August 2, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO

PLANNING COMMISSION

Notice of Meeting

&

Calendar

Commission Chambers - Room 400

City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

Thursday, August 2, 2012

12:00 PM

Regular Meeting

                                                                       

                                 President:                        Rodney Fong

         Vice-President:                 Cindy Wu

                                 Commissioners:                Michael J. Antonini; Gwyneth Borden;

                                                Kathrin Moore; Hisashi Sugaya

 

Commission Secretary: Linda D. Avery

 

Commission Meeting Procedures

 

Material submitted by the public for Commission review prior to a scheduled hearing should be received by the Planning Department reception counter at 1650 Mission Street, 4th floor, no later than 5:00 PM the Wednesday (eight days) prior to the scheduled public hearing.  Persons unable to attend a hearing may submit written comments regarding a calendared item to: Planning Commission, 1650 Mission Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA  94103-2414.  Comments received by 9:30 AM on the day of the hearing will be made part of the official record and will be brought to the attention of the Planning Commission at the public hearing.  Otherwise, submit material related to a calendared item at the scheduled hearing for distribution.  For complete distribution to all Commissioners, necessary staff and case/docket/correspondence files, submit an original plus 10 copies.  When sending e-mail correspondence to Commissioners, please copy the Commission Secretary at:  linda.avery@sfgov.org

 

Pursuant to Government Code Section 65009, if you challenge, in court, (1) the adoption or amendment of a general plan, (2) the adoption or amendment of a zoning ordinance, (3) the adoption or amendment of any regulation attached to a specific plan, (4) the adoption, amendment or modification of a development agreement, or (5) the approval of a variance, conditional-use authorization, or any permit, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission, at, or prior to, the public hearing.

 

Commission action on conditional-uses and reclassification may be appealed to the Board of Supervisors within 30 days.  Call (415) 554-5184 for more information.  Commission actions after Discretionary Review may be appealed to the Board of Appeals within 15 days of action by the Central Permit Bureau. Call (415) 575-6880 for more information.  Zoning Administrator action on a variance application may be appealed to the Board of Appeals within 10 days of issuance of the written decision.

 

The Commission has instituted a policy that, in most cases, they will not call an item for consideration after 10:00 PM.  If an item is scheduled but not called or introduced prior to 10:00 PM, the Commission may continue the matter to the next available hearing.  Items listed on this calendar will not be heard before the stated time.

 

Policy on Commissioner’s requests for hearings:  There must be consensus of the Commission (four commissioners) or direction from the President/Chair to schedule a hearing that otherwise would not be scheduled.

 

Cell Phone and/or Sound-Producing Electronic Devices Usage at Hearings

Effective January 21, 2001, the Board of Supervisors amended the Sunshine Ordinance by adding the following provision:  The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting.  Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices (67A.1 Prohibiting the use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices at and during public meetings).

 

For more information related to Planning Commission matters, please call Linda D.  Avery, Commission Secretary, at (415) 558-6407.

 

San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance

Attention: Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action my be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code Section 21.00-2.160] to register and report lobbying activity.  For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 30 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 581-2300; fax (415) 581-2317; and web site http//www.sfgov.org/ethics.

 

Accessible Meeting Policy

Hearings are held at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 400, fourth floor, San Francisco, CA.  The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center station located at the intersection of Market, Hyde and Grove Streets.  Accessible curbside parking has been designated at points along McAllister Street. Accessible MUNI lines serving City Hall are the 9 San Bruno and 71 Haight/Noriega and the F Line.  Accessible MUNI Metro lines are the J, K, L, M, and N.  For more information regarding MUNI accessible services, call (415) 923-6142.  Requests for American Sign Language interpreters, sound enhancement systems and/or language translators will be available upon request by contacting Lulu Hwang at (415) 558-6318 at least 48 hours prior to a hearing.  A sound enhancement system will be available upon request at the meetings.  Please contact Services for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired at 557-5533 (TDD) or 557-5534 (Voice) at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.  Late requests will be honored if possible.  A person who is deaf or hearing impaired may gain meeting information prior to the meeting by calling 557-4433 (TDD) or 557-4434 (Voice).  In addition, the California Relay Service can be used by individuals with hearing and speech impairments by calling 1-800-735-2929 (TDD) or 1-800-735-2922 (Voice).  Minutes of the meetings are available in alternative formats.  If you require the use of a reader during the meeting, please contact the Library for the Blind and Print Handicapped at 292-2022 at least 48 hours in advance of need.  Accessible seating for persons with disabilities (including those using wheelchairs) will be available at meetings.  Individuals with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities should call our accessibility hotline at (415) 554-8925 to discuss meeting accessibility.  In order to assist the City’s efforts to accommodate such people, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical-based products.  Please help the City to accommodate these individuals.

 

Know Your Rights Under the Sunshine Ordinance

Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public.  Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people's business.  This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people's review.

 

For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code) or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact Adele Destro, Interim Administrator, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 409, by phone at (415) 554-7724, by fax at (415) 554-7854 or by E-mail at sotf@sfgov.org.

 

Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Library and on the City’s website at www.sfgov.org/bdsupvrs/sunshine.

 

COMMUNICATIONS

Note: Each item on the Consent or Regular calendar may include the following documents:

   1) Planning Department Case Executive Summary

   2) Planning Department Case Report

   3) Draft Motion or Resolution with Findings and/or Conditions

   4) Public Correspondence

These items will be available for review at the Planning Department, 1650 Mission St., 4th floor reception.

 

 

12:00 PM   _________

 

ROLL CALL:                                                     

                                 President:                        Rodney Fong

         Vice-President:                 Cindy Wu

                                 Commissioners:                Michael J. Antonini; Gwyneth Borden;

                                                Kathrin Moore; Hisashi Sugaya

 

A.                  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.

           

            1.            2012.0206C                                                                         (M. Smith: (415) 558-6322)

2299 MARKET STREET - south side of the intersection of Market, Noe, and 16^th Streets, Lot 091 in Assessor's Block 3564 - Request for Conditional Use Authorization -pursuant to Planning Code Sections 721.21, 721.49 and 303 to establish a 3,314 square-foot bank (d.b.a. “Bank of the West”) in the ground floor commercial space of a newly constructed mixed-use building that is currently under construction.  The bank would offer ATM service in an area that is recessed from the sidewalk.  The subject property is located within the Upper Market Street Neighborhood Commercial District and a 50-X Height and Bulk District. 

                        Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions

                                (Continued from Regular Meeting of July 19, 2012)

                        (Proposed for Indefinite Continuance)

 

B.         COMMISSIONERS’ QUESTIONS AND MATTERS

 

2.         Commission Comments/Questions

·         Inquiries/Announcements.  Without discussion, at this time Commissioners may make announcements or inquiries of staff regarding various matters of interest to the Commissioner(s).

·         Future Meetings/Agendas.  At this time, the Commission may discuss and take action to set the date of a Special Meeting and/or determine those items that could be placed on the agenda of the next meeting and other future meetings of the Planning Commission.

 

C.         DIRECTOR’S REPORT

 

3.         Director’s Announcements

 

4.         Review of Past Week’s Events at the Board of Supervisors, Board of Appeals, and Historic Preservation Commission.

5.                                                                                         (S. EDMONDSON: (415) 575-6818)

Downtown Plan Annual Monitoring Report 2011 - Informational presentation - Chapter 10E of the San Francisco Administrative Code requires the Planning Department to complete annual reports to measure development trends in the Downtown against the goals of the Downtown Plan of the San Francisco General Plan. The report discusses employment and development trends, transportation, housing, fiscal revenues and other topics pertaining to the Downtown C-3 district for 2011. Informational item only, no action necessary. Report is available for the public at the Planning Department and can be downloaded from the website at: http://www.sf-planning.org/ftp/files/Citywide/Downtown_Annual_Report_2011.pdf

            Preliminary Recommendation: No Action required - Information only.

 

D.         GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT – 15 MINUTES

 

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.

 

E.         REGULAR CALENDAR 

                       

6a.        2004.0976ECV                                                           (R. Crawford: (415) 558-6358)

376 CASTRO STREET - West side of Castro Street, at the northwest corner of Castro and Market Streets; Lot 006 in Assessor’s Block 2623 - Request for Conditional Use Authorization, pursuant to Planning Code Sections 303, 228 (service station conversion) and 733.21 (nonresidential use size) to demolish an existing gas station on the site and construct a 6-story, 65 foot tall mixed use building with 24 dwelling units and 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space within the Upper Market Neighborhood Commercial District and 65-B Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions

 

6b.        2004.0976ECV                                                            (R. Crawford: (415) 558-6358)

376 CASTRO STREET - West side of Castro Street, at the northwest corner of Castro and Market Streets; Lot 006 in Assessor’s Block 2623 - Request for Rear Yard Modification, pursuant to Planning Code Section 134(e) to allow the required rear yard to be located in the northwest, rear corner of the lot at the first level of the building containing dwelling units.  The project site is located within the Upper Market Neighborhood Commercial District and 65-B Height and Bulk District.

 

7a.        2012.0142CV                                                                    (E. WATTY: (415) 558-6620)

491-499 HAIGHT STREET - Southeast corner of Haight and Fillmore Streets; Lot 025 in Assessor’s Block 0859 - Request for Conditional Use Authorization, pursuant to Planning Code Sections 703.3, 703.4, and 303, to allow a new Formula Retail Use (dba “CVS”) to occupy the Haight Street ground floor commercial space previously occupied by a Formula Retail Use (dba “Walgreens”), within a three-story-over-basement 21-unit mixed-use building.  The project site is located within the NC-2 (Neighborhood Commercial, Small-Scale) Zoning District, and 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation:  Approval with Conditions

 

7b.        2012.0142CV                                                                      (E. WATTY: (415) 558-6620)

491-499 HAIGHT STREET - southeast corner of Haight and Fillmore Streets; Lot 025 in Assessor’s Block 0859 - Request for Variances, pursuant to Planning Code Sections 134 and 188, to allow encroachments into the required rear yard by constructing decks and a stair penthouse at the rear of the existing three-story-over-basement 21-unit mixed-use noncomplying structure. The project site is located within the NC-2 (Neighborhood Commercial, Small-Scale) Zoning District, and 40-X Height and Bulk District.

 

8a.        2012.0032EXV                                                               (A. HOLLISTER:  (415) 575-9078)

100 VAN NESS AVENUE - northeast corner of the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Fell Street; Lot 020 in Assessor’s Block 0814 - Request for a Determination of Compliance under Planning Code Section 309 (Permit Review in C-3 Districts), with exceptions to the requirements for Rear Yard (Planning Code Section 249.33(b)(5)) and to the Limitation on Residential Accessory Parking in C-3 Districts (Section 151.1(e)). The Project would change the use of the subject building from office to residential, renovate the interior of the building to create up to 399 residential units and approximately 6,884 square feet of ground-floor retail, and re-skin the exterior of the building, retain the off-street parking garage with 112 off-street parking spaces, including loading space, and move the parking garage entrance from Van Ness Avenue to Hayes Street.  Six new off-street parking spaces for the residential units would be added by the Project within the existing parking area.  No physical expansion of the building is proposed or would be required to accommodate the Project. The subject property is located within the C-3-G (Downtown General Commercial) Zoning District, the Van Ness and Market Residential Special Use District and the 200-R2 Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation:  Approval with Conditions

 

8b.        2012.0032EXV                                                               (A. HOLLISTER:  (415) 575-9078)

100 VAN NESS AVENUE - northeast corner of the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Fell Street; Lot 020 in Assessor’s Block 0814 - Request for Variances, pursuant to Planning Code Sections 135, 136, & 140, as they relate to Useable Open Space, Projections over Streets and Dwelling Unit Exposure. The Project would change the use of the subject building from office to residential, renovate the interior of the building to create up to 399 residential units and approximately 6,884 square feet of ground-floor retail, and re-skin the exterior of the building, retain the off-street parking garage with 112 off-street parking spaces, including loading space, and move the parking garage entrance from Van Ness Avenue to Hayes Street.  Six new off-street parking spaces for the residential units would be added by the Project within the existing parking area.  No physical expansion of the building is proposed or would be required to accommodate the Project. The subject property is located within the C-3-G (Downtown General Commercial) Zoning District, the Van Ness and Market Residential Special Use District and the 200-R2 Height and Bulk District.  The Zoning Administrator will consider the Variance request concurrently with the Planning Commission's consideration of the other project entitlements at this same hearing.

 

9.         2008.1084E                                                                         (D. DWYER: (415) 575-9031)

706 MISSION STREET - The Mexican Museum and Residential Tower Project - north Side of Mission Street at the northwest corner of Third and Mission Streets; Lots 093, 275 and portions of Lot 277 in Assessor’s Block 3706 - Public Hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. The proposed project includes the construction of a new 550-foot-tall, 47-story tower with three floors below grade.  The new tower would be adjacent and connected to the existing 10-story Aronson Building, which would be restored and rehabilitated as part of the proposed project.  The project would include up to 215 residential units, space for The Mexican Museum, possible office use, and ground-floor retail/restaurant use.  The project would also include the conveyance to the project sponsor of the existing Jessie Square Garage with 442 parking spaces.  Total development would include approximately 710,525 gross square feet. The project site is located in the Downtown Retail (C-3-R) Use District and a 400-I height and bulk district in the former Yerba Buena Center Redevelopment Area. The proposed project would require a height reclassification as well as rezoning to a Downtown Residential District (DTR), or alternatively, a Special Use District (SUD) overlay to the C-3-R could be established, or an SUD overlay on the DTR.

Note: Written comments will be accepted at the Planning Department until 5:00 p.m. on August 13, 2012.

Preliminary Recommendation: No Action Required

 

10.        2012.0637D                                                                               (D. VU: (415) 575-9120)

4365 26^TH STREET - south side between Douglass and Diamond Streets; Lot 024 in Assessor’s Block 6561 - Request for Discretionary Review of Building Permit Application 2011.10.18.7006, proposing to construct a rear addition at the first floor, a new second floor, and front and rear decks to the existing single family dwelling structure within the RH-1 (Residential, House – One-Family) Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District. 

Staff Analysis:  Abbreviated Discretionary Review

Preliminary Recommendation:  Do not take Discretionary Review and approve

 

11a.      2011.0643DD                                                               (G. CABREROS: (415) 558-6169)

2712 Broadway - north side between Broderick and Divisadero Streets; Lot 008 in Assessor's Block 0959 - Requests for Discretionary Review of Building Permit Application No. 2011.02.15.0303 proposing  construction of a three-story-over-basement, single-family residence within the RH-1(D) (Residential, House, One-Family, Detached) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.  The project proposes demolition of the existing three-story-over-basement, single-family residence.

Staff Analysis:  Full Discretionary Review

Preliminary Recommendation:  Do not take Discretionary Review and approve

                                (Continued from Regular Meeting of July 26, 2012)

 

11b.      2010.0158V                                                                 (G. CABREROS: (415) 558-6169)

2712 Broadway - north side between Broderick and Divisadero Streets; Lot 008 in Assessor's Block 0959 - Request for a Side Yard Variance from Planning Code Section 133 requiring two four-foot side yards for the project.   The project proposes one eight-foot side yard along the west side property line.  No side yard is proposed at the east side property line.  The project proposes demolition of a three-story-over basement, single-family residence and construction of a three-story-over-basement, single-family residence within the RH-1(D) (Residential, House, One-Family, Detached) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

                        (Continued from the Regular Meeting of July 26, 2012)

 

F.         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 with one exception.  When the agenda item has already been reviewed in a public hearing at which members of the public were allowed to testify and the Commission has closed the public hearing, your opportunity to address the Commission must be exercised during the Public Comment portion of the Calendar.  Each member of the public may address the Commission for up to three minutes.

 

The Brown Act forbids a commission from taking action or discussing any item not appearing on the posted agenda, including those items raised at public comment.  In response to public comment, the commission is limited to:

 

(1)  responding to statements made or questions posed by members of the public; or

(2)  requesting staff to report back on a matter at a subsequent meeting; or

(3)     directing staff to place the item on a future agenda.  (Government Code Section 54954.2(a))

 

Adjournment