SF Just Made Two Tiny Pockets of the Mission Officially “Historic”: Ordinances 251100 / 251101

With recently approved Ordinances 251100 and 251101 (read more here), San Francisco just circled two small pockets near Mission Dolores on the map - Chula-Abbey and Alert Alley - and said: “These stay.”

If you own, live, or invest here, expect the tradeoff: extra preservation for the neighborhood, and extra process for projects. Both of these neighborhoods just became official historic districts under Article 10. (For reference, Alamo Square has the same level of protections)

Where are they, and why these blocks?

Both districts sit just southwest of Mission Dolores (and just north of Dolores Park), roughly between Church and Dolores and 15th and 17th.

They’re a small but unusually intact snapshot of Mission housing from the late 1800s to early 1900s - cottages and early flats that still read as “old Mission” from the sidewalk. The goal is to keep that character legible, not slowly modernized away.

SF Historical Preservation Areas

What changes if you’re inside the boundary?

If your property is inside the district boundary, it’s included in these protections, even if it’s not an individual landmark. You still deal with normal permits, but this adds a historic review layer.

In most cases you’ll need a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) (or Administrative COA) before permits for making any exterior changes (additions, window/door changes, visible decks, notable façade work, skylights) or any demolition (even partial). Planning and the Historic Preservation Commission review first, and only after approval can the City issue permits. Demolition can be held up to a year while alternatives are explored.

Depending on the final ordinance language, street-visible exterior changes can also trigger review even if they wouldn’t normally need a permit, like new siding, different-style windows, tall front fencing, or murals on visible walls. Repair-in-kind is usually fine, but anything that changes how the building reads from the sidewalk is now a “check with Planning first” situation.

What to expect going forward

Historic designations have picked up lately after a quieter 2010s. The past five years saw Dogpatch expansions, Market Street Masonry additions, and now these Mission Dolores spots, driven by neighborhood surveys and supervisors like Mandelman pushing preservation before terms end. City data tracks over 3,300 eligible parcels citywide, but only a fraction get formalized into districts, focusing on "survivor" blocks with high integrity. Expect more targeted wins than a flood of new designations. Planning prioritizes areas with strong context statements, which make areas like Noe Valley or Potrero Hill likely future candidates.

Read More about These Ordinances

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