Board upholds 4227 Fourth Street site permit after neighbors’ objections; appeals denied 4–0

The San Francisco Board of Appeals denied an appeal of the site permit for 4227 Fourth Street (appeal 20‑137) on June 9, 2021, voting 4–0 to uphold the permit issued April 1, 2021.

Appellants Diane and Joe Reed argued the proposed vertical and horizontal additions would obstruct light to permitted windows and lacked expected reciprocal setbacks. Their representative described the effects on unit light and on market value and asked the Board to require design changes.

The permit holder’s architect, Kristen Heller of Heller Architecture and Design, presented design drawings, sun‑studies and context photographs showing similar three‑story buildings on the block. Heller said the owners had met repeatedly with neighbors and that the plan fell within allowable development limits.

Planning Department staff (Scott Sanchez) reviewed the project’s Section 311 notice record and the residential design guidelines and concluded the project complied with the guidelines; DBI deputy director Joe Duffy confirmed the site permit had been reviewed by DBI and Fire and found no building code egress violations affecting life safety. The Board discussed whether additional demolition calculations should be part of the record; staff recommended documenting those through an addendum.

Vice President Swigg moved to deny the appeal on the basis that the permit was properly issued; the motion carried 4–0.