Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development Van Ness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Commission approves 1200 Van Ness mixed‑use project with condition on common open space
Summary
The commission approved a proposal to demolish the existing complex at Van Ness and Post and construct a 13‑story building with 107 units, retail and health‑services space, subject to a condition to improve downtown podium open space and sunlight access.
The Planning Commission voted 4‑2 on Sept. 23 to approve a 13‑story mixed‑use development at 1200 Van Ness Ave that would replace the existing building with roughly 107 dwelling units, ground‑floor retail, health services space and limited parking.
Planning staff presented the project as a planned unit development request that would add about 107 units, roughly 32,000 square feet of commercial/restaurant space, 270 parking spaces in a below‑grade garage, and 155 bicycle spaces. The department recommended approval with conditions, including standard noise mitigations.
Project counsel Jim Abrams and the design team described reductions to parking (about 0.5 spaces per apartment) and design changes intended to improve pedestrian experience along Hemlock Alley and Polk. The sponsor described adding 23 units relative to an earlier design and said the project meets Van Ness corridor land‑use rules.
Labor unions and neighborhood groups were prominent in public comment: representatives from Sheet Metal Workers Local 104, Carpenters Local 22, Plumbers Local 38 and other building trades urged approval citing union jobs and long‑term employment benefits. Lower Polk neighborhood representatives said developers had been engaged with the community on alley improvements. Some neighbors and speakers voiced concerns about the amount of parking and the inclusion of medical office space rather than more housing.
Commissioners focused questions on the quality and sunlight access of the podium common open space and units that faced internal courtyards. Commissioner Diamond asked the sponsor to make additional design refinements; the sponsor agreed to a condition that the project sponsor and Planning Department “study potential modifications to the common open space to maximize sunlight access and increase the usable area” including shifting townhomes east, adding rooftop common space or adding balconies.
With that condition, the commission approved the project 4‑2 (Commissioners Moore and Imperial opposed). Commissioners in favor cited the housing yield and the improved street activation along Van Ness and Hemlock; dissenting commissioners cited concerns about parking, medical office space and alignment with the Van Ness Area Plan.
