[The rear extension of 2705 Larkin Street (at center) by Lundberg Design via SF Planning]
It's Thursday, so what's up at the Planning Commission? First, the fun parts: They're going to look at a conditional use permit for a 1500-sq-ft doggie day care center on Peralta Street– no small issue in a town where "I have a dog and I vote" bumper stickers are a common sight. All signs point to approval. Toward the end of the afternoon there will be a classic rich people vs. rich people fight. The Commission will consider a discretionary review thrown at some people named Fenton who want to expand their Russian Hill house downhill. This is not some ordinary kitchen and deck addition. The designer is Olle Lundberg, an architect well-known for maintaining his own metal shop to fabricate parts of his projects in Cor-Ten steel, and the project provides the Fentons with four beautifully-detailed stories over a basement and includes an elevator. And blasting bedrock. So the neighbors are cranky, especially the ones on charming Culebra Terrace below the steep site. The neighbors should be thrilled the Fentons hired someone as skilled as Lundberg.
In between, the mind-numbing stuff gets handled— but in terms of what San Francisco looks like to the rest of us— important. There's relaxation of signage and parking requirements in Chinatown and North Beach. And a look at Supervisor David Chiu's scenic restrictions around Broadway, Washington and the Embarcadero. Which may or may not have an effect on out favorite NIMBY battleground, 8 Washington Street.
Looking at the next decade, more work to enable the the Transit Plan to move forward— the details that go into planning around the Transbay Terminal neighborhood and its streetscape, with height limits and park planning. It's actually pretty fabulous and worth a read if you have a few hours (a .pdf is available through the Planning Commission link below.)
· May 3 Agenda [SFPC]
· Projects [Lundberg Design]
Both images via the San Francisco Planning Department