That "epic battle" between the forces of historic preservation and the forces of building stuff comes to a boil today in the Civic Center in the form of a rally. In attendance should be some recurring characters of development yore: former supe Aaron Peskin and pal Chris Daly are on the side of the proposed planning code changes, which are said (perhaps with some degree of hysterics) to make it much more difficult to do anything to buildings that are deemed historic. And then there's also current Board of Supes president David Chiu, plus a planning commissioner, both tied to our old friend Mr. Peskin. And then there's the building trades council, which represents construction workers who want jobs, you know, building things. This is all, however, just a big friggin' waste of time, according to one guerrilla curator and preservation watcher who thinks there's room for agreement:
... buildings designated historically significant often have higher standards for care, meaning MORE construction work. ... Preservation doesn’t have to limit change, but it should guide it because it is in the best interest of citizens to have a diverse fabric of buildings and neighborhoods. Why does it have to be so contentious? Why can’t people just get the facts, come to the table with an understanding of the opposite perspective, and chill the fuck out? Probably because everyone needs an excuse to stand in front of City Hall with a sign sometime.
· Tension between labor, left over historic sites [SF Gate]
· Last Boring Historic Preservation Bulletin For Today. [goodurb]
· Historic Preservation, Historic Battle [Curbed SF]
Loading comments...