>> good afternoon. this is the regular meeting of the san francisco planning commission. please turn off your cell phones

or any other electronic devices that may sound off during the proceeding. roll-call. commissioner moore: here. >> commissioner sugaya is expected. commissioner fong is absent. everyone else is here. although the consent calendar does not show any items, i will know that item 10 on the calendar, for 449. of this that avenue east -- 449 buena vista avenuse east -- the dr has been withdrawn. it no longer need your consideration. items one, two, three, and for

composer consent calendar. they are considered routine. there would be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the commission, the public, or staff so requests. then it would be moved to the regular calendar and considered at a future hearing. items 1 a and b -- a request for a conditional use to convert an existing building into an arts complex, including two dwelling units, eight housing units, and art studios and galleries space. 1b, for the same address, is a request for variances or rear yard open space and parking space.

as you consider the request for a conditional use, the zoning administrator will consider that variance. item two is a request for a conditional use authorization to establish a new trout care facility for 13 or more children in an rh- commissioner moore:-2 -- in an rm2 district. item three is also a request for a conditional use authorization, to add a full-service restaurant to an existing karaoke lounge, on the ground floor. that is on a two-story mixed use of building within the clement street district. item four is an initiative to implement sponsored general plan

amendments related to community safety. the commission will consider this resolution to initiate minor text amendments to the community said the element of the general plan, adding language to reference the most recent hazard mitigation plan. this would allow the city and county of san francisco to qualify for additional funding for disaster recovery projects per california assembly bill ab 2140. following any public comment on these matters which would remove them from the consent calendar, these are in your hands. president olague: is there any public comment? seeing none. commissioner borden: move the items. vice president miguel: second. president olague: thank you.

>> the motion on the floor is approval for all four items. on that motion -- commissioner antonini: aye. commissioner borden: aye. commissioner moore: aye. president olague: aye. vice president miguel: aye. >> i close the public hearing on this item and grant the requested variance in 1b, subject to conditions. >> thank you. you are now on commissioners questions and matters. commissioner moore: i want to bring to the commission's attention and exhibit at spur, which is the ocean beach in context. it is a very worthwhile exhibit. this exhibit is going to be on until march 8. i brought you a postcard city

can remind yourself. it is a very worthwhile thing to do. it does something which i am very intrigued by it asks comprehensive questions. it poses questions. it lays out interagency requirements which are necessary to even look at this particular problem. i consider it be worthwhile -- it to be worth while, perhaps during lunch time, to go look at it and have someone give you brief comments. i was impressed by the presentation and the issues raised. commissioner borden: i was at an all-day forum about community sustainability and heard a gentleman speak about salvation army work in new orleans related to rebuilding housing for people at the bottom of the economic

spectrum. what was fascinating is that they had this green program. they actually did a competition and sent out rfps to architects all over the country. they said, "we wanted to build an 800 sq. ft. unit for $100,000." people said it could not be done, but firms from around the world came up with ideas, including one which was locally headquartered. now, when they are looking at the development in poor neighborhoods, these are the plans that are using. the salvation army leveraged that with funding they had gotten from people to help build this house and. i do not think we can build a $100,000 home in san francisco, but i thought it was innovative. not only do they marry this idea with having plans on the shelf a

possible that people could use in moving forward, but the couple that with giving people these green gift baskets. people got a basket of all the different improvements that could put into their home so that they could save money on heating, water, and different bills. it made a big difference because these are people who were at the edge anyway, housing wise. to have a new unit could be prohibitive it costs have gone up. burying the new units with the environmental sustainability meant the difference about these people being able to afford their homes. i would love the gentleman from the salvation army to talk to us about it. i thought it was an innovative approach to taking green and looking at the other end of the spectrum, and being prepared in the sense of doing redevelopment for people at the lower end of the spectrum, with housing they can afford to live in going forward. vice president miguel: i can

across -- a friend came across this and send it to me. it is a weblog from an organization called fast company, which i had never seen before. commissioner borden: that is a big company. [laughter] vice president miguel: i am sorry. i did not know anything about it. i am a different generation. there were talking about walmart end target opening small-footprint outposts, and there were talking about san francisco. i hope there were talking about the general san francisco bay area, perhaps, because they are talking about opening the two doesn't micro-stores in san francisco, these small-footprint stores.

[laughter] often, when people who are not that familiar with san francisco use the term san francisco, it is the greater bay area. perhaps that is true. i have not heard anything. we know about target, but nothing about walmart. commissioner moore: may add one footnote? for them a small footprint was 20,000 square feet. that is huge. vice president miguel: they consider its small, yes. anyway, that was very interesting. i have also been meeting this last week on the t-line extension to chinatown, with a lot of controversy around it still, and an interesting meeting regarding something that will be coming to us in the near

future, which is expected to spark. -- executive park. commissioner antonini: i also had a few meetings i should mention. yesterday, with project sponsors for treasure island development, last week with the dr req estor for a future project on edgewick drive. yesterday, 2750 mission, which i think will be next week, paulo comparo. and neighbors concerns about the development at 800 presidio. two weeks ago, a representative for future development in the decca triangle. >> we can move forward to directors apart -- director's

report, review of past events. >> i think afforded you an e- mail about the latest activities related to the redevelopment agency proposal by the governor. our redevelopment agency, under fred blackwell's guidance, has proposed an alternative to the governor's proposal. that discussion was to happen today or yesterday at the governor's office. we will see the results of that shortly, hopefully. i wanted to announce a couple of changes for our legislative staff. anne marie had up that work. to help her, we made some changes that step will be working on legislative analysis.

instead of having one position, we will break it up into three different positions. you'll see soapy hayward, erica starke, and erica lovejoy taking part of some of the responsibility. some of their time will be spent on neighborhood planning, and the other part will be focused on legislative work. i believe the land use committee nor the full board met this week, so there is no report for you. >> the board of appeals also did not meet this week. there will be out next week as well. >> historic preservation did not meet this week. >> with that, we are now at general public comment that has a time limit of 15 minutes. at this time, members of the public might address you on items of interest that fall within the jurisdiction of this commission. members of the public are given up to 3 minutes, with a 15-

minute time limit on the category. i do not have any cards that indicate public comment. i do have a card that wants to speak about 2509 bush street. president olague: that is not on the calendar. >> yes it is. president olague: i am sorry. it is. item eight. >> sorry about that. i do not have any cards for general public comment. president olague: is there any general public comment? seeing none, general public comment is closed. >> commissioners, item eight is for 2509 bush street. >> good afternoon,

commissioners. mary would from department staff. the proposal before you is to allow the first for conversion to a preschool for up to 48 children, and to update the second story or preschool use as well. this would be 3900 sq. ft. for approximately 48 children, ages two 25. a conditional use is required because in the nc-3 district it is defined as large commercial use. we have thought received three additional letters in support of the project, and one opposition, related to noise from outdoor play time. the project sponsor has agreed to have an additional condition for the motion, which is to

include a community liaison for the project so that the neighbor may have someone to call if there are any questions. this concludes my presentation of the project. i am available for any questions. president olague: thank you. project sponsor? >> good afternoon. my name is michelle lauden, and i am the founder of stretch of the imagination. i came to give you a little history about our school and tell you a little bit about how we approach early childhood. almost nine years ago, we started on union street in a small commercial space, where we were after-school program. i was teaching in a preschool and wanted to put my approach for four children, which was to give them more time and space to be creative, get messy, and have a hands-on learning. it started out as art, yoga, and

music classes. we opened it up to two year olds, which took us to a new level. there was a lot of demand for classes' to give them a head start in their education. we grew from that 900 sq. ft. space in bush street. we live above the school at this time. we have our program on the bottom floor. i and all the people in the community of educators approach education in i think a unique way. we really believe in the capability of young children, and that they are capable. if you hold them up to great expectations, they will meet those expectations. it is a program based on need -- based on the reggio system of

child-based learning. we think of it as a reciprocal relationship where we are teaching children not only to learn letters and shapes, but to think. we help them learn resources and who can turn to. i think our job is done when we have taught children to look at other peers as experts and think of themselves as experts, and know what resources they can turn to if they need something. we think of problem solving and failure as a chance for learning opportunities. with our expansion, we will be able to bring this to more children. we will not only be able to increase our numbers, but we have started a scholarship fund which is in the final stages of federal funding. we have gotten california funding agreed to. we are waiting for this federal agreement. with this, we can bring stretch to more children who might not be able to afford a preschool or early learning environment

before the mandatory state public schools. it is also for teachers to continue their education. i really think a stretch as a community that is based with families, educators, and the community at large. we have a partnership with a lot of the community members around us. i think of it as a community of educators. we have invested not only in the children we love, but also in our teachers. we have put them through school. we pay them a good wage so they can look at teaching as a career and something they can live on in san francisco and have. i want to leave you with the idea that i think stretch is not only unique. i think it is important to young children. we really believe in giving children a head start and a place to have fun and the children, to honor this time of wonder as a time that gives them

the footing they need for later in life. something that research shows, which think is interesting and that some of us might not know, is that 40% of everything we learn, we learn by the age of four. 80%, we learn by the age of seven. they are talking about this position, adaptability, and functioning in life. it does matter if a child is engaged at your level and believes they're capable. i think it leaves children with a wonderful start to their life. we also have a lot of parents and community members, people that work near and around us who are here to support us. i am not exactly sure how it works. president olague: they can speak, or they can just stand up now to show their support. great. thank you.

we have one speaker card, and that is eric stein. >> hello, commissioners. my name is eric stein, and i live and work in san francisco. my psychotherapy office is located across the small parking lot from stretch of the imagination. in effect, and the next-door neighbor. speaking as a neighbor, i have been very impressed with their efforts to be positive and responsible member of the neighborhood. from my office window, i can observe how they handle drop offs and pickups with children. they have devised a routine that is efficient and safe, and does not block traffic on bush street, which is frequently a problem outside nursery schools, as you may have encountered in other hearings. although mai building overlooks their outdoor play area, i have

not found that noise is a problem. i can sometimes hear children at play, but the sound is not loud or unpleasant. this is not a large school that is releasing hundreds of children at recess. it has always been small groups, and they have been well supervised. it is the natural sound of children at play that has always been a part of life in any normal community. needless to say, the school site is completely quiet at night. i am also here to speak as someone with an extensive background in early childhood education. i am the founder and former director, and current board member of, peter's place, a nursery school in san francisco. for over two decades, i have been a child psychotherapist in private practice. in the course of my work, i have had the opportunity to visit many preschool programs in san francisco. i wanted to learn more about stretch the imagination, so i

asked if i could come and serve the school in a session. i was delighted by what i saw. i can tell you from direct observations, reading about the program, and discussions, that this program reflects state of the art thinking regarding child good education. the teaching staff was consistently warm, caring, and competent. as someone who cares deeply about serving the needs of young children in our community, i want to assure you that stretch the imagination is one of a small group of preschools in san francisco that lead the highest standards in early to tell a good education. this authorization represents a major opportunity to enhance the program that is a valuable asset to the whole neighborhood. thank you. president olague: thank you. >> good evening, commissioners. have the black history month.

education, when the proclamation was signed, was a great ability for a african-americans to learn. they did not have a head start. they did not have schools. they had to start from somewhere, and are still trying to catch up. today, you have an opportunity as the president of the united states said. early childhood development will help america's children not be left behind. the more educated children are today, the better america's future will be tomorrow. as we begin to try to find ways to create engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and inventors, this is where it starts -- at headstart. peoca