Go back to News pageSAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Planning Commission has allowed construction of a seven-unit condominium project so controversial that one supervisor has threatened to turn most of Telegraph Hill into the city's first "scenic district" to protect it from further development.
Under the Planning Commission's decision reached earlier this month, four buildings on a steep slope where Telegraph Hill Boulevard curls toward Coit Tower would be demolished and replaced by a roughly 16,000-square-foot project.
Bob Tibbits, president of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers, said the condominium would "overwhelm and dominate its neighbors." Neighbor Roger Boyer said he fears the project would set a precedent for development on the hill, where quaint steps, lanes and vistas make for one of the city's major tourist attractions. Others worried the building would cut off views of Telegraph Hill from downtown and Nob Hill.
The condos were proposed by architect Theodore Brown and his clients, Tracey Kirkham and Josef Cooper.
To meet the objections of neighbors who have been fighting the project over the last year, the size of the project has been cut by 20 percent and its height reduced, Cooper said.
Nonetheless, Supervisor Bill Maher has called for enactment of a "scenic district" on upper Telegraph Hill, which would temporarily halt development until neighbors take a stand.
The commission will meet Nov. 17 for a final vote.
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