A Conservation District may be designated or its boundary changed through amendment of Section 1103.1 of this Article 11. The HPC may recommend approval, disapproval, or modification of Conservation District designations or boundary changes to the Board of Supervisors. Such designation or boundary change shall be governed by the following provisions in lieu of the provisions of Section 302.
(a) Initiation of Designation or Boundary Change. The designation of an area of the C-3 District as a Conservation District or the change of District boundaries may be initiated by motion of the Board of Supervisors, by resolution of the HPC, upon the verified application of the owners or other authorized agents of greater than 25 percent of the structures in the area proposed for designation (or, as to an alteration, 25 percent of the structures of the proposed new district unless it would be an area smaller than the existing district, in which case it shall be 25 percent of the structures of the existing district), upon the verified application of any organization or group that has historic preservation stated as one of its goals in its bylaws or articles of incorporation, or upon the verified application of at least 150 registered voters of the City. Except in case of an initiation by governmental bodies, any such application shall contain historic, architectural, and/or cultural documentation to support the designation or boundary change as well as any additional information that may be required by the application procedures and policies established by the HPC.
(b) Notice; Referral to the Historic Preservation Commission; Review by the Planning Department. If a proposed Conservation District designation or boundary change is initiated by the Board of Supervisors, the Clerk of the Board shall refer the matter to the HPC for its review and recommendation. Upon determination by the Planning Department that a verified application is complete and contains all necessary information or upon receipt of a motion or resolution by the Board of Supervisors or the HPC initiating designation or a change in designation, the Department shall
(1) promptly schedule a hearing before the HPC on the proposed district or boundary change; and
(2) send notice of the HPC hearing by mail no less than 20 days prior to the date of the hearing to the initiators of the designation or boundary change, to the owners of all lots within the proposed new district or the district being modified, and to any interested parties who make a request in writing to the Department.
(c) Action by the HPC. The proposed designation or boundary change shall be placed on the agenda of the HPC for public hearing. If the HPC approves or modifies the proposed designation or boundary change in whole or in part, the Department shall transmit the HPC's recommendation together with a copy of the HPC's resolution and with any comments of the Planning Commission, as set forth in subsection (d) below, to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.
(d) Review by the Planning Commission. Following action by the HPC, the Department shall promptly refer the HPC's recommendation on the proposed Conservation District designation or boundary change to the Planning Commission, which shall have 45 days to review and comment on the proposed designation or boundary change. The Planning Commission's comments, if any, shall be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors together with the HPC's recommendation. Notice of the Planning Commission hearing shall be given as provided in Section 1107(b) of this Article. The Planning Commission's comments shall be transmitted to the Board of Supervisors as a resolution and shall
(1) address the consistency of the proposed boundary change with the policies embodied in the General Plan and the priority policies of Section 101.1, particularly the provision of housing to meet the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation, and the provision of housing near transit corridors;
(2) identify any amendments to the General Plan necessary to facilitate adoption of the proposed boundary change; and
(3) evaluate whether the proposed boundary change would conflict with the Sustainable Communities Strategy for the Bay Area.
(e) Designation by Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors, or a committee thereof, shall hold a public hearing on any proposal so transmitted to it. The Board of Supervisors may approve, modify and approve, or disapprove the designation or boundary change by a majority vote of all its members.
Prior to the Board of Supervisors' vote on a proposed boundary change, the Planning Department shall conduct thorough outreach to affected property owners and occupants. The Planning Department shall invite all property owners and occupants in the area covered by the proposed boundary change to express their opinion on the proposed boundary change. Such invitation shall advise owners of the practical consequences of the adoption of the proposed boundary change, including the availability of preservation incentives, the types of work requiring a Permit to Alter, the process and fees for obtaining a Permit to Alter, and the types of work that is generally ineligible to receive a Permit to Alter.
(f) Appeal to Board of Supervisors. If the HPC disapproves the proposed designation or boundary change, such action shall be final except upon the filing of a notice of appeal to the Board of Supervisors within 30 days by the applicant or any of the persons, organizations, or groups listed in Section 1107(a); provided, however, that if the proposal was initiated by the Board of Supervisors, the Clerk of the Board shall be notified immediately of the disapproval without the necessity for an appeal.
(g) Hearing and Decision by the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors, or a committee thereof, shall hold a public hearing on any such proposal appealed to it or initiated by it. The Board of Supervisors may uphold the HPC, overrule the HPC and approve, or modify and approve, the designation or boundary change by a majority vote of all its members.
(h) Notice of Board of Supervisors Proceedings. Notice of the hearing scheduled pursuant to this Section shall be given by mail no less than 20 days prior to the date of the hearing to: the applicants for the designation or alteration, if any; the owners of all lots within the proposed new district or the district being altered; appellants, if any; and to interested individuals or organizations who request such notice in writing to the Planning Department.
(i) Standards Applicable to Designation or Boundary Change. The standards governing the designation and change of District boundaries are those set forth in Section 1103. Areas may be removed from Conservation Districts if the character of the area has changed such that the area no longer qualifies under the standards set forth in Section 1103.
(Added by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; amended by Ord. 95-12, File No. 120301, App. 5/21/2012, Eff. 6/20/2012)
AMENDMENT HISTORY
Undesignated introductory paragraph and divisions (a), (b), and (c) amended; new division (d) added and former divisions (d) through (h) redesignated as divisions (e) through (i) accordingly; divisions (e), (f), (g), and (h) amended; Ord. 95-12, Eff. 6/20/2012.