Planning Commission approves closing 1 Montgomery rooftop to public, requires free downtown events and reporting

The San Francisco Planning Commission voted 5–1 on Dec. 18 to allow the owner of 1 Montgomery Street to close the rooftop terrace that has been subject to prior public‑access conditions, replacing the rooftop requirement with a package of downtown events and reporting requirements.

Staff told commissioners the rooftop terrace is roughly 7,500 square feet and that the sponsor has agreed to host a minimum number of free public events downtown each year; the original proposal required three downtown events (minimum 1,000 people per event and a cumulative 10,000 attendees annually). During the hearing the sponsor agreed to add a fourth large downtown event and to withdraw an option to pay an in‑lieu fee to permanently release the open‑space obligation.

Dakota Speicher of the Planning Department framed the request as a modernization of an old condition of approval, noting staff had received about 21 letters opposing the change and roughly 30 letters supporting it. Ben Van Houten of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development described similar programming as a tool for downtown…