686-694 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94133

The 6-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building at 686-694 Lombard Street in North Beach, owned by Lai Y Louie Revocable Trust, has undergone significant changes and faced multiple challenges in recent years. Built in 1912, this property completed its mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit in 2015 (with an earlier permit filed in 2013) and recently replaced a Federal Pacific breaker panel in November 2023, demonstrating efforts to maintain building safety systems. However, early 2023 brought serious concerns, with multiple building violations filed in January 2023 related to safety systems including fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and heating, as well as a complaint about mold/mildew.

The building underwent controversial paint removal work in early 2023, raising lead exposure concerns among residents. A significant tenant buyout occurred in February 2023 involving two tenants at 686 Lombard Street, following a pattern of complaints about building maintenance issues including heat and water problems, though these were ultimately abated by March 2023. The property has a history of maintenance challenges, with several complaints regarding heating issues, mold, and safety systems in early 2023 all requiring multiple inspections and interventions.

A fire escape complaint in late 2022 was resolved by December 2022. The building's commercial storefront has experienced vacancy issues, with complaints about graffiti and abandonment in 2019-2022. More recently, there have been numerous 311 calls regarding street conditions around the property in 2024, though these primarily relate to sidewalk and street maintenance rather than building-specific issues. The building is currently classified as a Tier 3 soft-story retrofitted structure, with the work completed and Certificate of Final Completion issued, and a fire escape issue from late 2022 reported as corrected in December 2022.