A war over a precious parking spot has erupted between renters and mansion owners in a wealthy San Francisco enclave.
One man claims his car was trashed after making the mistake of parking outside a $17 million mansion on the city’s Billionaires’ Row — a spot that had apparently been illegally reserved by white traffic cones, according to a report.
The bizarre battle began in August after the renter, who had just moved into his apartment in Pacific Heights and noticed the dozens of white cones lining Broadway between Broderick and Baker.
The cones blocked much needed parking spots in a neighborhood already clogged with construction, the renter told SFGATE.
“It was just kind of odd,” said the renter, whom the outlet did not identify.
The white cones didn’t seem related to the ongoing construction so one day, he moved them so he could park.
Within a few hours, he found a white Lexus had double-parked next to his vehicle, blocking him in, he told SFGATE.
Desperate to get to an appointment, the man went door-to-door looking for the Lexus’ owner — finally finding the man he now believes waged war with him over the next few months.
“He was very aggressive,” the renter said, noting how the man silently glared at him before finally moving his high-priced ride.
A few weeks later, the cones were gone and the renter parked in front of the same mansion, only to later find his car had been keyed.
While the man had no proof the inches-long scratch was another act of retaliation, he decided he would avoid parking near the mansion.
But street cleaning and scant open spaces forced him to return to the spot earlier this week.
This time, he returned to find his car trashed.
“I would hardly even call it being keyed,” he told SFGATE.
“It looked like someone took pliers or a hammer to my door.”
“The cone people have gone too far,” he wrote on social media of the incident, though he admits he has no solid evidence as to who wrecked his car.
The mansion residents have “made it crystal clear that they believe the street is theirs to control. They’ve escalated from passive aggression to outright vandalism, sending a message that parking here isn’t just a matter of convenience — it’s a privilege that comes with their approval,” he posted.
Google Street View images show that the white cones have been a mainstay in front of the property for several years.
Neighbors have submitted numerous 311 complaints over the years, but to little avail.
The five-story mansion was last sold in 2012 for a jaw-dropping $17 million. The current owner is unknown, though officials said the property was registered to a company called Cloister Holding LLC.
“It feels unfortunate that they’ve been clearly doing this for years and are clearly getting away with it,” the renter said.
Reserving parking on a public street is illegal, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency representative Michael Roccaforte confirmed to the outlet.
The vandalism victim thinks it comes down to much more than parking.
“Clearly,” the resident said, “they don’t like us renters in their neighborhood.”