Planning Commission approves permanent removal of Sutro Tower leg cladding with amended conditions

The San Francisco Planning Commission voted May 25 to approve Sutro Tower Inc.'s application to permanently remove the metal cladding on the tower's vertical legs, agreeing to staff‑recommended preservation conditions with three significant amendments.

Commission President Tanner presided as Planning Department staff presented a mandatory discretionary review and an EIR addendum that found no significant project impacts. Sutro Tower Inc. representative Christenthal Peters told the commission the company supports permanent cladding removal because it reduces weight and wind loads and eliminates components that can loosen and rattle. Peters said STI had negotiated changes with staff but raised safety concerns about a proposed condition requiring distribution of salvaged panels to local artists because the panels may contain lead paint.

Neighbors and the supervisor's office had urged changes to several conditions. Suling Chen, Midtown Terrace neighborhood liaison, and Walter Caplan, the Forest Knolls liaison, said Sutro Tower already engages with neighbors and opposed an annual on‑site open house and handing out salvaged panels; both cited lead‑paint concerns. Michael Farah, legislative aide to Supervisor Myrna Melgar, said the supervisor supported outreach and a virtual tour and asked for roadway repairs near the site.

During deliberations Commissioner Diamond moved to approve the discretionary review while striking the provision that would allow a fallback to place interpretive panels on‑site, eliminating the salvage‑panel distribution requirement and removing the open‑house mandate. Diamond also amended the motion to add a student‑engagement condition (1B) reflecting language submitted by the sponsor and staff. Staff said the red‑lined conditions in the record had been revised that morning and agreed to renumber cross‑references to match the adopted version.

Commissioners said they visited the tower and praised staff outreach and the sponsor's neighborhood engagement. Director Hillis and staff described options to memorialize the tower's character with off‑site interpretive elements and a virtual tour instead of an on‑site public gathering.

The commission's motion passed unanimously. The adopted package requires Sutro Tower Inc. to comply with the revised preservation conditions, to work with staff on an off‑site interpretive installation and virtual tour, and to follow the student‑engagement provision as amended. The adopted conditions remove the requirement to distribute salvage panels to the public and eliminate the annual on‑site open‑house requirement.

Next steps include finalizing the permitting documents and coordinating any roadway repairs and outreach commitments described in the adopted conditions. The commission closed public comment and concluded the item following the vote.