Finding parking in a major city can be a headache, and paying for it isn’t much better. But in San Francisco, one resident suspects some wealthy homeowners may have found a cheaper way to secure a spot by taking advantage of the city’s construction permit system.
Greg Long, a 56-year-old product designer who lives in the affluent Presidio Heights neighborhood, began looking into the issue after noticing 14 temporary no-parking signs along one side of his street. With several nearby homes undergoing renovations, six of the street’s eight available parking spaces had been taken out of use, he documented on Instagram. Long began to question whether all those spaces were actually needed for construction work.
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“It’s just extremely easy in San Francisco to get a permit. You can get it without actually having any construction done to your home or property, you can put down landscaping as an excuse for getting a permit, and the cost isn’t really all that expensive,” Long told KTVU.
In his Instagram reel, Long scanned one of the permits on his street and discovered that it had expired and didn’t authorize towing. Although he acknowledged that most of the signs appeared legitimate, he questioned whether the city was doing enough to prevent misuse.
The cost of claiming a parking spot
San Francisco allows property owners to temporarily reserve curbside space for construction, landscaping and other approved projects. According to San Francisco Public Works, a standard street space permit costs $209 per month for every 20 linear feet, with additional fees for occupying metered parking…