Administrative Zoning Public Hearing for 747 West Dana Street Expansion - February 25, 2026
Administrative Zoning Public Hearing
February 25, 2026
Zoning Administrator George Schroeder presided over the public hearing starting at 4:00 p.m. and concluding at 4:05 p.m. The sole agenda item was a request for a provisional use permit to expand ground-floor office space at 747 West Dana Street. The meeting operated in a hybrid format, with staff and the applicant present in person and virtual public participation available via Zoom. No members of the public provided oral or written comments on the agenda item or on non-agenda matters.
Consent Calendar
- No separate consent calendar was discussed; the single agenda item was handled as a public hearing.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the hearing. No oral communications were submitted for non-agenda items.
Discussion Items
- Item 3.1: 747 West Dana Street – Provisional Use Permit
Senior Planner Krisha Panolia presented the request for a provisional use permit to allow a 263-square-foot expansion of ground-floor office use in a previously approved three-story commercial building on a 0.07-acre site. The existing office lobby would be expanded, and a new podcast room would be added along Blossom Lane. The project was found to be categorically exempt from CEQA under Section 15301 (existing facilities) and consistent with the Downtown Precise Plan (P19, Area H). No public comment letters were received. The applicant, Mr. Rodriguez, noted the expansion serves the tenant occupying the first, second, and third floors, with a restaurant fronting Dana Street and a lobby entrance off Blossom Lane.
Key Outcomes
- Decision: Zoning Administrator Schroeder approved Item 3.1 based on findings that the use activates the ground floor, provides transparent storefronts, and is consistent with the Downtown Precise Plan. The conditions of approval were posted online.
- Appeal: The decision is appealable to the City Council within 10 calendar days.
- Next Steps: The applicant and staff discussed coordinating with the building inspector regarding drawing revisions and securing a certificate of occupancy.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, we'll get started. Well, good afternoon and welcome to the administrative zoning public hearing of February 25th, 2026. My name is George Schroeder, and I am present presiding over the hearing today as the zoning administrator. And I'd like to call the meeting to order today at 4 o'clock p.m. Today's hearing will operate in a hybrid format. Staff, the applicants, and subcommunity members are in person. However, we will ask if community members joining us virtually want to speak on an item at certain points in the meeting. When those opportunities arise, typically during the public comment portion of each agenda item. Members of the public wishing to comment may do so by clicking on the raise hand feature on Zoom when I announce the item that you wish to speak on. Speakers will be notified of their turn shortly before they're called on to speak. All speakers virtually or in person will have two to three minutes to provide comments with the timing dependent on the total number of speakers for each item. If you are in person and wish to comment on either of the items, please also fill out a yellow speaker card for us so we're able to accurately spell your name for the meeting minutes. The next portion of the meeting is oral communications from the public. This is a time set aside for persons wishing to address the zoning administrator on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are limited to three minutes, and state law prohibits any action on any items which are not on the agenda. Is there seeing no one in the audience? Is there anyone online that would speak on like to speak on any of the items not on the agenda? There's no one online. Okay. Thank you, Roxanne. I will now move on to item three, which is the zoning administrator public hearing. Item 3.1 is 747 West Dana Street with a request for a provisional use permit to allow a 263 square foot ground floor office use expansion in a previously approved three-story commercial building on a 0.07 acre site and a recommended determination that the project is categorically exempt pursuant to section 15301, which is existing facilities of the California Environmental Quality Act. Good evening, Krisha Panolia, our senior planner, and I'm here to present the project before you. The project is located west south of Dana Street between Castro Street and Hope Street in the P19 downtown precise plan, Area H. The project is surrounded primarily by commercial uses and includes frontage along West Dana Street to the north and Blossom Lane to its east. The use permit is to expand the approved ground floor office along Blossom Lane. The existing office itself has no frontage on West Dana Street, and with the expansion, continues to not have any frontage along Dana Street. And here's a floor plan showing the proposed expansion. Again, the existing floor plan shows the expansion of the ground floor office lobby to create a larger office lobby and a proposed podcast reel. The proposal continues to create a new ground floor experience through this layout and intends to create an attractive ground floor experience with transparent windows. And as such, staff finds that the project is consistent with the general plan and precise plan and recommends approval of the project. Thank you. Okay, thank you, Krisha. It's now the applicant's turn to make a presentation. Mr. Rodriguez, do you have a presentation or anything for us today? I just wanted to note that uh this is for the tenant that is taking the majority of the building. They'll be on the first, second, and third floor of the building. There's a restaurant uh that will be located at the front part of the building on Dana Street, but their lobby entrance off of Blossom Lane. Some call that an alley, but it's that back street. Um, and they have requested this additional lobby expansion plus the podcast room. So happy to answer any questions that you might have or members of the public. Um, thank you. Okay, thank you, Mr. Rodriguez. No questions from me. So we will now open the item up for public comments. And seeing no one from the audience, uh, let's see if there's anyone online that would like to comment. And if you are online, please use the raise hand feature in Zoom to raise your hand. And uh is there anyone that wishes to speak?
openpublica.com