Preservation commission unanimously continues two permit items; Palace Hotel seeks more time for sign restoration

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously on May 1 to continue two agenda items to allow more time for applicant consultation and technical review. The motion to continue both items passed 5–0, with Commissioners Baldorf, Campbell, Vergara, Wright and Commission President Matsuda voting yes.

The commission announced item 4, case No. 2023-8200 COA (1027 Hays Street), proposed for continuance to May 15, 2024, and item 5, case No. 2024-000929 PTA (2 New Montgomery Street), with a late request to continue to June 5. No member of the public spoke against the continuances; several speakers supported delaying action to permit further consultation and planning.

James Tyler, director of engineering at the Palace Hotel, spoke on behalf of the hotel and said the property — which he described as "a 100% unionized property" — had reduced staffing from roughly 800 employees before the pandemic to about 400 and needs more time to develop a feasible plan for sign illumination and ongoing maintenance. "The true expenses is ongoing maintenance costs," Tyler said, urging a continuance so the hotel can return with a plan "feasible for the hotel and hopefully supported by our neighbors."

Preservation advocate Randall Ann Homan said she preferred full neon restoration rather than LED for the Palace Hotel signage and noted documentation prepared by San Francisco Heritage and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "A full restoration at this time would be a bonus to the Palace Hotel... and particularly to San Francisco and its iconic sign," Homan said, and offered pro bono consultation from experts listed in their publication.

Earlier in the meeting, department staff member Rich Sukray updated the commission on the landmark-designation work program, reporting that Fire Station No. 44 passed the Land Use Committee and is moving toward landmark designation. Sukray also said staff have been seeking guidance from the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) about overlaps with the California register and recently enacted state housing laws and are preparing the annual CLG (Certified Local Government) report.

The continuance vote concluded the Preservation Commission’s public hearing; the commission did not vote on the substance of any sign restorations or on an individual permit during the May 1 session. The continuance schedules are: item 4 to 05/15/2024 and item 5 to 06/05/2024.