Letter of Determination Suite 400

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Dominic Hutchinson
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1 SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING DEPARTMENT March 15, 2013 Sandra B. Jimenez Jimenez & Associates 1585 Folsom San Francisco CA Site Address: Assessor s Block/Lot: Zoning District: Staff Contact: 1650 Mission St Letter of Determination Suite 400 San Francisco, CA Kansas Street 4049/ RH-2 Jeffrey Speirs, (415) or jeffrev.speirs@sfgov.org Reception: Fax: Planning Information: Dear Ms. Jimenez: This letter is in response to your request for a Letter of Determination regarding the 5 contiguous properties beginning at, and north of, 951 Kansas Street (Block 4094; Lot ). The request is for clarification of the following items: 1. The number of allowable units if the lots were developed as one project. 2. The requirements and triggers pertaining to BMR units. 3. Planning Code Section 134(c)(3) as it pertains to Lot Meeting parking requirements through excavation and grading of serpentine rock. The lots are located in an RH-2 Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District. Individually, each lot in this zone is allowed 2 dwelling units within the buildable area as of right, for a maximum of 10 units for the 5 lots. However, if the 5 lots mentioned are merged and developed as one project, a density of 1 dwelling unit per 1,500 square feet of lot area can be approved as a conditional use per Planning Code Section 209 for a maximum of 8 dwelling units As of January 15, 2013, Proposition C became effective, allowing projects of 9 or fewer dwelling units to be exempt from the Inclusionary Affordable Housing Program. If the above mentioned lots were developed to their potential of 10 units, then the project would be subject to the BMR requirements of Section 415. For Lot 044, absent a proposal to bring to the Residential Design Team, the required rear yard is 45% of the lot, per Planning Code Section 134(a)(2). A reduction in this requirement is allowable through averaging, per section 134(c)(2). As for your question pertaining to Section 134(c)(3), in the event of a vacant adjacent lot, for purposes of calculation, a rear wall of the adjacent lot can be assumed to be at 75% of the total depth of Lot 044. Averaging is intended to be used as a bonus under certain conditions, and MEMEMSERM

2 Sandra B. Jimenez March 15, 2013 Jimenez & Associates Letter of Determination 1585 Folsom 951 Kansas Street San Francisco CA not a reduction of buildable area. However, please be advised that final plans are subject to the Residential Design Guidelines, and a final determination of averaging is pending a project submittal. The required amount of off-street parking for lots in an RH-2 Zoning District is 1 space per dwelling unit. A reduction in this amount may be sought and justified through a variance. A Project Review Meeting may be requested to better serve your questions and allow the Planning Department to review a proposal and address more specific questions relating to project design. For the removal of on-site serpentine rock, any excavation would trigger an Environmental Evaluation. Given what we have received, a determination for your question depends on the findings of the Environmental Evaluation. For further advice regarding an Environmental Evaluation, please contact Monica Pereira with the Environmental Planning Division at (415) APPEAL: If you believe this determination represents an error in interpretation of the Planning Code or abuse in discretion by the Zoning Administrator, an appeal may be filed with the Board of Appeals within 15 days of the date of this letter. For information regarding the appeals process, please contact the Board of Appeals located at 1650 Mission Street, Room 304, San Francisco, or call (415) Sincerely, Scott F. Sanchez Zoning Administrator cc: Jeff Speirs, Planner Michael Wooten, Property Owner SAN FRANCISCO 2 PLANNING DEPARTMENT

JIMENEZ & ASSOCIATES COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL D E S I G N (1k: Scott Sanchez Zoning Administrator San Francisco Planning Department 1650 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Re: Request for Letter

3 JIMENEZ & ASSOCIATES COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL D E S I G N (1k: Scott Sanchez Zoning Administrator San Francisco Planning Department 1650 Mission Street San Francisco, CA Re: Request for Letter of Determination Regarding Buildable Area Dear Mr. Sanchez, The Estate of Samaduroff is the owner of 5 contiguous parcels on the 900 block of Kansas. The 5 parcels are as follows: Block: 4094 Lots: 044, 045, 046, 047, 048 or 1. V - Kansas Street (Lot: 048) Kansas Street (Lot: 047) Kansas Street (Lot: 046) Kansas Street (Lot: 045) Kansas Street (Lot: 044) These properties are in the South East neighborhood and are zoned RH-2. Currently all five lots are vacant. The property sits on top of serpentine rock which has been tested for asbestos. The levels of asbestos found were well below harmful levels for humans. The Estate is seeking information as to how the lots may be developed, if developed. We would like to know if there is a configuration of how many units may be constructed on the properties if all the lots were used for a development. Also, would it trigger a BMR if each lot was developed individually? Or is a BMR only triggered when and if more than one lot are maximized to form a small development? In addition to the BMR requirements, we would like to know how Code Section 134 (c)(3), effective date 9/88, would be interpreted in regards to lot 044. We are planning to only place one house on this lot. As the planning code reads, a lot may be developed up to 75%, but is required to be the average of the two adjacent lots. How would this relate to the properties? We are also interested as to the parking requirements for these lots. As the lots exist, there is a large portion of serpentine that resides into the street and which has prohibited the extension of the sidewalk to run the full length of the East side of the street. The topography of these lots does create some question as to how parking can be met. A colored photo of the location has been attached for reference Folsom, San Francisco, CA Phone: Cell: sandra@sbjimenezdesign.com

We will be requesting a letter from the Department of Public Works in regards to the serpentine that extends into the street.

4 Would your department have any objections to removing the rock and bringing the lots to a better buildable grade? We believe that by leveling the lots, it would allow for consistency with the rest of the block. If we were allowed to remove the rock, what subjects of compliance would we need to adhere to? We will be requesting a letter from the Department of Public Works in regards to the serpentine that extends into the street. The letter from Public Works will help to determine how they will want the possible development of the properties to address street parking and the sidewalk. It is our intention to make sure that we have a solid understanding of all the department requirements in order to better assess the potential developments. We look forward to receiving your determination. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. Sincerely, an B. Jimene Cc. Estate of Samaduroff

5 Kansas Street Site Printed: 11 January, 2013

Letter of Determination

Letter of Determination SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING DEPARTMENT February 15, 2013 Janet Campbell Campbell and Associates 2 Parker Avenue No. 302 San Francisco, CA 94118-2659 Site Address: Assessor s Block/Lot: Zoning District: Staff