Board upholds environmental review and clears Heritage on the Marina to proceed with modified historic-review conditions

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on June 17 upheld the certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Heritage on the Marina redevelopment at 3400 Laguna Street and approved the project's conditional use authorization and certificate of appropriateness with revisions to the historic-review process.

The board voted 11-0 to affirm the planning commission's certification of the FEIR (item 26). Later votes amended the planning commission's conditional use and Historic Preservation Commission approvals so that final review of architectural details will be performed by planning department preservation staff rather than an ad-hoc Historic Preservation Commission architectural review committee; those motions passed 10-1, with Supervisor Chan voting no.

Why it matters: the project would renovate the century-old Julia Morgan landmark building and demolish two non-historic structures to build new buildings that add roughly 23 residential care units, increasing residential care suites from 86 to 109 and adding roughly 58,000 square feet of institutional space. Opponents said the scale and placement of the new buildings would overwhelm the landmark and that the operator had illegally converted nearby rent-controlled housing into institutional use. Project supporters said the owner needs the expansion to remain financially viable and to modernize homes for seniors.

Opponents pressed preservation, housing and legal concerns. Tanya Albuquerque, speaking for the neighborhood group Save the Marina's Heritage, told the board the Heritage'project "would renovate 2 of the existing buildings and make improvements to the Julia Morgan building" but that the sponsor'plans "will surround and tower over the mansion, hiding much of it and many of its protected and distinguished features from public view." Albuquerque said the Historic Preservation Commission attached a critical condition…