Purchased for $600,000 in 2003 with three bedrooms spread across two units and one story at the corner of Capp and 17th Streets, the plan is to add three floors with three units above the building at 3249 17th Street and convert the first floor into a restaurant, a new home for the Latin American Balompie Café (click the designs to enlarge).
As proposed, an eight foot extension of the building’s footprint will result in a rear yard that’s 25 feet deep. The problem, as per Section 134 of the Planning Code, the property is required to maintain a rear yard of 33 feet:
This morning, San Francisco’s Zoning Administrator will decide whether or not to grant the developer a variance to allow the building to extend and rise as proposed, or to delay a decision to a later date as has been requested.
Hard to see where the lack of the full rear yard would have any impact, in this case. The neighboring building appears to be full lot, or nearly so. I totally get insisting on rear lot standards where they affect mid-block open space for others, but this is right on the street so has really negligible value to anyone.
Eight feet of lost backyard is well worth the benefits of putting an open storefront on this corner.
This area needs more bright lights and families that will call the police to deal with the East Bay prostitute imports.
OMG! How are they going to deal with the loss of affordable housing!!!!!!!!!!
The drawing of the existing adjacent building does not look like the actual photograph. The upper cornice is completing missing in the drawing.
I love this. Additional density on a lot, redesigned facade and new storefront on the intersection!
Balompie is tasty too… Good news all around.
I’ve lived four doors away from this corner for 11 years, so having a storefront with lighting will really help that intersection. Also it’s good that there might be residents who could hear and witness the screams, drug buys, illegal trash dumping, graffiti and violent muggings that happen regularly around that corner. All these and more are part of that current corner; unfortunately. Also Balompie is a great Salvadorian place!
A restaurant and more eyes on the street is what that corner needs. As a resident and business owner on Capp St. I’d like to see this development proceed. Besides pupusas rock.