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Commission approves revised plan for 50 Seward, eliminates small ADU and incorporates area into larger unit
Summary
After lengthy neighbor testimony over scale, shadowing and design, the commission approved a modified project at 50 Seward Street that removes the proposed 281-square-foot accessory dwelling unit and reallocates that square footage into the lower unit; the motion passed 4–1.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Thursday approved a revised plan for a multi-unit conversion at 50 Seward Street but required modifications in response to neighbor objections over scale, massing and privacy.
Neighbors and three formal 'Doctor requesters' told commissioners the proposal’s volume and design would harm the block face and result in new shadowing and privacy loss. James Pinkau, one of the requesters, said the plans "would destroy that block face" and cited a sun-study that, he said, showed about an hour and 10 minutes of new shadowing on his property.
The project sponsor argued the work restores a previously removed unit, adds an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and creates family-sized units while keeping the façade and neighborhood context in mind. Brett Gladstone, representing the sponsor, said the restored unit and ADU provide housing benefits and noted changes made since the prior hearing.
Commissioners debated the size and viability of a 281-square-foot ADU, the Zoning Administrator’s waiver authority for ADU square footage, and neighborhood compatibility. Commissioner Moore, who had expressed concern about the ADU’s novelty and complexity, sought more time and ZA clarification; that continuance motion failed. Commissioner Hillis moved to approve the project with modifications that eliminate the separate ADU and incorporate its square footage into the lower unit to achieve more balanced unit sizes. That motion passed 4–1, with Commissioner Moore dissenting.
The adopted action adjusts the building program to create two larger units and retain the restored unit rather than leave a compact studio ADU that commissioners and neighbors said was unlikely to function as intended. The decision includes conditions requested by staff and design changes the sponsor agreed to during deliberations.
