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Commission approves adaptive reuse of St. Joseph's Church at 1401 Howard
Summary
The commission approved a conditional use authorization to convert the landmark building at 1401 Howard (St. Joseph's Church) to office, retail and assembly uses, praising the project’s adaptive reuse and plans for historic rehabilitation and seismic strengthening.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved on Feb. 23 a conditional use authorization for the adaptive reuse of the landmark building at 1401 Howard Street (St. Joseph’s Church).
Planning staff described the proposal as a change from church to a mix of uses under Planning Code §803.9(a): about 18,260 square feet of office space, 1,300 square feet of retail and 2,500 square feet of assembly space. The project includes exterior repair and rehabilitation, seismic strengthening and an interior freestanding mezzanine. The Historic Preservation Commission had earlier granted a certificate of appropriateness for the exterior work and noted the project’s compatibility with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.
Project sponsor Chris Foley and development partner Brian Spears said the proposal uses historic and tax-credit financing tools (historic tax credits, new markets tax credits and likely the Mills Act) and identified a local nonprofit, United Players, as a partner for programming related to youth and violence-prevention efforts. Neighbors from the adjacent property at 1415 Mission voiced strong support. Commissioners praised the adaptive reuse and the potential to restore a long-vacant corner; the motion to approve passed unanimously by roll call.
Next steps include finalizing design details with staff and advancing building-permit review and preservation-condition compliance.
