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Board continues Empress of China letter‑of‑determination appeal, asks for permits, leases and a site visit
Summary
The Board of Appeals continued the high‑profile Empress of China appeal to April 1 and asked planning and DBI for a site inspection and for parties to produce the original permit application and lease documents. The hearing drew extensive public comment urging protection of Chinatown banquet space.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on March 11 continued an appeal challenging a zoning administrator’s letter of determination (LOD) about the Empress of China building in Chinatown, setting new deadlines for documentation and ordering a site visit before the continuation.
Appellants, led by Malcolm Young and community organizations, argued the Fifth Floor banquet space at 838 Grant Avenue has been abandoned since the Empress closed in December 2014 and that permits cited in the LOD cover only the Sixth Floor. Young told commissioners that Chinatown’s banquet halls are culturally and economically important and that losing the Fifth Floor as a community‑accessible…
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