San Francisco accuses school of illegal dorm conversions

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A popular arts school that is one of San Francisco's largest property owners has illegally removed hundreds of residential units from the city's tight housing market by converting buildings to dorms, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in the legal action that the Academy of Art University acquired buildings that are zoned for use as apartments and other residences and converted them without permission from San Francisco officials.

The conversions were intended to accommodate the school's swelling student rolls, which have boosted its profits, the lawsuit states, but also cost the city roughly 300 residential dwellings.