A minor disagreement in one of the most prosperous areas of San Francisco has escalated into a major conflict between tenants and extremely wealthy individuals over a parking space.
Pacific Heights, an opulent neighborhood also referred to as Billionaire’s Row, has long struggled with a shortage of parking spaces. However, this issue was not particularly concerning for some of the neighborhood’s affluent inhabitants – until recently.
This upscale area, characterized by its historic, multimillion-dollar mansions owned by tech moguls and renowned philanthropists, is experiencing a peculiar situation – numerous white traffic cones strategically placed along the streets to prevent residents from parking.
The trouble began when a renter, frustrated by the constant lack of parking, moved the mysteriously occurring traffic cones, clearing a space to park his car.
However, within a few hours, the renter, who spoke to SFGate on a condition of anonymity, claimed a white Lexus had double-parked, blocking him in what felt like a clear act of retaliation.
Now frantic, because he had an appointment to make, the resident canvassed the neighborhood, knocking on doors, hoping desperately to find the car’s owner.
After ringing several doorbells, he finally found a home where a man answered.
‘He was very aggressive,’ the renter said, adding that the angered homeowner ‘silently glared’ at him before agreeing to move the luxury vehicle.
The affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood, also known as Billionaire’s Row, has a long-standing lack of parking, though for some of the area’s wealthier residents, this wasn’t much of a problem – until now
The lavish neighborhood, which is lined with historic, multimillion-dollar mansions owned by tech founders and famous philanthropists, however, has a peculiar phenomenon: dozens of white traffic cones lining the street preventing residents from parking
Several weeks later, the resident parked outside the same mansion, however this time there were no white traffic cones lining the street.
Yet, to his surprise, when he returned back to his car, he realized it had been vandalized.
At first, he wasn’t sure the damage was done intentionally as the scratch was only a couple of inches long, and he had no proof of who did it.
But, he said ‘it felt too coincidental,’ so going forward he made a conscious effort to avoid parking near that property.
Earlier this week however, the situation took a turn for the worse as the worried renter was forced to park in the same area due to street cleaning, only to once again return to another malicious attack on his vehicle.
‘I would hardly even call it being keyed,’ he told SFGate. ‘It looked like someone took pliers or a hammer to my door.’
The resident then turned to social media to air his grievances.
‘The cone people have gone too far,’ he wrote, adding that the residents of these mansions have ‘made it crystal clear that they believe the street is theirs to control.
‘They’ve escalated from passive aggression to outright vandalism, sending a message that parking here isn’t just a matter of convenience – it’s a privilege that comes with their approval,’ he continued.
Several Google Street View images show white cones placed around one residence in particular, 2808 Broadway, over the course of several years.
Many have reported the cones to 311, but the issue still persists, the resident said.
The trouble began when a renter, frustrated by the constant lack of parking, moved the mysteriously occurring traffic cones, clearing a space to park his car
‘It feels unfortunate that they’ve been clearly doing this for years and are clearly getting away with it.’
Objects like cones and trash cans cannot be used to stake out parking spots, according to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency representative Michael Roccaforte.
‘Public streets are for the public, and people should observe parking regulations to help with parking turnover to share limited curb space,’ he wrote in an email.
‘This can help to keep neighbors happy and avoid conflicts over parking spaces, and also keep the city’s resources where they’re needed most to keep our streets running.’
