Ford Greene Loses Apartment Battle

San Anselmo Councilman Ford Greene must apply for a conditional use permit and do costly retrofitting to keep living in his studio apartment, the San Anselmo Planning Commission decided this week, according to the Marin Independent Journal. 

His unit is in the first floor of a historic three-story building Greene purchased in 2001. The structure, at 711 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., includes two residential units occupied by tenants on the third flood and Greene’s law office on the second floor.

Town staff determined there is no evidence that Greene’s apartment was legally created to be a residential unit. Greene appealed that decision to the planning commission, who voted on the matter this week and upheld town staff’s decision.  

Toward the end of 2011, Councilman Jeff Kroot wrote a letter to town officials asking the town to review “illegal construction” at the site, according to the IJ.

Before Kroot wrote to the town, Greene had criticized Kroot for upgrades to his home he did that barely missed design review requirements.

At the Feb. 4 hearing, San Anselmo Town Manager Debbie Stutsman said the town treats everyone equally, and planning commissioners stood behind the staff’s initial decision on the property – that Greene wasn’t supposed to be living in the unit because it is zoned for commercial uses. 

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