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Preservation commission flags at‑risk sites, asks staff to prioritize dozens of landmark candidates
Summary
At its Aug. 17 meeting the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission reviewed a quarterly landmark‑designation work program, asked staff to prioritize items with substantial work or imminent threats, and heard public comment urging protection for Grama Oriente properties and Van Ness street lamps.
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission on Aug. 17 reviewed about 40 candidate landmark nominations and directed staff to return in September with a prioritization plan that will advance items with substantial work already done and those identified as threatened.
Susan Parks, a department staff member presenting the quarterly update, said staff had three designations finalized in the last reporting quarter (landmark Nos. 270–272) and that the survey team is now fully staffed with several designations in progress. "We have around 40 recommendations for you today," Parks said, outlining a mix of individual properties and district proposals drawn from prior surveys and new research.
Why it matters: commissioners said focusing staff time on nominations that are nearly complete or under immediate threat will help clear a backlog and protect underrepresented cultural resources. Public commenters and preservation groups urged the commission to prioritize several culturally significant sites in South Park tied to the Filipino community and to clarify the status of historic Van Ness street lamps that a transit project may remove.
Public testimony highlighted two immediate concerns. Lynn Neuhaus Siegel, president of the Pacific Heights Residents Association and representing the Coalition to Save the Street Lamps of Van Ness, said, "There are 259 street lamps and poles total," and warned the MTA contract for Van Ness bus rapid transit could preclude reuse of most poles outside the Civic Center. Bernadette Si, director of the Filipino American Development Foundation, said staff should prioritize the Grama Oriente properties in South Park because the buildings include "a total of about 30 rent‑controlled units" that may be lost if the properties change hands; tenant Steve Aravullo testified he is facing an eviction he described as retaliatory.
Staff identified several properties they consider threatened or in need of near‑term attention, including the Order of the Foresters (Baha'i Temple), the El Rey Theater, portions of the Alcoa Building that are undergoing a proposed ground‑floor remodel, and the Grama Oriente properties in South Park. Parks told commissioners staff will engage property owners following the meeting and supply a prioritization memo at the next quarterly report in September.
Votes at a glance: earlier in the meeting the commission moved, seconded and adopted the draft minutes for July 20 and Aug. 3, 2016; the clerk recorded the motion as passing unanimously, 7 to 0.
What’s next: staff will follow up with property owners, refine a prioritized list and return with a summary at the commission’s next quarterly report scheduled for Sept. 20. The item was presented as informational; no formal initiation motions were taken on the new nominations at this hearing.
