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Noe Valley resident urges commission to examine 'facadism' in remodels
Summary
A Noe Valley resident told the commission that many remodels may amount to demolitions or 'facadism,' presenting photo examples and saying her review suggested about 40% of cases were mischaracterized; commissioners heard the concern during general public comment.
Georgia Shutish, a Noe Valley resident, told the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission on Feb. 3 that the city should scrutinize remodels she said were effectively demolitions and urged attention to what she called 'facadism.'
Shutish presented a series of before-and-after photographs and said her case review of several projects indicated that "maybe 40% of them really should have been calculated differently as demolitions." She said some examples appeared to preserve only a facade while replacing the rest of the structure, and urged the commission to consider what the city is losing in vernacular housing stock.
Why it matters: if projects are being classified as remodels when they meet local definitions for demolition, that could circumvent review processes designed to protect historic resources in neighborhoods such as Noe Valley. Commissioners did not take action on the comment during the meeting; the commission closed general public comment and moved on to departmental items.
What was said: Shutish said she had consulted with neighborhood stakeholders and reviewed several case studies, and she asked the commission to "look at" how permit decisions treat these kinds of changes. No staff rebuttal or factual dispute was recorded during the general comment period.
Next steps: the commission did not vote or direct follow-up during this meeting; the concern was registered in the public record during general public comment.
