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for approval. >> i didn't mean to sing until project sponsor out in terms of that, but i do think it begged the question, i was thinking out loud in some ways about the sessions around nonprofits and that sort of things. i just wanted to put that on the record. >> commissioners, the motion on the floor is for approval. on that motion commissioner antonini. >> aye.

commissioner olagi. motion passed unanimously. >> minneapolis, why don't we take a -- madam secretary, why don't we take a >> we are now on item 17. >> good evening, planning commission. i am presenting this case. before you is a discretionary review request for a proposed vertical addition. the initial concerns are that the plans that were noticed to the neighborhood are inaccurate because they did not identify the light well on the property

and it is incompatible with the skill of the neighborhood. since the notice, they have revised the plan and provided a matching light well. there are concerns about the matching light well because it does not extend to the garage level. they would like for the fourth four to be removed. it has been revised by setting it back 15 feet from the front building wall rather than the front bay window. the department does not feel the proposed light well needs to extend to the rush level based on the logic -- the garage level based on the fact that a six- foot fence is allowed without a permit. also, that could impact building security.

as design, this project has a six football next to the neighbor -- six foot wall next to the neighbor's window, and it will be open to the sky. the dr filer removed the eaves covering the light well, which will provide them more light. this generally allows buildings to be one story taller than adjacent neighboring structures, with the taller element set back 15 feet. this building is flanked by two 3 story buildings. for-story buildings are not necessarily appropriate on the entire block. they are reviewed on a case by case basis. this is a four-story building

that would be appropriate. under conditions pending legislation, this process would not be referred to the commission as this project is not aimed to create exceptional or extraordinary circumstances. our recommendation is do not take discretionary review and approve. president miguel: thank you. dr requestor? >> good evening. my name is don watson. i and my wife have lived on the downhill side of 940 elizabeth street. we are the applicants for discretionary review on this project, but we represent over

30 neighbors who oppose the project as it now stands. you can see by the photos that because of the steep grade our house is almost a full floor below the house next door. that means that our first floor is almost at the same level as their proposed garage. . it is a victorian cottage that had an addition built behind it in 1979. the front remains pretty much the same as it was when it was built. the project before you would essentially demolishes this and expand horizontal lee and vertically to create a structure on four levels, larger than any other single family house on the block. it is too massive to have any continuity with the rest of the neighborhood. we ask you to consider our goals -- to preserve a historic,

valuable 1899 victorian cottage to remove the proposed fourth level, to set back the third level, and to provide a good neighbor and white weld that extends to the bottom of all the windows in our adjacent light well. i present to you four exceptional circumstances. first, the 1899 cottage has historic value. our neighborhood is made up of many victorian and edwardian houses. this cottage has historic value both to the city and to our neighborhood. it should be preserved. other vintage houses in the neighborhood have been remodeled in the original was preserved, thus contributing to the enigmas of the neighborhood. it was our understanding at the time that in the 1979 remodel

project it was allowed to be built 12 feet into the green zone as a trade off in order to keep the victorian cottage intact. we remember this well because there was strong opposition to the intrusion. there has been no other exterior construction on this site. we find it difficult to comprehend why the planning department to take a position that the victorian cottage has been too compromised to warrant historical value. four-level houses have been denied by city planners. developers have been persuaded to not apply for a four-level renovation on this block because it is not in continuity with the rest of the neighborhood. the 900 block of elizabeth street is one of the steepest in the city. it is on a hill that has a 25% grade.

that fact is an extraordinary and exceptional circumstance which should be taken into consideration when evaluating the size and height of proposed building projects on our block. last, the good neighbor light well should allow light and air to all of the windows in an adjacent wall. that is the purpose of a good neighbor light well. much of this light well is above our house. this would leave our bathroom and bedroom in perpetual darkness. i asked an architect to draw the footprint as if it descended into the garage area, and i do not know why it is an issue with the sponsors. they could still park two vehicles side-by-side in their garage. there is a light well that does

not fulfil the function of a good neighbor light well. we respectfully suggest the answer should be no. as proposed in this plan, when we look out our first floor window, we will be facing a wall that extends nearly to the top of our window. i have provided you with reasons to justify it acceptance of our discretionary review application. we and our neighbors ask you to consider revising the sponsor's plan. thank you. president miguel: speakers in favor of the dr? those of you who are in favor of the discretionary review application, up one by one. -- come up one by one.

>> mr. president, commissioners, my name is david burness and have lived on the same block of elizabeth street since 1971. the 900 block at the time when we moved in was unique and special and one of the 10 steepest in the city. steps all the way up. a variety of cottages and houses, different in period and style set back from the property line set back with large sidebars. none with more than three levels and most only two levels. it was a street that possessed a unique and special character. since that time, there has been some change. as neighbors, we accept change.

some changes have been very successful. these are cases where designers and architects had neighbors review the drawings before they finalized them. for example, at 9678, they made a structure. at 939 an old victorian cottage was expanded and a garage inserted very sensitively. others have had negative impact on the quality of the neighborhood. the earliest was the one which has just been discussed where the developers at the time allowed to build a characterless box behind the cottage that was to be preserved. more recently, 925 elizabeth was permitted a very large addition much to the dismay

of the neighbors. the character is substantially intact. most of the valley is zoned rh- 2. this does not take into account important differences in typography, history and in the neighborhood character. the 900 block is a good example. the proposed scheme for reconstruction is not appropriate to the historic character of this block. it is too tall. it should be no more than three levels. it has more square feet than any other residents on the street. its architectural character is a question mark at this time. i urgently request that you facilitate quality over quantity. please do not ratify this scheme as presented. thank you.

>> good evening, commissioners. my name is cathy willen. i support the discretionary review. i believe this project has serious issues which should be corrected. my home is 939 elizabeth street which is directly across the street from the subject property. i am an architect and oversaw the remodel project for our own residents, which is one story over a garage. the problems i see are as follows. the light well on the east side should be extended to the 940 elizabeth basement level. this will bring it down to the main level window at the home affording the continuing light and air to their bathroom and bedroom. this item should be non- negotiable. the planning department should insist on this as a matter of

course. the proposal is for a four story building in a neighborhood of two and three story residences. the building should be no more than three stories tall two stories over a basement which is equal to or greater than most stories on the block. most homes on this block are only one story over a garage. there is only one four storey residents on the block. when the vertical addition to that building was complete, the neighbors were dismayed by how out of character it turned out to be. its lack of sensitivity to its surroundings galvanized the neighborhood into actively working to prevent future projects from being so out of place. third, the height is proposed to be level with the height of the adjacent uphill home at 946 instead of stepping down the hillside.

this disrupts the profile of the street front and is even more disruptive of the profile as seen from the neighbors to the north. the proposed building should be shorter. it should be no higher than the average of the adjacent homes on either side. on a street as steep as this the setback does not mitigate the excess height, as the extra level is readily visible from many angles. i would also like to note that since this building is directly across the street from my home which is only one story over a garage, i will review the results on a daily basis. this project will result in a loss of street parking. there is street parking only on the north side. at present, there is no driveway for 1940. the curb space in front of it can accommodate four cars. after the garage is completed, there will be a loss of two on-

street parking spaces. i urge you to review the discretionary application. thank you for your time. >> my name is carol robinson. i am speaking to support the discretionary review application. i have lived in 926 elizabeth street since 1973. it is a house of two stories over a basement and it has adequately accommodated a growing family. i have walked to my office on 24 street and i see similar or smaller homes. i have two issues regarding the proposal. i am concerned with the height of three stories over a garage. the 25% grade of our block is

rare even in san francisco. it is so steep that it is a street with sidewalk steps instead of flat sidewalk. three stories over a garage is out of keeping with this lot and with the neighborhood. the effect of a fourth floor makes much more of an impact with neighboring properties all around on an incline such as we have here. even in the past the planning commission has supported this decision by restricting the height on new construction to two stories over a garage. i fail to see why this proposed construction should be an exception. i am also concerned about plans to eliminate the light wells to the ground level. this allows for light and air in several rooms. please remember that as we descend down our hill the garage level of the building above is

the lot in line with the first level of the building below it. the light well has been there for well over 100 years and i cannot believe it is so easy for strangers to come in and choose to create a tunnel effect in another person's home. we like to pride ourselves on the distinctiveness of our neighborhood. this is maintained and protected by being vigilant, caring and respectful of our neighbors. that includes informal communication with neighbors regarding any proposed renovation. i trust that the planning commission sees the value of community as opposed to random construction of overly large buildings on a small lot. i urge you to vote against approving the structure with three stories over a garage, as is currently proposed. save the existing victorian.

the fight is far too large for the character of the neighborhood and for the steep incline on the hill. the design is not in keeping with similar homes and by not accommodating the light well on the first floor of 936, the plan is thoughtless and cruel to a house that is truly historic. thank you. president miguel: additional speakers in favor of the dr? >> i am doug wilkins. i am presenting here as someone who does not live at 976 elizabeth street but a renovated it. i have done development on the street. i thought that was the best way to discuss this. i should point out that before we did our development at 976,

we went through six steps of talking with the neighborhood to have numerous meetings and let them look at our additional sketches. we put a model together to seek their input. that project never went through discretionary review. it had total buy in from the neighborhood. let us talk about steepness. this is a very steep street. how steep is it? it is almost as steep as baldwin street. that is the steepest residential street in the world. it is so steep that it has sidewalks that are stairways. look at the anniversary of stairway walks in san francisco. it was chosen as the cover of a book. this is a unique environment. the 900 block -- you practically use climbing equipment to take a

walk in the neighborhood. that has an effect on how you build and design their. let us talk about the geometry of the project. if you look at the square footage on the street, this is not going to be the biggest house on the street. it is going to be the biggest building on the street. 3700 sq. ft. is marvelous if you are a large animal in a zoo or something like that. it is right in the middle of the street. it is not even a notion of larger construction at the corners. it is going to affect neighbors to the west and east. it is going to affect neighbors from the north. i think you will be hearing from them as well. for people who want this project who are sponsoring it -- beware of them coming up and are doing in terms of need or entitlement. we are talking about a john locke social contract. just because you have dart somewhere does not mean yo