A North Beach commercial property owner hopes to beat the neighborhood’s pending designation as a historic district with a teardown of a fire-ravaged building to make way for a denser project than a prior plan to save its facade.
The push on timing came to light in a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which obtained emails between Jeff Jurow, a partner in the Verdi Building at 659 North Union Street, and city officials. Jurow subsequently confirmed his plan to get ahead of the historic designation, which is expected later this year, the Chronicle reported.
The facade of the early 20th century Verdi Building — which survived fires that gutted the rest of the structure over the past decade or so — is a key to the redevelopment of the property. Jurow said that a prior plan would have preserved the facade as part of a 23-unit apartment complex with a restaurant.
Now Jurow wants more units, including some hotel rooms, in a taller structure that would require the removal of the facade. The plan would make use of local laws that allow bigger projects in exchange for certain numbers of affordable units in the mix.
That plan is being met with opposition based on claims it will destroy a historically significant element of the structure and cast shadows on a nearby park.
The emails obtained by the Chronicle indicate that Jurow is anxious to gain approvals as the Northeast San Francisco Conservancy pressed a case for a North Beach Historic District, which could put restrictions that limit new construction on 600 or so buildings in the neighborhood known for its Italian-American roots.
A state panel is slated to take up the proposal for the North Beach historic designation when it convenes for May 8 and May 9 meetings.
An approval by the state panel would move the process to the federal officer, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, who would have 45 days to grant the designation.
Jurow wants to lock in his plans under state laws, including SB423 and SB330, both intended to aid developers in bringing housing to the market, provided they meet targets on affordable units.