In their continuing fight to block a character-breaking development at 673-675 44th Avenue, a group of neighbors has filed an appeal with the Board of Supervisors. They were then issued another one-week continuance from the Planning Commission to allow the appeal to be properly reviewed.
The appeal was filed to oppose the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) determination for the aforementioned development. The neighbors contend that the CEQA exemption for the project should not have been issued, since the project’s Historical Resource Evaluation Review (HRER) was insufficient and full of inaccuracies.
The group of neighbors contend that the building at 673-675 44th Avenue is historical. The home, along with many on that block, was originally built in the early 1920’s by well-known San Francisco developers, the Heyman Brothers.
This early article from the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Heyman Brothers originally bought the block, bounded by 44th and 45th avenues and Anza and Balboa, for $25,000. “This land will be graded and put in condition for home building before being offered in subdivisions”.
A handful of neighbors attended Thursday’s Planning Commission hearing, where the continuance was granted. The developer, Black Sea Corporation, was not in attendance.
But the project’s permit expeditor was there and apparently was not thrilled to learn about the problematic historical claims being made to the property. “He knew who the Heyman Brothers were right away!” one neighbor told me.
Prior to Thursday’s hearing, the neighbors also received written support from the Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR). In his letter, Chair Peter Winkelstein wrote “PAR supports a continuance of this item to allow the discretionary review requesters to pursue an appeal to the Board of Supervisors of the negative declaration for this project”.
PAR also supports the historic claims that the neighbors are making, writing “It appears that the negative [CEQA] declaration has flaws and there are legitimate concerns that the existing building may have significant historic value.”
I also learned this week that this is not the first time that the developer’s architect, Gary Gee, has met opposition to one of his designs.
Neighbors fought for five years to retain the character and reduce the bulk of a Gee design for a development on 27th Avenue between Balboa and Cabrillo. Character-breaking and oversized? That sounds exactly like the 44th Avenue development.
The 44th Avenue neighbors will return to next Thursday’s Planning Commission hearing to find out the next steps for their appeal.
Sarah B.
A photo from the September 23, 1922 issue of the SF Chronicle showing a
set of 44th Avenue bungalows built by another Richmond District developer, the Meyer Bros.
Where is that historical evidence that’s makes up the neighbors’ position? If anyone were to actually research the history of this building, s/he will find that neither the design nor the construction of this bungalow had anything to do with the Heyman Brothers. Even the early Chronicle column referenced in this blog mentions the “land” of this block, not the homes on this block, which were subsequently erected by unknown architects and builders. All of a sudden everyone is a historic architecture expert, however, the difference between a “spec” house and an original is somehow muddled.
Perhaps finding spelling errors in the CEQA report is merely one of the neighbors’ stalling tactics? Following the blogs on this project makes me wonder how much longer the neighbors will really play on the weaknesses of our system. If some of the loopholes and meaningless regulations existed in the early 20th century when these homes were being built, this City would have never become what it is today, and much less people would be proud to live here. In a way, the City of San Francisco is one of the most conservative places in the country.
All these such a minor issues next to the people AGAINST THE CHANGES! We are grpwing and changing in global sence and our life specs are changing. We are looking for different from 1920th stile and comfortability of living. Let people built what they want even if this will abstruct the view – that is the main reason for all this war. Better look where you live – the style and color of your building – faceless and sorry looking. Get some “make-up”, do some “face-lift”, make your home appearance more appealing!!!
Do not kill development in our city – people need work places!