Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board of Appeals grants variance for 1230 Guttingen St. with conditions after neighbors object
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Aug. 18 granted a rear-yard and related variances for a revised three‑story-to‑two‑story proposal at 1230 Guttingen St., conditioned on revised plans dated Aug. 11, 2021 (third floor removed; roof deck set back 3 feet). The vote was 4–1.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Aug. 18 granted a variance allowing construction of a two‑story single‑family house on a substandard lot at 1230 Guttingen St., imposing conditions the applicant must meet before proceeding.
The Board’s action centered on whether the applicant had followed prior directions after the panel continued the matter on July 21. The Board required adoption of revised plans dated Aug. 11, 2021, that remove a previous third story, set back any roof deck by 3 feet from adjacent property lines and eliminate a stair penthouse. Commissioner Anne Lazarus moved to grant the appeal and issue the variance with those conditions; the motion carried 4–1 (Lopez, Honda, Lazarus, Chang — yes; Swig — no).
The permit applicant said the revised design complied with the Board’s directions, noting the third story was removed and the roof deck was set back on all sides. “We have complied with the board's direction, by removing a whole third story,” the determination holder said when presenting the revised plans. The applicant also said usable open space increased from 93 to 175 square feet and bicycle parking had been added.
Neighbors and the appellant’s representative urged denial, citing height, loss of light and privacy, and incomplete outreach within a 150‑foot radius. Appellant counsel and public commenters described the project as visually out of character and argued that previous pre‑application outreach had been inadequate. Commissioner Tina Chang pressed the applicant on where mechanical equipment and plumbing runs would fit in the small floorplates; the project architect responded that modern compact systems make such installations feasible.
Zoning Administrator Corey Teague told the Board the lot is a legal but extremely small lot and that the earlier variance findings were based on substandard‑lot constraints; he said the revised plan reduces the building envelope. The Board said the findings required under the Planning Code were met and conditioned approval on the revised plans dated Aug. 11.
Next steps: The permit holder must record and build to the revised plans required by the Board’s conditions; the Board’s decision was recorded and the matter concluded for tonight.
