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SEC. 241. DOLORES HEIGHTS SPECIAL USE DISTRICT. (See Interpretations related to this Section.) In order to preserve and provide for an established area with a unique character and balance of built and natural environment, with public and private view corridors and panoramas, to conserve existing buildings, plant materials and planted spaces, to prevent unreasonable obstruction of view and light by buildings or plant materials, and to encourage development in context and scale with established character and landscape, there shall be a Dolores Heights Special Use District as designated on Sectional Map No. SU07 of the Zoning Map of the City and County of San Francisco. In this District, all provisions of the Planning Code applicable in RH-1 Districts shall continue to apply except that rear yard and height limit provisions of this Section 241 shall be substituted for rear yard and height limit provisions found elsewhere in this Code. (a) The minimum rear yard depth shall be equal to 45 percent of the total depth of the lot on which building is situated, but in no case shall the rear yard be less than 25 feet deep. (b) No portion of a building shall exceed a height of 35 feet above the existing grade of the lot, with the intent that the building shall be contained within an envelope that slopes upward or downward with the slope of the property. The "height of a building" for purposes of this Section shall be measured in the manner described in Section 260 of this Code, whether the lot being measured slopes upward or downward from the street. (c) Variances may be granted from the rear yard and height limit provisions in Paragraphs (a) and (b) above in accordance with procedures specified in Section 305 of this Code provided that no such variance shall permit a building to have a height in excess of that otherwise permitted in an RH-1 District. (Added by Ord. 286-80, App. 6/17/80; amended by Ord. 22-15, File No. 141253, App. 2/20/2015, Eff. 3/22/2015) AMENDMENT HISTORY Division (b) amended; Ord. 22-15, Eff. 3/22/2015. SEC. 242. BERNAL HEIGHTS SPECIAL USE DISTRICT. (See Interpretations related to this Section.) (a) General. A Special Use District entitled the Bernal Heights Special Use District, the boundaries of which are shown on Sectional Map. Nos. 7SU, 8SU, and 11SU of the Zoning Map, is hereby established for the purposes set forth below. (b) Purposes. In order to reflect the special characteristics and hillside topography of an area of the City that has a collection of older buildings situated on lots generally smaller than the lot patterns in other low-density areas of the City, and to encourage development in context and scale with the established character, there shall be a Bernal Heights Special Use District. (c) The provisions of this Section 242 shall not apply to building permit applications or amendments thereto, or to conditional use, variance or environmental evaluation applications filed on or before January 7, 1991. Such applications shall be governed by the ordinances in effect on January 7, 1991, unless the applicant requests in writing that an application be governed by the provisions of this Section 242. (d) Definitions. For purposes of this Section 242, the following definitions apply: (1) "Adjacent building" shall mean a building on a lot adjoining the subject lot along a side lot line. Where the lot constituting the subject property is separated from the lot containing the nearest building by an undeveloped lot or lots for a distance of 50 feet or less parallel to the street or alley, such nearest building shall be deemed to be an "adjacent building," but a building on a lot so separated for a greater distance shall not be deemed to be an "adjacent building." A corner lot shall have only one adjacent building located along its side lot line. (2) "Usable floor area" is the sum of the gross areas of the several floors of a building, measured from the exterior walls or from the center lines of common walls separating two buildings. "Usable floor area" shall not include that floor area devoted to off-street parking or any space or area which is not readily accessible and which has not more than five feet vertical clearance at any point. (e) Controls. All provisions of the Planning Code applicable to an RH-1, RH-1(S), RH-2, and RH-3 District shall apply to applicable portions of the Special Use District except as otherwise provided in this Section 242. (1) Height Limits. No portion of a dwelling in any portion of this district shall exceed a height of 30 feet except as provided below. Notwithstanding the prior sentence, the heights limits in this subsection (e)(1) shall not apply to building permits for structures erected on Lots 055, 056, and 057 in Block 5526 approved before January 8, 2020.