SAN FRANCISCO
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

 

Meeting Minutes

 

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

Wednesday, October 4, 2017
12:00 p.m.
Architectural Review Committe
Meeting
 

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:   Hyland, Pearlman

THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY COMMISSIONER HYLAND AT 12:03 PM

STAFF IN ATTENDANCE:  Jorgen Cleeman, Rachel Schuett, Tim Frye – Historic Preservation Officer, 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. 2015-004568ENV                                                                        (J. CLEEMAN: (415) 575-8763)
10 SOUTH VAN NESS – located on an irregularly shaped lot bounded by Market Street, South Van Ness Avenue, and Twelfth Street, Assessor's Block 3506, Lot 004 (District 8).  Review and Comment before the Architectural Review Committee on the proposed preservation alternatives in advance of publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed project.  The project proposes to demolish the existing one- to three-story car dealership and maintenance center and construct two new 41-story (400-ft tall) mixed-use residential buildings with 984 dwelling units and 30,350 sf of ground-floor retail and/or commercial space.  Also under review are preservation alternatives to a project variant that proposes to demolish the existing building and construct a new 55-story (590-ft tall) mixed use residential building with 984 dwelling units and 30,450 sf of ground-floor retail and/or commercial space.  The existing building at 10 South Van Ness Avenue has been determined individually eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources.  The project site is located within the Downtown General Commercial District and is split between a 120-R-2 Height and Bulk District and a 120/400-R-2 Height and Bulk District. 
Preliminary Recommendation: Review and Comment

SPEAKER:

= Jorgen Cleeman – Staff report + Adam – Project presentation + Maggie Smith – Preservation alternatives = Rachel Schuett – Response to question + Jim Abram – Response to question

ACTION:

Reviewed and Commented Commissioner Hyland praised the variety of alternatives developed, but asked that the sponsor explore an additional alternative that concentrates more mass directly over the historic northern section of the building, similar to the massing of the proposed project variant. Combining the Full Preservation Alternative with the Project Variant might result in an option that achieves the project goals while retaining a substantial portion of the historic resources, understanding that it would impact the character-defining ballroom. Commissioner Hyland suggested that exploring this alternative might still meet the definition of a full preservation alternative under CEQA. Commissioner Hyland stated that if such an alternative were feasible, it would preserve a historic resource while coming closer than any of the other proposed alternatives to meeting the sponsor's project objectives and the City's vision for the area. Commissioner Pearlman agreed that the subject building is more important for its cultural associations than for its architecture, and expressed a desire to see its rich cultural history fully commemorated as a component of the project, but did not concur with his colleague that an alternative that resulted in the demolition of the character-defining ballroom could qualify as full preservation. Commissioner Pearlman was open to architectural solutions that would rise over the historic building, but recognized that such solutions may pose difficulties due to site constraints. Both Commissioners indicated that the partial preservation alternatives, which would only retain the street-facing facades of the historic resource, were not preferred. Overall, the ARC determined that the proposed full preservation alternatives and partial preservation alternatives were satisfactory. However, Commissioner Hyland asked that the sponsor explore the implications of a full preservation alternative that concentrates more of the building mass over the historic northern section of the building.

ADJOURNMENT – 12:42 PM
ADOPTED NOVEMBER 15, 2017