Historic Preservation Commission - December 20, 2017 - Agenda

Meeting Date: 
December 20, 2017 - 12:30pm
Location: 

SAN FRANCISCO
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

 

Notice of Hearing
&
Agenda

 

Commission Chambers Room 400,
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689

Wednesday, December 20, 2017
12:30 p.m.
Regular Hearing

 

Commissioners
Andrew Wolfram, President
Aaron Hyland, Vice President
Ellen Johnck, Richard S.E. Johns, Diane Matsuda, Jonathan Pearlman

Commission Secretary
Jonas P. Ionin

Hearing Materials are available at:
Website: http://www.sfplanning.org
Planning Department, 1650 Mission Street, 4th Floor, Suite 400
Planning Information Center, 1660 Mission Street, 1st Floor

Commission Hearing Broadcasts:
Live stream: http://www.sfgovtv.org

Disability accommodations available upon request to:
commissions.secretary@sfgov.org or (415) 558-6309 at least 48 hours in advance.

Know Your Rights Under the Sunshine Ordinance

Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people's business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people's review.

Members of the public are not required to provide personal identifying information when they communicate with the Commission or the Department. All written or oral communications, including submitted personal contact information, may be made available to the public for inspection and copying upon request and may appear on the Department's website or in other public documents.

For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code) or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244; phone (415) 554-7724; fax (415) 554-5163; or e-mail at sotf@sfgov.org.

Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Library and on the City's website at www.sfbos.org/sunshine.

San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code Section 21.00-2.160] to register and report lobbying activity.  For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the San Francisco Ethics Commission at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94102; phone (415) 252-3100; fax (415) 252-3112; and online http://www.sfgov.org/ethics.

Accessible Meeting Information

Commission hearings are held in Room 400 at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place in San Francisco. City Hall is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and is accessible to persons using wheelchairs and other assistive mobility devices. Ramps are available at the Grove, Van Ness and McAllister entrances. A wheelchair lift is available at the Polk Street entrance.  

Transit: The nearest accessible BART station is Civic Center. Accessible MUNI Metro lines are the F, J, K, L, M, N, T (exit at Civic Center or Van Ness stations). MUNI bus routes also serving the area are the 5, 6, 9, 19, 21, 47, 49, 71, and 71L. For more information regarding MUNI accessible services, call (415) 701-4485 or call 311.

Parking: Accessible parking is available at the Civic Center Underground Parking Garage (McAllister and Polk), and at the Performing Arts Parking Garage (Grove and Franklin). Accessible curbside parking spaces are located all around City Hall.

Disability Accommodations: To request assistive listening devices, sign language interpreters, readers, large print agendas or other accommodations, please contact the Commission Secretary at (415) 558-6309, or commissions.secretary@fgov.org at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing.

Allergies: In order to assist the City in accommodating persons with severe allergies, environmental illness, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, please refrain from wearing scented products (e.g. perfume and scented lotions) to Commission hearings.

Language Assistance

ENGLISH: To request an interpreter for a specific item during the hearing, please contact the Commission Secretary at (415) 558-6309, or commissions.secretary@fgov.org at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing.

SPANISH: Si desea asistir a la audiencia, y quisiera obtener información en Español o solicitar un aparato para asistencia auditiva, llame al 415-558-6309. Por favor llame por lo menos 48 horas de anticipación a la audiencia.

CHINESE: 歷史保護委員會議程。聽證會上如需要語言協助或要求輔助設備,請致電415-558-6309。請在聽證會舉行之前的至少48個小時提出要求。

TAGALOG: Para sa tulong sa lengguwahe o para humiling ng Pantulong na Kagamitan para sa Pagdinig (headset), mangyari lamang na tumawag sa 415-558-6309. Mangyaring tumawag nang maaga (kung maaari ay 48 oras) bago sa araw ng Pagdinig.

RUSSIAN: За помощью переводчика или за вспомогательным слуховым устройством на время слушаний обращайтесь по номеру 415-558-6309. Запросы должны делаться минимум за 48 часов до начала слушания.

ROLL CALL

President: Andrew Wolfram
Vice-President: Aaron Hyland
Commissioners: Ellen Johnck, Richard S.E. Johns, Diane Matsuda, Jonathan Pearlman


A. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

At this time, members of the public may address the Commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission except agenda items. With respect to agenda items, your opportunity to address the Commission will be afforded when the item is reached in the meeting.  Each member of the public may address the Commission for up to three minutes.

The Brown Act forbids a commission from taking action or discussing any item not appearing on the posted agenda, including those items raised at public comment.  In response to public comment, the commission is limited to:

(1)  responding to statements made or questions posed by members of the public; or
(2)  requesting staff to report back on a matter at a subsequent meeting; or
(3)  directing staff to place the item on a future agenda.  (Government Code Section 54954.2(a))

B. DEPARTMENT MATTERS

1. Director's Announcements

2. Review of Past Events at the Planning Commission, Staff Report and Announcements

C. COMMISSION MATTERS

3. President's Report and Announcements

4. Commission Comments & Questions

  • Disclosures.
  • Inquiries/Announcements.  Without discussion, at this time Commissioners may make announcements or inquiries of staff regarding various matters of interest to the Commissioner(s).
  • Future Meetings/Agendas.  At this time, the Commission may discuss and take action to set the date of a Special Meeting and/or determine those items that could be placed on the agenda of the next meeting and other future meetings of the Historic Preservation Commission.

D. CONSENT CALENDAR

All matters listed hereunder constitute a Consent Calendar, are considered to be routine by the Historic Preservation Commission, and will be acted upon by a single roll call vote of the Commission.  There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Commission, the public, or staff so requests, in which event the matter shall be removed from the Consent Calendar and considered as a separate item at this or a future hearing.

5. 2017-011162COA                                                                      (R. SALGADO: (415) 575-9101)
920 NORTH POINT STREET – located at Polk Street between Beach Street and North Point Street, Assessor's Block 0452, Lot 002 (District 2).  Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the installation of mechanical louvers in existing window openings at the north façade of the historic Woolen Mill Building at Ghirardelli Square. The louvers will match the material and finish of the existing windows at this façade. The proposal also includes the installation of new signage and lighting at the Woolen Mill building's east façade, modifications to non-historic infill in existing historic and non-historic openings at the north, south, and east facades of the Woolen Mill Building, and related exterior landscape alterations at the Lower Plaza. The subject property is San Francisco Landmark No. 30, and is located within a C-2 (Community Business) Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk Limit. 
Preliminary Recommendation:  Approve

E. REGULAR CALENDAR 

6. 2015-011274ENV                                                                          (J. DELUMO: (415) 575-9146)
150 EUREKA STREET – on the block is bounded by 18th Street to the north, Eureka Street to the east, 19th Street to the south, and Douglass Street to the west (Assessor's Block 2692, Lot 007) – Commission Review and Comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). The project site is currently developed with a two-story approximately 29-foot-tall wood-frame building, which most recently housed the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco. The proposed project would demolish the existing church building and construct two four-story buildings each with a total of two residential units, for a total of four residential units on the site. The two buildings would total approximately 14,441 gross square feet in size and would not exceed 40 feet in height. Each building would include a four-car garage and two class 1 bicycle parking spaces, for a total of eight vehicle parking spaces and four class I bicycle parking spaces. The project site is located in a Residential House-Two-Family (RH-2) District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.  
Note: This public hearing is intended to assist the Commission in its preparation of comments on the DEIR. Comments made by members of the public at this hearing will not be considered comments on the DEIR and may not be addressed in the Final EIR. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the DEIR on Thursday, January 18, 2018. Written comments on the DEIR will be accepted at the Planning Department until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
Preliminary Recommendation: Review and Comment

7. 2017-011910DES                                                                             (D. SMITH: (415) 575-9093)
DIAMOND HEIGHTS SAFETY WALL – south side of Diamond Heights Boulevard at Clipper Street, Assessor's Block 7504, Lot 011 (District 8). Consideration to Recommend to the Board of Supervisors Landmark Designation of the Diamond Heights Safety Wall as an individual Article 10 Landmark pursuant to Section 1004.1 of the Planning Code. Constructed in 1968, the Diamond Heights Safety Wall is the notable work of Bay Area artist and architect, Stefan Alexander Novak, is an important visual landmark for the Diamond Heights neighborhood, and is significantly associated with the Diamond Heights Redevelopment Project, which dramatically reshaped the area into a neighborhood characterized by postwar Modernist master planning and Bay Area regional Modernist design. The property was nominated for Landmark Designation through a community-sponsored Landmark Application, submitted to the Department on May 1, 2017. It is located in a Residential-House, Two-Family (RH-2) zoning district and 40-X Height and Bulk district.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve

8. 2014.1050L                                                                                       (D. SMITH: (415) 575-9093)
1610 GEARY BOULEVARD – located between Post Street and Geary Boulevard, Assessor's Block 0700, Lots 022, 023 (District 5). Consideration to adopt a Resolution to recommend to the Board of Supervisors Landmark Designation of the Peace Pagoda and Peace Plaza at 1601 Geary Boulevard, as an individual Article 10 Landmark pursuant to Section 1004.1 of the Planning Code. Constructed in 1968, the Peace Pagoda and Peace Plaza were designed by master architect, Yoshiro Taniguchi and are significantly associated with the history and identity of the Japantown community. The HPC initiated landmark designation of the subject property on June 21, 2017. It is located in a Neighborhood Commercial, Moderate Scale (NC-3) zoning district and 50-X Height and Bulk district.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve
Note: On August 16, 2017, after hearing and closing public comment, the Commission Continued to September 20, 2017 by a vote of +5 -0 (Matsuda recused; Hasz absent).
On September 20, 2017, without hearing, Continued to December 6, 2017 by a vote of +6 -0. On December 6, 2017, Adopted a Motion of Intent to Recommend Approval and Continued to December 20, 2017 by a vote of +5 -0 (Matsuda recused).

9. 2015-015453SRV                                                                     (S. FERGUSON: (415) 575-9074)
EUREKA VALLEY HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT – Consideration to adopt, modify or disapprove a Motion to adopt the Eureka Valley Historic Context Statement was developed to provide a framework for consistent, informed evaluations of historic resources in the Eureka Valley/Castro neighborhood. The context statement documents the development history of the neighborhood and calls out influential themes, geographic patterns, and time periods in the district's history. The context statement also identifies key associated historic property types, forms, and architectural styles and their character‐defining features, and a detailed discussion of potential areas of significance, criteria considerations, and integrity thresholds. The study period for the Eureka Valley Historic Context Statement dates from just before permanent European settlement in the region to 1976. The Eureka Valley Historic Context Statement study area encompasses all or a portion of twenty‐nine city blocks roughly bounded by 16th, Market, and 17th streets on the north, Sanchez and Church streets on the east, 20th and 21st streets on the south, and Douglass Street on the west.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adopt

ADJOURNMENT

Historic Preservation Officer
Timothy Frye
tim.frye@sfgov.org
(415) 575-6822

Hearing Procedures

The Historic Preservation Commission holds public hearings on the first and third Wednesday, of most months. The full hearing schedule for the calendar year and the Commission Rules & Regulations may be found online at: www.sfplanning.org.

Public Comments: Persons attending a hearing may comment on any scheduled item.

  • When speaking before the Commission in City Hall, Room 400, please note the timer indicating how much time remains.  Speakers will hear two alarms.  The first soft sound indicates the speaker has 30 seconds remaining.  The second louder sound indicates that the speaker's opportunity to address the Commission has ended.

Sound-Producing Devices Prohibited: The ringing of and use of mobile phones and other sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a mobile phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices (67A.1 Sunshine Ordinance: Prohibiting the use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices at and during public meetings).

For most cases that are considered by the Historic Preservation Commission, after being introduced by the Commission Secretary, shall be considered by the Commission in the following order:

  • Presentation by Staff;
  • Presentation by the Project Sponsor's Team (which includes: the sponsor, representative, legal counsel, architect, engineer, expeditor and/or any other advisor) for a period not to exceed ten (10) minutes, at the discretion of the Chair;
  • Public testimony from supporters of the Project not to exceed three (3) minutes, at the discretion of the Chair;
  • Presentation by Organized Opposition recognized by the Commission President through written request prior to the hearing for a period not to exceed ten (10) minutes, at the discretion of the Chair;
  • Public testimony from opponents of the Project not to exceed three (3) minutes, at the discretion of the Chair;
  • Staff follow-up and/or conclusions;
  • Public comment portion of the hearing shall be closed and deliberation amongst the Commissioners shall be opened by the Chair;
  • A motion to approve; approve with conditions; approve with amendments and/or modifications; disapprove; or continue to another hearing date, if seconded, shall be voted on by the Commission.

Every Official Act taken by the Commission must be adopted by a majority vote of all members of the Commission, a minimum of four (4) votes.  A failed motion results in the disapproval of the requested action, unless a subsequent motion is adopted. Any Procedural Matter, such as a continuance, may be adopted by a majority vote of members present, as long as the members present constitute a quorum (four (4) members of the Commission).

Hearing Materials

Each item on the Agenda may include the following documents:

  • Planning Department Case Executive Summary
  • Planning Department Case Report
  • Draft Motion or Resolution with Findings and/or Conditions
  • Public Correspondence

Materials submitted to the Historic Preservation Commission prior to a scheduled hearing will become part of the public record only when the materials are also provided to the Commission Secretary and/or Project Planner.  Correspondence may be emailed directly to the Commission Secretary at: commissions.secretary@sfgov.org

Persons unable to attend a hearing may submit written comments regarding a scheduled item to: Historic Preservation Commission, 1650 Mission Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA  94103-2414.  Written comments received by the close of the business day prior to the hearing will be brought to the attention of the Historic Preservation Commission and made part of the official record. 

Advance Submissions: To allow Commissioners the opportunity to review material in advance of a hearing, materials must be received by the Planning Department reception eight (8) days prior to the scheduled public hearing.  All submission packages must be delivered to1650 Mission Street, Suite 400, by 5:00 p.m. and should include fifteen (15) copies.

Day-of Submissions: Material related to a calendared item may be distributed at the hearing. Please provide ten (10) copies for distribution. 

Appeals

The following is a summary of appeal rights associated with the various actions that may be taken at a Historic Preservation Commission hearing.

Case Type

Case Suffix

Appeal Period*

Appeal Body

Certificate of Appropriateness

A

30 calendar days

Board of Appeals**

CEQA Determination - EIR

E

30 calendar days

Board of Supervisors

Permit to Alter/Demolish

H

30 calendar days

Board of Appeals**

**An appeal of a Certificate of Appropriateness or Permit to Alter/Demolish may be made to the Board of Supervisors if the project requires Board of Supervisors approval or if the project is associated with a Conditional Use Authorization appeal.  An appeal of an Office Allocation may be made to the Board of Supervisors if the project requires a Conditional Use Authorization.

For more information regarding the Board of Appeals process, please contact the Board of Appeals at (415) 575-6880.  For more information regarding the Board of Supervisors process, please contact the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors at (415) 554-5184 or board.of.supervisors@sfgov.org.

Challenges

Pursuant to Government Code Section 65009, if you challenge, in court, the approval of (1) a Certificate of Appropriateness, (2) a Permit to Alter, (3) a Landmark or Historic District designation, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Historic Preservation Commission, at, or prior to, the public hearing.