Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 940 Battery Extension topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Historic Preservation Commission grants extension for 940 Battery St. museum amid neighbors' noise concerns
Summary
The commission unanimously approved a technical extension of its prior 940 Battery Street certificate of appropriateness to allow the Museo Italiano Americano more time to complete its project; nearby media and production tenants raised concerns that construction vibration and noise could damage live-broadcast and sound studios.
The Historic Preservation Commission granted the Museo Italiano Americano a requested extension of the commission's prior approval for work at 940 Battery Street, after hearing strong concerns from adjacent media and production tenants about construction-related noise and vibration.
Planning staff reported that the project was approved by the HPC in August 2018 but that pandemic-related fundraising delays prevented the sponsor from starting construction. Staff recommended approval of a 3-to-5-year extension of the prior motion (HPC motion M0345) and noted a minor correction to motion language. Sponsor representatives told the commission that fundraising during the pandemic had stalled construction and that the owner had invested significantly in prior work.
Several businesses and tenants in the block-long "Media Gulch" area (950 Battery and nearby Green Street) said they were not consulted in 2018 or had not received effective notice and warned that vibrations during foundation work and other construction activities would interfere with live-broadcast operations, audio recording, and post-production. BeyondPix (950 Battery) said it had invested more than $1 million in studio and broadcast infrastructure and warned that construction noise could be catastrophic for their operations; other callers from Coloragogo, Oncx SF and 69 Green Street described similar concerns.
Commissioners expressed sympathy for the neighboring businesses and noted construction mitigation and scheduling are typically addressed by the contractor and the Planning Commission/permit process. Commissioners also observed the HPC's review is limited to whether the earlier project complies with Article 10 of the Planning Code and the Secretary of the Interior standards. Given those limits and staff analysis that the project complies, a motion to approve the requested extension passed (recorded 6-0 in the final roll call) with the understanding that construction mitigation remains subject to permit conditions and contractor coordination.
The commission's action resolves a timing technicality so that the previously approved scope can proceed when the sponsor is ready; it does not change the scope that was previously reviewed. Several commissioners urged project proponents and contractors to work directly with adjacent tenants on construction scheduling and mitigation plans to protect existing broadcasting and audio-production operations.
