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Board adopts findings in Union Bank signage case with minor edits
Summary
The Board of Appeals adopted draft findings in the Union Bank signage matter, confirming earlier decision to allow two signs to remain for eight years and carrying two textual corrections. A proposed amendment to allow replacement of sign copy during the eight‑year period was rejected by the Planning Department but ultimately the board adopted findings with staff edits.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals voted 4–1 on Feb. 24 to adopt findings related to an earlier decision allowing two Union Bank signs to remain for eight years from permit issuance. The decision formalizes the board’s prior equity-based determination and includes two edits the city attorney recommended to correct drafting and typographical errors.
Union Bank representatives, including attorney David Cincotta and in-house counsel who described potential future mergers, asked the board to add limited language allowing the bank to replace sign copy under narrow circumstances such as acquisition or reorganization, provided the bank obtained the required new permits. Planning Department staff and the board majority expressed concern that broad language could undermine the rationale for an eight‑year limited allowance and could create enforcement difficulties.
After debate over the breadth of terms such as “reorganization,” the board discussed alternative, narrower language that would allow replacement only where a parent‑company brand becomes the controlling brand. Ultimately commissioners voted to adopt the findings as drafted with the editing corrections suggested by the city attorney’s office; the board rejected the appellant’s broader amendment. The findings adoption was recorded as 4–1.
