Planning staff previews Market Street Prototyping Festival, Mills Act outreach and Central SoMa survey

Department staff briefed the Historic Preservation Commission on multiple outreach and preservation projects at its April 1 meeting.

A director-level speaker highlighted the Market Street Prototyping Festival set for April 9–11, convened with the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and funded by the James Irvine Foundation, saying the event will place roughly 40–45 temporary installations on Market Street to prototype possible long‑term public‑realm changes and that information is linked from the department website.

Tim Frey, department staff, reported on a March Mills Act workshop held in the Uptown/Tenderloin National Register District attended by roughly 11 property owners and about 30 members of the public; he said staff will hold a Mills Act workshop in the Dogpatch local landmark district in the coming weeks and will assist applicants interested in applying this year. Frey also presented draft survey findings for the Central SoMa Area Plan, including a posted Google map and a draft historic context statement with recommendations for buildings to include in landmark work programs and potential reclassification under Article 11 of the planning code.

Frey said department staff engaged with the Small Business Commission on the concept of a legacy business registry and reiterated the department's willingness to provide technical assistance and participate in the program. Commissioners also noted the closing of long‑standing business San Francisco Victoriana and discussed a separate administrative removal of a Sherman Clay neon sign that staff said did not meet current signage guidelines following a tenant change.

No public comment was recorded on these announcements during the meeting.