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251-253 Church St

Mission Dolores, SF 94114 3544058 3 units · 2 fl · 1905

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Mission Dolores
At or below average
avg 2.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Mission Dolores average of 2.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 251-253 Church St rent-controlled?

San Francisco's Rent Ordinance caps rent increases and provides eviction protection for most residential units built before 1979 with 2+ units. Here's how this building scores.

Built before 1979
Built 1905
2 or more units
3 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
UPMKT
Likely rent-controlled. Building age and unit count suggest this property falls under San Francisco's Rent Ordinance.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units3
Floors2
Year built1905
Total area5,935 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3544058
Ownership

Registered owner per SF Assessor-Recorder (secured roll).

Owner name
Church St Trust
Mailing address
Michael Yancey 101A Clay St # 344 San Francisco CA 94133
Last sale
102716

Landlord portfolio

Other SF properties this owner holds, with risk grades for each.

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Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

253 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114
251 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 251-253 Church Street is a two-story, multi-family residential building with commercial space, built in 1905 and owned by Church St Trust. The mixed-use building contains three residential units and was formerly home to a full-service sushi restaurant (Sancha Sushi) seeking to operate with a seating capacity of 49 and alcohol service under Type 41 license. The building underwent several notable modifications in the 1980s, including a horizontal extension and rear addition in 1986, and received fire safety upgrades in 2009 with the installation of an automatic fire suppression system for the kitchen hood.

Recent concerns about the property emerged in late 2020, when multiple complaints were filed regarding fire safety hazards and debris accumulation in the vacant restaurant space, though these complaints have since been marked as not active. Between 2022 and 2024, there have been recurring municipal service calls primarily related to street-level issues, including garbage and debris management, graffiti, and occasional sidewalk blockages. Of particular note, there were two fire-related incidents recorded in the building's history: a gas leak and an emergency medical service incident, both with no civilian injuries reported. While the building appears to be currently operating under multiple approved permits for commercial use, including recent ABC referrals for type 41 licenses in 2021 and 2024, there are still some open cases related to graffiti (2023) and illegal postings (2024) requiring attention.

AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below

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Risk rating

How 251-253 Church St's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of SF DBI inspection data — notice of violation filings, complaint history, and owner track records. It estimates the probability that DBI inspectors will issue a Notice of Violation at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Grade A–B — Low risk

DBI rarely finds violations here. Strong maintenance history and a clean complaint record.

Grade C — Moderate risk

Some past violations or complaints on record. Worth asking the landlord about any open issues before signing.

Grade D–F — High risk

Elevated violation and complaint history. DBI has found issues here before and is statistically likely to again.

Neighborhood percentile
26th percentile

Out of 799 buildings in this neighborhood, 591 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
51%
No DBI
violation
49%
DBI violation
likely
Model explanation

What's driving this score

The three data points that most influenced this building's risk rating — ranked by the weight the model placed on each one.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building complaint rate across the owner's portfolio.

Property class: apartment building

Apartment building — this property classification influences expected violation rates.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 38.3%
Moderate concern 47.1%
Severe concern 14.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

251-253 Church St event timeline

Violations, complaints, fire incidents, permits, and buyouts — most recent records in order.

2025
Planning Record Apr 02
ABC referral - Type 41, Recommend approval. Type 41 license (On-Sale Beer & Wine - Eating Place) is permitted in NCT - UPPER MARKET STREET NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL TRANSIT ZONING DISTRICT per PC Section 764 as a continuation of a full service restaurant; Must operate as a Bona Fide Public Eating Place.
Closed - Approved

See all 5 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 251-253 Church St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

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