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Committee sends Wawona/40 Fifth SUD and LCP amendment—sponsor says it enables United Irish Cultural Center redevelopment
Summary
The committee recommended sending an ordinance and a resolution to the full Board that would add a Wawona Street & 40 Fifth Avenue Cultural Center Special Use District to the local coastal program, clarify a 100‑foot building height limit for 2740 Fifth Avenue, and designate principally permitted uses for Coastal Commission appeal purposes; the sponsor and planning staff said the changes reflect Coastal Commission staff comments and are intended to facilitate redevelopment of the United Irish Cultural Center.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee on June 3 voted to forward an ordinance amending the planning code and a companion resolution transmitting an implementation‑program amendment to the California Coastal Commission. The changes would create a Wawona Street and 40 Fifth Avenue Cultural Center Special Use District (SUD), clarify building height limits and principally permitted uses for purposes of appeal, and support redevelopment of the United Irish Cultural Center at 2740 Fifth Avenue.
Supervisor Joel Engardio, the sponsor, said the revision incorporates Coastal Commission staff feedback and is intended to enable a reimagined community center that would provide event space, a gym, and expanded community uses. "This legislation does not permit a 50‑story tower," Engardio said, describing the changes as a targeted update to allow redevelopment while preserving coastal zone protections.
President Erin Peskin provided context on the Coastal Act and local implementation: San Francisco has its local coastal program and delegates permit authority; Coastal Commission staff suggested language that would align San Francisco’s local program with other counties by clarifying that principally permitted uses are not appealable in the same way. Planning Department staff Gabriela Pinto said the Coastal Commission recommended a set of edits, including specifying a 100‑foot building height limit for the SUD location at 2740 Fifth Avenue and listing the designated principal uses within Planning Code Section 330. Pinto noted that because the Coastal Commission has not yet certified the SUD, the SUD is not operative until certification and described next steps: two Board hearings, mayoral signature, and submittal to the Coastal Commission.
Public comment was mixed. Representatives of Speak urged tabling the items and argued the ordinance's title and summary were inconsistent, raised concerns that designating principal permitted uses as commercial could facilitate leasing or 'flipping' entitlements at a 501(c)(3) site, and said Speak had filed a local appeal for a related coastal‑zone permit. Several neighborhood speakers also opposed the changes, accusing the proposal of enabling out‑zoning and bypassing public engagement. Supporters of the United Irish Cultural Center—including members and leaders—urged passage and described the center's decades of community programming since 1975.
President Peskin moved to send the ordinance and resolution to the full Board with a positive recommendation (Item 3 as a committee report). The committee recorded aye votes and the motion passed. The items will proceed to the Board of Supervisors for further hearings and then to the California Coastal Commission for certification.
