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Historic Preservation Commission continues review of 1035 Howard Street rehabilitation and self-storage proposal
Summary
The HPC continued action on a major permit to alter 1035 Howard Street so staff and the applicant can return with revised storefront/window details and a plan for community-serving ground-floor activation; the commission voted 5–0 to continue to Dec. 4, 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Historic Preservation Commission on Nov. 20 continued consideration of a proposed rehabilitation at 1035 Howard Street, a vacant Art Deco building, so planning staff and the project sponsor can return with refined storefront and window details and clearer plans for ground-floor community activation.
Monica Giacomucci of planning staff described the proposal to convert roughly 17,549 square feet to self-storage and about 43,996 square feet to commercial storage (PDR use), restore the Howard Street main entry, repair and rehabilitate original steel-sash windows, and implement a historic building maintenance plan. The applicant requested advice under Planning Code section 803.9(b) to allow storage uses in a historic building and a waiver of active-use requirements under Planning Code section 145.1 for the first 25 feet of ground-floor depth.
Project counsel John Kevlin said the owners have explored multiple uses and that "none of them generate the income necessary to support the $10,000,000 that's going to need to go into this building to rehabilitate it." The sponsor proposed a long-term below-market lease to the Filipino American Development Foundation for the Howard Street storefront and plans to commission a mural on Rust Street.
Speakers from the neighborhood raised concerns about the proposed storage uses and the waiver of active-use requirements. Homeowner Justin Appold told the commission that converting the building to storage would undermine neighborhood vitality and public engagement: "Converting it into a storage facility would be a step backwards for our neighborhood." Other residents urged conditions that would ensure storefront activation rather than a dead façade.
After extended deliberation, commissioners asked the applicant to return with a ground-floor plan that preserves or enables active community-serving uses for at least the first bay of depth, clarified storefront muntin/profile details and door proportions compatible with the historic entry, and more information about any proposed leases for community tenants. The commission moved to continue the item to Dec. 4, 2024; the motion passed 5–0 (Commissioner Wright recused).
