The Northeast San Francisco Conservancy, a preservationist group behind the proposal, submitted it to the State Historical Resources Commission in June, seeking to designate a historic district that would cover more than 600 buildings. Representatives from the group have said that doing so would merely protect the historic character and charm of the neighborhood, but housing advocates argue it could make new homes nearly impossible to build there.

Nancy Shanahan, Peskin’s wife, leads the preservationist group. Neither she nor Peskin responded to requests for comment.

Along with receiving special tax benefits and access to grant programs, buildings that are deemed historic landmarks are also exempt from recent state housing laws that streamline the permitting process and require more density.

Groups in other neighborhoods, including Baywood in San Mateo, St. Francis Wood in San Francisco and Montebello in Los Angeles, have sought historic designations to avoid these streamlining laws.

Newly elected Supervisor Danny Sauter, whose district includes North Beach, has asked whether the group would consider narrowing the designation to a select group of historic buildings.

“I first heard about this proposal from one of my neighbors who got a letter in the mail notifying them of this designation,” Sauter said. “We’ve been spending time trying to understand: Is this something that can allow North Beach to celebrate its history but also welcome change and welcome housing? Because I think that’s really the balance we need to strike.”

The current proposal includes celebrated sites such as Washington Square Park, City Lights bookstore and Saint Francis of Assisi Church, but also six parking garages and a burned-down building that used to house Coit Street Liquors and other businesses. Sauter said conversations with advocates and opponents will continue until the state commission rules on the district.

San Francisco has a separate process for local historic districts, but proposals for state historic designations do not require any approval from cities. The North Beach proposal was on the State Historical Resources Commission’s agenda for this month’s meeting, but shortly before the meeting, the item was pushed back. Mayor Daniel Lurie had urged the commission to postpone the ruling so he and other officials could take more time to study the impacts such a designation might have on housing production.

“I think we’re still at a point where our district — they don’t quite know how to feel because this is such an obscure process, and there’s been little information on this,” Sauter said. “The [Northeast San Francisco Conservancy] has not engaged with our office.”