he has once again kept his word with us. us latinos, that is really important for us, when people give us their word that they do what they are supposed to do. i think it is also important that we look at jobs right now. it is hard to get a job. we have so many people in our neighborhood who are unemployed. i think the number of people he employees from our neighborhood is very important for us. please take that into consideration. many thanks. >> my name is mark roades. what makes san francisco great is mom and pop shops. san francisco mix all of its money from tourism. nobody travels here to hang out

at starbucks or blockbuster. medjool is a crown jewel in the mission. this is the sunniest place in san francisco. i am surprised there are not more. i do not think we should penalize somebody for doing a smart thing and bringing more business into the mission. i have some very good friends that live in pacific heights, a lot of money. they do not even cross over california street. what does has done so many times is people like him make our city special, because he is known for giving money, food, and help when you do a fund-raiser. have you guys ever raise money for a nonprofit? the know how hard it is to get food donated? the better food, the better product, the more you sell tickets and the more you raise. he pays for that food and the people who make the food. i think he is a good role model for all the restaurants we have

in this town, which we are so famous for. how many restaurants give the donations he does? i understand what the neighbors feel, and i think that in this great city of ours, you guys can make this work, all right? thank you. >> hello. i worked as a labor relations representative. i am also here on behalf of the arab community and cultural center. we are fully in support of mom and pop businesses in the city and the bay area. this is support for the backbone of the economy in the city of san francisco. the fact is that when we do have regional or national conferences and hosting in san

francisco, we look for medjool to bring them and be proud of this kind of atmosphere. most particularly, they are an employer in the mission that has created jobs. the working families of the mission district continue to raise their family and build their future for their kids. it is extremely important. i think this proposal before you is extremely reasonable. the recommendation from the staff -- i highly recommend we approve that so we can move forward with this. as a member of the arab-american anti-discrimination committee, we feel san francisco is the reverse. we bring people to medjool. it has employees and nonprofit organizations that are as

diverse as san francisco. we appreciate your support for the recommendation. thanks. president olague: thank you. roberg boyle, megan grace, mary salome. >> good afternoon, commissioners. thank you so much for allowing me to come and make brief comments. i am an environmental professional. i have worked on ceqa for the state of california. i currently do environmental review work on an international context. i have lived in san francisco for approximately 11 years. i am a member of the buddhist center. the buddhist center is important because it is not just a

religious institution. it is a community institution as well. our doors tend to be open to the community. it is a place where you can go for solace. it provides access that is very important. you have seen this -- i think this is where i put it. i think they showed you this before. i just want to make, wearing my hat as somebody who has done ceqa and done this kind of work in the past, a few comments you might want to consider. one is clearly the cumulative impact. when i took a quick look at the documents you have in front of you for the record, i noticed that the determination from the staff came on a decision that there was an exemption and ceqa

did not apply. but i would like to point out is that given that the bar was built and started off somewhere around 2005, the project for ceqa purposes was already a modified arrangement. so there are problems there. there are also problems associated with the noise standards. the decision about significance becomes important because of the extent that the -- president olague: thank you. >> my name is robert boyle. i have been practicing at the buddhist center for six years and am a neighbor. i have some comments on the staff report. we met the planner one day before the report was due. it was obvious she had not had time to read a lot of important information. the planner informed us she was

following current department policy referring to requirements typical for ground floor activity areas. these are rooftop areas that require tailored commissions -- tailored permissions. nowhere else should such a thing be allowed. the full and complex record and history was not part of the staff recommendation to the commissioners. the job fell on the neighbors to compile the legal brief and exhibits that lead to a recommendation to vote no. i would also like to point out that they currently have a 7700 sq. ft. large legal restaurant and bar. i do not feel that closing the rooftop will have any detrimental effect on their

continuing business. i feel it will be prosperous even without it. thank you. >> hello, my name is meghan and i am a member of the san francisco buddhist center. i have taken off the afternoon to express my concern about the possible permits being issued. this project is at a neighborhood commercial zone. it was established with the intent of concentrating maximum housing along transit corridors and as long been planning department value and role. san francisco is proud that we have a strong neighborhood. at the core are commercial streets. unlike suburban areas, these are right next to each other. this reduces the impact of cars in traffic, making it a vibrant city.

in the 1980's. , the planning department and the public spent five years evaluating zoning controls. out of that effort limits commercial activities and other developments. because mission street has -- the zoning allowed to two stories below mandating residents above. please consider the time and thought put into these regulations. and please consider the effect that these decisions could have in conflict with the regulations. thank you. >> i have been practicing at the san francisco buddhist centers since 1998 and i am also a member of groups that have benefited.

getting rights to the point, the eastern neighbor the plan was crafted over many years. changing to allow a way that impacts other members of the community has the capacity to create a harmful ripple effect. i work with a small group of people to create web sites about hiv and aids. you would think that there would not be much of a perrault, the planning codes help create control for managing competing needs. programmers spend a lot of time designing the rules for an application. you can make changes at a certain time, but it creates conflict that can't be managed. the real world is not written in java. changing the rules of the original design, changing

planning codes to allow commercial use of of the second floor is creating conflict in communities that are very dear to me. thank you. president olague: [reading names] if your name was called, please start coming to the microphone. [reading names] if you heard your name, please start coming to them l mic.

in any order. i've called about ten cards. >> good afternoon. [unintelligible] i have been living here in san francisco since senator feinstein was a supervisor. this isn't new to me. i knew that the first time i knew his last name. i come here to support him, not because of his background. it is because what he brings to the city, like india new innova, bringing something new to the

city. he employs about 60 people. which kind of the nation, which kind of money -- [unintelligible] a friend of mine has a store at 23rd and mission. he supported 25 people living off of that corner store. that is what small business can do for the community. this is a good avenger for the city of san francisco, and we have to keep an open mind. this city is the verse, that is why the uniqueness of san francisco -- it is diversity.

[unintelligible] mr. frank jordan's era, we were cleaning the streets. actually cleaning the sidewalk. [chime] president olague: thank you, sir. >> my name is charles bolton, i have been a community organizer for over 40 years. i think that unfortunately, the folks that support the project have made the unfortunate distinction here today. they make it sound like if you rule to basically not allow the rooftop garden, that this is going to basically destroyed his business and keep him from doing all of the good things he has done over the years. i don't think that is the case. i think the case is whether or

not the residents in the area should have stood subsidize his business and his profit for their discomfort. there is no way they you can control the noise levels of that rooftop area. i don't care if you come up with some sort of nasa sound baffle, you will have noise. you either go back and redesigned the noise criteria, or you deny it today. >> commissioners, this is a simple question of where one party's rights begins and ends, and where other parties rights begins and ends. it is usually in the middle, where neither party is happy.

and the question is, where is that fair middle? and the answer is, it has been determined. this is not the first case of neighbors being too loud. it has happened tens of thousands of times in this city and it will happen another 10,000 times. the city has probably spent many millions of dollars figuring out what that fair middle which is four to disputing parties. and the fair middle is what has been determined by the city into their acoustic testing of sounds. they have done that. that sowed test is below what the city has determined to be acceptable to the city. not to either party, to the

city. i am here to tell you that if you really go against what some a thousands of dollars and hours have been spent to determine this level, you will not make the right decision on this case. i trust you will. thank you. >> i am a longtime member of the center. i was there when they opened the doors in 1993. what i would like to do today is read a letter from the caretakers of the building. they could not be here today. to whom it may concern, my wife and i live above center.

she is a member of the council, and i teach there. our bedroom is at the back of the building. we live here when the noise level from the sky terrace was at its loudest in 2005 and 2006. there is no way we can continue living here if that were to happen again. the public meeting held on august 8, we were glad to hear the owners say they're ready no live music, the deejays, only background music, and there would be a monitor built into the system. we asked that the permit also include a limit of the number of people allowed. this contact person that we could call if there were any issues. on behalf of us, ask that you

deny the conditional use permit. thank you. >> i am here to read a statement from wendy phillips, a neighbor who lives in the area. my name is wendy phillips, i have lived at twenty first within earshot. i am a member of the anti- displacement coalition. my concerns about this project are twofold. i am concerned about the noise level. as a long time mission resident, i am concerned that this project is not in compliance with the neighborhood plans that call for commercial use and housing of the of the

mission street corridor. while i understand the potential benefits of bringing businesses into the neighborhood, this should not be done at the expense of existing zoning and existing residents. i am requesting that you deny the conditional use permit based on these considerations, or in the case that you approved it, you have least allow more time for the stake holders to have a detailed negotiations. the proposed restaurant will have major implications for the neighborhood in the years to come. the least of the commission could do is allow more time to work out. thank you for your consideration. >> commissioners, i am a long- term resident of the mission district and i have also practiced at the center for over

two years. i am here to read something from the mission anti displacement coalition. many of the folks at the san francisco center found it worthy of consideration from a social justice perspective, when they were the core participants in the rezoning efforts, and several of our --, thank you. several members participated in the public process. and individuals whose goal is to stop the displacement of working people's. they are organized for whole vibrant and politically engaged communities. commentary, it gives pause for reflection and is relevant going

forward. developers in our neighborhood have come to understand that they need to show that they are working with the community in order to get their project approved. the simplest way to do this is to provide space in the community. this tactic creates a spectacle of community groups pitted against each other in hearings as those that are benefiting directly from a project that could give as much or greater benefit than the one they are defending. he has given money and gifts to politicians, and leaders to gain support for compromising their principles and disrupting democratic processes. president olague: [reading names]

>> my name is james, my partner and i have a small victorian apartment house about a block away. we have lived there for more than 40 years. i want to take your time to detail what we went through during the 40 years, and i think you have an imagination. the games, killings, drugs, prostitutes. when we saw the old burned out video store, abandoned, now replaced by new hotel and restaurant, we were quite awed. finally, they came in offering jobs for local youth. actual job training for restaurant and hotel worker,

rehabilitation for at risky use. as a this from personal observation every day. a fresh beginning for a long blighted neighborhood, it is working. please don't damaged and dampen the enthusiasm. we don't want to see the neighborhood, the mission haulback to where it was before. thank you. >president olague: i will keep reading off names. [radineading names] if i've called your name before that, line up.. >> thank you for the opportunity to address you today. on behalf of the project, i am in favor of it. i am a neighbor.

i live on twenty first street. i sit in my bedroom and i can see the roof deck. i can honestly and truly say that i have not had a problem of noise and all for the last three years. it has been completely quiet. i own the building there. i have 10 cents above me that never complain about the sound. and i just think that they do a marvelous job in the neighborhood. i agree that they are a tremendous asset. beyond that, i attended a meeting on august 8, a community meeting just kind of putting everything out on the table. it was interesting to hear that someone just prior to me, a gentleman speaking on behalf of two people that were at that meeting that weren't here today were sitting there and i heard that they could not believe the

difference that there was that they were being bothered him anymore. at the end of the meeting, i remember they got up and said, i hope everybody laser cards on the table and if you have any kind of issue, address me directly. don't call anybody else. we walked out of there and i thought, as of this wonderful? everybody seems to be happy and content. i can't believe this is even happening. thank you for your time. >> i am here to speak against the currently proposed permit on my own behalf as well as on behalf of the san francisco buddhist center. we have lived in the mission between twenty second at twenty

third for four years. previously, my spouse lived just off of mission street for 30 years in a rent-controlled apartment. the down the street, i did take the afternoon off to be here. my appearance today is personal and is no way related to my public employment. i have been a practicing buddhist for more than three years. it has been the focal point of my spiritual practice and a spiritual community. they performed hour ceremony on september 12, 2010. this will be to remember my first anniversary, i guess. it can be a noisy place only a couple blocks from san francisco general. we hear ambulance sirens, and it can also be dangerous which we were recently reminded.

one also here is police sirens and there is the carnival in may. noisy, yes, but it is necessary for the public good, or is the joyous noise of a community enjoy a longstanding tradition. the unregulated additional noise would impose unnecessary an alliance long into the night in an already noisy neighborhood. an open air rooftop bar would cause noise pollution in at least a few square block area. any suggestion that the proposal would have minimal neighborhood impact because it is the mission would be an insult to the majority of the residents, including me. [chime] thanks.

>> i am a lull in come buddhist minister employed by the -- employed as the creative director of the buddhist center which is involved in cultural arts in the city. i am also in my eighteenth year of living in that building, and it is the closest to the roof deck. in the last couple of years, i have spent hundreds of hours volunteering in service of getting them to really care about the neighbors. the buddhist center has also been forced to spend thousands on the legal and other types of fees just so we can continue to operate. they have suggested that we are hypersensitive meditators. this is not only ridiculous as anybody who knows us would agree, but it is also rather insulting.