This SF Tesla charging lot now has a very gross problem

San Francisco city officials are ramping up pressure on Tesla as the Lombard Street Supercharger lot continues to create noise, traffic and sanitation problems. Despite the electric vehicle giant implementing some recent fixes, like adding signs and GPS routing changes, neighbors report that these changes haven’t addressed the core issues. Now, they say, drivers are also dumping urine and peeing on nearby buildings while their vehicles charge.

The troubles began several months ago, when after a year of construction, Tesla opened a 16-stall, 24-hour Supercharger lot between Lombard and Moulton streets, a narrow alley in Cow Hollow. Overnight, a once-quiet corner of the neighborhood became a nighttime hot spot, with drivers enticed by lower evening charging rates. Cars blaring bass, causing traffic snarls and blocking residential garages became commonplace. Then other issues arose.

“Looking out my kitchen window I have seen people below pissing on the wall,” said resident Laurel Calsoni in an email to SFGATE.

District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, who represents the neighborhood, said he met with Tesla representatives last week and assembled all city departments involved to work out a solution.

“The behavior at this charging lot has been ridiculous and unacceptable — there’s just no reason a vehicle charging lot should be this disruptive,” Sherrill said in an email to SFGATE. 

Like the residents, the supervisor isn’t satisfied with Tesla’s contributions.

“We spent Friday afternoon with Tesla,” Sherrill said. “... Let’s just say we’re not done yet.”

A staffer from Sherrill’s office confirmed that Tesla has made some minor improvements — road markings instructing drivers not to enter on Moulton Street, app routing changes encouraging people to enter and exit on Lombard Street, a sign telling drivers to respect neighbors and a planned security camera. But officials acknowledged the measures aren’t working.

Calsoni, who has emerged as the voice for the affected residents, said the weekend following Tesla’s intervention was among the worst yet. “When I go to bed at night, it’s pounding. Four in the morning, it’s pounding, and there’s no one out there,” she said during a phone call. “There’s no oversight to provide any help with this.”

She described watching drivers sitting directly beneath the posted no-noise signs while ignoring the rule entirely. “They’re shocked” when confronted, she said, recounting responses from drivers that included, “I’m outside, I don’t care,” and “I don’t hear any bass.”

Beyond the noise, she said, sanitation remains a serious and unresolved problem, with other residents also reporting drivers emptying containers of urine in the street and using the surrounding buildings as a restroom. Calsoni said she has also called the police on multiple occasions, though she doesn’t feel like it’s a sustainable solution.

“The police have better things to do than to monitor Tesla’s lot,” she said. “Tesla needs to monitor and supervise their own lot.”

In an email to residents, Sherrill wrote, “There is nothing more important than feeling safe and comfortable in your homes — you deserve better, and I am committed to getting a solution as quickly as possible.” 

Calsoni, for her part, said Tesla has “no regard for the neighborhood.”

“This is Corporate America at its finest and why corporations are detested,” she wrote.