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Supervisors introduce major revisions to planning code articles governing historic districts and landmarks
Summary
Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced significant amendments to Planning Code Articles 10 and 11 to modernize historic‑preservation procedures, including informational voting for residents, economic‑hardship exceptions, and local interpretations of the Secretary of the Interior standards.
Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced a package of substantial amendments to Articles 10 and 11 of the Planning Code, the city's provisions governing historic districts and landmarks. Wiener described the package as "the first significant update to articles 10 and 11 in a number of decades" and said the changes reflect a multi‑year effort beginning after Proposition J in 2008.
The amendments include several notable provisions: an informational vote among residents of a proposed historic district before designation; an economic hardship provision that allows limited opt‑outs for low‑income property owners who could otherwise be priced out by preservation requirements; explicit language clarifying that historic designation should not block pedestrian safety improvements such as bulb‑outs or sidewalk work; preferential treatment and cost‑mitigation for affordable housing projects; and a requirement that the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission develop local interpretations of the Secretary of the Interior's preservation standards tailored to San Francisco's urban context.
Wiener told the board the package grew from an extensive public process and that the Planning Commission had unanimously approved the amendments and recommended them to the board. "These amendments modernize articles 10 and 11, and in addition, contain a series of amendments...that I proposed, including, for example, a requirement that residents of a proposed historic district vote in an informational vote before the creation of that district so that we actually know whether those who live in this proposed historic district support creation of the district," Wiener said. (Supervisor Scott Wiener)
The amendments also aim to reduce the risk of gentrification by offering limited opt outs for owners of modest means and by easing historic rules that could otherwise increase costs for affordable housing projects. Wiener thanked multiple stakeholders, including the Planning Department, San Francisco Architectural Heritage, Spur, and the Historic Preservation Commission, for their participation in drafting the package.
The legislation was introduced for board consideration; no final vote occurred during the meeting and the items will proceed through the board's committee process.
