News from San Francisco Planning Department http://sf-planning.org.

Next Steps for the Urban Design Guidelines

04/18/2017

Thank you to everyone who joined us on April 12, 2017 for a conversation on the updated Draft of the Proposed Urban Design Guidelines.

We’ve held almost 20 conversations with the community thus far about the Proposed Urban Design Guidelines, and the feedback and comments we received have been compiled and included in the next Draft.

If you would like to comment on the current Draft (released on March 16, 2017), they must be delivered by May 30, 2017. http://default.sfplanning.org/plans-and-programs/planning-for-the-city/Urban-Design-Guidelines/UrbanDesignGuidelines_DraftReview04.pdf    

Please email or mail them to:
Anne Brask at anne.brask@sfgov.org, or
Anne Brask, San Francisco Planning
1650 Mission, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103

Next Steps
On May 11, 2017, the Urban Design Guidelines team will be giving an informational presentation at the Planning Commission. Please note that no decisions will be made at this time; it is only to updated the Commission and the public on the progress of the document.

About the Urban Design Guidelines
To learn more about the Urban Design Guidelines and download the current draft, visit our website at http://sf-planning.org/urban-design-guidelines.

The proposed Urban Design Guidelines are intended to create a coordinated and consistent design review process and promote a more thoughtful and holistic approach to city building. If you would like members of the Urban Design Guidelines Team to attend an upcoming neighborhood or organization meeting, please contact Anne Brask at anne.brask@sfgov.org.

中文詢問請電: (415) 575-9010
Para información en Español llamar al: (415) 575-9010
Para sa impormasyon sa Tagalog tumawag sa: (415) 575-9121

Upcoming Residential Expansion Threshold Community Conversation

04/18/2017

Residential Expansion Threshold: A Clear Process for Alterations and Demolitions

In 2005, the Planning Department began to look at project applications that weren’t proposing to demolish entire residential properties, but were proposing to remove a significant portion of the building. As they were not classified as “demolitions” as defined by the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) http://sfdbi.org/ , these projects were not subject to Planning Commission review.

To address this, legislation (https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=2605408&GUID=7983E109-3A88-4891-9BE2-DCC8E83BAA2D) was finalized in 2007 to create regulations on demolitions of existing housing and what is currently known as Tantamount to Demolition.* As a result, any project application that is considered Tantamount to Demolition is reviewed no differently than a formal demolition project and will typically receive additional scrutiny from the Planning Commission.

However, we have found that the current controls have led to project sponsors designing just short of the threshold, resulting in inferior design and/or significantly expanded projects.

In keeping with the ongoing effort of changing practices to better meet the needs of the City, the Department is proposing to remove the Tantamount to Demolition calculations from the Planning Code and replace them with a Residential Expansion Threshold, or a standard that would limit the size of the finished project to be more consistent with neighborhood character.

The Department previously considered requiring Planning Commission review for projects that result in a unit that is more than 3,000 GSF.  After receiving feedback at community meetings and presentations to the Planning Commission on the proposed standards, the Department decided to re-evaluate its approach. We’re now considering thresholds for RH-1(D), RH-1, RH-2, and RH-3 Zoning Districts that would determine when a project can proceed as-of-right or when a project requires approval by the Planning Commission.

We will be hosting two community conversations to discuss the revised proposal before an informational presentation at Planning Commission on June 1, 2017. Please note that no decisions will be made at this time.

Community Conversations Dates:

• Wednesday, May 3, 2017: For specific details & to RSVP click here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/residential-expansion-threshold-community-conversation-tickets-33827440786
• Monday, May 8, 2017: For specific details & to RSVP click here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/residential-expansion-threshold-community-conversation-tickets-33827926238

Both events will be held at San Francisco Planning, 1650 Mission Street

Planning Commission Informational Presentation

Thursday, June 1, 2017

If you would like Planning staff to attend an upcoming neighborhood or organization meeting, please contact Brittany Bendix at Brittany.bendix@sfgov.org or 415-575-9114.

For more information on the Residential Expansion Threshold, including the full definition Tantamount to Demolition, visit ourwebsite at http://sf-planning.org/residential-expansion-threshold.

中文詢問請電: (415) 575-9010

Para información en Español llamar al: (415) 575-9010

Para sa impormasyon sa Tagalog tumawag sa: (415) 575-9121