Planning Commission approves Wawona Street/40th Avenue cultural‑center SUD amendments to align with Coastal Commission

The San Francisco Planning Commission on May 2 approved amendments to the planning code and the city’s Local Coastal Program to create the Wawona Street and 40th Avenue Cultural Center special use district and to clarify principally permitted uses within the coastal zone.

Department staff told commissioners the SUD and related Local Coastal Program (LCP) changes reflect edits requested by California Coastal Commission staff, including a reiteration of an existing 100‑foot height limit for 2740 Fifth Avenue. Jonathan Goldberg, speaking on behalf of the District 4 supervisor’s office, said the office supports the effort to bring the city’s language into conformity with recent certified LCPs.

The change clarifies which uses are principally permitted in coastal zoning districts so that some routine, code‑compliant projects will not be appealable to the Coastal Commission on the basis of the act’s “principally permitted use” provision. Department staff explained that in many California coastal counties a single land use is designated as principally permitted; San Francisco’s mixed‑use zoning has meant broader appealability. "PPU stands for the principally permitted use," department staff said in explaining the concept, and staff indicated the revision is meant to avoid unintended appeal outcomes while preserving the existing appeal boundary along the shoreline.

Public comment included an appeal group, SPEAKS, urging continuance or amendment out of concern the change could limit appeals for other projects; John Kevlin, representing the United Irish Cultural Center, urged approval so the organization could move forward with its new facility in the Outer Sunset. Staff noted the SUD is effective but not operative until certified by the Coastal Commission and said the ordinance will continue through land use and transportation committee hearings and Board of Supervisors readings before transmittal.

Commissioner Imperial moved to approve the ordinance and commissioners voted 6–0 to carry the motion. The Commission’s action advances the city’s next procedural steps: Board of Supervisors consideration, possible mayoral signature, and transmission of the LCP amendment to the California Coastal Commission for certification.