Whether you’re swapping windows or putting up new homes, SF’s red tape is notorious. Those in charge say relief is finally coming. — “It’s a simple project,” says John McDowell, a permit expediter who helps would-be builders untangle San Francisco’s legendary red tape. His current clients, who own an early 20th-century, mixed-use building on Market Street, want to replace wood windows with more durable materials that he swears will look “exactly the same.”
