edged. we provide accessibility to a series of links up to the terminal. the entry would be at the head of the terminal. the waiting area at the front of the building has the benefit of being usable for special events that could open onto the plaza. one goes up into the core to the access way for the gangplanks and directly over to the ships. it should be noted there is also provisions in the site planning for the semis that arrive in advance of the passengers. they have a route over here where they are screened and stored in a way that does not conflict with the other activities in the gta and also avoids any backup on the embarcadero from that process occurring. debark -- what happens is people

arrive by ship and walk on the top. they go through customs and border patrol, like the experience one has at the airport. you go to clarence. the collector baggage. if you are okay, you can walk out. that occurs on this area of the building. you come up to the gta and there are povs and taxis waiting that can be staged offsite so you can always have taxis waiting in this area as well. the idea of this building, because we are trying to work with the existing shell, which does not have a very good energy seal, was to introduce a structure that can be more weathertight and use a kind of temperament conditioning

strategy. you can have a sense of the volume here that leads to the vessel and another kind of volume that would sit inside the terminal. this is a cross-section of the terminal. that leads to the fence of the terminal which you can see has a gangplank along this edge which provides direct access to the ship. the result naturally lends itself to being compatible with the historic pierre fabric because it is a piece of the pure fabric -- pier fabric. we have talked about reusing some of the structural elements for liking, preserving the memory of the pier in the shape of the resulting plaza. you can see some of these structural elements.

we are toying with putting wind turbines on top of them. if you hang out in that area, you know we have a fair amount of wind. the edge of the existing building, which has a 4.5 ft difference, is creating a public speaking arrangement. this shows the end of the building, which recalled its front porch, which opens to the plaza and can open up on special events. we would actually activate that area. the entry to the building, going into security. a way finding element which would have signed inch -- signage. a sense of the inside space looking back out toward the plaza toward security. inside, looking north.

this is the cbt processing area. you get a feeling of the space inside with the existing trestle. looking back toward the entry, over here the building and spirit this is the fence of the gta the required to get you up to the entry and coming up. scheme b looks at what would happen if we put a new building here and try to optimize the layout of the building for the terminals. this means we could make a two- story building. the bering points have to bear on thep underonier -- have to bear on under-pier structure. that becomes a constraint.

we have the ability to rethink the building and consider its role as something you can looke down to from the hills above. we have also considered the roof is an opportunity for something in the future. in this case, the building can be quite a thing. we are able to stack the embark lobbied above the debark area. one would come into a reception area adjacent to the plaza, come up to the second level through security, and have a waiting area on the upper level. this has the benefit of being a desirable space with views of the water, providing direct access onto the gangplank and into the bustle. another benefit is because it is

slimmer the gta is bigger, increasing the capacity for us to handle some of the larger ships that come into park. debark works in a similar way where you can come off the ship directly. you go into your baggage claim area. multiple access points into the baggage claim area from the apron. that will make this an ideal reconfigured space -- ideally configured space. in this case, but the gta is within the footprint of the previous building. we do not have to go up accessible ramps. you can go directly in. that is an advantage of this scheme.

you can see a section where the upper level dearbark lobby with baggage handling below -- the route comes over to create a brain cover -- a rain cover for the ground transport area. looking back toward the building, you get a sense of its simplicity in relation to cruise ships. the entry element at the corner. the lobby entry would be a pretty stunning view of sentences go -- a san francisco. kerbside drop off. the debark entry. the building would be made of corrugated metal panels and have a working character. the end of the building opens on

to the outside, creating the opportunity to make links between event uses and activities. comparing the two, i think the key points are there is a difference in gta we talked about. they are creating a better vehicular traffic capacity for shcemcheme b over scheme a. there are operational efficiencies that are different between the two. construction costs are less with scheme a, but in the balance, life cycle costs and warranties will be more intact with the b structure, so that is something to balance. there seems to be some advantages in this building.

john will talk about that later. the ability to make a compact footprint creates the opportunity to make a significant public park for sand and cisco that will be the next furl in the strings ofpearls along the waterfront. we are serious about the opportunity to work on that. this is a composite digram about all the things we have talked about that the building space needs to accomplish. we need public access along the apron. we need to balance that with security. we need to provide connections to public transportation. we need to think about future public access along pier 29 and

how the site might connect to that, the possibility of a continuation of the history walk through the piers that occur here. there is a notion that because of the vast mass of the space, which is 2.5 acres, 2 acres being the primary triangular space, that we need to activate that would public uses. some of those might be commercial. there is a great opportunity in proximity to the beltway building, which we propose to leave in its current location, to create an urban piazza that could house commercial uses that are not in the shed its. the special area planned talks a lot about usage for the site.

these orange dots represent what we call activators, the idea that in order to activate this we need things going on for these three areas. the cruise terminal and its uses are one of them. last but not least, we need to think about bringing some kind of transparent buffer between the green space and gta, where we will have more active buses, taxis, and so forth. this is the resulting master plan. we have two alternatives that we will be taking into public process. this gives you a sense of the total site, with a secure area

here, the gang ways here, a security barrier here that could be closed on cruise days, and allowing circulation into the park, and public access could be provided to the end of the pier for some kind of significant objects of interest. this shows you the piazza and the valley, which i will talk more about in a few minutes. a future connection to the history walk would go here, as a consideration of something which could connect with the green's base of the park. the northeast whorf plaza has a number of elements in it i will talk about now. as we go into the public process on this, for each of these components we have several

variants will be taking to the public process, seeking comment on what might be the best options for the site. i will go through what those are no. at the top of the site is what we call the gate house building. it is something that anchors the security fence which could possibly be a small retail area with a cafe or copy shop. it really creates the kind of entry moment to the park. you are coming down the embarcadero, not and have an opportunity to come into the park proper. next to that is a multi-use recreation space. it could be a large soft tape. -- softscape. we will have to be creative about how we green that up and do not create loaded issues.

there is a large main event speaks -- space that has opportunities for public art and sculpture that we will develop as the process goes forward. what we call the waterfront edge is an opportunity to think about how to occupy that waterfront edge in an exciting way. down at the bottom of the site, we discover in the process of designing the valley that we have this whole area of parke that we had before. we have an opportunity to create a piazza that could have vital commercial uses -- small cafes, bicycle rental, sandwich shops that can work in concert with the beltway building to create a kind of active space that is part of the experience of arriving in the city of san francisco.

the alternative schemes we have -- we have one we call the art scheme that is about organizing a kind of pedestrian path so that in addition to moving straight along the embarcadero you can move on this arc through the site. it organizes the series of spaces in a connected consequential, involving experience, with a primary space with some kind of art. it moves the potential mini piazza down to the northwest side of the site. that has advantages as well. that is the scheme we are considering. another scheme we are looking at is one we call the triangle schema, kind of demoralizing the three geographies of the site -- the city, the water edge, and

the gta, to bring a larger used recreation area and a different kind of piazza. as we move forward, we will flesh out which ones of these schemes have the best marks. i look forward to that process. here are some views down at ground level looking at that space. what a lot of people do not realize is once we demolished that it is quite a vast space we will create. activating it with active use is important. you can get a sense we have used significant san francisco landmarks as drivers for the pathways and the parks. if you come out of the terminal, right then you have a view of the transamerica building and quit tower -- coit tower.

it is a portal for arrival at san francisco. the idea is having a way to come up on to the piazza. i should not that accessibility is a challenge along these areas where there is a change in grade. entering at this corner is a natural way to enter the park. with that, i will hand it over to john unless you have any questions for me. president fong: i have one. first of all, i think this is fantastic. does. b have more window -- does option b have more window view toward the bay then option a? >> yes. with square footage, and they are comparable. they are configured very differently. b is long and thin. a has a larger body between the

two zones. president fong: thank you. >> good afternoon. i am from the planning and development staff. i want to reemphasize that what you have seen is a master plan. we do not have available money for everything in the master plan at this point. some of these project elements are going to be greater defined as time goes on and money becomes available. what i am going to emphasize is the impact of the process for the next few months, if not years. the overriding goal is to get this project complete by 2014, which means we want to start construction in early 2012, operational by early to mid 2014. one thing that was in your packet is the fiscal feasibility approval. this is very important at this point.

i wanted to make sure you knew about this. the city's administrative code requires this project is subject to physicals feasibility review at the board of supervisors. that was submitted to them last friday. they are going to agendize this item hopefully this summer. that packet includes the staff report of that -- a project description, what the purpose of the project is, and items regarding the cost estimates as well as the potential funding sources. this is important because we have to get the fiscal feasibility approval by the board of supervisors in order to start with the environmental review process. this past month or so we have been in a process to select an environmental consultant. we will come back to you, i believe in august, the 18th.

the 19th. for the contract award of that. that details with the fiscal feasibility approval. the environmental review process may be the critical path for the project. it will at minimum take 12 months. it could take as long as 18 or even more months. we do not want the process to hold up the project. the other thing i want to talk about a little bit is we will get back to you. we are going to take a lot of public input. we are going to have a public workshop on july 21, a design steering committee on july 20. we are going to instigate on thursday. we are going to new egg on august 4. we will meet anybody any time on this project so people are duly informed and provide input with

regards to the schemes. and we will work closely with the constituency, especially in terms of the nebraska dwarf public project. as peter delineated, there are at least three variations that could work. that process is going to take a little bit longer, but we are hoping to get a drb review board meeting. i believe it is in september. so things are moving. we are trying to move as quickly as we can. we hope to be back to you in early fall with the public input we have heard. we will launch into schematics. with that, i think we can answer any questions or comments you may provide. back to you. president fong: i have a number of cards here.

carl hansen? >> he left. [laughter] president fong: he loves it. ok. ben sherman. >> thank you, commissioners. i am a member of the green commercial advisory committee of san francisco. also, i am president of marine highways, elsie, a company developing ways to get companies off the roads and onto water highways. i am here to express strong support for the proposed new cruise terminal developed by the port of san francisco. since the finding of sentences

go day in 1775, the vitality of the city has always been associated with the port. it is truly important. today, the situation has not changed. one of the large driving forces of the economic vitality of san francisco is tourism and travel. in the future, this should be the same. therefore, the city must continue to promote all areas that will continue to expand these pillars of its economy -- tourism and travel. the new cruise terminal proposed by the port should be a major aspect of that continued economic vitality. unless san francisco develops a new cruise terminal, it will become a has-been at port -- has-been port and will have lost

an important element that makes the city and attractive tourist destination. the poor is commended for being able to undertake this project. as we all know, there have been a number of efforts in the past to develop a new cruise terminal here in san francisco. they have been public-private partnerships. today, the port has undertaken to develop this new cruise terminal project as a public- works project, and it should not be compromised to private interests which have failed often in the past. we cannot allow additional delays. delays in getting this facility the city needs for its continued economic vitality. if the project is not progressed in a timely fashion, other ports and the cruise lines will see is on san francisco's to madness and lack of vision in setting

-- will seize on san francisco's to madness and lack of vision. in peter's presentation, he pointed out many other non- cruise features of their design. these are added aspects of the project benefit to the community. there is no question that the port commission and the city in creating this new cruise terminal for sentences go. president fong: ernestine weiss. >> good afternoon, everyone. i agree with the gentleman's speech and peters presentation was excellent. i support it wholeheartedly. to create a park -- you know how i feel about open space.

i love the way it is positioned there. i only hope we will have facilities that people could play soccer and volleyball, which we desperately need. we do not have the most recreation on the embarcadero, for the young people and the working people. i see that with requests for my part which we cannot accommodate. anyway, it is a beautiful project. congratulations, peter, on your efforts. i hope it goes through quickly and that we remain successful. the ones that went before us will not work. this one is right. i have to say when i endorse something they usually goes through. so thank you very much. make sure it has all these aspects. thank you. president fong: bernard

meyerson? >> yes, thank you. i'm also a member of the maritime commerce advisory committee. i just want to make two points that maybe would not be made by others. point number one is that although we all recognize that the cruise industry is critical to san francisco in many ways, i want to stress also that we have an obligation to the thousands upon thousands of cruise passengers that look to make a port of call in san francisco because it has an international draw and people want to be able to come to san francisco and therefore, we have an obligation to them to make sure we have the right kind of facilities to

accommodate them. the second point i want to make has to do with another part of the point -- port, which has to do with bae. the port and bae have spent time and money and effort to nurture a cruise ship repair and refurbishment business, and i feel this might be negatively impacted if san francisco were to give up being a cruise port of call, so for those two reasons, i strongly support that the city move ahead. thank you. commissioner fong: thank you. >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the port commission and director. this is a very good plan

overall. i think there may be one element that is either missing or should be more emphasized, and that is the port needs a first-class cruise line tour -- a first- class cruise line terminal should have a major artistic or architectural design teacher that would stand out -- feature that would stand now. usually a tower. perhaps nothing quite as grandiose as the largely to the west, but something that would stand out. i understand you are under budgetary constraints, so such a project could come at a later time at a later phase, so i would suggest -- i'm going to have a letter to the commission outlining some of the specifics of what i'm thinking of, but it should be something that is bold. it would be a landmark for san francisco that would be