Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Commission approves Lyric expansion with larger outdoor occupancy and extended hours
Summary
The commission approved Lyric’s expansion at 127 Collingwood and amended the conditions to raise rear‑yard combined occupancy to 49 and allow programming up to 9 p.m., following extensive testimony from youth, service partners and neighbors.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved Lyric’s proposed expansion at 127 Collingwood on Oct. 8, granting a conditional use authorization and a zoning variance and amending staff conditions to reflect higher outdoor occupancy and extended programming hours.
Staff described Lyric’s need for more program and ADA‑accessible space to serve low‑income LGBTQ youth. Lyric’s executive director, Jody Schwartz, said the renovation would add group rooms, improved circulation, and a rebuilt rear annex to expand counseling, programming and services for youth who are disproportionately low‑income, survivors of violence or homeless.
More than two dozen community organizations, funders and neighborhood groups testified in support, including the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, the Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association, Huckleberry Youth Programs, the San Francisco LGBT Center and elected and nonprofit representatives. Supporters underscored Lyric’s record serving vulnerable youth and the urgency of expanded, accessible space.
Adjacent neighbors asked for protections tied to construction, party‑wall agreements and clarity on occupancy and hours. Project counsel and staff clarified that the rear yard annex and open space combined should be permitted an occupancy of 49 people (rather than the planner’s initial 19), and commissioners accepted staff’s recommendation to allow programming up to 9 p.m. daily. The commission also retained a report‑back condition to check on operation after implementation.
The motion to approve, as amended to increase occupancy and hours, passed unanimously 6‑0. Staff will finalize findings and conditions and monitor the project’s compliance with the conditions and the report‑back requirement.
