San Francisco Gets Its Landmarks On
Powerful New S.F. Landmarks Board Proposed
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A new San Francisco commission would be given wide powers to protect buildings and areas considered historically important, under a proposal to be reviewed at City Hall Wednesday.
Most large U.S. cities already have a separate group overseeing historic preservation. In San Francisco, landmarks ultimately are determined by the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission, which also oversees development and other land-use issues. Under the proposal by Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, the Planning Commission would no longer have control over the preservation issues.
“San Francisco has not kept pace with other great American cities relative to having a robust historic preservation board, and this would take a step in that direction,” Peskin said.
The Planning Department and planning commissioners have expressed concern that the new board would have too much authority in instances where new development and historic preservation coincide. In such cases, the proposed Landmarks Preservation Board could have ultimate say over affordable housing issues, the heights of buildings and other zoning questions that are the purview of the Planning Commission.
E-mail Robert Selna at [email protected].
From the SF Chronicle
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/09/BAOP11LRES.DTL