Commission splits 4‑2 to approve Divisadero Street addition after rejecting Doctor requests

The Planning Commission voted 4–2 on May 7 to approve a discretionary addition at 3627 Divisadero Street after rejecting Doctor requests from immediate neighbors who asked the commission to require larger setbacks and other changes to protect light and privacy.

Two Doctor requesters — Shelly Menenghetti and Richard Miller — said the proposed fourth floor and parapet would be out of scale on a mid‑block lot, would reduce light to skylights and skylight‑served rooms, and would harm neighborhood character. They asked for a 20‑foot front setback for the new fourth story and 5‑foot side setbacks to protect adjacent skylights and create light wells.

The project sponsor and designer described the proposal as intended for multigenerational living, noted a history of outreach and offered concessions such as a reduced parapet using a fire‑rated roof, front‑setback revisions and privacy landscaping. The sponsor argued several nearby properties have comparable height and the design had been reviewed by RDAT and staff.

Commissioners were divided. Commissioners Fung, Diamond, Johnson and Fung’s ally supported staff’s recommendation that the Doctor requesters had not demonstrated "extraordinary and exceptional" circumstances for discretionary action, while Commissioners Moore and Imperial said the fourth story exceeded typical scale for the block and were concerned about potential conversions and neighborhood impacts. Commissioner Johnson moved to not take the Doctor requests and approve the project as proposed; the motion passed 4‑2. The commission also discussed but did not adopt a short‑term‑rental prohibition.