The San Diego City Attorney's Office is suing the owners of a downtown building that has allegedly been vacant for seven years, during which time multiple fires have erupted on the premises and an unpermitted parking business allegedly continues to operate on lots surrounding the property.
The complaint refers to the property covering four parcels at 1323 and 1345 Sixth Ave., a building that has been vacant since 2019.
Defendants include Daniels Investment Group, which acquired the property in 2024, and Premium Parking Service, which has allegedly been operating a parking business on its lots without the required permits.
The City Attorney's Office said that since Daniels Investment Group acquired the property, police have responded to over 50 calls for service for trespassers and drug use, in addition to a dead man found inside the building earlier this year. There have also been multiple fires, including one that became a three-alarm blaze last year, prompting the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to red tag the building due its unsafe condition, the City Attorney's Office said.
The lawsuit alleges that Daniels Investment Group was ordered through a Notice of Abatement to take steps to secure the building, including by hiring security and removing trash and graffiti, but did not. Daniels was also ordered to institute a 24-hour fire watch by the city's fire marshal, but none was ever put in place, the lawsuit alleges.
"I pass this building every day. It's an abandoned, fire-damaged eyesore in the middle of downtown, and for the people who live around it, it's a daily reminder of fires, trespassers, and police calls on their block," San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert said. "The companies behind it kept collecting money from an illegal parking lot while ignoring the city's orders and putting neighbors, firefighters, and police officers at risk. That ends now."
The lawsuit seeks to have a judge declare the property a public nuisance, prohibit the companies from committing similar violations elsewhere in San Diego, and impose civil penalties.
"Our downtown residents and businesses deserve safe, clean neighborhoods, and the ongoing safety hazards at this property have been a concern for the community for too long," City Councilman Stephen Whitburn said.
Attempts to reach the two companies for comment were not immediately successful.
