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Planning commission upholds Petro Avenue PMND and approves revised 480 Petro Ave. with conditions to protect adjacent Verdi Club
Summary
After weeks of neighborhood appeals and geotechnical debate, the Planning Commission voted to uphold the amended preliminary mitigated negative declaration for 480 Petro Ave. and approved project authorization with conditions requiring protective barriers, worker training, and a pre‑construction baseline condition report for the adjacent Verdi Club.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Aug. 8 voted to uphold the Planning Department’s amended preliminary mitigated negative declaration (PMND) for a proposed six‑story, 75‑unit mixed‑use building at 480 Petro Avenue and approved project authorization with added conditions aimed at protecting the neighboring Verdi Club, a historic resource.
Don Lewis, Planning Department staff, told commissioners the sponsor had provided an updated geotechnical report and that “existing codes and regulations adequately address” construction impacts when the recommended measures are applied. The department recommended upholding the PMND and moving forward without a new EIR.
Reza Akashni Bissan, representing the project sponsor, described design revisions and said the team had reduced excavation adjacent to the Verdi Club and prepared shoring and foundation approaches intended to avoid excessive vibration. "We are not proposing any drastic excavation that would undermine the Verdi Club," he said.
Neighbors and the Verdi Club president urged stricter review. Dean Donnelli, president of the Verdi Club, described the building’s historical and cultural value and opposed the 6‑story proposal next door. "The Verdi Club is totally against this building being built," he said, saying the club is a century‑old social institution whose programs and bookings could be harmed by construction impacts.
Commissioners debated whether the programmatic Eastern Neighborhoods EIR and the updated geotechnical work adequately addressed potential construction damage to adjacent historic resources. Commissioner Sugaya dissented on the PMND vote, but a majority of the commission voted 6–1 to uphold the PMND. The commission then approved the project with four additional conditions added to the authorization: erection of temporary protective barriers along the Verdi Club wall, a training program for construction workers about the importance of the adjacent historic resource and safe operations next to it, a pre‑construction existing‑condition assessment of the Verdi Club by a historic architect and structural engineer to be submitted to historic preservation staff for review, and mitigation of construction access impacts to preserve the Verdi Club’s access during construction.
On the record, commissioners said the conditions were intended to provide a clear baseline and practical protections during construction rather than require a new environmental review. The motion to approve the project with the conditions passed unanimously 7–0.
What’s next: With the PMND upheld and the project authorized subject to the conditions, the developer will proceed toward permit review, including the building permits and any DBI (Department of Building Inspection) requirements for shoring and construction monitoring.
Speakers quoted: "We are not proposing any drastic excavation that would undermine Verdi Club," said project representative Reza Akashni Bissan. Verdi Club president Dean Donnelli said, "The Verdi Club is totally against this building being built."
