maintain a business license and use the space primarily for PDR activity; violations would be a lease breach and could result in eviction. Commissioners asked whether family members of a licensed PDR tenant could live in the unit (occupancy limits apply) and how inspections would be triggered; staff and the zoning administrator explained inspections would follow enforcement‑style triggers if documentation was insufficient.

The commission voted to take the item off calendar and approve it with the recommended conditions (7–0).