STANDARDS FOR REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS

SF Planning Code § 9

in effect

SEC. 9. STANDARDS FOR REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.

(a) The standards for review of all applications for Certificates of Appropriateness are as set forth in Section 1006.7 of Article 10 and are as follows: (b) For applications pertaining to sites, buildings, structures and objects in the Civic Center Historic District, any alteration, construction, relocation or demolition, shall comply with the standards contained in Section 1017(c), and shall (1) be compatible with respect to height, massing, fenestration, materials, color, texture, detail, style, scale and proportion, signage, landscaping and street furniture which may define the character of the historic district as described in Section 5 of this designating ordinance and in the Civic Center Urban Design Guidelines adopted by the City Planning Commission; and (2) preserve, enhance or restore, and not damage or destroy, the exterior architectural appearance of the subject site, building, structure and object which is compatible with the character of the Historic District. (1) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any exterior change to a site, building, structure and object which is not already compatible with the character of the Historic District shall bring the site, building, structure and object closer to compatibility. Where the required compatibility exists, the application for a Certificate of Appropriateness shall be approved. (2) Except as provided in Planning Code Subsection 1017(d), no application for a demolition permit in a Historic District may be approved until a Certificate of Appropriateness for the replacement structure has been approved by the Landmarks Board. (c) Alterations to Contributory and Contributory/Altered buildings shall be compatible with the architectural and historic character of this Historic District. New construction shall be compatible with the character of the Historic District as described in the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board San Francisco Civic Center Historic District Case Report and its Appendix A and with the Civic Center Urban Design Guidelines adopted by the City Planning Commission. Said Case Report was adopted by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board at its Regular Meeting of October 6, 1993 by Resolution No. 454 and was adopted and amended by the City Planning Commission at its Regular Meeting of July 7, 1994 by Resolution No. 13719 and is contained in Board of Supervisors File No. 115-94-10. (d) Treatment of Stone Surfaces. Numerous structures in the Historic District exhibit stone, terra cotta, or brick exterior surfacing. Proposed treatment of said masonry surfaces with any acid wash, sandblasting, high pressure wash or other abrasive methods is discouraged as such abrasive treatments can severely damage historic masonry surfaces. (Added by Ord. 413-94, App. 12/23/94)

SEC. 10. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS APPLICABILITY FOR ALTERATIONS TO EXCEPTIONALLY SIGNIFICANT INTERIOR PUBLIC SPACES.

Pursuant to Section 1004(c)(1) of the City Planning Code, proposed alterations to exceptionally significant interiors of the following publicly owned buildings shall require a Certificate of Appropriateness: (a) San Francisco City Hall, 400 Van Ness Avenue (City Landmark No. 21 and a Contributory Building to the Historic District) shall comply with Sections 1006 and 1006.8(e) for any construction or alteration which requires a building permit for the following exceptionally significant interior public spaces which shall be designated and shall include: the Board of Supervisor's Chambers (Room C200); the Rotunda; and the Mayor's Office (Rooms D200, D205 and D209) including the Reception Room, inner corridors and offices and the Chief Administrator's Officers (C.A.O.'s) Offices (Room 289) which were previously designated under Ordinance No. 16-70, effective date, March 13, 1970. (b) The Main Library, 200 Larkin Street, a Contributory Building to the Historic District. The following exceptionally significant interior public spaces shall be designated: the Monumental Grand Staircase (Room S101), the Main Entrance Hall and Vestibule, (Rooms 101 and 191); the Monumental Public Corridors and Balcony Spaces including the Gottardo Piazzoni Murals in Public Corridor 290 (Rooms 190, 192, 193, 290 and 291A); and the Main Program Spaces (Rooms 200, 201, 202, 203, 210 and 218). (c) The Public Health Department, 101 Grove Street, a Contributory Building to the Historic District. The following exceptionally significant interior public spaces shall be designated: the Main Entry and Elevator Lobby; the Marble Lined Corridors (All Floors) and the Third Floor Board Meeting Room/Auditorium. (d) No other sites, buildings, structures and objects have exceptionally significant interior public spaces and would be subject to this Section. (Added by Ord. 413-94, App. 12/23/94)

SEC. 11. SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.

The history of each parcel within the Historic District is documented in Appendix A: Survey of Parcels, and is included in the San Francisco Civic Center Historic District Case Report as readopted by the Landmarks Board on October 6, 1993 by Resolution No. 454 and as amended and readopted by the City Planning Commission on July 7, 1994 by Resolution No. 13719 and is located in Board of Supervisors File No

Source: SF Municipal Code PDF (amlegal)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_planning/0-0-0-1Fetched: 7/4/2026