Commission legalizes office use at 660 Third Street; sponsor agrees to pay enforcement fees

The Planning Commission approved a staff-recommended office allocation and related variance at 660 Third Street on Nov. 4, legalizing approximately 36,699 square feet of office in a four-story former industrial building in the Central SoMa Landmark District.

Planning staff (Rich Sucre) explained the item is a small-cap office allocation under Planning Code sections 3.21 and 3.22 and requires a variance from active-use ground-floor requirements under sections 145.1 and 145.4. The project includes roughly 16,307 square feet on the first floor, 21,110 square feet on the second floor and 2,795 square feet on the fourth floor, with no off-street parking and 24 class‑1 and 5 class‑2 bicycle spaces.

Applicant representative Jim Rubin recounted the building's long commercial history and said the owners had tried to "do the right thing" by seeking legalization. He told the commission that the sponsor had received a penalty notice in recent days (about $195,000) and that they will pay the enforcement penalties and housing-impact fees required to legalize the office use. Staff stated there remained about $200,000 of unpaid enforcement fees in department records but affirmed collection would proceed following approval.

During deliberations, commissioners pressed the applicant on penalty payment and staff confirmed the outstanding fees would remain collectable even if the allocation was authorized. The commission voted to approve the allocation and variance with conditions; the zoning administrator indicated intent to grant the variance with standard conditions.