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Board continues 180 Corwin parking variance so owner can evaluate stacker and affordable‑housing options
Summary
The appeals board continued an appeal over a five‑space parking variance for a six‑unit building at 180 Corwin to May 16 after hearing an engineering study showing $175,000–$400,000 retrofit costs for a stacker and additional sprinkler upgrades. Commissioners urged the owner to explore combining units or using a BMR tradeoff and obtain cost estimates.
The Board of Appeals voted to continue an appeal over a parking variance at 180 Corwin (appeal V O6‑177) to May 16 to allow parties time to refine engineering and affordability options.
Appellant Roger Tellis and structural engineer Kelton Finney presented an engineering report examining options to provide the sixth parking space, including a parking stacker that the engineer estimated could cost roughly $175,000 for the mechanical stacker plus additional expenses and potential $25,000–$100,000 costs for sprinkler upgrades depending on available water flow and main upgrades. The owner said those costs could exceed the value of the apartment being preserved.
Planning Department staff identified a viable stacker solution and said that loss of 153 square feet to install the pit would leave a unit of approximately 1,400 square feet; the department maintained that providing the sixth parking space remained justified. Commissioners discussed alternative options: removing a smaller unit, combining units, or designating a below‑market‑rate (BMR) unit in exchange for parking relief and asked counsel and the owner to examine BMR price calculations with the Mayor’s Office of Housing.
The board agreed to continue the matter to May 16 to allow the owner to obtain additional numbers, consult Planning and the Mayor’s Office of Housing about BMR pricing, and provide more precise retrofit cost figures.
