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Planning panel orders small change to 2515 Broadway addition after neighbors raise demolition and privacy concerns
Summary
After a neighbor‑initiated discretionary review over demolition scope, foundation and privacy impacts, the commission required the applicant to remove one Ground‑Floor bay window and approved the revised 2515 Broadway rear addition (vote 7–0).
Neighbors adjoining a proposed rear addition at 2515 Broadway pressed the Planning Commission on Sept. 27 with concerns that the scope of work amounted to a de facto demolition and would create foundation risk, privacy loss and view impacts. After presentations from staff, neighbors and the architect, the applicant agreed to a narrow design change — removing the third bay window on the Ground Floor facade that aligned with an adjacent bedroom — and the commission approved the project as revised.
Neighbors said the remodel involved substantial interior structural work, potential excavation and loss of two windows that provide breathing light to their home, and asked for demolition calculations and a structural peer review. Staff reviewed demolition‑threshold calculations and concluded the submittal does not meet the Planning Code’s demolition thresholds (Planning Code §317); staff also recommended the commission not take discretionary review because the revised project respects neighborhood massing and privacy standards.
The applicant’s architect described reductions to the scope (three feet pulled back from the rear addition, elimination of three east‑side windows and reduced floor‑area increases) and offered structural monitoring and peer‑review approaches to protect adjacent foundations during construction. The commission asked the applicant to eliminate the Ground‑Floor third window as an accommodation to neighbors; the motion to approve the project with that change passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The exchange highlights neighborhood concerns over large remodeling projects on steep lots and the role of DR in securing negotiated adjustments. Staff noted the construction would proceed under standard permit and underpinning rules administered by the building department; commissioners called for appropriate monitoring and contractor protocols to protect adjoining foundations.
Next steps: The applicant will revise the construction drawings to remove the Ground‑Floor bay and proceed to building permit submittal, with the structural monitoring and peer‑review arrangements available to neighbors via the permit process.
