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Historic Preservation Commission recommends landmarking Peace Pagoda and Peace Plaza amid Japantown concerns
Summary
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors designate the Peace Pagoda and Peace Plaza in Japantown as an Article 10 landmark, after staff said routine plaza repairs would be exempt from certificate-of-appropriateness review and community members urged either pausing plaza designation or ensuring a community-led redesign.
Desiree Smith, planning department staff, told the Historic Preservation Commission on Dec. 20 that the department recommends the Board of Supervisors landmark both the Peace Pagoda and Peace Plaza at 1610 Gary Boulevard in Japantown, and that the draft ordinance was revised so routine maintenance of the plaza would not require a certificate of appropriateness.
The recommendation prompted a lengthy public-comment period and extensive commission debate over whether to landmark the pagoda and plaza together. Multiple Japantown leaders said the pagoda itself should be designated now while the community completes a design and remediation process for the plaza. "So I was the one that signed the letter…
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