According to the City's Planning director, speaking to recently arrived SF resident and Chronicle staffer C. W. Nevius today, San Francisco is the only large city that allows residents to object to neighborhood changes even if the City has already approved construction projects. That's just a lengthy way of saying NIMBYs have a powerful voice in San Francisco (which we already knew), but Nevius uses it as way to frame his argument supporting reform of the Discretionary Review process that allows for such objections. The Discretionary Review, his argument goes, is intended to be used for "exceptional and extraordinary" construction projects, but has been used in the past to block such trivial projects like building a backyard deck because a neighbor was concerned that a deck would lead to grilling which would lead to the delicious scent of grilled meats drifting downwind to their own home. Unsurprisingly, most discretionary reviews come from "affluent areas like the Castro, Noe Valley and Upper Haight", so it's fair to start calling this the Sit/Lie Law of Home Renovations, right?
· Discretionary Review: SF should raise standard [SFGate]
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