Property owner Michael Zehner at 4529 18th St. has proposed a three-story single-family home addition that's uncovered a permitting snag for antique showroom New Deal, which is located on the street level of the building.
For reasons unknown to Zehner, in 1965 the Planning Department deactivated the Limited Commercial Use permit for the storefront. This revelation only recently came to light when Zehner was seeking approval for the building addition. Now, New Deal must go before the Planning Commission on June 16th to seek reactivation of the Limited Commercial Use permit.
Owner Terje Arnesen's New Deal showroom and office on 18th Street, between Douglass and Clover, displays "new, repurposed, as well as antique furniture, in addition to lighting, local art, and home accessories." The store is open to walk-ins two days a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays—otherwise it's by appointment only.
New Deal has been operating out of its current showroom on 18th Street since 2008, and at another location for 15 years previously, but the history of this storefront dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
After enlisting a historical researcher to take a look into the storefront, property owner Zehner tells Hoodline that they were able to determine that the store dates back to 1909. From 1909 until 1936, Riccomi Angelo Fruits operated out of the storefront.
From there, the history is murky up until the 1980s, when Bay Talk, a company that assisted visually impaired computer users, ran its business out of the space. Then, from 2001-2002, a vintage dressmaker used the space, and finally, Rossington Architecture operated from 2004-2008, when New Deal took over.
Zehner, who bought the property along with his partner in 2008, currently lives in a dwelling behind the store. There's also a cottage unit that has different owners. The two separate owners share the property as a Tenancy in Common, and it's only the front unit above New Deal that will see changes.
Above New Deal, Zehner is seeking to add two additional levels along with a third mezzanine, or loft space, level set back approximately 15ft from the street. "Planning for this project has been going on for two years and seen many revisions," he said. In consultation with SF Planning's Residential Design Team, which he's been working with for a year, Zehner has adapted the project to meet neighborhood guidelines. "We've made all the changes suggested by the Residential Design Team and the project has been approved," he said.
image: SF Planning
The three-story addition proposal has stirred up a bit of controversy amongst neighbors who are concerned with the height and potential impact on parking in the neighborhood. At approximately 40 feet, Zehner tells us "the height of the addition will not make it any higher than buildings in the neighborhood ... it will also be lower than some of the larger Victorian homes nearby."
"I'm concerned about the effects it will have on the amount of sunlight that comes in to my unit," said Kevin Collins, who lives in the building next-door to New Deal. Collins has windows that face east, which would be directly affected by the addition. "It just doesn't seem to fit in with the neighborhood," Collins added. Zehner says that in order to address the concerns about light, they've matched the light wells in the rear of the building with those of the building next door.
A neighbor who preferred to remain anonymous aired concerns about the effects the addition could have on parking in the area. Zehner tells Hoodline that if New Deal's Conditional Use application is not approved, they will most likely convert the storefront to a garage. This conversion, according to Zehner, "would remove the street parking in front of the store resulting in no net parking change."
This past week, Zehner attended both the Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association (EVNA) and the Castro Merchants meetings seeking support for the project. EVNA, whom Zehner has been in consultation with since last August, has yet to make a determination, though Zehner says he's made the changes that EVNA requested. The project garnered unanimous support at the Castro Merchants meeting on Thursday.
"My intention is to stay in this location for a very long time," said New Deal owner Terje Arnesen via email. In regards to the effects on parking, he says, "it is not a nuisance to the neighborhood ... the occasional pick-up and drop-off of product shipments are short and infrequent." He continued: "The style and look of the business front is a pleasant addition to the neighborhood that adds to the character of the street and most neighbors have acknowledged this fact."
If the Conditional Use for New Deal is not approved, Arnesen says "relocating will affect business and drop significantly until a new location becomes established,a process I have done once before, and it takes a long time for people to realize you've moved and didn't go out of business."
Should the Conditional Use not be approved, Zehner says they will move forward with their plans and make adjustments. The next step in the process is to receive construction permits, which Zehner says, "could take up to six months to get." At the earliest, Zehner sees construction beginning some time in early 2017.
We reached out to SF Planning for comment but have not yet received a response. As we receive clarification about the status of the permit and project, we will update accordingly.
Thanks to tipster Lou S.
