July 16, 2008 FINAL ACTION MINUTES
OF THE
SAN FRANCISCO
LANDMARKS PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
CITY HALL
1 DR. CARLTON B. GOODLETT PLACE, ROOM 400
July 16, 2008
12:00 P.M. ROLL CALL
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Martinez, Hasz, Street
STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Mark Luellen, Preservation Coordinator; Pilar LaValley; Sonya Banks, Commission Secretary
1. 2007.0007A (P. LaVALLEY: 575-9084)
750 2nd Street, is located in Assessor's Block 3794, Lot 002A. Request for Review and Comment before the Architectural Review Committee regarding proposed demolition of existing non-contributing, one-story building and construction of eight-story residential building with ground floor commercial space and basement parking. The subject property is a non-contributing structure in the South End Historic District and is located within an M-2 (Heavy Industrial) District with a 105-F Height and Bulk limit.
Speaker(s):
Andy Bush
Bob Baum
Board Comments
The Architectural Review Committee members had the following comments:
· Suggested providing a District map that show historic and non-historic buildings.
· That the proposed new building appears too tall (suggested flattening the roofline) and complex for the district. Suggested simplifying the design/materials of the building. Suggested that using the vertical rectangular shape of window panes (rather than squares) and lowering the slope of the roofline, particularly at 2nd Street façade, might make the building more compatible.
· The proposed new building appears too light weight in the context of the more solid surrounding buildings. Suggested simplifying the material palette, lowering slope of roofline, and that the portion of the proposed building that achieves that most solidity (and compatibility) is the southern end of the 2nd Street façade.
· ARC members agreed with Planning staff recommendations regarding the setback on the façade of the building.
· Recommended using a color that is more compatible for the brick tiles that was shown to the ARC. Recommended not using the glossy zinc; preferred the matte zinc.
· Recommended that the cornice (roof) at 2nd Street should project more and be more solid.
· ARC members recommended option #2 of the proposal in regard to façade setbacks.
Tape No. 1a
12:50 p.m.
FOR FULL LANDMARKS BOARD CONSIDERATION
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez , Street
BOARD MEMBER(S) ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Mark Luellen, Preservation Coordinator; T. Frye; A. Heitter; P. LaValley; J. Navarrete; Sarah Dennis-Phillip; Sonya Banks, Commission Secretary; Marlena Byrne, Deputy City Attorney
PUBLIC COMMENT
Fran Martin: She had concerns with item #13 on the agenda but was unable to stay until that item was heard. For the record, she supports the project.
John Nulty: Under Planning Code section 249.5, he requested to preserve the façade at 230 Jones Street. 230 Jones Street was the Musician Union Building, was built in 1924, and has a B rating.
David Villa-Lobos: He encouraged the Landmarks Board to help maintain the historical integrity of the façade of 230 Jones Street. He states the building is in much need of repairs on the façade. He states that the property owners are not opposed to affixing a plaque.
David Baker: He encouraged the Landmarks Board to landmark the Musician Union Building – 230 Jones Street. He provided some history on the building.
Edward Evans: He feels that special protection needs be done to the buildings in the Tenderloin District, specifically 230 Jones Street. He states that many historical buildings in the Tenderloin area have been destroyed.
Clint Ladean: He is the spokesperson for City Impact – S.F. Rescue Mission. They understand the historical significant of the building and want to be in compliance. Their vision is to help make the Tenderloin district a better place and support the effort to landmark the façade of 230 Jones Street.
Tape No. 1a and b
REPORTS
1. STAFF REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mark Luellen, Preservation Coordinator:
· The Charter Amendment to make the Landmarks Board an independent body was heard and recommended for approval by the Rules Committee and is scheduled to heard by the Board of Supervisors today (July 16th) at 2:00 p.m. This is the fourth draft of the legislation and it proposes to name the body the Historic Preservation Commission with a membership of seven; if approved it would be placed on the November ballot.
· A letter from the Planning Director requests the Landmarks Board to provide comments of the draft SEIS for the Presidio Trust Management Plan Main Post update. The comment period has been extended to September 15th. On July 17th, the Presidio Trust will present an Informational Presentation to the Planning Commission. This item is not scheduled to be heard before 6:30 p.m.
· The government oversight and audit committee heard the proposed Mills Act and Article 11 Re-designation for 690 Market Street. This item was continued to July 21st because the Assessor's Office needs to work on details of the contract.
· On July 17th, the Port of San Francisco will be holding the Pier 70 proposed Master Plan Community Workshop. It will be held at Pier 1 at 5:30 p.m.
· He requested to extend a welcome to Helaine Prentice from UC Berkeley and her students.
· He requested a continuance of item #14, the Japantown Historic and Cultural Context Statement. on behalf of the Japantown Neighborhood Steering Committee. to an unspecified date until the issues and details related to the overall better neighborhood plan process can be addressed before any component of the plan, such as this context statement, is presented to the Landmarks Board and any other City Board or Commission. The Planning Department supports their request.
Next item #14 was read into record as Request for a Continuance .
2. PRESIDENT'S REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
She will provide the Board with a list of conferences that will be held in the San Francisco and Los Angeles area.
3. MATTERS OF THE BOARD
Cherny
Board Member Martinez and I attended the hearing at the Presidio Board of Trustees on Monday evening; they were taking comments on the draft EIS on the proposed changes to the Main Post. The hearing was well attended, possibility 500 people. There was a lot of public interest in this project. He was pleased to read the letter from Planning Director Rahaim authorizing the Landmarks Board's participation as an Interested Party in the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 consultation.
Street
The project on Seismic Strengthening of Soft Story Buildings is conducting a survey into how many soft story buildings there are, and she was hoping that this group would include in their survey the way this strengthening would effect historic buildings. She requested to draft a letter on behalf of the Landmarks Board recommending including historic buildings in their survey.
Maley
She requested to agendize the reviewing of the draft letter regarding including historic buildings in the seismic strengthening survey.
Martinez
He believes there were 1000 people who attended the hearing at the Presidio Trust, because the doors were closed by the fire marshals with about five hundred people still outside.
4. LANDMARKS WORK PROGRAM 2005-2007 UPDATE
None at this time.
ACTION ITEM(S)
5. HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND COMMITTEE UPDATE
The Committee approved the proposal to do a context statement for Ingleside Terrace and the adjacent area. The bids that came back to complete the Market and Octavia survey are above budget; the Committee will be working with the Planning Department to figure out how to fix the problem. The Committee will be putting together a list of projects they would like to fund (context statements, landmark proposal, etc.) that aren't scheduled by the city as part of the Cltywide survey program. Any suggestions for small projects should be submitted to Mark Ryser who has replaced Charles Chase as the Chair of the Historic Preservation Fund Committee. The Committee also discussed a proposal to do a NOFA on creating a handbook for neighborhood groups about how to do a survey.
ACTION ITEM(S)
6. APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 4th AND 18th, 2008 DRAFT ACTION MINUTES
Speaker(s):
None
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Street (seconded by Cherny) to approve the draft action minutes. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez, Street
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
CONSENT CALENDAR
All matters listed hereunder constitute a Consent Calendar, are considered to be routine by the Planning Department, and will be acted upon by a single roll call vote of the Landmarks Board. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Board, the public, or staff so requests, in which event the matter shall be removed from the Consent Calendar and considered as a separate item at this or a future hearing.
7. 2008.0666A (P. LaVALLEY: 575-9084)
35 Stanford Street(aka 634 2nd Street), is located in Assessor's Block 3788, Lot 038. Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to install one tenant sign on Stanford Street façade. The subject property, formerly known as the Crane Company Warehouse, is a contributing structure to the South End Historic District and is located within a SSO (Service/Secondary Office) District with a 50-X Height and Bulk limit.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approval
Speaker(s):
None
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Cherny (seconded by Chan) to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez, Street
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
8. 2007.1334A – 2007.0653A (T. FRYE: 575-6822)
302 Greenwich Street, City Landmark #121, Julius' Castle, Assessor's Block 0079; Lot 005. Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to address work cited within a Notice of Violation issued May 17, 2007 for work executed without benefit of permit, a Certificate of Appropriateness, or Zoning Administrator approval for the expansion of a detached structure located at the rear of the building and the expansion of the historic apartment structure. Other work completed without benefit includes the replacement of a visible exterior door. The site is located within an RH-3 (Community Business) District with a 40-X Height and Bulk limit.
Recommendation: Approve with Conditions)
Speaker(s):
None
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Street (seconded by Hasz) to continue this item until the August 6th hearing. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez, Street
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
Tape No. 1b
9. 2008.0306A (A. HEITTER: 558-6602)
99 MISSION STREET (aka 121 SPEAR STREET), RINCON ANNEX U.S. POSTAL OFFICE, located on the parcel bound by Spear, Mission, Howard and Steuart Streets, Assessor's Block 3716, Lot 23. Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for a signage package consisting of four internally-illuminated blade signs, four fabric banners, and two internally-illuminated directory wall signs for Rincon Center. The subject property is Landmark No. 107 and is zoned Downtown Office (C-3-O) and is in an 84-X/200-S Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions.
(Continued from May 21, 2008 hearing – This item is proposed for a continuance to August 6, 2008)
Speaker(s):
None
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Martinez (seconded by Cherny) to accept the request for a continuance until the August 6th hearing. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez, Street
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
10. 2007.1334A (T. FRYE: 575-6822)
1189 TENNESSEE STREET, West side of Tennessee street and south of 22nd Street, Assessor's Block 4172; Lots 053. Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct a new eight-unit residential building with three commercial spaces and 12 off-street parking spaces on a vacant parcel within the Dogpatch Historic District.
The site is located within an NC-2 (Neighborhood Commercial) District with a 50-X Height and Bulk limit.
PreliminaryRecommendation to the Planning Commission: Approval.
(Continued from May 21, 2008 hearing)
Speaker(s):
Tom Lippe
Gary Gee
Janet Carpinelli
Regan Carroll
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Hasz (seconded by Street) to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness with the following conditions: simplify the 1st story (in terms of materials and design, to eliminate the metal elements, and replace with something more in keeping with the Dogpatch character defining features), simplify and flatten the upper roofline at the south elevation, and work with staff in revising the canopy to match the character defining features of the ground floor. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez, Street
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
Tape No. 1b and 2a
REVIEW AND COMMENT
11. (T. FRYE: 575-6822)
The Uptown Tenderloin Historic District, thirty-three blocks bounded roughly by Market, McAllister, Golden Gate, Larkin, Taylor, Ellis, and Mason Streets. The State Historic Preservation Officer is seeking the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board's comments on a proposed nomination to the National Register of Historic Places as part of San Francisco's role as a Certified Local Government.
Speaker(s):
Randy Shaw
David Villa-Lobos
Alex Bevk
Michael Corbett
Board Comments
The Landmarks Board members had the following comments:
· The Board concurs with the Materials, Narrative Description, and Architectural Classification portions of the registration form.
· Recommended that, ffor ease of reference, an appendix organized by contributing buildings and non-contributing buildings should be included as well as the existing reference by address.
· Believes that the designation stands on its own; however, the Board encouraged the applicant to expand the narrative to include more about the history of labor and race relations in the proposed district.
· Feels that the boundaries of the district are well-justified.
· Requested that the list of architects on page 32 be organized alphabetically rather than by general order of importance.
Tape No. 2a
NON-ACTION ITEM
INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION
12. (J. NAVARRETE: 575-9040)
Visitacion Valley Redevelopment Program, An informational presentation on the proposed project.
Speaker(s):
Tom Evans
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Cherny (seconded by Hasz) to accept the recusal of Board Member Street from this item. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
RECUSED: Street
Tape No. 2a and b
ACTION ITEM(S)
REVIEW AND COMMENT
13. (J. NAVARRETE: 575-9040)
VisitacionValleyRedevelopment Program: Public Hearing to assist the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board to prepare a comment letter on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. The Redevelopment Agency and the Planning Department are proposing to adopt and implement a redevelopment program for the Visitacion Valley neighborhood to overcome adverse blighting influences, improve housing opportunities, and facilitate neighborhood-serving commercial development. The proposed redevelopment program includes adoption and implementation of a Redevelopment Plan, the Visitacion Valley/Schlage Lock Design for Development, a set of General Plan and Planning Code revisions, and other actions to facilitate re-use of the dormant Schlage Lock property along the east side of Bayshore Boulevard, redevelop properties along the opposite (west) side of Bayshore Boulevard, and revitalize Leland Avenue. It is estimated that the proposed Visitacion Valley Redevelopment Program would facilitate a net housing increase of up to 1,600 new units, a net retail commercial increase of up to 132,000 square feet, a net decrease in office and production/distribution/repair uses of up to 39,000 square feet, and a net increase in cultural/institutional/educational uses (community centers and library) of up to 25,000 square feet.
NOTE: The Draft Environmental Impact Report (SCH No. 2007022049) was published on June 3, 2008. The Visitacion Valley redevelopment project may result in the destruction or degradation of historical resources. The Draft EIR identifies this as a significant and unavoidable environmental effect of the proposed project, and identifies mitigation measures to lessen these effects, though not to a level of insignificance.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the Draft EIR on June 26, 2008. 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 Redevelopment Agency. Written comments on the Draft EIR will be accepted at the Redevelopment Agency until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 21, 2008.
Speaker(s):
Jonathan Sharp
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Cherny (seconded by Hasz) to accept the recusal of Board Member Street from this item. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
RECUSED: Street
Board Comments
The Landmarks Board members had the following comments:
· Suggested including the design guideline criteria developed for the Schlage Lock site as a mitigation measure in the EIR.
· Recommended that the preservation alternative could be more detailed including how the buildings could be re-used and the overall analysis including how the alternative would relate to housing needs, population, and overall use of the site in relation to the plan area.
· Recommended that the preservation alternative be more realistic, i.e., an alternative that can be implemented.
· Suggested that, under Aesthetics (pg. 17.4.2d), preserving historic buildings can be a beneficial aesthetics affect.
Tape No. 2b
14. (M. WEINTRAUB: 575-6812)
JAPANTOWN HISTORIC AND CULTURAL CONTEXT STATEMENT. For the purposes of this context statement, the area covered is the proposed Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan area bounded by California Street to the north, O'Farrell-Ellis Streets-Geary Boulevard to the south, Gough Street to the east, and Fillmore Street to the west. Prepared by Page & Turnbull for the Planning Department, sponsored by the Historic Preservation Fund Committee (Mayor's Office of Economic Development). Request the Landmarks Board to Review and Comment and consider endorsement of the context statement.
Speaker(s):
None
Board Action
It was moved by Board Member Hasz (seconded by Chan) to accept the Request for a Continuance to an unspecific date. The vote was unanimous.
AYES: Chan, Cherny, Hasz, Maley, Martinez, Street
NOES: None
ABSENT: Damkroger, Dearman, Samaha
Tape No. 1b
NON-ACTION ITEM
INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION
15. (M. LUELLEN: 558-6478)
Market & Octavia Interim Permit Review Procedures. The Planning Department will present the building permit review procedures set forth in the Market & Octavia Area Plan.
Speaker(s):
None
Board Comments
The Landmarks Board members had the following comments:
· Suggested establishing guidelines so that there is consistency in reviewing of documents.
· Recommended listing the Review and Comment of each application and the HRER on the consent calendar.
· Questioned how many applications the Board will be reviewing.
· Suggested stating In-kind replacement of windows on secondary façade .
· Asked if there where window guidelines in place.
· Strongly suggested the need to define the word in-kind .
Tape No. 2b
ADJOURN: 3:25 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Sonya Banks
Recording Secretary
ADOPTED: August 6, 2008
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