City promises crackdown on ‘Full House’ street

As anticipated, on Tuesday the SFMTA Board of Directors unanimously passed a motion banning tour buses from a section of Broderick near Pine—an effort to hinder the stream of tourists to nearby 1709 Broderick, the house famous for its role in the ’90s sitcom Full House and its sequel.

However, both directors and those neighbors who came to complain at Tuesday’s meeting predict that the bus ban will have minimal affect, and SFMTA promised to investigate the possibility of even more strident restrictions on the corridor.

Resident David Natcher, who told the board he’d lived on Broderick for 47 years, claimed that the buses are only one of many neighborhood complaints.

“The street is immersed by a constant barrage of traffic,” said Natcher. “They ignore any traffic regulation policy that exists, they drive the wrong way, they double park, they ignore the red zones, they park across driveways on the wrong side of the street.”

He also predicted, “If there are no consequences for this type of behavior” then it will continue. (In a better world, this would prompt a compassionate Danny Tanner lecture about responsibility.)

Admittedly, renters and homeowners near landmarks are always complaining about tourists. But residents Natcher and Carla Hashagen came equipped with a time lapse video showing the coming and going of crowds and cars in front of 1709 Broderick, in hopes of pressing the argument that theirs is a special case.

“We’ve counted 1,000 to 1,500 visitors or more on busy days. They come in buses, Ubers and Lyfts, Go Cars, bikes, motorcyles,” Hashagen recounted.

She also pointed the finger at 1709 Broderick owner and Full House producer Jeff Franklin as the source of their woes.

“He doesn’t plan to live there,” notes Hashagen. “He lives in LA. He promoted [his purchase of the home] widely in the press. Since then we’ve been inundated.”

The video impressed directors, who voted unanimously for the bus ban. Board Chairperson Cheryl Brinkman added, “I’m sorry it’s the only thing we can do,” but promised to investigate further potential restrictions.

Director Gwyneth Borden added, “It’s not illegal to own a house you don’t live in, but maybe there’s something more for the Planning Department to look into?”

Board members speculated whether Franklin's promotion of the home amounted to commercial activity that the house might not be zoned for, but Planning Department staff weren’t immediately able to discern what the relevant codes were Tuesday.

• City May Ban Full House Buses [Curbed SF]
• SFMTA, July 7.17.18 Agenda
• SFMTA, July 7.1718 Meeting [SF Gov TV]