Planning Commission backs ordinance to review interior features of privately owned landmarks

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors consider an ordinance—introduced by Supervisor Jake McGoldrick—to amend Article 10 of the Planning Code to include review of proposed changes to significant interior architectural features of privately owned landmark buildings that have been historically accessible to the public.

Staff summary: Planning staff described a revised ordinance text that limits review to features specifically listed in a building’s landmark designation report; the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board reviewed the ordinance and recommended adoption with minor wording changes. Staff said the revised text had been reviewed by the city attorney and Supervisor McGoldrick supported the amendments.

Public comment and rationale: Courtney Damkroger, representing the Landmarks Board, and other speakers, including local preservation advocates, urged the commission to support the measure as a tool to protect historically significant interiors (examples offered included historic theater interiors). A native San Franciscan described the loss of notable interiors in past decades and urged the commission to protect intact interiors going forward.

Commission action and next steps: The commission voted unanimously to recommend adoption with the Landmarks Board’s suggested modifications. Staff noted that if an interior is not already included in a building’s designation report, the designation would need to be amended through the standard public process before review could apply to those interior elements.

Why it matters: The change would add a municipal review layer for changes to historically significant interiors of privately owned landmarks that have been publicly accessible, subject to the scope defined in designation reports, which proponents say fills a longstanding gap in preservation tools.