A San Francisco developer locked in a battle over a historic building in North Beach can resume work on tearing down part of the structure that was deemed dangerous and at risk of collapse.
A North Beach resident had filed an appeal to stop the developer from an emergency partial demolition of the Verdi Building at 659 Union St., but the San Francisco Board of Appeals on May 20 unanimously rejected the appeal.
The developer can now move ahead with figuring out how to redevelop the long-derelict building, known to many residents as the Coit Liquors building. Previous plans have included housing, retail space and a rooftop restaurant.
The structure facing Washington Square Park at Columbus Avenue has sat empty since a fire gutted it in 2018. It has since become one of the city’s most prominent blighted properties — and a safety hazard to surrounding buildings and passersby.
The dispute over the fate of the burned-out building has come to represent a larger battle over the future of North Beach itself, with preservationists seeing its redevelopment as another threat to the neighborhood’s historic character, while housing advocates and some city leaders hope it will revitalize a long-dormant corner in one of the city’s most popular neighborhoods.
Supervisor Danny Sauter praised the board’s decision, saying commissioners appropriately prioritized public safety despite concerns from historic preservation advocates who worry the ruling could pave the way for the building’s eventual full demolition.
The decision, Sauter said in a statement, “means that work can now resume to safely bring down” parts of “the dangerous structure.”
The appeal was filed in April by North Beach resident and tenant advocate Theresa Flandrich, who argued that the property owner was seeking to demolish the entire building despite receiving approval to remove only a portion of it. The filing automatically stopped demolition work, pending a hearing before the Board of Appeals.
City officials, however, have maintained that the building poses an imminent danger. A March engineering report prepared for the Department of Building Inspection found the structure to be severely compromised, warning that the remaining walls could collapse.
The appeal’s filing also prolonged street and transit disruptions around the property, which is now surrounded by sidewalk closures and led to the relocation of a bus stop, according to Sauter.
Sauter acknowledged how important the site is in his statement on social media.
“There has been much conversation about the future of this site, and for good reason,” Sauter said. “It’s an important corner in an iconic neighborhood.”
Sauter said he looks forward to “robust community conservations to find a future use that serves and honors our cherished neighborhood.”
Powell Partners LLC, which owns the site and is working to redevelop it, did not immediately return a request for comment.