San Francisco Mayor London Breed's signing ceremony for the "Wawona Street and 45th Avenue Cultural Center Special Use District" ordinance on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the United Irish Cultural Center (UICC) created the false impression that the UICC building project has received final city approval. The celebration of "city formalities out of the way" and "full city approval" for the proposed $70 million project in San Francisco's Coastal Zone misleads the public.
Besides the Special Use District ordinance, the UICC project at 2700 45th Ave. also requires a Coastal Zone Permit. The San Francisco Board of Appeals has suspended the project's Coastal Zone Permit pending appeal #23-035 filed by the Sunset-Parkside Education and Action Committee (SPEAK). The appeal hearing is currently scheduled for March 13, 2024 after two requested continuances by the Planning Department. Without a Coastal Zone Permit, the UICC project cannot move forward. Also, final decision authority rests with the State of California in that the Board of Appeals decision is appealable to the California Coastal Commission.
"As San Franciscans, we cherish our city's cultural centers," according to Eileen Boken, President of SPEAK. "Yet the UICC project with its 1000-person capacity event space, rooftop bar and members-only areas would impact access to the coast, produce noise pollution and create a parking nightmare for neighbors and visitors to Ocean Beach and the Zoo in an area that is vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise." Other issues include scale, height and bulk; building design and size; incompatibility with nearby structures; and failure to maintain the scale and character of the neighborhood among many others.
Aside from the suspended Coastal Zone Permit, the final decision on the Special Use District ordinance rests with the State of California in that the Coastal Commission must certify the ordinance as an amendment to San Francisco's Local Coastal Program.
SPEAK has uncovered numerous irregularities throughout the approval process for this proposed project. "The Planning Department is operating as if it's open season in San Francisco's Coastal Zone," notes Boken. "The State of California has jurisdiction over the Coastal Zone. It's unconscionable that the Planning Department never informed the Coastal Commission about this major project until after SPEAK filed its appeal of the Coastal Zone Permit." Also, the Planning Department vastly expanded the Special Use District ordinance without presenting the new version to the Planning Commission and failed to provide sufficient required notice to the California Coastal Commission. Further, impacted neighbors never received required notifications.
The UICC project is directly across 45th Avenue from the proposed 50-story residential tower concept at 2700 Sloat Blvd., which is also in the Coastal Zone. The same law firm is representing both projects. The UICC project relies on funding from the government of Ireland.
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Founded in 1969, the Sunset-Parkside Education and Action Committee (SPEAK) is one of the oldest neighborhood organizations in San Francisco.
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