Historic Preservation Commission - July 19, 2017 - Minutes
SAN FRANCISCO
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes
Commission Chambers Room 400,
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
12:30 p.m.
Regular Hearing
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Wolfram, Matsuda, Pearlman, Johns, Johnck
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Hasz, Hyland
THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT WOLFRAM AT 12:30 PM
STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Aaron Starr, Eiliesh Tuffy, Shannon Ferguson, Desiree Smith, Tim Frye – Historic Preservation Officer, Christine L. Silva – Acting 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.
None
B. DEPARTMENT MATTERS
1. Director’s Announcements
Tim Frye, Preservation Officer:
The director will not be joining us this afternoon, however, should you have any questions for him, happy to forward those on.2. Review of Past Events at the Planning Commission, Staff Report and Announcements
Tim Frye, Preservation Officer:
Just a few things to share with you, no formal report from the Planning Commission; however, wanted to make you aware of a few other items. One, at yesterday's Board of Supervisors hearing El Rey Theater was unanimously approved as our next city landmark. It was sponsored by Supervisor Yee, Peskin and Safai. It's at 1970 Ocean Avenue and that now goes to the mayor for signature. We are still working with the property owners on a viable project at the site and we are hoping that they will have something worthy of a tax credit project and so we're going to go the state with them hopefully in the next few months. Second, new development or new information on 930 Grove, the vacant landmark building in Alamos Square Landmark District, building inspection and planning have referred officially referred the case to the city attorney's office for litigation and it's under investigation now at their office to explore various avenues for enforcement. The deputy city attorney, Jennifer Choy, is assigned to the case and if you have any questions for her, happy to provide an email introduction or forward those questions to her, should you have them. Also happy to announce that SOMA Filipino Cultural Heritage District and Calle 24 were both recognized as part of the states 14 California Cultural Districts and a new statewide program that was announced on July 13th. As I mentioned, they joined 14 of the state's cultural heritage districts spanning rural to urban areas and the program will allow these districts access to a variety of amenities in the program such as branding and promotional materials, technical assistance, and support for marketing and resource support. So as things move along with both of those districts we'll keep you posted, but we're happy that we could provide letters of support and interviews in support for both of those nominations. Then, finally, wanted to make you aware although it is on your calendar, that the Certificate of Appropriateness for Frontage of the Cottage Row Mini Park was withdrawn and therefore, there's no need for a hearing on that matter at this time. That concludes my comments unless you have any questions.Commissioner Matsuda:
I have question about the California cultural district; so it's two out of 14 that's here in San Francisco. Do you know when the next round is?Tim Frye, Preservation Officer:
I do not know. I've a press release that I can share with you right now, but I can certainly look for more information about the program and when the next applications are due.Commissioner Matsuda:
That's great that San Francisco has two. Thanks.
C. COMMISSION MATTERS
3. President’s Report and Announcements
None
4. Consideration of Adoption:
SPEAKERS: None ACTION: Adopted as Corrected AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz
SPEAKERS: None ACTION: Adopted AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz 5. Commission Comments & Questions
Commissioner Pearlman:
I just wanted to say I had some email correspondence on 888 Tennessee, which is going to be heard today.Commissioner Johnck:
Yes likewise, I received the same, an email.Commissioner Johns:
So did I, but I didn't read it.President Wolfram:
Okay. Thank you. I have similar correspondence and also had communication with the sponsor of the Asian Art Museum a couple months ago, I think.
D. CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS PROPOSED FOR CONTINUANCE
The Commission will consider a request for continuance to a later date. The Commission may choose to continue the item to the date proposed below, to continue the item to another date, or to hear the item on this calendar.
6. 2015-005890DES (S. FERGUSON: (415) 575-9074)
546-548, 554 FILLMORE STREET, 735 FELL STREET, 660 OAK STREET – east side of Fillmore Street, north side of Oak Street, south side of Fell Street, Assessor's Blocks/Lots 0828/021, 0828/022, 0828/022A and 0828/012, (District 5). Consideration to Recommend to the Board of Supervisors Landmark Designation of the former Sacred Heart Church Complex which includes the former rectory, church, school and convent buildings pursuant to Article 10, Section 1004(c) of the Planning Code. Sacred Heart Parish Complex is significant for its association with the growth and development of the Western Addition and Catholic religious institutions in San Francisco in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; with prominent and influential civil rights activist Father Eugene Boyle, pastor of the church from 1968 to 1972; as a distinctive and well‐executed example of a Romanesque Revival‐style Catholic parish grouping and for its association with master architect Thomas J. Welsh. 546-548 Fillmore Street is located in a RM-3 Residential-Mixed, Medium Density zoning district and a 40-X Height and Bulk district; 554 Fillmore Street is located in a RM-1 Residential-Mixed, Low Density Zoning District and 40-X height and bulk district; 735 Fell Street is located in a RM-3 Residential-Mixed, Medium Density zoning district and 40-X Height and Bulk district; and 660 Oak Street is located in a RM-1 Residential-Mixed, Low Density Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve
(Proposed for Continuance to October 18, 2017)
SPEAKERS: None ACTION: Continued to October 18, 2017 AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz 7. 2017-004228COA (E. GORDON-JONCKHEER: (415) 575-8728)
FRONTAGE OF THE COTTAGE ROW MINI PARK – located on the north side of Sutter Street between Webster and Fillmore Streets, Assessor's Block 0677, Lot 012 (District 5) -- Appeal of Administrative Certificate of Appropriateness No. ACOA17.0290 issued by the Planning Department on May 10, 2017. The Historic Preservation Commission will consider the proposed project to replace existing plants and bushes on the front south side of the park with rocks, plants, and trees that make up the features and landscaping of a Japanese Zen rock garden. The property is within the Bush Street Cottage Row Landmark District, which is designated in Appendix K of Article 10 of the San Francisco Planning Code. The subject lot is located in a RM-3 (Residential- Mixed, Medium Density) Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve
WITHDRAWN
SPEAKERS: - Marvin Lambert – Fallacies ACTION: Withdrawn AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz
E. REGULAR CALENDAR
8. 2017-005179PCA (D. SANCHEZ: (415) 575-9082)
COMMERCIAL USES IN NORTH BEACH [BOARD FILE NO. 170419] – Planning Code Amendment to 1) support Legacy Businesses; 2) expand the definition of historic buildings and impose additional requirements in the Broadway NCD and North Beach SUD; 3) prohibit certain uses in the North Beach SUD; 4) reduce the lot size limit in the North Beach SUD; 5) modify the requirements for approval of parking garages in the Telegraph Hill-North Beach Residential SUD, the North Beach NCD, and Chinatown Mixed Use Districts; 6) reduce off-street parking spaces permitted for residential uses in the Telegraph Hill - North Beach Residential SUD, and the Broadway and North Beach NCDs; 7) revise the definition of Formula Retail and affirming the Planning Department's determination under the California Environmental Quality Act and making findings of consistency with the General Plan and the eight priority policies of Planning Code Section 101,1, and findings of public convenience, necessity, and welfare under Planning Code Section 302.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adopt a Recommendation of Approval with Modifications
SPEAKERS: = Aaron Starr – Staff presentation
+ Lee Hepner – Project presentationACTION: Adopted a Recommendation of Approval with Modifications, including:
1. Striking comments for Items #1, 3,5 & 6;
2. Concurring with comments for Items #2 & 4;
3. Concurring with the list of historic resources that are identified for review;
4. For Item #4, that the Supervisor's Office provide additional clarity regarding treatment of Legacy Businesses in cases of vacancies where the business has left on their own accord.AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz RESOLUTION: 880 9. 2016-007523COA (E. TUFFY: (415) 575-9191)
200 LARKIN STREET – located on the east side of Larkin Street between McAllister and Fulton Streets, Assessor's Block 0353, Lot 001 (District 6) - Request for Certificate of Appropriateness to make interior alterations within areas designated as significant; to construct a new one-story vertical addition (approximately 13,000 sq ft) with a programmed roof terrace at the eastern boundary of the lot, fronting onto Hyde Street; and a new freight elevator with loading area upgrades as an addition at the rear of the Asian Art Museum. Historically constructed as the Main Public Library, the Asian Art Museum is a contributing resource to the Civic Center Landmark District, which is designated in Appendix J of Article 10 of the San Francisco Planning Code. The subject lot is located in a P (Public) Zoning District and 80-X Height and Bulk District. The proposed project would require a General Plan Referral for the construction and improvement of a City-owned building.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve with Conditions
SPEAKERS: = Eiliesh Tuffy – Staff presentation
+ Caroline Kiernat – Project presentation
+ Kulapat Yantrasast – Project presentation
= Jeanie Platt – Interior changes
+ Carol Sherpa – Project team, interpretative panels
+ Jay Xu – Project team, toursACTION: Approved with Conditions AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz MOTION: 0308 10. 2016-010894DES (S. FERGUSON: (415) 575-9074)
2731 FOLSOM STREET – west side of Folsom Street, Assessor's Block 3640, Lot 031 (District 7) - Consideration to Recommend to the Board of Supervisors Landmark Designation of 2731-2735 Folsom Street as an individual Article 10 Landmark pursuant to Section 1004.1 of the Planning Code. 2731-2735 Folsom Street is significant for its association with the development of the Mission District as a streetcar suburb, as a work of master architect James Francis Dunn (1874-1921) and as an example of residential Beaux-Arts architecture. This item has been calendared following receipt of a community-generated Landmark Designation Application. 2731-2735 Folsom Street is located in a RH-2 zoning district and 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve
SPEAKERS: = Shannon Ferguson – Staff presentation ACTION: Adopted a Recommendation for Approval AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz RESOLUTION: 881 11. 2017-006794OTH (S. FERGUSON: (415) 575-9074)
546-548, 554 FILLMORE STREET, 735 FELL STREET, 660 OAK STREET – east side of Fillmore Street, north side of Oak Street, south side of Fell Street, Assessor's Blocks/Lots 0828/021, 0828/022, 0828/022A and 0828/012, (District 5). – Request for Review and Comment on the nomination of the property to the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the growth and development of the Western Addition and Catholic religious institutions in San Francisco in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; with prominent and influential civil rights activist Father Eugene Boyle, pastor of the church from 1968 to 1972; as a distinctive and well‐executed example of a Romanesque Revival‐style Catholic parish grouping and for its association with master architect Thomas J. Welsh. 546-548 Fillmore Street is located in a RM-3 Residential-Mixed, Medium Density zoning district and 40-X Height and Bulk district; 554 Fillmore Street is located in a RM-1 Residential-Mixed, Low Density zoning district and 40-X height and bulk district; 735 Fell Street is located in a RM-3 Residential-Mixed, Medium Density zoning district and 40-X Height and Bulk district; and 660 Oak Street is located in a RM-1 Residential-Mixed, Low Density Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution Supporting the Nomination
SPEAKERS: = Shannon Ferguson – Staff presentation
+ Gee Gee Platt – SupportACTION: Adopted a Recommendation for Approval AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz RESOLUTION: 882 12. 2013.0975COA (R. SUCRE: (415) 575-9108)
888 TENNESSEE STREET – located on the northwest corner of Tennessee and 20th Streets, Assessor's Block 4060, Lot 001 (District 10) – Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish an existing two-story industrial building and construct a new four-story (45-ft tall) mixed-use building (measuring approximately 87,100 gross square feet) with 110 dwelling units, 5,472 square feet of ground floor commercial space, 83 off-street parking spaces and private and public open space. The existing building is a non-contributing resource located within the Dogpatch Landmark District, which is designated in Appendix L of Article 10 of the San Francisco Planning Code. The project site is located in the UMU (Urban Mixed-Use) Zoning District and 45-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve with Conditions
SPEAKERS: = Rich Sucre – Staff presentation
+ Speaker (M) – Project presentationACTION: Approved with Conditions, including:
1. Striking condition #2;
2. Adding a finding that the cornice meets ARC commentsAYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz MOTION: 0309 13. 2017-004024DES (D. SMITH: (415) 575-9093)
1399 MCALLISTER STREET – Consideration to Initiate Landmark Designation of the Third Baptist Church Complex, located on the south side of McAllister Street at Pierce Street, Assessor's Block 0778, Lot 013 (District 5), as an individual Article 10 Landmark pursuant to Section 1004.1 of the Planning Code. Constructed in 1952-1956, the Third Baptist Church Complex is significant for the role it has played in the social, economic, and political advancement of African Americans in San Francisco under the guidance of civil rights leader, Reverend Frederick Douglas Haynes, Sr.; and as a rare and notable example of post-war ecclesiastical architecture in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood. Third Baptist Church was added to the Landmark Designation Work Program on August 17, 2016. It is located in a Residential- Mixed, low density (RM-1) zoning district and 40-X Height and Bulk district.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approve
SPEAKERS: = Desiree Smith – Staff presentation
+ Alfonso Campbell – Third Baptist Church
+ Preston Turner – Third Baptist Church
+ Rolland Gordon – Supports nomination
+ Kevin Epps – Supports nomination
+ Frankie Jacobs Gillette – Supports nomination
+ Rev. Aubrielle Lewis – Supports nomination
+ Hazel O'Davis – Supports nomination
+ Emmitt Powell – Supports nomination
+ Beverly Phillips – Supports nomination
+ Kendal Mason – Supports nomination
+ Rev. James Smith – Supports nomination
+ Rev. Amos Brown – Supports nomination
+ Dr. Raymond Thompkins – Supports nominationACTION: Initiated AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz, Matsuda RESOLUTION: 883 14a. 2017-008057LBR (S. CISNEROS: (415) 575-9186)
436 BALBOA STREET – on the north side of Balboa Street at 6th Avenue. Assessor's Block 1548, Lot 027 (District 1). Consideration of adoption of a resolution recommending Small Business Commission approval of a Legacy Business application. Founded in 1953, Cinderella Bakery and Café serves traditional, home-style Russian pastries and specialties in the Richmond District. The Legacy Business Registry recognizes longstanding, community-serving businesses that are valuable cultural assets to the City. In addition, the City intends that the Registry be a tool for providing educational and promotional assistance to Legacy Businesses to encourage their continued viability and success. The subject business is within a NC-2 (Neighborhood Commercial, Small Scale) Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adopt a Recommendation for Approval
SPEAKERS: = Desiree Smith – Staff presentation ACTION: Adopted a Recommendation for Approval AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz, Matsuda RESOLUTION: 884 14b. 2017-008059LBR (S. CISNEROS: (415) 575-9186)
920 SACRAMENTO STREET – on the north side of Sacramento Street at Joice Street. Assessor's Block 0024, Lot 008 (District 3). Consideration of adoption of a resolution recommending Small Business Commission approval of a Legacy Business application. Donaldina Cameron House is a nonprofit family resource centered providing community and social services to the Chinese American community since 1874. The Legacy Business Registry recognizes longstanding, community-serving businesses that are valuable cultural assets to the City. In addition, the City intends that the Registry be a tool for providing educational and promotional assistance to Legacy Businesses to encourage their continued viability and success. The subject business is within a RM-4 (Residential-Mixed, High Density) Zoning District and 65-A Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adopt a Recommendation for Approval
SPEAKERS: Same as Item #14a. ACTION: Adopted a Recommendation for Approval AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz, Matsuda RESOLUTION: 885 14c. 2017-008060LBR (S. CISNEROS: (415) 575-9186)
2637 MISSION STREET – on the east side of Mission Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets. Assessor's Block 3637, Lot 027 (District 9). Consideration of adoption of a resolution recommending Small Business Commission approval of a Legacy Business application. Elite Sport Soccer is a bilingual (Spanish/English) family-owned retail business selling soccer equipment and fan gear in the Mission District since 1989. The Legacy Business Registry recognizes longstanding, community-serving businesses that are valuable cultural assets to the City. In addition, the City intends that the Registry be a tool for providing educational and promotional assistance to Legacy Businesses to encourage their continued viability and success. The subject business is within a NCT (Mission Street Neighborhood Commercial Transit) Zoning District and 65-B Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adopt a Recommendation for Approval
SPEAKERS: Same as Item #14a. ACTION: Adopted a Recommendation for Approval AYES: Wolfram, Johnck, Johns, Pearlman ABSENT: Hyland, Hasz, Matsuda RESOLUTION: 886
ADJOURNMENT - 3:15 PM
ADOPTED AUGUST 2, 2017