Planning Commission approves relocation of Victorian and new mid‑rise at Franklin with conditions

The Planning Commission voted to approve two linked projects that relocate a historic Victorian and build an eight‑story residential building at 807 Franklin Street, while adaptively reusing the mortuary at 635 Fulton Street.

Mary Woods of Planning Department staff summarized the proposal: the Franklin site would host a new eight‑story building with 48 units and rooftop open space; the Victorian would be moved to 635 Fulton where both the mortuary and the relocated house would be adapted to create a total of 17 dwelling units. The projects require conditional use authorization for building height and, at Fulton, a rear‑yard variance. Woods said staff would add a condition requiring a qualified preservation professional to coordinate the relocation.

Toby Morris, architect for the sponsor, described preservation and reuse plans and said 82 percent of units on the Fulton site would be family‑sized two‑ and three‑bedroom units. He also noted the project will provide inclusionary obligations via an in‑lieu fee to preserve grandfathered status tied to a December 7 site‑permit deadline.

Neighborhood organizations offered mixed feedback. Jim Warshall of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association praised preservation and housing production but urged on‑site affordable units; Marlene Morgan and other neighbors emphasized the community value of on‑site BMRs. The project sponsor said scheduling and legal constraints drove the in‑lieu approach but expressed openness to further neighborhood collaboration.

Commissioner discussion emphasized preservation coordination and affordable‑housing trade‑offs. After amendments (including the material palette and the relocation coordination condition read into the record), the commission approved shadow findings and both projects with conditions; the motion passed unanimously.