Huge ad for Verizon at Embarcadero Center coming down

Workers on a window washing scaffold move past a partially removed Verizon sign on Embarcadero Four on Thursday, January 28, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Workers on a window washing scaffold move past a partially removed Verizon sign on Embarcadero Four on Thursday, January 28, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Huge ad for Verizon at Embarcadero Center coming down 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

The Super Bowl might be one giant event, but a giant Verizon advertisement hung on the side of a building at the Embarcadero Center was a bit too big for the city — the enormous sign was taken down Thursday on orders from the city.

The banner, which promoted Verizon, covered a large portion of Four Embarcadero Center. Under San Francisco’s planning code, the display was illegal because too much of it was devoted to the wireless company in proportion to the part dedicated to a civic event, in this case Super Bowl 50.

Earlier this week, City Attorney Dennis Herrera demanded that Verizon remove its advertisement by 5 p.m. Thursday, before the Super Bowl festivities begin. The ad extended about 15 stories up the building. Another large banner — this one for Visa at One Market Plaza — is about seven stories tall and will be allowed to remain because, while huge, it follows city rules.

“As a result of our efforts, we have sent a message that we can’t overrule the will of San Francisco voters by allowing illegal signs,” Herrera said. “If we allow it for one event, we would have a hard time saying no at other events. It’s obviously set a precedent for what will happen in the future.”

Committee cooperation

Nathan Ballard, spokesman for the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, said the group worked with the city to modify the Verizon ad. The Verizon portion of the ad will be scaled back significantly, he said, while the Super Bowl banner will remain.

“We are working with the city to be in 100 percent compliance,” Ballard said. “The city attorney and Super Bowl 50 Host Committee are totally in sync.”

Ballard added that the organization paid the management of Four Embarcadero and One Market Plaza to put up the temporary signs and that any fines associated with them will be paid to the city.

Bob Sommer, who works on the 38th floor of Four Embarcadero, said workers began tearing down the black mesh advertisement Thursday morning. His office windows, which normally let in sunshine and sweeping views, were dark and dreary because of the banner, he said.

“I was super happy about the change of events,” Sommer said. “We have a beautiful view of the bay, and the ad just killed that all. We don’t like those kinds of things here in San Francisco. We don’t want our downtown to look like Times Square. The ad was not in line with what we want.”

Stacey Yip, a spokeswoman for Verizon, said the dispute was the result of a misunderstanding between the city and the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee about permissible signage under the planning code.

On Wednesday, the San Francisco Planning Department issued a notice of violation to Paramount Group, which manages One Market Plaza, and a complaint to Boston Properties, which manages the Embarcadero Center. Planning spokeswoman Gina Simi said the department hadn’t given permission to the companies to put up the ads and that they needed to be altered.

Billboard restrictions

A spokeswoman for Boston Properties, which manages Four Embarcadero, declined to comment. Spokespeople for Visa and One Market Plaza didn’t respond to requests for comment.

For 50 years, San Francisco has restricted general advertising — essentially, any billboard that promotes goods or services not offered on a building’s premises. In March 2002, voters passed a measure prohibiting new general advertising signs within the city, except on vehicles and in public rights-of-way.

Under San Francisco’s planning code, the advertiser has 30 days to take a sign down before being fined. Fees range from $100 to $2,500 a day, based on the sign’s size. A temporary sign, though, is exempt from the planning code if it is representative of a civic event or celebration — like the Super Bowl. Corporate sponsors may include a logo, but it must not be more than 15 percent of the sign — the Verizon part of the ad at the Embarcadero was nearly half of the entire ad, while the Visa portion of the ad at One Market fell within the 15 percent rule.

Hilton banner acceptable

Under that exception, a large Super Bowl 50 banner that now covers the Hilton Union Square hotel is OK.

“The city has traditionally allowed sponsors of such events to be identified in the signage,” Simi said. But in the case of the Verizon ad, she said, “the level of sponsor advertising is in excess of what would ordinarily be allowed.”

Jamie Whitaker, 42, of Rincon Hill said the advertisements should be taken down completely. He saw the Super Bowl 50 banner go up at the Hilton Union Square on Jan. 18 and said it was an eyesore.

“It’s a blight,” Whitaker said. “The planning code does not allow folks to start throwing hundreds of square feet of new signs on the side of their buildings. San Francisco attracts tourists in part because of the beauty of this city, and that includes the architectural details. Hopefully, the enforcement process will be swift.”

If the city didn’t deal with the Verizon sign, it could open the door for illegal signage at other major events, said Matt Dorsey, a spokesman for Herrera.

“The signs (came) as a surprise to us,” he said. “It really opens the door to similar illegal signs being used at events.”

Herrera added, “I’m very grateful the event sponsors worked cooperatively with us to make sure they complied with local laws.”

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonn n