Could the city's discretionary review process be headed for the grave? Building permit apps are normally:
...delegated to the Planning Department, which approves applications that meet the minimum standards of the Planning Code. ... From time to time the Commission will review a permit application. The Commission may determine that modifications to the proposed project are necessary in order to protect the public interest. Naturally, developments that get proposed anywhere, by anyone don't pass muster with nabe organizations end up getting pushed onto the discretionary review docket and brought in front of a totally fried tribunal. The NIMBY parade begins, and 30 percent of projects end up getting withdrawn. Kind of uncool.
One idea to cut down on the "very frivolous applications that result in endless appeals": meeting at the project site to cut away ambiguity. Time limits and some sort of hearing officer are also being bandied about too— but no decision will be made yet, as the commissioners feel more thinkage is needed.
As one commish observed: "A lot of our D.R.'s are political theater." (What we might call a shitshow here.) Seems the Planning Commission feels that kind of acrimonious theater is so yesterday— might they instead return to the tasks at hand: planning and architecture? Crazy, we know.
· San Francisco Planning Department: The 10th Circle of Hell [Curbed SF]
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