April 19, 2006 FINAL ACTION MINUTES
OF THE
SAN FRANCISCO
LANDMARKS PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
CITY HALL
1 DR. CARLTON B. GOODLETT PLACE, ROOM 400
April 19, 2006
12:30 P.M.
COMMISIONERS PRESENT: Damkroger; Maley, Martinez; Shatara, Street
COMMISSIONER(S) ABSENT: Chan; Cherny; Dearman
THE MEETING WAS CALLED ORDER BY PRESIDENT MALEY AT 12:35 P.M.
STAFF IN ATENDANCE: Mark Luellen, Preservation Coordinator; Michael Jacinto, Adam Light, Mat Snyder; Sonya Banks, Commission Secretary; Marlena Byrne, Deputy City Attorney
PUBLIC COMMENT
Michael Levin: He discussed history and displayed a photo of City Hall from the 1906 earthquake.
REPORTS
1. STAFF REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mark Luellen, Preservation Coordinator:
i Announced that he and other members of the planning staff will be attending the California Preservation Foundation Conference in Sacramento, April 20-22, 2006.
i On May 11th the Planning Commission will hear an information presentation for the Inner Mission North Survey and will be considering endorsement of those properties on May 25, 2006. On May 4th the Planning Commission will hear the Haight/Ashbury project. Staff is currently working on the revisions for the Doggie Diner Sign.
i The administrative code that would expand the definition of the historic resource for the Mills Act was passed by the Board of Supervisor's on Tuesday and will be take affective in 6 months. The department will develop criteria to evaluate those projects.
2. PRESIDENT'S REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
She asked if any Commissioners would be available to attend the Planning Commission hearing on May 4th regarding the 557 Haight/Ashbury Street Landmark Designation.
3. MATTERS OF THE BOARD
Johanna Street
i She shared her enthusiasm for the 1906 centennial.
Alan Martinez
i Supervisor Maxwell will calendar 150 Otis Street on the Land Use Committee agenda. He suggested scheduling a hearing in June 2006 regarding enforcement with DBI.
4. LANDMARKS WORK PROGRAM 2005-2006 UPDATE
Mark Luellen, Preservation Coordinator:
iReceived an electronic draft of the Mission High School designation, which will be under review by President Maley and myself and should come before the Board by June 7, 2006.
Alan Martinez
iMat Snyder and myself met with the person who recommended the Chattanooga Bus Shelter and laid out a plan of research, we are making progress.
5. HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND UPDATE
Alan Martinez:
iThe language for thedraft RFP'sare being finalized by the city attorney's office. Next month we should received an update from the Redevelopment Agency
ACTION ITEMS
6. APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 5, 2006, MARCH 15, 2006, AND OCTOBER 19, 2005 DRAFT ACTION MINUTES.
April 5, 2006:It was moved by Board Member Martinez (seconded by Damkroger) to adopt the draft action minutes. The vote was unanimous.
March 15, 2006:Continued – no quorum.
October 19, 2005:The minutes cannot be voted on due to a lack of a quorum. The minutes are for informational use only - to be published to the LPAB website.
NON-ACTION ITEM
Informational Presentation
7. (M. LUELLEN: 415/558-6478)
1000 CAYUGA AVENUE, Balboa High School, Landmark Number 205, Assessor's Block 6958A Lot 001. Informational Presentation on the proposed project sponsored by the San Francisco Unified School District. The project consists of exterior modifications that would include ramp and elevator additions to meet Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements.
Bruce Hart, Program Director: He gave an information presentation on behalf of Balboa High School. The District has an outreach effort who goals is to share each project and provide an overview of the bond program and communicate how the program will effect each particular school, communities and contingency. The key goals and objective are to bring the schools to current compliance with fire and life safety codes, to modernized key components of the school, mitigate the present of hazardous materials and to improve the educational environment for the students of San Francisco.
Speaker(s):
Beverly Pryor
Sarah Reed
Emily Powell
Patricia Gray
Board Comments:
Suggested turning the piers into double/triple-wide wall like segments instead of the square piers and reducing the amount piers. Raise the curb up to a certain height so there would be less metal guardrail on top, which will reduce the amount of busyness and allow a more serene/monumental plaza. Suggested making a continuous ramp (straight up ramp) instead of a zigzag of the two ramps at the main entrance. Concerns with the elevator tower and how they penetrate the roof and go up, need to be more detailed. There is a significant overhanging element in front of building E elevator that looks heavy, suggested using a lighter element and using steel. Concern with the elevators that will be added to building A & B – Concern that the materials to be used would be too compatible with the existing architecture and it may be confused as being the original materials. Suggested differentiate the new from the old and that could be in material and/or color. Make sure the craftsmanship is good. Recommended to think about how the stucco finish will look compared to the historic stucco. Suggested looking at the landmark nomination to find out what the significant features are. Encouraged project sponsor to work with DSA.
Tape No.: 1a & b
ACTION ITEM
Review and Comment
8. (M. SNYDER: 415/575-6891)
166 – 178 TOWNSEND STREET, The California Electric Light Company, northeast corner of Townsend Street and Clarence Place, Assessor's Block 3788, Lot 012, – Request for Review and Comment of a proposal to convert the historic power plant to residential use that would include up to 66 dwelling units, approximately 1,700 square feet of retail space, and up to 76 off-street parking spaces. The resultant project would include two interior masses that would extend above the existing roof to be approximately 50-feet tall and would be setback from the front façade by approximately 40-feet. The subject site is contributory to the South End Historic District, has a 3D National Register status rating (contributor to a District that appears eligible for OHP listing by OHP), was included in the City's 1976 Architectural Survey, and has been given a rating of A by San Francisco Architectural Heritage.
Speaker(s):
Michael Yarne
Chris VerPlanck
Charles Chase
William Duncanson
Board Comments:
Is this project eligible for a tax credit? Will there be excavation for the garage? Suggested having more interaction/dialog between the old and the new building. Recommended usage of the reconstructed chimney/smoke stack. The analysis needs to have a discussion of the potential impact of the project on the district as a whole with an overview of the changes to the district since it was listed. The Board was concerned that the value engineering may affect the character of the proposed building. Suggest examining the Federal Building on 7th Street, which actively use some passive solar quality to achieve retention of energy. Requested the sponsors to present some masonry discussion of how the bricks are now and the plans for treatment also recommended the windows and the structural solution be surveyed. Suggested not to add a skylight and to leave the roof as is. Recommended as a condition of approval that any major changes would have to come back to the LPAB for approval.
Tape No.: 1b &2a
NON-ACTION
Informational Presentation
9. 2004.0552E (M. JACINTO: 415/558-5988)
340-350 FREMONT STREET, The proposed project is located on in Rincon Hill at 340-350 Fremont Street on (Assessor's Block 3748/Lots 006, 007, 008, 009), between Folsom and Harrison Streets. This site is within the Rincon Hill Downtown Residential use district and a 400-R height and bulk district. An informational presentation on the proposed project.
Speaker(s):
Eileen Wilde
ACTION ITEMS
Review and Comment
10.2004.0552E (M. JACINTO: 415/558-5988)
340-350 FREMONT STREET, Public Hearing to assist the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board to prepare a comment letter on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. The proposed project is located on in Rincon Hill at 340-350 Fremont Street on (Assessor's Block 3748/Lots 006, 007, 008, 009), between Folsom and Harrison Streets. The project would include the demolition of the two existing onsite buildings totaling 45,000 square feet (sf) of space owned and occupied by maritime labor unions, currently in office use and as hiring halls. Following demolition, a 40-story, 400-foot-tall building containing 380 residential units, with up to 380 off-street parking spaces located on five levels of below-grade parking would be constructed on the project site. The project would provide about 108 bicycle stalls, two off-street loading spaces, and approximately 20,400 sf of onsite open space, and additional publicly-accessible open space at an off-site location. The site is within the Rincon Hill Downtown Residential use district and a 400-R height and bulk district.
NOTE: The Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), tiered from the Final EIR for the Rincon Hill Plan (Case No. 2000.1081E; State Clearinghouse No. 1984061912) was published on March 25, 2006. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the Draft EIR on April 27, 2006. This hearing is intended to assist the Landmarks Board such that the Board may prepare written comments on the Draft EIR to submit to the Planning Department. Written comments on the Draft EIR will be accepted at the Planning Department until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 28, 2006.
Speaker(s):
None
Board Comments:
Bob Cherny had the attached read for the record:
The proposed mitigations are well conceived and appropriate. Asked that the Board give its enthusiastic support to both the proposal for a survey of maritime union buildings and the proposal for a major interpretive exhibit on maritime unionism. The former would probably need to be done in order for the latter be done properly. The survey should include not just buildings that were constructed specifically as maritime union headquarters but also buildings were maritime unions rented office space and which figured in significant ways in the history of the San Francisco waterfront. The city directories and the directories published in the Labor Clarion will provide the addresses for maritime union offices, and it will then be a matter of determining which of those buildings still survive. For example, the Audiffred building housed several maritime unions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I'd have to rummage around in my files to be certain, but I'm remembering that several maritime unions had offices there during the 1901 waterfront strike – so the Audiffred Building should be included even though it was not constructed specifically as a union office. It will take a little checking, but I think that the building that housed ILA Local 38-79 in 1933-34 is still standing, on Stuart Street, though much altered. For the interpretive exhibit, I recommend that there be not only a professional historian involved, but also an advisory committee that would include representatives from some of the major surviving maritime unions, especially the ILWU and SUP.
Questioned if the original signs still existed. Suggested that the exhibit be designed and approved by an advisory committee and/or planning staff prior to the issuance of a demolishing permit. Recommended the historian be qualified under the Secretary of Interior Professional Qualification Standards, that there be an exhibit designer, contract provisions that specific the type of exhibit material be able to withstand whether conditions, and a standard contract to ensure that permanent materials are used. Has the building been made available for salvage purposes? Are there any items on the building that are historically significant that should be incorporated or any photographed and included in the public exhibit? Suggested that public exhibit be incorporated into the landscape and signage in front of the building. The mitigation measure should be coordinated and consolidated. Recommended that the HABS materials should be made available to the public exhibit and also available at the area libraries.
Permit to Alter
11. 2004.0165H (A.LIGHT: 415/558-6254)
1 KEARNY STREET (a.k.a. 700-704 Market Street), northwest corner of intersection with Market Street, Lots 3 and 10 in Assessor's Block 312. Request for a Permit to Alter to construct an eleven-story horizontal addition to the Mutual Savings Bank Building, a 12-story, steel frame, terracotta and limestone-clad French Renaissance Revival office building. The subject building is also a Category I (Significant) Building in the Kearny-Market-Mason-Sutter Conservation District. The proposed project would also include restoration work on the principal Market Street and Geary Street facades and some modifications to the exterior of a Charles Moore-designed 1960s "gore corner" addition to the subject building. The subject building is in a C-3-O (Downtown, Office) Zoning District and an 80-130-F Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Adoption of a Resolution recommending approval of the requested Permit to Alter application to the Planning Commission
Speaker(s):
Charles Bloszies
Jay Turnbull
Charles Chase
Michael Levin
Joe Fang
Board Comments:
Will the alterations be compatible with the adjacent Charles Moore addition)? Is the existing building mentioned under the negative declaration? Was there an historical analysis performed on the buildings? Are there photos of the west elevation where the new addition would be attached? Recommended not to design the new addition as an independent building. Believes that with the new addition the verticals are too weak. The problem with the horizontal element is that it is obscuring the view (the view should be preserved). It does not work adding the windows along the masonry walls, suggested more analysis be performed. What is the depth of the terracotta cladding on the center of the building? Recommended the non-glazed terracotta because it will blend better with the surrounding areas. Suggested the lower height because it will make the historic building stand out more. Recommended performing a window survey of the existing building and testing for waterproofing. Strongly encouraged to use the State Historic Building Code for the structural analysis. Suggested taking the opportunity to research ways of maintaining the historic building.
Board Action:
It was moved by Board Member Damkroger (seconded by Street) to continue case #2004.0165H – 1 Kearny Street (aka 700-704 Market Street) to the May 3, 2006 LPAB Hearing. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Damkroger, Maley, Martinez, Shatara, Street
NOES: None
ABSENT: Chan, Cherny, Dearman
Tape No.: 2a & b
ADJOURNMENT: 4:45 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sonya Banks,
Recording Secretary
Adopted: May 3, 2006
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