to leave it the way it was. >> i am not questioning that. i'm trying to figure out how the design works. if this passes, and the like to have notice of special restriction. president olague: commissioner antonini? commissioner antonini: i guess i have the same concerns. it looks like he could enter the first floor with the garage independent from the rest of the house, which is generally where we want to have that entrance eliminated so you cannot use it as a second unit and you have to come into the house on the entry floor, which is the second floor, and go downstairs. i think that is what i would like to see changed in the plan so that it discourages the possibility of anybody using it as a separate unit because it is supposed to be a single-family residence. president olague: --

commissioner moore: the other thing that leads to that, it has a bathtub and it next to the game room. commissioner antonini: that could be made into a half baths. president olague: is that a motion? commissioner antonini: let me move it, not take the art and approved. entrances to the first floor -- take d.r., and eliminate entrances to the exterior from the first floor, other than the garage door or the cars, man, and turn the bathroom there into a half bath. since nobody is living down there, presumably, there should be no need for to be a full bath and we could approve it with those changes. president olague: is there a second?

commissioner moore: commissioner antonini, if i could carry that thought, ascii to look at the drawing, behind the front, behind the shingle portion of the facade, bair is a suggested additional balcony -- there is a suggested additional balcony. having a full tilt facade and potentially derailing of a balcony at rising behind it i think will impact this. it looks difficult in the context of the rest of the design, and i don't think that question is fully resolved. there is something that is not quite work. in order to protect the roof, you have to basically use a solid element to close that the roof that sits on top of the room below it. so you have basically a vertical expression there which is solid, and i am not

comfortable with that. i think it makes the building looked even more awkward. commissioner antonini: what is your suggestion? commissioner moore: i do not have an answer. that is a question of really understanding the sensitive nature of the architectural expression of the top roof. i don't have an answer, but somebody has to look that because what we're seeing here is pretty much what we would be getting. it is not the required railing that you would normally want from whatever. commissioner sugaya: could we add to the motion that project sponsor would work with staff to address the balcony situation and the way it expresses itself in the front? commissioner moore: did you also need to ask how it tracks to the side. that same railing turns and meets another. there is the height of the railing, drops onto the roof,

then you have to tilt it roof. i cannot answer that. but there is something there which i think really requires some architectural sensitivity, which at this moment is not there. commissioner sugaya: i think it is the way the sloping part at the front abruptly ends in what looks like a little parapet. i don't think it works. president olague: so we have an attempt at a motion. i am not sure if we add language to that. commissioner sugaya? commissioner sugaya: were we all in agreement with that? president olague: pretty m uch. commissioner sugaya: i think it is a matter of working with the designer and staff. i think staff knows the direction we're going and. did we also, in the presentation, i am sorry, i

might have missed it, but is there a railing in the rear balcony now or is that a solid wall? commissioner moore: there it is a really now, as the drawing shows. it gotbaum -- there is a railing now, as the drawing shows. commissioner sugaya: as a side comment, i think it would have been nice to have more information about the relationship between the existing and additional, the proposed addition with the typography on the site. -- with the typography on the site. it is difficult to understand how the building sits relative to the very steep hillside at a berkeley starts in the rear yard. -- that abruptly starts in the rear yard. commissioner moore: i have only an idea which addresses the

front elevation. if you look at 6.7, you can see how the shingled roof meets the existing roof line. you see that? and what could happen in that particular place is to keep the balcony user away from the edge. you could actually introduced a planter or something like that, which creates greenage rather than a somewhat awkward additional rising mask. i am not here to design this. but it has to be detailed any manner that creates a credible transition of that shingled roof to the new proposed balcony. cannot be evident. commissioner antonini: i like that suggestion about the plant

there. -- i like the suggestion about the planter. president olague: so the motion? commissioner antonini: we will take the are, and we will modify the project to eliminate any entries from to the outside from the first floor. we're going to change the bath on the first floor from a full bath to a half bath by eliminating what appears to be a bathtub, and we're going to ask staff to work with project sponsor to provide a better terminus to the deck on the front, both on the side and the front aspect, possibly with the use of pointers -- planters. commissioner moore: i want to say something after the motion. commissioner borden: i will

second. commissioner antonini: and we would take a notice of special restrictions. commissioner moore: i will wait until after the motion. that there is a motion and second to take d.r. and approve the project as modified. [roll call vote] so moved, commissioners. that motion passes unanimously, 6-0. president olague: commissioner moore? commissioner moore: i would like to use this as an example of the type of submission we cannot accept. that took quite an extended amount of time to even understand what is implied, and i would like to support the director and staff to start to advance what is the minimum

expectation. i am glad that product -- project architect deliver this today. i understand we are not practicing in the city of san francisco, but we would expect a standard, time to submit information and we work together with staff. president olague: i think that is the reason the staff created the abbreviated d.r. that if we want to make it a regular d.r., then we would do that. but that was kind of the idea behind it. commissioner moore: but you realize there is a missing link care. president olague: commissioner antonini? commissioner antonini: i understand the abbreviated d.r. to save time and cost, but if they are saying that it cries out -- that it rises to the

standard, they have to make this modifications so the product that comes to us is acceptable. we all know about the lower floor matrix and these other things we have been falling quite a few years. that needs to be done and that we move it through. commissioner moore: i fully agree. the more clear the package, the more full support, and this package left a lot. commissioner miguel: i have discussed with the director and staff the last six months the possibility of more standardization and the absolute statement that packets should be sent directly back to the architects, designers, anyone else who submits them if it does not meet the minimum standards, which have to be increased in

order to give us some type of information that we deserve if we're going to hear these projects. i see no reason why it cannot be done. there should be a standard format, standard requirements of minimal nature for these types of projects. obviously, on large office buildings, large complicated projects, it goes far beyond that, but those are not the ones we have problems with most of the time. it is on these projects we have problems with, six units and less. so we change it and it the submitted product i think is in front of us, hopefully soon. >> commissioners, if i could remind you, you are speaking to a non agenda item. it should be discussed during the commissioner comments. president olague: commissioner

sugaya? commissioner sugaya: i was just going to say to the members of the audience, you don't have to stick around, this is a commission discussion. >> maybe it we could speak under public comment. commissioner sugaya: we have just been talking about the fact that we should calendar the item. just a reminder./ >> you are now on public comments. i have no speaker cards. president olague: is there any general public comment. it has to be on anything not on the agenda. >> i think it would be quite helpful for all parties concerned. we rely heavily on staff as to what we need to present, what is acceptable to you, when are you looking at, what are the issues. we come at a lot of times not

knowing and have to rely that this is ok, and it turns out it is not ok. i think we're going into this with good faith that this is the product that you need, this is the product we will produce, but we need to know what it is. there should be a standard by which we can meet. if we are told this is fine and it is not, we need 24 hours to produce a product that is somewhat acceptable, that puts stress on everybody and is not fair to anybody. i appreciate commissioner moore's comments on this and i hope that you give the public the opportunity to give you what they want, because they will if he really -- if they really mean it. president olague: thank you. >> handouts were given to members of the commission. we are not privy to that information. you are looking at something i cannot possibly speak to because we have not had the opportunity to look at it. perhaps in the future, all

exhibits should be given fairly to those of us who will be speaking before use a we have the opportunity to review the affirmation. i pulled off an email maybe an hour before i got here. i have not had a chance to look at this, and i have some comments, and i cannot do that. perhaps in the future, and the exhibit not having been presented "x" number of times before the hearing should be presented. president olague: thank you. any additional public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. and thank you for that comment. commissioner sugaya? commissioner sugaya: just the thought came to mind when the last speaker was presenting her comments. when we get around to discussing this. ok. president olague: the meeting is adjourned.

>> san francisco's buses and trains serve many riders who are blind or how low vision. muni is their lives line to get around. simple act of courtesy can help

them access muni services safely. it is not just courtesy. it is the law. >> i used to take the 21 airlock. >> lot of times, when i would be waiting at the bus stop, the door would open and the driver would announce the bus line. >> 71. >> it is easier and preferable when a driver sees someone who is obviously visually impaired if they stop in front of me and say "this is the 71," "this is the seven." >> our buses are setup to announce the lines when we pull up. when i see a customer with a guide dog or cane, make sure i let them know what line i am. >> every time i get on the bus, i tell the driver where i need to get off, even if i think there digital voice system is going to announce that.

just so they know in the event that it is not working. i would say a good amount of the time, i do get acknowledgment, actually. >> good morning. >> morning. is your announcements system working? >> i'm sorry, it is not. >> could you let me know when we get to van ness and sacramento? >> i sure will. >> i have had a number of drivers be really helpful in terms of getting passengers to move down a few seats so i can sit in the front. >> can somebody give this lady a seat? >> the bus driver was say, "please wait a moment. i want to make sure you have a seat." and i hear him or her announced that he needs a seat for a person with a disability. >> as soon as the person gets on the bus, i ask the passengers if we can have a seat for this person. >> anybody help us? thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> sides, federal law requires

that the customers give their seats to the elderly and disabled if they should need it. >> buses should stop in zones that can accommodate multiple lines will stop behind one another. i cannot see what bus is behind -- i'm not even sure if there is a bus behind. the second bus does not come up to the front. oftentimes, it has caused me to be passed up by bosses, by trains, and again, it makes me late for appointments. it makes me late for my job. >> i'm often anxious that i'm going to miss the bus that i need, simply because i'm not fast enough to scamper down and find out which bus is lined up behind the bus that is currently in front of me. what i'm going to work and i take the van ness street buses to work, sometimes, one of them

will pull up right next to the other one. not in a bus stop, but parallel to it. and i do not know it is there. i also do not feel comfortable walking out into the street. >> is that my boss over there? i think that is my boss -- bus. i'm going to miss it. i don't know how many times i have missed buses because of this. >> i do not double park. it is not safe for our customers, and especially the visually impaired. anything could happen, and it is muni's policy not to double park. normally what i do, if i can safely go in behind, i pull in the zone, offload my customers, load the customers that are waiting for me. when the bus in front of the leaves, i will pull to the front for the customers that did not see me. >> sometimes, the bus pulls up,

and there is stuff in my way because the boys -- bus has not pulled up right in front of me. i have to figure out how to get around or through. i have to navigate through all of that in order to get onto the bus. >> when i pick up a visually impaired customers, i like to pull up right in front of them, make sure nothing is in the way so they can walk right on the coach. >> okay, take one big step forward. >> when i drop off a visually impaired customers, make sure you do not pull up at the shelter. you want to give them a straight shot so they can go to the left or the right. you want to pull in front or behind the shelter. never around any trees or pose. i usually let them know that they have about 10 feet before you. a straight shot, and wallace 10 feet away, and they can make the

decision what they want to do from that point. every now and then, and visually impaired customer wants to be dropped off right at the shelter. so they can go to the left or the right from there. >> ok, you want to take one big step when you step off. the shelter is straight ahead. >> if i get on the bus and asked a bus driver to please tell me when to get off at seven straight, the bus driver very often will tell me to just look at the sign, and i will say that i cannot see the sign because and visually impaired. sometimes, the bus driver gets it. some of the time, the bus driver does not get it at all. it is really difficult when you do not see well to understand where things are. it is one of those issues where people do not see it from the outside. so when they see me having problems stepping off of curbs or stairs or running into the

side of a building or things like that, it would appear to them as though maybe i had been drinking, but the problem is that there is no contrast between a great building and a sidewalk. >> it is difficult for some drivers i think to understand that i am blind. although i may look like i'm getting along very well, and it did happen to me on several occasions with drivers, questioning my ability to see. they would say, "well, you really are not that blind." not only is that infuriating, but it is just something that cuts to my core. >> there are times that visually impaired customers get on the bus, and they are moving so well that makes me wonder how blind they are, but that is not for me to decide. i'm just here to take them some point a to point b safely. >> i moved all the way across the country specifically to live

in san francisco because i knew they had great public transportation. i had the greatest interactions with muni drivers because i was thrilled to be on a bus and be able to get some more independently. i think the drivers can really feel proud that they are making people's lives possible in a way that it is not possible in other parts even of this country. >> the americans with disabilities act of 1990 is a wide-ranging federal civil- rights law that prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. title two of the ada addresses access to public services, including public transportation for persons with disabilities. tips for respectful communication for people with disabilities brochures are available. call sfmta accessible services at 415-701-4485 for copies.

>> i have been a cable car grip for 21 years. i am a third generation.

my grand farther and my dad worked over in green division for 27. i guess you could say it's blood. >> come on in. have a seat. hold on. i like it because i am standing up. i am outside without a roof over my head and i see all kinds of people. >> you catch up to people you know from the past. you know. went to school with. people that you work with at other jobs. military or something. kind of weird. it's a small word, you be. like i said, what do people do when they come to san francisco? they ride a cable car. >> california line starts in

the financial district. people are coming down knobbhill. the cable car picks people up. takes them to work. >> there still is no other device to conquer these hills better than a cable car. nobody wanted to live up here because you had to climb up here. with the invention of the cable car, these hills became accessible. he watched horses be dragged to death. cable cars were invent in san francisco to solve the problem with it's unique, vertically challenged terrain. we are still using cars a

century old >> the old cable car is the most unique thing, it's still going. it was a good design by then and is still now. if we don't do something now. it's going to be worse later. >> the cable cars are built the same as they were in the late 1800's. we use a modern machinery. we haven't changed a thing. it's just how we get there. >> it's a time consuming job. we go for the quality rather than the production. we take pride in our work and it shows in the end product. >> the california line is mo