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Board upholds lot‑merger approval after public outcry over illegal demolition of Willis Polk house
Summary
The Board of Supervisors upheld the planning commission’s conditional‑use authorization permitting a lot merger at 948–950 Lombard/841 Chestnut despite extensive public testimony that the Willis Polk–designed residence was illegally demolished. The owner settled with the city for a $400,000 penalty earlier this year.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Dec. 5 voted 10‑1 to uphold a planning commission decision allowing a lot merger at 948–950 Lombard Street and 841 Chestnut Street, a step that will permit two dwelling units on a single, newly merged lot despite months of public controversy over the demolition of a Willis Polk–designed residence on the site.
Kathleen Courtney, chair of the Russian Hill Community Association, led an appeal asking the board to overturn the conditional use authorization and to use the hearing as a prompt for reform after what she and multiple preservation groups called an “illegal demolition by serial permitting.” Hundreds of neighborhood residents, preservation advocates and architects testified that approvals by the Department of Building Inspection and planning staff failed to stop…
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