Theresa Flandrich holds up a map of TICS in North Beach
By Tim Redmond
You could see the pain that so many communities are suffering on the face of a woman named Theresa Flandrich, who stood on the steps of City Hall Tuesday morning to talk about the need for better regulations of the backdoor condo conversions called tenancies in common.
Flandrich has lived in North Beach for 31 years, and she held up a picture of a stretch of Stockton Street where five buildings have gone from rental housing to TICs – with longterm tenants evicted to make room for people who could afford to buy the units (at greatly inflated speculative rates).
In April, two more buildings are set to convert – and she will be among 21 people forced out.
“All of us have contributed to neighborhood,” she said. They have built a community, taken care of each other, “looked after our elders.”
And the wealthier residents in the TICs? “They have contributed nothing,” she said. “We still don’t know them.” (more after the jump)