Historic Preservation Commission - July 15, 2015 - Minutes
SAN FRANCISCO
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes
Commission Chambers, Room 400
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
12:30 p.m.
Regular Meeting
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Wolfram, Hyland, Hasz, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman
COMMISSIONER ABSENT: Matsuda
THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT WOLFRAM AT 12:31 PM
STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Lily Yegazu, Shannon Ferguson, Susan Parks, Tim Frye - Preservation Coordinator, Jonas P. Ionin – Commission Secretary
SPEAKER KEY:
+ indicates a speaker in support of an item;
- indicates a speaker in opposition to an item; and
= indicates a neutral speaker or a speaker who did not indicate support or opposition.
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))
None
B. DEPARTMENT MATTERS
Tim Frye, Preservation Coordinator:
Commissioners, Tim Frye, Department staff, the Director’s Report was included in your packets, happy to answer any questions if you have them.
2. Review of Past Events at the Planning Commission, Staff Report and Announcements
Tim Frye, Preservation Coordinator:
Commissioners, Tim Frye again, Department staff, just one item to share with you, in the audience today are members of the Department of the Summer Internship Program. I want to on your behalf and our behalf welcome them. They are part of a 12-week program that started June 1st and it will end on August 21st. There are a total of 24 interns, some of them are here with us today, 15 are in college, nine in high school. It's quite a competitive program. There were 460 applicants this year. We were able to call the best of the best from all around the country. We are quite happy about that. Some of the projects the interns are working on this summer cover a variety of Planning Department priorities and policies, such as the Housing Stock Survey, Living Alley Innovation Zones and UrbanForestry Plan, and there are two preservation interns this summer. Sam, who is working on the historic survey clean up, and this is in preparation for us hiring a citywide survey city manager in January, is doing a fantastic job, and Monica who is working with Susan Parks on phase two of our Neighborhood Commercial Storefront Survey. The students will have in the final week of the program, they’ll present their final work products and the Commissioners are welcome to attend those presentations. We will send out the information about the lunchtime presentations once we get closer to those dates. So you are all encouraged to attend and again, on behalf of the Department, I wanted to reiterate how appreciative we are of their work and their dedication to the Department this summer and certainly, Tina Tam for managing the program, our Senior Preservation Planner, thank you Mr. Joslin, for reminding me of that. That concludes my comments, unless you have any questions.
C. COMMISSION MATTERS
3. President’s Report and Announcements – None
4. Consideration of Adoption:
· Draft Minutes for HPC July 1, 2015
· Draft Minutes for CHA July 1, 2015
SPEAKERS: None
ACTION: Adopted with corrections
AYES: Hasz, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman, Hyland, Wolfram
ABSENT: Matsuda
Adoption of Commission Minutes – Charter Section 4.104 requires all commissioners to vote yes or no on all matters unless that commissioner is excused by a vote of the Commission. Commissioners may not be automatically excluded from a vote on the minutes because they did not attend the meeting.
5. Commission Comments & Questions
· Disclosures.
· Inquiries/Announcements.
· Future Meetings/Agendas.
President Wolfram:
I have a few items. I would like to request that the Van Ness BRT, the ARC saw that project, a while back and I would like that project to come back again to the ARC for an update.
Tim Frye, Preservation Coordinator:
It’s up to you.
President Wolfram:
The commissioners haven't seen it at all. Maybe we should bring it to the Commission. That is a project for the Bus Rapid Transit on Van Ness and MTA is doing that project. The ARC had a number of comments and we haven't seen whether they have taken into account our comments or not. So it seems it will be a good thing to see. The second one is that at our next hearing before on the agenda for the next hearing is the University Ladies Mound landmark designation and before the hearing Commissioner Hyland and I will be going to the building, the University Mound Ladies Building to meet withthe residents, and we’d like if other Commissioner will join us, we’re planning to go at 10:00. I am looking for volunteers, in the morning the same of the hearing, so we go to the hearing and meet with the residents, we would – they could make comments and questions and talk about the landmark preservation.
Commissioner Johns:
I will go.
President Wolfram:
Great! Commissioner John's will join us.
6. Port of San Francisco Waterfront Plan Update Working Group and/or Advisory Team
SPEAKERS: Mark Paez, Port Preservation Coordinator – Waterfront Plan Working Group
ACTION: Commissioner/President Wolfram appointed Commissioner/Vice-President Hyland as the HPC selection to apply for a seat on the Working Group
AYES: Hasz, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman, Hyland, Wolfram
ABSENT: Matsuda
D. REGULAR CALENDAR
7. 2014-005689PTA (L. YEGAZU 415.575.9076)
855 STEVENSON STREET – located on the east side of 10th Street between Market and Jessie Streets, Assessor’s 3508, Lot 055. Request for a Permit to Alter for the construction of a new sky-bridge, connecting two existing buildings at 1355 Market Street (Assessor’s 3508, Lot 1) and 875 Stevenson Street (Assessor’s 3508, Lot 039). Specifically, the common area on the 9th floor of 1355 Market Street will be connected to the common areas on the 9th floor of the building at 875 Stevenson Street, with visual access to and from the 10th floor. One of the two subject buildings, 1355 Market Street, is historically known as the Western Furniture Exchange & Merchandise Mart and is a Category I (Significant) building under Article 11 of the Planning Code. The Western Furniture Exchange & Merchandise Mart Building is an Art Deco commercial building constructed in 1936-1937 with addition along 9th Street in 1947.
Note: On June 17, 2015, the Architectural Review Committee of the Historic Preservation Commission reviewed the proposed project and provided comments. The project will also be heard by the Planning Commission (CPC) at a regularly scheduled hearing on Thursday, August 6, 2015 for a Downtown Project Authorization, pursuant to Planning Code Section 309.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve with Conditions
SPEAKERS: + Greg Nottola – Project presentation
- Joe Alford – Historic values degraded by Twitter
ACTION: Approved with Conditions
AYES: Hasz, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman, Hyland, Wolfram
ABSENT: Matsuda
MOTION: 0261
8. 2011.0685L (S. FERGUSON (415) 575-9074)
171 SAN MARCOS AVENUE – Consideration to Initiate Landmark Designation of the Cowell House, south side of San Marcos Avenue, Assessor’s Block 2882, Lot 035, as an individual Article 10 Landmark pursuant to Section 1004.1 of the Planning Code. 171 San Marcos Avenue is significant for its association with Henry Cowell, an innovative composer and pianist, founder of the influential New Music Society, and a leading pioneer of “ultra modern” experimental music in the 1920s to 1930s. It is architecturally significant as one of San Francisco’s earliest single-family houses of a fully expressed Modern design what would later become known as the Second Bay Tradition style, and is significant as a rare extant Modern building designed by master architectural firm Morrow & Morrow. The building was added to the Landmark Designation Work Program on June 15, 2011. It is located in a Residential – House, One Family - Detached RH-1 (D) zoning district and 40-X Height and Bulk district.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution to Initiate
SPEAKERS: None
ACTION: Adopted a Resolution to initiate
AYES: Hasz, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman, Hyland, Wolfram
ABSENT: Matsuda
RESOLUTION: 749
9. 2015-007980DES (S. PARKS: (415) 575-9101)
2215 LEAVENWORTH STREET – Consideration for inclusion on the Historic Preservation Commission’s Landmark Designation Work Program as an individual Article 10 Landmark pursuant to Section 1004.1 of the Planning Code. Located on the eastern side of Leavenworth Street between Lombard and Greenwich Streets, Assessor's Block 0079 Lot 005A, the French provincial style residence was designed in 1938 by noted architect Martin Rist. This item has been calendared following receipt of an owner-generated Landmark Designation Application. The building is located in a RH-3 (Residential – House, Three Family) Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Further Study
SPEAKERS: + Anne Brubaker – Project presentation, building history
ACTION: Directed the Applicant/Property owner to conduct further study
AYES: Hasz, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman, Hyland, Wolfram
ABSENT: Matsuda
COMMENT LTR: 0045
10. (S. PARKS: (415) 575-9101)
LANDMARK DESIGNATION WORK PROGRAM – Discussion of the HPC’s Landmark Designation Work Program, prioritization and status of pipeline projects.
Preliminary Recommendation: Review and Comment
SPEAKERS: None
ACTION: Reviewed and Commented
AdjournmenT – 1:47 p.m.
ADOPTED: July 15, 2015