Under Article 10 Section 1004 of the Planning Code, individual structures with special character, historical or aesthetic interest or value can be designated as City landmarks. Any construction, alteration, removal, or demolition requiring a City permit for a landmark requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission. There are over 300 individual landmarks in the City.

The ordinance proposes to amend the Planning Code by designating the Parkside Branch Library within McCoppin Square Park at 1200 Taraval Street as a new historic landmark. Specific features of this landmark will be preserved or replaced in-kind as necessary.

Landmark designation provides a high degree of protection to historic and architectural structures of merit, ensuring that the special features and character of the Parkside Branch Library will be maintained, and any significant alterations will require oversight and approval from the Historic Preservation Commission.

The Parkside Branch Library is proposed for designation because it represents significant social and cultural shifts in post-war American library programming and is reflective of the principles of the modern public library promoted by the American Library Association after World War II. It also embodies mid-twentieth century American public library design and displays a style representative of the work of the architectural firm Appleton & Wolfard and landscape architect Laurence Halprin.

The ordinance amending the Planning Code to designate Parkside Branch Library as a Landmark must be enacted. Enactment occurs when the Mayor signs the ordinance, when it's returned unsigned or not signed within ten days, or if the Board of Supervisors overrides a mayoral veto.

The Historic Preservation Commission is accountable for issuing Certificates of Appropriateness for any permitted work on the landmark, ensuring preservation of or replacement in-kind for the specified character-defining features.