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Board upholds tentative map approval for 2146–2150 Union Street; neighbors cite missed notices
Summary
The Board of Supervisors denied an appeal and upheld Public Works’ tentative map approval for a four-unit condominium conversion at 2146–2150 Union Street; neighbors said they were not notified during the planning department’s 30‑day discretionary review and objected to height and noticing.
The Board of Supervisors on July 16 declined to overturn a Public Works tentative map approval for a four‑unit condominium conversion at 2146–2150 Union Street after hearing neighbor testimony that they had not received earlier notice of building and height changes.
Appellant Ron Zagoria, a nearby resident, appealed the tentative subdivision map approval on grounds that he and his neighbors were not notified of the underlying expansion and that the project substantially increases the building’s height. Zagoria said the first notice he received was the letter announcing the tentative map and an opportunity to appeal.
City surveyor Bruce Storrs said the subdivision application was filed in January 2019 and that the Public Works tentative approval had been issued; Aaron Starr of the Planning Department explained the department’s process and said Planning mailed neighborhood notice for the building expansion on June 14, 2017, for a 30‑day discretionary review period. Starr said the planning code requires mailed notice to owners and occupants within 150 feet of the site, and that the department’s records indicate the appellant is outside that 150‑foot radius. He added that the planning permit issued on March 8, 2018 and discretionary review timing had passed; private views are not protected by the planning code, Starr said.
The project sponsor’s representative, Barbara Herzig, said the project complies with applicable plans and that the façade visible from Union Street is unchanged; she said the additional construction is behind the street façade and that the project had been reviewed under the applicable local procedures.
Supervisor Sandra Fewer (appearing as “Stephanie” in the public transcript) explained that appeals of building permits and appeals of tentative subdivision maps are separate processes: the 150‑foot planning notice applies to discretionary review of building expansions, while the tentative map appeal is a narrower, technical review of the subdivision itself. The board voted to uphold the tentative map approval and to table related items tied to conditional disapproval, citing that the appellant’s concerns addressed planning and permitting stages rather than the limited legal standard for reversing the subdivision decision.
The board also discussed process improvements: Supervisor Fewer said she will look into making noticing distances more consistent between departments so neighbors receive clear and unified notice in future cases.
