Board upholds permit for 17 Reed Street vertical addition after neighbors raise notice and privacy concerns

The San Francisco Board of Appeals on a unanimous vote denied an appeal of a vertical addition at 17 Reed Street, effectively upholding the Department of Building Inspection27s approval of a roughly 500-square-foot third-story addition.

Leavenworth and Reed HOA members, represented by Clinton Chung and officers, told the board they had not received consistent notice and asked for a continuance so additional story poles and sight-line information could be posted. HOA members and neighbors raised concerns about closeness of adjoining buildings, potential access to balconies and the adequacy of neighborhood notification; some said multiple owners in the complex did not receive mailed notices.

The designer Sunny (or Sunny Gao) and the project owner27s representative said pre-application notice and plan changes were circulated, that discretionary review occurred and that the project sponsor reduced ceiling heights and revised plans during the process. The planning department27s deputy zoning administrator, Tina Tam, told commissioners the project is in the RH2 district, the lot is about 1,100 square feet, the proposed third-story addition is set back from the main rear wall and that the Planning Commission had earlier voted not to take discretionary review after revisions. Planning concluded the project complies with the planning code, is consistent with residential design guidelines and recommended approval.

DBI staff noted the permit was processed through final approvals and issued on Oct. 21, 2021; DBI said property-line windows that predate local ordinance AB009 are not automatically protected in the same way and that enforcement would follow only upon complaint and a factual determination of installation timing. The planning and building departments thus recommended upholding the permit.

After deliberation Commissioner Lazarus moved to deny the appeal on the basis that the project is code compliant; the motion carried 5-0.

What happens next: The permit remains in effect and construction may proceed subject to the normal building permit inspection and enforcement processes. The board encouraged parties and departments to address notification questions raised by neighbors outside the appeal record.