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, November 4, 2015

1:30 p.m.

ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE

Meeting

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:   Wolfram, Hyland, Pearlman
                                               
THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT WOLFRAM AT 1:27 PM

STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Gretchen Hilyard, Lily Yegazu, 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.

1.            2011.1300E                                                                                                  (G. HILYARD: (415) 575-9109)
901 16TH/1200 17TH STREET –3.5-acre site west side of Mississippi Street between 16th Street and 17th Street in northern Potrero Hill; Lots 001,001A and 002 in Assessor’s Block 3949 and Lot 001 in Assessor’s Block 3950 – Review and Comment on the proposed project, including rehabilitation of the historic brick office building. The project site is within the UMU (Urban Mixed Use) Use District and 48-X (southern portion) and 68-X (northern portion) Height and Bulk Districts. The proposed project would require a Large Project Authorization with various exceptions, a Conditional Use Approval for retail use size exceeding 3,999 square feet, and a General Plan Referral for sidewalk changes. 
Preliminary Recommendation: Review and Comment

SPEAKERS:         + (F) Speaker
ACTION:               Review and Comment
COMMENT:          Upon review of the additional materials provided, the ARC determined that:

• The proposed project does not cause an impact to the existing historic resource on the site (the brick office building). The proposed project respectfully incorporates the historic building alongside adjacent new construction and does not overwhelm the historic resource by providing adequate setbacks and open space around the brick office building.
• The proposed project meets Secretary of the Interior’s Rehabilitation Standard No. 9 in regards to materials, scale and massing of the proposed adjacent new construction.

LETTER:         050

2.         2015-004086PTA                                                                                               (L. YEGAZU: (415) 575-9076)
69 MAIDEN LANE – south side of Maiden Lane between Grant Avenue and Kearny Street, Assessor’s Block 0310, Lots 013A. Request for Review and Comment before the Architectural Review Committee for the proposed exterior alterations including installation of new cladding material on the primary façade along Maiden Lane and installation of a new projecting sign. Constructed in 1920, the subject building is a Category IV (Contributory) Building within the Kearny-Market-Mason Conservation District, the C-3-R (Downtown Retail) Zoning District, and 80-130-F Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Review and Comment

SPEAKERS:        + William Duff – Project presentation
ACTION:              Review and Comment
COMMENT:         1. Composition and Massing: The Commissioners noted that with the revisions recommended below the proposed massing and composition of the new façade appears compatible with the surrounding District and Article 11.

o Stone surround: All three Commissioners agreed with the staff recommendation that the stone surround should have a flat rather than angled face. The Commissioners felt that this feature should be consistent across the façade.
o Metal surround: All three Commissioners agreed with the staff recommendation to remove the vertical elements of the surround and to increase the height and thickness of the horizontal element. Further, the Commissioners recommended aligning the horizontal element with similar features on the adjacent buildings, particularly the Alexander McQueen storefront east of the subject property. The Commissioners disagreed with staff regarding extending the horizontal element to the building edges and expressed that the stone clad piers should extend to grade uninterrupted. In response to a question from the Project architect, the Commissioners felt that there was flexibility in the depth of the horizontal element although Commissioner Hyland noted that the horizontal feature should align, or be close to aligning, with the face of the stone surround in order to break up the massing as recommended.

2. Materials and Colors: All three Commissioners disagreed with staff recommendations regarding rustication of the stone surround at base, use of stone cladding at bulkhead, and use of framed door. The Commissioners were comfortable with the design of these features as proposed. Commissioner Wolfram agreed with staff recommendation that the stainless steel spider connectors have a powder-coated or painted non-reflective finish. With this minor revision, the Commissioners noted that the proposed materials were appropriate for and compatible with the District and Article 11.

3. Detailing and Ornamentation: All three Commissioners agreed that the simple and contemporary detailing and ornamentation of the proposed design was compatible with the District and Article 11. Commissioner Wolfram added that the design was appropriate given the simple, more utilitarian character of existing façades on Maiden Lane.

4. Sign: After some discussion, the Commissioners agreed with the staff recommendation that the proposed blade sign be placed lower on the façade in a manner that better related to the horizontal feature, size of the façade, and ground floor.
LETTER:         051

ADJOURNMENT – 2:17 PM – ADOPTED DECEMBER 2, 2015