Planning Commission approves discretionary review for 4820 Anza Street after neighbors’ challenge over fourth‑floor addition

The San Francisco Planning Commission voted Feb. 15 to approve a discretionary review for a vertical addition at 4820 Anza Street (case 2021‑009470 DRP) after neighbors asked the commission to require removal of a proposed fourth floor.

David Winslow, staff architect, described changes negotiated with the sponsor, including setting back the third and fourth floors by 16 feet to reduce rear massing and a reduction in fourth‑floor ceiling height. Winslow said the department finds the revised, code‑complying project meets residential design guidelines and generally supports approval.

Rita and Eugene Katz, adjacent neighbors and Doctor requesters, opposed the fourth floor and asked the commission to remove it, arguing the addition would be out of scale with predominantly two‑story houses on the block. Attorney Deborah Holly, representing the Katzes, said design review originally recommended removing the fourth floor and proposed relocating a small office and bathroom from the fourth floor to another interior location as a compromise.

Project counsel Jeremy Paul, representing owners Louis Caputo and Jeffrey Grama, said the sponsors had reduced the project’s massing and would set back the rear addition, and emphasized the family’s goal of aging in place. “We have entirely removed the addition at the rear portion of the lot… These are the alterations that have been made to the project,” Paul said during his presentation.

Public commenters both opposed and supported the project; opponents called it “out of scale” and urged a full redesign, while supporters noted the sponsors’ community ties and urged the commission not to block a code‑complying project.

Commissioners asked staff for clearer drawings and 3‑D views to better evaluate massing and recommended modest modifications—such as a five‑foot setback for a second‑floor deck and parapet clarifications—be incorporated. On a motion to "take Doctor" and approve with staff modifications, the commission voted unanimously 5–0.

The approval included the staff conditions listed in the department report and the commission’s incorporated clarifications; commissioners noted the importance of thorough drawing sets for future discretionary reviews.