transit and full range of neighborhoods amenities. i want to thank the residents of district six and acknowledge bruce who is here who is our representative of the neighborhood on the transbay advisory committee. our residents have invested in this neighborhood early. knowing we don't have all the amenities in yet but also to advise on the city government and making sure this is a neighborhood that works for all of us and is the promise that we have made to them. this smart development it was city's goal when the board of supervisors enacted the transit center that both maria and the mayor had mentioned last year. that goal is already being achieved. the plan area right here in the center of south of market will have currently 19 buildings and development. all the construction cranes that you see around us. it will have 35

percent mandated affordable housing requirement which is incredibly important for our working families and individuals in the city. we want to thank john burton for his leadership and advocacy for this project. [ applause ] we also want to thank a little known resident of district 6, the former mayor willie brown for initiating this project too. it is the undeniable truth that transbay has been the catalyst for this city. i look forward to working with everybody here for the future success of this program. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> thank you, director kim, supervisor kim for those words. our final speaker is one who has been in integral to this community. mike has been at my

side for the last 15 years helping to make this project a reality along with all the members of the labor community, the carpenters, operating engineers and everybody. mike has been a member of the workers union since 1985 and has represented the workers from san mateo and marine and other counties. he has been voted by his peers and elected the treasure since 2005. he's been with us since the beginning. the transit project labor unit has been a model for other projects for success. all 20 units signaturary have signed on and we have been able to work with mike to create a program to mentor our youth both students ranging from 5 through high school and

college. teaching them about engineering and architecture and all of the various disciplines that go into a project like this. mike as well as all the unions have been working with us as well with urs bashay and we have been working very hard with veterans to provide opportunities for them. in fact one of our very first contracts that was awarded was to a disabled company. without further a do i would like to have mike come up and speak. thank you. as supervisor kim pointed out, this came out of the

recession and it put a lot of folks back to work. we have leader pelosi to thank for that and mayor lee and predecessors and supervisor kim and her pred -- board of supervisors. a hand to all of those that i'm happy to represent. and, you know in digging this hole, we have not just been going down into ground. maria talked a little bit about this day and how far it came from. we have gone into history and prehistory. we have gone back to where immigrants lived here. we came back in tame where a

gold nugget was left here, when ships moord here. we have gone back to a place when willie mammoth left a tooth here for our workers to find. as any major construction project in the city you have to deal with it's history in order to start going in the other direction. that is what this pour today does. this pour today starts us in the other direction, starts us back in the present where we stand and start towards the future. the future you begin to see around you now and the future for a high speed rail. a future that will include many many jobs. we in the san francisco building trades have been building this city for 117

years now. we count on that being just the first 117 years. on this project being a part of starting us towards many more succession of 117 years to come. one more thing. i have a pass here also. you see those cords, they are called floats. i started hanging floats for that company. there is a past towards the future for me as well. with that, leaders pelosi, i would say let's pour some concrete and start ourselves towards the future. [ applause ] >> thank you, mike. now i would like to invite our speakers to sign and put some gloves on and put their i am imprint in the

concrete for history.

4, 3, 2, 1. [ applause ]

>> the san francisco parks alliance is to inspire and promote civic engagement and philanthropy to protect the city and enrich san francisco parks, recreation, and green open spaces. today i think that you'll find that the and rincon hill is no exception to that. you might know that back in the gold rush era, rincon hill where we're standing right now was one of the poshest addresses in san francisco. this was the place to be ~ . and then pacific heights took over and rincon hill fell into decline. then came the bay bridge and

rincon hill really for decades was something of a back water. well, look at it now. we're surrounded by high-rise development, the presidential towers, built, getting built, and more of them planned. so, once again, rincon hill is one of the most sought after popular places to live in san francisco. but where are the parks? where are the public open spaces? where are the places where all of these thousands of residents can gather and reflect on the meaning of life and make connections and form community? there's no public open space within nearly half a mile of where we stand today. that is about to change. so, it's now my honor to welcome to the podium alleyster mctag bert, the president of the emerald fund. the emerald fund is the owner of the department building at 333 harrison street.

they're also the owners of this park we're standing in right now. the emerald fund is one of the bay area's premiere real estate developers. their focus is on developing and managing high-quality properties including residential, retail, mixed use, hospitality, and office spaces. as president, alastair identifies a new project, design, financing, approval, sales and marketing. i suspect a little bottle washing as well. all i stair received both bachelor's degree and mba from harvard university. alastair. (applause) >> thanks, matt. as you heard, my name is all i stair mctaggert. along with my partner who isn't here unfortunately, we developed this apartment building and this park.

not private, but park is the operative word. i am please today announce emerald fund via a conservation easement donated to the san francisco parks alliance is donating this beautiful park to the people of san francisco to be known as emerald park. emerald park will be open to the public every day of the year. and importantly, it will cost the city nothing. the city won't have to buy the land. it won't have to build the infrastructure. and it will not have to pay the city upkeep going forward. emerald park will be a unique arrangement between the san francisco parks alliance and emerald fund. with an agreement known as the conservation easement that will ensure that forever this remains the public open space. and emerald fund by this agreement will forever give up its right to develop this land.

park alliance will be a steward to make sure this remains a public open space. i moved to san francisco 16 years ago. i met my lovely wife here. we had both of our children here. and we used to live right in this building right behind us for many years. and i can tell you from firsthand experience there are very few parks around here, very few parks for children to run around in. and that's why saline and i decided to make this gift. when all these buildings we talk about are complete, there will be thousands of new families around here, thousands. and this park is needed now and will be even more needed then. one of my favorite is the word respondent. which began, the world is too much with us. late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our

powers, what we see in nature, that is ours. we hope it will make the busy urban space, emerald park, will remind us of a nature which is ours and provide a respite from a world which too often is too much with us. today my wife and i feel enormously blessed. san francisco has given us the best years of our lives and has given us the best in our live. and we feel so fortunate to be able to give something back to the city wherein deed we've left our hearts. thank you. (applause) >> thank you, alastair. all of you are gathered here today should know that this

gift was alastair's idea and that he and his family are the majority donors of the park. alastair and i and our partner peter started working on this park seven years ago. isabelle wade, one of the founders of the san francisco parks alliance, handled our community outreach and she did a great job. we had meetings with hundreds of neighborhood residents including one of our wonderful supporters jamie whit a kerr, right there, jamie, wave. these residents working with landscape architects cliff low and katy taylor designed this park. later kirsten -- where is kirsten? a city planning and don of parks and rec as well as tradection professionals studied the park to ensure it met all the professional standards required of a san francisco city park ~. thank you, don.

and kirsten, thank you, parks and rec. thank you, jamie, and thank you, cliff and katy for all your hard work. the children's play structure will be coming in the next few months. construction of the park is finished. the original plan for emerald park called for cities to buy the land and all the improvements as well as pay for the ongoing matesv. in these times of great stress on the city's budget, this solution proved difficult and we are so pleased to say today, let me reiterate alastair's words, that our arrangement with the wonderful parks alliance, allows us to make a donation so that the people of san francisco, particularly those in rincon hill, will be able to enjoy emerald park 7 days a week forever with absolutely no cost to the city or to the people of san francisco. speaking for me as well as peter who couldn't make it today, this gift gives us an enormous amount of pleasure.

i am also speaking as i rarely do for my wonderful wife, dr. rio, who is an equal donor with me. over the last 38 years, san francisco has been incredible to us and it is truly marvelous to pay back a little bit of our debt. we love the city and are so honored to be able to help in this small way. thank you. (applause) >> thank you. and now it is my pleasure to welcome to the podium rosemary cameron the founding president of the board of the san francisco parks alliance. rosemary has pep her entire career in the public sector working in a regional and municipal parks and recreation, city management, legislative affairs, and communication. she continues to consult on marketing, branding, communication, social media, and fund-raising. rosemary has served as the

president of the board of the parks alliance ever since its founding two years ago. rosemary. (applause) >> thank you, matt. and thank you all for being here today. this is a beautiful day in san francisco and it's a really special day in san francisco. what i would like to do is offer on behalf of the entire board of directors of the san francisco parks alliance confirmation that on tuesday evening, by unanimous vote, we agreed to accept the easement from the emerald fund for this beautiful half acre park in the center of a neighborhood on the rise here. really central to the mission of the san francisco parks alliance is the promotion of the expansion of parks throughout san francisco for all san franciscans to enjoy.

and what we are really especially humbled by and appreciative of and wish to say that emerald fund for this incredibly unique, generous, and creative way to provide a brand-new public open space in the middle of this rapidly developing neighborhood. we especially want to thank mr. mctaggert, and mr. erickson, and all from the emerald fund for really understanding the importance of parks, for understanding how important open space and green space is for everyone in san francisco, but most especially for families and families with children who are rapidly moving into this area. and i understand there is going to be more and more of them over the years. so, getting this park in place at this point in time is truly

significant. their commitment to providing the park is very significant. they spent over $2 million designing and building the park. there is a playground to come very shortly. and as you heard, they've agreed to provide the maintenance for it in perpetuity. this is a big win for san franciscans, a very big win for san franciscans. so, i really do want to offer my very special thanks to the entire emerald fund for this wonderful gift. and i'd like to turn it back to matt. (applause) >> thank you, row mary. and now it is my special honor to welcome to the podium the mayor of the city and county of san francisco, mayor ed lee. (applause) >> thank you, matt. good afternoon, everybody.

you know, i've been thinking about how special this announcement is today and it's just july. i've been trained all my life not to expect gifts until the end the year when it's closer to the holidays. but looking at this unique relationship of the parks alliance, with the emerald fund, and with the city and county of san francisco, it is very special. it is indeed a smart, very special gift to the city as a whole. and let me say why it is. you know, we used to and we have been always talking about public-private partnerships. well, now there's three ps. it's public and then it's private, and then it's semi private. the parks alliance has been a semi-private entity ever since isabelle wade stepped in my doorway and said, we've got to do more. and matt owe grade i brought in

the park avenue katz following and we've honored as much of the promises to them ~ because they work so well on behalf of the rest of the citizenry of san francisco. and, so, i suggest to you that the emerald park as it is announced today in a public-private and semi-private partnership that is occurring will be, i think, the signalling of a new model going forward for the rest of the city. that as we proceed with this incredible investor confidence that the emerald fund has that the housing and development has, we'll also be asking for new types of partnerships to be created because it is no longer just the city that has to run the park system. we have to run it in a better and smarter way. and what can be better is that alliance that we have with the parks alliance. i think -- and i want to thank

again the leadership and the private sector oz and alastair, and to your particularly spouses today, that you signal that this means so much to the city and to the families that we want to invite and the increasing populations to want to enjoy our city, that it is led by the park system. the parks are so valuable to the world class status of the city. and open space is incredibly important to us and we're going to continue to have those wonderful conversations and make commitments along the way that indeed signal that, and continue to be the best urban park system in america that we earned last year and we want to continue earning for the rest of america and keep putting forth those models for the rest of the country to see so that my friends, be they the mayor of new york or the mayor of chicago can envy us on the eve of my going to the white house to receive, with the giants,

the 2012 world series championship, recognition that we continue to also receive the world class recognition they would have for our park system. this is what it means. but it also means that challenges that were signalled literally just a few months ago when this park was established. how do you maintain a gift? how do you look the gift horse in the mouth and say, well, we can't accept it because we can't maintain it, for them to come up with one of the most innovative models for the rest of the country to follow is an important part of this everlasting gift. because not only do we receive this half acre with great appreciation, but we will take care of it with our other partners for years and years to come as part of the system, maintain it as well as to receive the newness of it. going forward, we can't maintain every gift that we get. we can't maintain all the

things that we want to have for the rest of our city as we expand our park system. so, you're going to hear more and more of this model being created, but it is wonderful to announce this type of gift and to announce the figuring out of its maintenance for many generations to come. this is why i think the city of san francisco is so pleased with so many smart minds in the business community, in our nonprofit community, of course, in the city. congratulations to everybody. congratulations to the supporters of the emerald park. and when the noise turns down from the construction all over this area, you're going to be blessed even more with this great park for every generation to come. thank you and congratulations to everybody. (applause) >> thank you, mr. mayor. well, they say the devil is in the details, but sometimes there is an angell in the details as well.

let me walk you through a few of the specifics of how this actually will work. so, this is a conservation easement that is a legally binding attachment that will go onto the title of this property. once it is filed, it cannot be revoked. this is forever. under this conservation easement, the emerald fund gives up its right to the development of this site also forever. it dictates it will always be a park and always be open to the public. the conservation easement also dictates that the emerald fund assumes full responsibility for the maintenance and the upkeep of this park. the conservation easement spells out clearly defined standards for the maintenance of this park and these standards define this park to maintain essentially to be in the beautiful condition you see it in today. it also spells out the emerald fund agrees to pay for the installation of a new

children's play structure which will go upright behind us here today. that structure is on order. i understand it's a few weeks to get it delivered and they'll go forward with the installation as soon as possible. after that, once that installation is complete, this park will be open to the public. the parks alliance will be the steward of this conservation easement and that means it is our duty to monitor this easement, to make sure that this remains a park, remains open to the public, and remains in this beautiful condition that it's now in, also forever. it bears repeating that within a few weeks emerald park will open to the public forever at no cost to the city or to the people of san francisco. so, i want to give special thanks here to the people who helped to make this happen. first off, i want to acknowledge since 1971, the san

francisco parks alliance and its predecessor organization have been supported through the legal counsel of the law firm [speaker not understood]. and the executive director for the past two years, i have trouble imagining any possible way that the parks alliance could exist and has not been for the pro bono legal counsel that we've seen over the years. that has continued in this day in the form of board member lynn iceder blurbing behind me. glenn is a partner with pillsbury and he took the lead role himself in personally drafting this conservation easement, making sure that the parks alliance ~ role as steward is well articulate and had well reflected in this. we're also joined today by bill hutton who is the attorney representing the emerald fund and they put together an incredible deal for us, incredibly quickly. glenn, i cannot thank you enough. (applause)

>> thank you. finally, of course, we cannot conclude without giving a special thanks to [speaker not understood] and alastair and saline and pet for heir incredible generosity in making this special arrangement to provide a public park to san francisco forever. let's have a big round of applause and thanks to all of them. (applause) >> it's quite a noisy setting, but i think why don't we take a try at -- if there are any questions from the media for just a minute or two, we'll take a stab at that and we'll also be available for individual interviews after that. do we have any questions from any members of the media that would like to try in the group setting? >> [speaker not understood].

>> question about what will be the cost for the maintenance and how will that be handled. alastair, do you want to take that? >> we estimate around $45,000 a year. >> we're guesstimating somewhere around $45,000 a year. once we run it for a while, we'll know much better. >> additional questions? we'll see you, then. let's call this press conference to a close. thank you all for coming. we'll remain available for individual interviews on an as call basis. thank you all. ...