Family Unites by Breaking Down 'The Wall'

by Bobby Wilson

By breaking down a wall, the SF Planning Commission made it possible for a family to unite.

Jose and Linda Cuenco own condominium unit number five at 830 Lake St., and their son-in-law Kenneth Gladstein owns unit number six. On Thursday, Aug. 16, the planning commission granted their request to merge the two condos into one.

Gladstein purchased the condo from the Cuencos in October 2000, moved in April 2001, and married their daughter, Jolinda Cuenco, in May 2001, according to SF Planning Department records. Jolinda, Kenneth, and Jolinda's daughter Maria Isabella will all live in the expanded unit with the Cuencos; a new addition is also on the way - Jolinda is pregnant.

Members of the family explained to the planning commission that a 910-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bath condo is too small to accommodate their growing family. They said if they could not merge the units, Jolinda and Kenneth might be forced to out of the City.

The new condominium will measure 1,820 square feet in size and have three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Myrna Lim, a member of the SF Planning Commission, said she was happy to help a family stay in San Francisco.

"It's a love story," Lim said. "It's a family thing, they would have had no place to go. They had to merge the two units."

"There is a shortage of housing," said Commissioner Hector Chinchilla, the only commissioner that opposed the project. "Unless there is an overriding reason, housing shouldn't be taken off the market. They are nice people, but that is not a good enough reason."