Board denies appeal of Broderick Street rooftop-deck variance; screening required

The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Feb. 12 denied an appeal of a zoning administrator decision that granted a variance for a second-level deck, rooftop deck and spiral stairs at 1708 Broderick Street. The zoning administrator had required privacy screening and a five-foot setback for the occupiable portion of the roof deck; the board found that the variance met the code's required findings and voted 4–0 to deny the appeal.

Why this matters: Neighbors had raised concerns about privacy, light and noise from the proposed rooftop deck, including requests for acoustical analysis and a fully opaque screen to block sight lines into bedrooms in nearby buildings. The board and planning staff said the submitted revisions — a higher guardrail and a six-foot privacy screen on the side facing the most-affected neighbors — were sufficient to meet the variance findings.

What was argued Ryan Shork, the property owner and applicant, said the house’s small…