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HPC requires active ground‑floor uses, storefront glazing for 1035 Howard Street while allowing upper‑floor waiver
Summary
After weeks of review and extensive public comment, the Historic Preservation Commission approved a permit to alter for 1035 Howard Street Dec. 4 but refused a ground‑floor active‑use waiver, requiring 25‑foot active storefronts on Howard and Russ streets, glazing in storefront bays, and recommending a streetscape and lighting plan. Vote was 6–0 (Commissioner Wright recused).
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission on Dec. 4 approved a permit to alter for the individually designated Article 11 building at 1035 Howard Street but set limits on code waivers the project sponsor had requested.
Planning staff presented changes to the project, which now includes about 1,540 gross square feet of ground‑floor social services, roughly 23,911 square feet of self‑storage, and about 43,996 square feet of commercial storage. Staff said approval under Planning Code §803.9(b) would require findings that the change of use enhances feasibility of preserving the landmark and that a historic building maintenance plan be enforced. Staff recommended approval with conditions and noted opposition letters from neighbors and the South of Market Business Association raising concerns about traffic, truck emissions and ground‑floor inactivity.
John Keflin, representing the project sponsor, told commissioners the proposal would 'support the necessary $10,000,000 in cost to rehabilitate this historic building' and secure a long‑term, very below‑market lease to the Filipino American Development Foundation (FADF). He said the team had explored alternatives (retail, office, lab, residential) and found them infeasible.
Public comment included more than a dozen speakers opposed to the proposed predominance of storage uses. One organized speaker told commissioners, 'We got over a 100 and probably 50 people ... who oppose this project because it's not no value to our community,' and multiple neighborhood representatives expressed safety and quality‑of‑life concerns tied to the building's current vacant condition and drug activity on the site.
Commissioners debated three related actions: (1) approval of the exterior permit to alter under Article 11 standards; (2) advice to the zoning administrator on whether the proposed storage uses would enhance preservation feasibility under §803.9(b); and (3) whether to advise the Planning Commission to grant an active‑use waiver under §145.1 for street‑frontage requirements.
After extended questioning of staff and the sponsor, and amendment drafting, the commission approved a consolidated motion directing that active ground‑floor uses be required on Howard and Russ streets to a 25‑foot depth, that the waiver apply only to the second and third floors (i.e., upper floors may be exempted), that storefront glazing be provided consistent with code transparency requirements, and that the Planning Commission be asked to consider a robust streetscape and lighting plan to improve safety and activation. The motion passed unanimously 6–0; Commissioner Wright was recused from deliberation and vote.
The commission's recommendations will be forwarded to the zoning administrator and to the Planning Commission, which will hear the active‑use waiver request on Dec. 5. Staff and the sponsor said they will continue community outreach and negotiation on potential additional community uses in the building.
Next steps: staff to finalize the permit‑to‑alter documentation, transmit the HPC’s advice to the zoning administrator, and forward the active‑use waiver recommendation to the Planning Commission for its Dec. 5 hearing.
