San Francisco Zoning Decisions: April 2026

In April 2026, San Francisco held 17 public meetings covering zoning matters. 26 zoning decisions had a recorded outcome this month: 20 approved (87% approval rate), 3 denied, 3 deferred. Activity was up 67% compared to March (493 activity items across 18 meetings).

Zoning Decisions This Month

Demolition and Site Permits at 50 Beaumont Ave

Denied.

Board denied appeals 26-015 and 26-016 filed by tenant Daniela Rubio against demolition permit and site permit for new four-story two-family residential building issued March 6, 2026 to Ponbury-Pradium LLC. Appellant raised concerns about egress access, structural impacts, and hazardous materials during demolition, but board found permits were properly issued and code compliant.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Variance Appeals at 170 Bocana Street

Denied.

Two appeals (Bud Ryerson and Ross Inden) challenged the zoning administrator's approval of rear yard and mass reduction variances for a vertical addition at 170 Bocana Street in the Bernal Heights Special Use District. The project proposes approximately 516 square feet of third-story addition with 288 square feet mass reduction instead of the required 650 square feet. Board found the variance decision meets the five required findings.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Fence Legalization at 850 Corbett Ave.

Deferred.

Appeals of two permits to legalize a 7-foot-7-inch wood fence at rear terraces of a six-unit condominium. The board indicated intent to grant the appeal with conditions: lower fence to 6 feet, add 266 square feet of usable common open space behind retaining wall with code-compliant access stair, and ensure egress compliance for Unit 2. Matter continued due to lack of four commissioners needed for final vote.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Great China Theater Landmark Designation

Deferred.

Resolution initiating landmark designation for Great China Theater at 626-638 Jackson St. was re-referred back to Land Use Committee for additional work.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Carlos Santana Commemorative Street Plaque

Deferred.

Resolution authorizing commemorative street plaque for Carlos Santana at 205 Mullen Avenue continued to call of the chair at supervisor Fielder's office request for more community discussion.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Conditional Use Authorization at 284 Noe St.

Approved.

Approved bar use (Type 42 beer and wine license) for 'Love Potion Library,' a romance bookstore and tea room at 284 Noe St. in the Upper Market NCT district. The two-story multi-use building previously housed a pet food store on ground floor with residential above. Project sponsor Veena Patel. Vote was unanimous 7-0.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

One Oak St. Project Height Increase

Approved.

Ordinance amending zoning map to increase podium height from 120 feet to 140 feet for the One Oak St. project at 1500 Market St., enabling 541 residential units. Developer is Emerald Fund. Project maintains 400-foot tower height and includes new public plaza. Developer opted to pay $24 million in affordable housing fees rather than provide on-site affordable units.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

De Facto Denial of CUA at 524-526 Vallejo St.

Approved.

Board voted to uphold the Planning Commission's de facto denial (3-3 tie) of a conditional use authorization for 524-526 Vallejo St. and 4-4A San Antonio Place. The project proposed to legalize the merger of three dwelling units into one and reinstate one unit on the ground floor. The property is legally a four-unit building that was illegally merged by a previous developer (Peter Iskander) around 2012-2016. Current owners purchased in 2021 and sought to legalize the existing single-family configuration with one additional unit.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Showing the 8 most significant of 26 recorded zoning decisions. See all San Francisco meetings →

Zoning Changes

• 120 feet height limit → 140 feet height limit at One Oak St. (Not specified)
• 120 feet height limit → 140 feet height limit at One Oak St., San Francisco (Not specified in transcript)
• RH-1 (Bernal Heights SUD) → RH-1 (with variance) at 170 Bocana Street, San Francisco (Star Family Revocable Trust / Arun Ubale)
• 120 feet podium height limit → 140 feet podium height limit at One Oak St. / 1500 Market St. (Emerald Fund)
• RM-1 (four legal dwelling units) → Proposed reduction to two units (denied), Lot size under 2,000 sq ft (approximately 1,920 sq ft) acres at 524-526 Vallejo St. and 4-4A San Antonio Place, Telegraph Hill/North Beach (Caitlin Holloway and Ben Ramirez)

Top Keywords This Month

• zoning: 161 instances
• residential: 84 instances
• land use: 70 instances
• variance: 66 instances
• commercial: 66 instances

What to Watch

• Zoning mentions were up 79% from March.
• Land use came up 119% more often than March.
• Variance saw 94% more mentions month-over-month.
• Commercial increased 106% compared to March.

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