secretary avery: the planning commission is back in session. if i could remind everyone to turn off your cell phone or any other device that may sound off during the proceedings. commissioners, you are on item number nine, 201 0.0771ec, 300, 307, and 311 gaven street. >> good afternoon, commissioners. this is for the san francisco

school at 300 gaven street. it is a private school offering instruction from preschool to eighth grade. they operate their main campus at 300 gaven street and uses 307 and 311 as office space. they lease a space for outdoor recreation for the students. the proposal before it is to expand the school and includes multiple components. the first component is to increase the enrollment size of the school. of the planning commission approved enrollment cap of 268 students in 1998, and the school currently has 277. the proposal is to increase the cap to 285 to allow for natural fluctuations instead of rights. the second but it is to legalize the dwelling unit conversion of the single-family homes at 307 and 311 gaven street across the street from the main campus. the school purchased those

locations in 1999 and 2001. they're both approximately 1050 square feet. in their home is visibly altered, and they are currently used as an administrative office space and faculty office space. the third proposal is to demolish part of the main building and construct a 40-foot tall, approximately 14,000 gross square foot center. the main building was constructed in 1960 as a church that is currently used by the school as preschool, the library, and administered of offices. the multi-purpose center will include the office space, and the gymnasium that also be used as an auditorium. the school currently has no gymnasium or auditorium space and has to hold all of its athletic practices, competitions, and similar events of sight. the construction of the center and associated reconfiguration of the existing school space will result in a net increase of one classroom from 17, 18 total.

in order for the project to proceed, the commission must grant conditional use authorization for allow for a pud enrollment cap increase and the conversion of the two single-family homes from residential to school administration used in the rh-1 zoning district. the project requires an exception for the rear yard and height measurement requirements of the planning code. additionally, the planning code provides five criteria for the planning commission to consider in the case of a dwelling unit conversion. while the department is concerned with the loss of the two dwelling units, we feel this means the majority of the closed -- the majority of the criteria. the schools have been in use as school use for some time. and because the residential buildings have not been altered. additionally, a condition of

approval was added to prohibit any physical changes to the houses in the future. therefore, it would be easy to convert the homes back to residential use once the school as the funds to do so. the department received 23 letters of support and no letters in opposition to the project, although i believe there is one person present today who has some matter of opposition. the planning department recommends approval for the overall project with conditions for the following reasons. the enrollment cap increase represents a very small increase for a neighborhood school that has operated in the area more than 40 years. the multi-purpose center is designed away at that is highly compatible with the residential surroundings. the lack of physical changes to the homes at 307 and 311 gaven street and the condition. but in any future changes increased ease said the likelihood of their conversion back to residential use. finally, it beats all applicable requirements of the planning code and is consistent with the general plan -- it meets all of

the applicable requirements of the planning code and is consistent with the general plan. that is all i have an idea for additional questions. president olague: thank you. project sponsor? >> my name is steve morris, i am the head of schools at the san francisco school. my job is to tell you a little about who we are as a school. first and foremost, but to make it clear that i think we are a little different than any private school that has been in front of you today. i will show you why. as he said, we are asking for is the enrollment limit to reflect our current capacity. we're looking to convert 307 and 311 to office and teacher workspace. and we are looking to bring the multi-purpose center on the

campus to house the gymnasium and theater and intense classroom space. -- enhanced classroom space. one of the things that i think makes us different from any other private school is the fact that we walk the talk with regard to our mission statement. there are certain words in there that really jump out. intellectual, imaginative, humanitarian promise, practice mutual respect, we embrace diversity, we inspire passion for learning. it is my belief if you were to take that mission statement to the campus today or tomorrow and walk around, you would see it alive and kicking on the school yard, in the classrooms, in the hallways, etc. a bill history about the school. we were founded in 1966. by a small group of parents and teachers. we have always been in this neighborhood. we were first in a small lutheran church basement.

the way that it worked with school was in session during the week, and then moved out, sunday school moved in during the weekend. they did that for three years until they found the current space on gaven street in 1969. it also was a church. it was a baptist church that had just gone bankrupt. the pastor struck a deal with a small group of parents and teachers, and 45 years later we are still in that same space. that is one of the reasons we are looking to bring on this multi-purpose center, because the school, the space itself was built to be a church. it was never meant to be a school. we have built walls within the church base, but it could function much better. we still have certain church pews from the original church in the preschool playground. they're beautiful wooden pews, but it is time to turn that space into something that can operate as a school function.

the san francisco school has been an anchor in the southeast section of san francisco for 45 years. 43% of our student body comes from district's nine, 10, and 11. digging back into the mission statement, you will see the racial and ethnic diversity within our students and staff body is actually one of the most of first independent schools -- one of the most of first independent schools and the bay area. we are a private school where the minority is the majority. it is not just racial and ethnic diversity. over $1 million per year is given towards financial aid at our school. again, walking the talk. we are a progressive school. that is evidenced here today by bringing our students. behind me, we have our entire fifth grade class and a number of other students from school. for the fifth grade class in particular, talk about hands-on

learning, they have spent the day at treasure island getting a tor, looking at the bay bridge, etcetera, made their way to the mayor's office, met the mayor, and then we wanted them to be here to participate in this specific opportunity. this is an example of progressive education, seen democracy at work and the boards of having a public voice in a situation like this. digging into what we are asking for, again, any of you who have ever witnessed or seen admissions process in any school, it is just as much an art as science. while 10 years ago we were given that cap of 268, over the years and has fluctuated, up to a high, just to correct, 276. we are currently at 274. we do not want to go over that. if we report to fill every desk and chair at our school, we

would be maxed out at 285. the campus simply cannot hold any more than that, nor would we want any more in the classroom spaces. 10 years ago, a little over 10 years ago, we purchased 311 gaven street from who we was the original owner, we believe, who had lived there over 30 years. two years later, 307 gaven street came to the market and that resident approached us and asked if we were interested in buying that space, and we did. over the years, we have used them for administrative space. most recently, and this is glued in my memory, several years ago i came outside the front gate and i saw one of our teachers sitting in his car grading papers. i knocked on the window, said what are you doing in there? he said i am grading papers. what does that look like. why? he said there isat the school. i said we need to make space in

one of these houses for the teachers and faculty it is not necessarily the classic faculty lounge, it is a faculty house. they're not living there, but it is a space where the could go and do work, get a little privacy, get away from the campus, etc. we officially want to convert those for our use and we're committed to planning into the neighborhood, not changing the residential character. if years ago, -- a few years ago, we think it both spaces, and if you came on the street, you would have no clue which ones are our houses. they blend right in. the multi-purpose center, as i mentioned, the piece i am most excited about. for many, many years, we have had to travel all around the bay area, particularly san francisco, to put on musical performances, participate in athletic events, etc.

we have an award winning, world- renowned music program. we're very fortunate to have this program, get our kids have not been able to perform on our campus. with athletics, the kids have never been able to play in front of a home crowd. we are always visitors, and we have a very successful athletic program. i am just thinking as the head of school, the opportunity to bring these events on campus will add a whole new level of spirit to the campus, and i don't think the community even knows what will be doing. one other thing, just to travel alone getting to the events, the carbon footprint that we have by car pooling, etcetera, will be greatly reduced once we're back on our campus. furthermore, we have come to figure out that when the kids travel to rehearsal or spring concert, etcetera, these alternate venues, about eight hours of class time is lost just going back and forth to these

spaces outside of our campus. at this point, i want to turn and over to our architect, built barney. >> good afternoon, i am build body. i'd like to relinquish 5 seconds of my time to have the students stand up and be acknowledged. [applause] thank you. the san francisco school is located in the portola district. it is a community of athletes, learners, performers, and future leaders for our city, but the school has no community space.

it is located between 101 and 280. it is very close to the 280 off ramp and gaven street. the problem to create this community space was how to put a large structure on to this type campus that has a great variety of the first dynamic outdoor spaces. the solution was to place it on the footprint of the existing north classroom area. the result is by putting the classrooms on the second-floor is we have a net reduction of up or space of zero and a net increase of committee space of about 4000 square feet. we think it is a terrific addition to the campus. the multi-purpose based on the north side of the land, up against the freeway, acting as a wind and acoustic barrier for

the campus will serve for basketball, volleyball, badminton. we have seating for the whole student body, it will be great for assemblies, all kinds of school ceremonies and celebrations. just the south is the school's main street, the front door for the school with a lobby where the can't display -- where that can display their work. and then the school library and school offices. on the second floor, we create but another outdoor play area, outdoor classroom, flanked by a second part room, second science room so they can really do discovery-type projects in both art and science, math, spanish, and fifth grade. this also allows kids to have use of the preschool yard on the northeast corner down to the lower school play yard to the

east. this is a section through the building to demonstrate the relative heights and orientation of the classrooms. this is the pullout seating for the school's musical and dramatic performances. the way we are using the roofline and will work somewhat as an airfoil. this is a rendering of the view from across the street. the new building is set back about 80 feet from the front, keeping the green frontage. that will be supplemented as we get on with the project. toyota prius is always parked in front of the campus. that is the kids entry to the school. this is a view from the east.

the main lower court yard, and then the upper level courtyard, with large overhangs. all the classrooms either have large overhangs or sold or screens, and there is a large array -- or solar screens, and there is a larger rate. it meets all of the san francisco green standards in the school is pushing that as far as they can with informal air quality and environmental stewardship, which is part of the institutional guidelines. this is a view to the north play yard. this is a preschool play yard. this is pre-k through eighth grade. the idea is to create with the textures and colors to break down the scale of the building, both to make it feel more appropriate and also give a sense of place and funding for the kids. we are also proposing to have areas for children's art on the outside for murals, etc.

so that is a summary of the project. thank you. president olague: thank you. we will open this up for public comment. >> good afternoon. i am here to protest, only minimally, the project. secretary avery: could you state your name for the record? >> my name is thomas. i live at 198 gaven street. the project is a great project, with one exception. at the traffic problem created by this, parents going to and picking up their children. it makes a horrendous problem for the residents along gaven street.

there have been times when i have not been able to get out of my garage morning, into it in the afternoon. i have been accosted by some of the parents. i have been basically cost that in front of the children. -- i have been basically cussed at in front of the children. i think there needs to be something done about the traffic situation, whether it is speed bumps, whether it is a stop arterial side at the entrance to the street, any of those things to slow down the traffic and let the people, the parents, guardians of the children, know they cannot block driveways and that they have to be considerate of the people that live there. i mean, the school has been there a long time, longer than i have been there, but the problem has not diminished hardly at

all. they have been working with us and they're doing a good job, but the parents, the children graduate, new parents takeover, and the problem goes over and over again. that is my comment. thank you very much. president olague: thank you. i wanted to mention there are no more speaker cards opposing the project. that was the only one. certainly the people who want to speak, or the youth, whatever, but otherwise if you want to show your support by standing up, that is also encouraged. if there are any users who want to speak, you have the opportunity to do so now. -- if there are any youth who want to speak, you have the opportunity to do so now. it is up to you guys. >> good afternoon, commissioners. my name is delores. i am a neighbor and i have also

attended the san francisco school, and i worked there as well. i want to be respectful of your time. if everyone who do support this project could stand briefly for one moment. thank you. so, as a neighbor, i just feel like it offers a lot to the community. i think it is beautiful frontage. i love walking there. i walk to the farmers' market on the other side, and that locked to -- and i like to walk by there. i feel safer by the school. by having a lot of people come to the school both during the day or in the evening, i feel like there is more people and population, and i think it is actually -- i think it has actually added a lot to the neighborhood and i am more comfortable there, honestly, as having the school as part of the community.

a do think we continue to try to be mindful of car pool. we're always brainstorming ways, and as the other neighbor said, parents graduate, children graduate, and we're working hard on training new families to be respectful of the neighborhood and the car pool times of day. i think that is important. i understand that totally. those are the things i wanted to say, but my children have attended the school. it does serve neighborhood kids. i love the school. i think the kids have loved the school, and to give free time. president olague: -- and thank you for your time. president olague: next speaker? >> good afternoon, i am in eighth grade student at the san francisco school. i have been there for nine years

and i am a student council president and i play football and basketball. i am also a participant in a group that will be traveling to austria this summer to play at a music convention, and that is also a big deal. the first thing i wanted to talk about was sports. you know, in my practice is for basketball and football, we practice outdoors on are minimal greenhouse space, and this is really a problem. a lot of our practices, especially in the winter, it rained out. it is super cold, we cannot hear our coach of the the sound of the freeway, and it would be so hopeful -- helpful to have a multipurpose center to practice in. as for music, my group wanted to perform for an all-school meeting, and we were crammed into our small activity room

where we had about a foot of space. and then to perform in that, we could not display what we really wanted to show them. and it would just be super helpful if you would have that space to perform and practice in. lastly, i have a sister at school and i will be leaving in about a month, but i really want the school to have this for my sister and so i can come back and see my sister perform at our school instead of having to drive. thank you for your time and consideration, and please vote yes. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon, commissioners. i have been going to the san francisco school for 11 years. i am currently in eighth grade. i really think this project should go through. the majority because of the multi-purpose center. i had the lead part in a

shakespeare play, which meant that i had to be at rehearsal every day. the only room, as paul said, is the activity room that we do that in. it is a small space and i was not really used to be separate theater for the performance. when i got there, i was not used to it. there were different entrances, stairs, and it was a whole new experience, and would have been a lot easier for me if we just had a place where we could all practiced. and also, since the only big space we have is used for other things, too, sometimes our rehearsals are crammed into the eighth grade room, which is very small, or other classrooms. our school does a lot of, like, music performances, and i think that we really need a performance space because we have to, again, car pool to

another theater, and our whole school is really affected by that because it takes up so much time and we also have to load in all of the musical instruments and drive them all the way to the theater where we perform and set them up, and it is a big hassle for everyone, including the teachers and students. and it would be so much easier if we could just have a space where we could do all of that stuff and not have to leave our campus. so thank you for my time, and please vote yes. president olague: thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. i am in eighth grade student at the san francisco school, and i have been attending the school for 11 years. at school, i play volleyball, football, basketball, and also flute. so this year, eighth grade girls

basketball team is really good. we are undefeated and we won the championship. it was mostly because we were in a league that was not very competitive. if we had the multi-purpose center, because you need a gymnasium to be qualified to be in the league, and so if we had the multi-purpose center with the gymnasium, we would be able to get into the league and play against or teams that are more competitive like our team. also, every year, the flute players have a flute recital and we are crammed into this small music room and you can only bring, like, two people. and i would like to bring maybe more relatives or friends. what the multi-purpose center, this would be in the gym with other relatives and more friends. thank you for your time and

consideration, and please vote yes. [applause] >> good afternoon, commissioners. my name is lawrence. i am in the fifth grade at the san francisco school. what i am looking for to the most is the theater. it saves money, time, and stressed to the parents that have to drive to another theater. that also makes the planet greener, three less driving, and we could host conferences, events at the school for our friends and neighbors. please vote yes to approve this plan. thank you. president olague: [thank: [thank you. >> good afternoon. my name is nathan logan at the san francisco school. i played basketball for the first time this year and we had to go to the ymca for