Preserve Historic San Francisco! Vote “Yes” on Prop J!
The upcoming November 4th election offers San Francisco voters a rare opportunity to help protect the City's unique heritage by voting "Yes" on Proposition J.
San Francisco's planning process for landmark buildings is badly broken. Established more than forty years ago and unchanged since, permitting for changes to historic buildings is tangled in red tape. Important buildings go unprotected while property owners playing by the rules suffer months of delay for small changes.
Proposition J is common-sense reform:
- Creates a dedicated Historic Preservation Commission of experienced professionals appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors to review decisions about landmark buildings and neighborhoods.
- Establishes a common-sense permitting process that increases certainty in the entitlement process while allowing sponsors to ask for reconsideration by the Planning Commission.
- Adopts best practices from around the country for reviewing and protecting our historic buildings and neighborhoods.
- Gives commissioners protection from removal from office for political reasons. Under existing law, members of the city's advisory landmarks board can be removed without cause.
The Western Office of the National Trust co-authored the official ballot argument in support of Proposition J, which was drafted collaboratively with the City's Planning Department, the Mayor's office, the Landmarks Board, and the State Historic Preservation Office. The result is a good government measure that will give architects, developers, and city staff the best tools available to make sound decisions about our historic buildings and neighborhoods.
Join us in helping preserve historic San Francisco! For more information or to make a contribution to the Yes on J campaign, please visit www.preservehistoricsf.com
