San Diego

The Candy Factory, an artists’ warehouse, got a new lease on life Tuesday when the San Diego City Council unanimously approved amending the building code, exempting it from more-stringent earthquake safety requirements. The building, at 8th Avenue and K Street, had been renovated illegally, with wide mezzanines on the second and third floors. Its 16 artist tenants were evicted from the lofts in September, and city officials had insisted they could not return until the mezzanines were torn down and fire-safety measures were taken. Then, last month, when the council passed an ordinance to encourage downtown lofts, it ordered the city staff to compromise and let the artists move back into the building. Under the plan approved Tuesday, the city attorney is to prepare an amendment to the building code by April 9. That amendment would allow the mezzanines to remain if an engineering report shows they don’t make the building more susceptible to earthquake damage. Linville Martin, an owner of the Candy Factory, also said he and his partners will add sprinklers and make the other improvements.