Board upholds Great Highway development permits despite neighbor objections

The San Francisco Board of Appeals voted 4-0 to uphold permits for two three-story residential buildings proposed on a 60-foot lot near the Great Highway, rejecting appeals by Stephen Goodman and other homeowners.

Goodman argued the two-building design would be out of scale with adjacent facades, that proposed driveways would encroach on homeowners property, and that mature cypress trees on the greenbelt would be harmed. "Allowing the builder to put private driveways on my and other homeowners' properties would be allowing him to take part of my property," Goodman said.

The permit holders counsel, Lou Blaget, presented aerial photos, planning-commission approvals from the original planned-unit development and a geotechnical report; he said the planned-unit development and planning staff had anticipated this configuration. Mike Wilkinson, president of the homeowners association that signed the settlement agreement referenced by the permit holder, told the board the association had the authority to grant the easement in question.

Commissioners discussed design compatibility, coastal and PUD approvals, construction staging and the protection of greenbelt foliage. Several commissioners acknowledged sympathy for neighbors but noted the project had previously passed planning and related reviews and that the permits in front of the board complied with the applicable approvals.

The board denied the appeals and affirmed both permits, instructing parties that standard permit conditions and any required mitigation would apply in later permitting stages.