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Board upholds permit for Crown Terrace rebuild after collapse; neighbors contest demolition designation
Summary
After a lengthy hearing on the 125 Crown Terrace reconstruction — following a shoring failure and partial collapse — the Board of Appeals upheld DBI’s revision permit, accepting DBI’s interpretation and concluding administrative review rather than mandatory Planning Commission review was appropriate.
The Board of Appeals on Feb. 11 upheld a DBI permit revision for reconstruction at 125 Crown Terrace, a project that sparked years of controversy after a shoring failure in December 2013 that caused part of the structure to collapse down the hillside.
Appellant Terry Woods and many neighbors characterized the post‑collapse work as a de facto demolition that should have triggered Planning Commission discretionary review under Planning Code §3.17 and argued that the owner’s appraisals relied on the replacement structure’s value rather than the pre‑collapse building, improperly exempting the project from mandatory review.
Project counsel and DBI/Planning staff said the collapse and subsequent stabilization work left an amount of legally built site work and foundation on the property that, together with updated appraisals and DBI valuation, made the property exceed the department’s financial‑accessibility threshold. Planning staff noted a neighborhood notification (3‑11) and concluded the administrative/DBI process was appropriate in this instance. DBI said it had issued emergency stabilization permits and had been extensively involved in mitigation and inspections.
Commissioner Fung moved to uphold DBI’s determination and the permit on the grounds DBI’s decision was sound; the board voted 3–0 to uphold the permit. The decision resolves the matter at the Board of Appeals level; the permit holder will continue with building‑permit processing and DBI oversight for construction and fee adjustments tied to revised construction cost estimates.
