>> ok, good evening. this is a special meeting of the san francisco planning commission for thursday, december 9, 2010. let me go over a few logistical items. first of all, turn off your pagers, cell phones, and electronic devices that may sound off during these proceedings. this is a community meeting, and we welcome all of you and thank you for inviting us out here, but we ask that you tried to the best of your ability to not engage in secondary discussion. if you really feel the need to do so, if you could take those discussions outside to the lobby, it would be very helpful to this process. also, we do not have any tape recordings of this meeting

tonight. it will be broadcast by sfgtv, and that broadcast can be seen tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. on cable channel 26 and again saturday morning at 12:15 p.m., again on channel 26. after that, sometime next week, i'm sure i will be getting copies of audio tapes from the broadcast. i will make those available to the public, as we generally do our regular hearing tapes. also, our regular computer system is not here. the president has a timer on his cell phone, and we will use it to time you for your three minutes. also, commissioners, these microphones are permanently on now. you cannot control them. you cannot turn them off, so be careful of what you say under your breath, okay?

[laughter] was that, we can get started. this is a single subjects calendar, and the only item before the commission tonight is [inaudible] let me just say one other thing -- speaker cards are available in the lobby. there is staff in the lobby who will give you a speaker card. you can return them to any of the ushers, and they will put them in the basket, or you can put them in the basket yourself. i think those are the only announcements i have. pardon? oh, maybe i should take role. shouldborde -- commissioner borden. commissioner olague. we have a full commission. commissioner miguel: we are not

used to being spread out this much. >> good evening. planning department's staff. this evening we have the third of what ultimately will be a for your informational hearings on the proposed -- what ultimately will be four informational hearings on the proposed development. we had an overview of the klan and development agreement. two weeks ago, we had a review of the urban design opens this proposal. today, we have two important topics to discuss theory the first is the transportation program for the proposed project. second is the housing discussion, including issues related to the development agreement. you have with you a printout of these slides. i apologize we're not in our usual environment, but if you

would like to turn around and look at the slides, some of them are animated. it is up to you. following this hearing, next week, we have the force informational hearing, during which we will discuss the economic feasibility and fiscal impact analysis. we do have a slot reserved for issues that due to time constraints and other things we have not covered to date and other issues the planning commission might want to discuss next week if you let us know today, and we are planning to have the initiation of the amendments, which was continued from hearings many weeks ago. then, in february, now february 3 -- it has been pushed back from late january -- what will be before you the action items to move forward with the approval of the plan and the development agreement, so let's just get started with the first

component of this evening's presentation, which is the transportation program. we will cover basically the various modes of transportation as we move through this. i'm joined today by the other planning department staff as well as mta staff to discuss the different aspects. first, walking is the sort of background -- backbone of all san francisco neighborhoods, and one of the goals of the project is to make this a much more walkable community. the basic block configuration is going to become much more into it -- internet -- intimate to make the neighborhood a much more walkable environment. building on the, the interior streets themselves are all going to be redesigned, as we discussed, and all the streets are being designed for standards

that were just recently adopted, that you adopted, through the better streets plan. they all will feature sidewalk with that meet or exceed all the standards. a typical street would have a minimum sidewalk with of 11 feet with adequate landscaping. they all feature core elements of the better streets plan, including corner ball outs and other amenities. the land use program itself is a major aspect of the walk ability of the neighborhood. it will enable people to walk shorter distances to meet their basic daily needs, and as we talked about two weeks ago, the building design guidelines will also need the walk ability of the neighborhood through requirements for active ground floor uses, lots of town houses and stoops and other requirements for engaging buildings. very importantly, this one major goal of the project is to

increase accessibility and for us, around the edges, which right now, the neighborhood suffers from a lot of closed edges, and people walk long distances to get into the site itself. on the west side, there will be several new intersections with crosswalks, which will substantially increase access from lake merced and open space to the west and the boulevard itself. at the southwest corner, which is totally inaccessible -- >> excuse me. the discussions that are going on in the audience are extremely disruptive. i know you want to talk to your friends. please go outside and speak with them and let us continue on with this meeting. thank you.

>> at the southwest corner of the site at the intersection of lake merced boulevard and brotherhood way, there will be new major pedestrian access to the site. last time we talk about an open space program, the greenway and belvedere gardens at that corner, which will provide direct access to that intersection, direct access to the lake merced open space, which will significantly increase residents access to major open space in the area. on the southern side of the site -- >> ok, we cannot compete. we simply cannot compete. commissioner miguel: please. >> take him out.

>> thank you. >> [inaudible] i think it is very important to us elderly. we need to know how this presentation is going to be. commissioner miguel: the presentation will be the way it always is for informational hearings. you have a staff presentation, after which we will have public comment. >> thank you very much. i appreciate knowing this.

we have seen this ad nauseam. [inaudible] [applause] [inaudible] [applause]

commissioner miguel: i'm sorry, i'm going to have to declare you out of order. i am sorry. >> screw you. >> walk out. commissioner miguel: we are here to have this informational hearing at your request. we are here to have this information all hearing at your request. >> [inaudible] you don't care! commissioner miguel: all right, i will tell you what i'm going to do. i will take public comment first without any information given to you whatsoever, if that is what you want -- [applause] you will have two minutes each -- >> three!

commissioner miguel: you will have two minutes each. when i call your names, you will line up against the far wall to your left, my right. then you will come up as your name is called. the rest of you will line up on the wall to your left and come up in the order in which i call your name. if your card is here, all you have to do is come up to the microphone, like anyone else does, and they will put the microphone down to you so you can speak. >> i would like you to know who you are calling out of order. in genevieve -- commissioner miguel: and i'm ron

miguel, president of the commission, and people normally speak when they have been recognized at the commission. with my apologies to the staff, who have put a lot of work into this, we are going to have to reschedule because the commission needs to have the information. you will line up on your left. [reading names] if you have a card, put it in the basket. when your name is called, you can come up in a wheelchair. >> i was called second.

i have one question, one of information -- we were originally told three minutes. is it possible to have two minutes plus a little extra -- commissioner miguel: i will give you your three minutes as long as up and move through. >> thank you. and i do want to hear from staff -- commissioner miguel: i'm sorry. one way or the other. either we proceed the way we are regularly going to or we proceed your way. >> i am managing partner of the partners said shopping center -- park mayor said shopping center. the management are proposing to

build a $250,000 or 300 dog -- 200,000 or 300,000 square foot shopping center. since we took over the original shopping center, it is a treasure. it was built 60 years ago. we just finally signed our final lease. they are all individual family- owned/run businesses that these people took out money, borrowed, took a chance, so now we have a big shopping center coming. we are concerned about it. but park merced has assured us they intend to add a road where our shopping center is located, and that is all we are asking -- to make sure you commissioners understand how important it is

for small businesses to still stay in business. we are below level. we cannot be seen. we have no signage. so no one knows where we are. they are proposing to put a road there. thank you so much. that is also on behalf of the park merced merchant association, which i am the president of right now. it is a new organization for the

merchants of park merced. thank you very much, commissioners. [applause] >> good evening. i'm president of the merced extension triangle neighborhood association theory thank you to the commission for holding the meeting in close proximity to park merced and thank you do san francisco state for hosting the meeting. my understanding of the planning commission is that this responsibility is to listen and represent the best interests of san franciscans. with that in mind, the merced extension triangle neighborhood association is not opposed to the project. the size and scope of the project is not in the best interests of those living in or near park merced. [applause] there has been no effort on the part of developers to meet with the neighborhood groups to scale back their plans. we would welcome that effort as

a coalition of neighborhood groups. we would like to see meaningful dialogue regarding a compromise with the height and bulk of the proposed project. furthermore, it is imperative that the transportation recommendations be implemented, or we will have gridlock when all 8900 units, 16,020 bedrooms, and close to 30,000 people will move into the projects in the next 20 years. the project will impact the southwest portion of san francisco for the remainder of the 21st century and beyond. time and again, the eir states that this project will have significant and unavoidable environmental impacts on numerous components, including traffic. by approving the project, we are putting the cart before the horse. the mitigation measures -- and some are not realistic -- need

to be in place, especially the tier 5 transportation plan, which is currently being refined. hoping certain measures will be approved on the line after the project has been approved makes no sense. thank you very much. [applause] >> i'm the president of the park merced residents' organization. we are the oldest tenants'

organization in san francisco. we are over 30 years old. i know because i was and our original member. glad to see some familiar faces on this planning commission. hello, friends. all right, we are not going to be -- i have lived in my apartment for 30 years. i had to fight to get in there with metropolitan life, and i have been fighting to stay in there ever since. i have had children born there. my wife has died there. and i'm still going to live in park merced until i get cremated. which is all paid for, by the way. i was born in brooklyn, new york on april 30, 1924.

i fought in world war ii. that is when i first came to san francisco, just passing through, and i fought the japanese. i'm proud to be -- park merced is my home. i'm not going to be evicted from it because real estate wants to make more money. i know some faces are familiar on this committee. remember -- when you were sworn in to your committee, you promised to give an open hearing, fair hearing, and you

are not going to get my cooperation to evict me and throw me out on the street. this is the president of the park merced residents' association. that is it. [applause]

>> [inaudible] if you want to line up in that order. thank you. go ahead. >> good evening, honorable planning commission. [inaudible] i have lived here about 64

years, and i am against the proposed implementation of parkmerced investment properties, and thank you very much for listening to me. [applause] >> good evening. i'm a resident here in parkmerced. i have been living here for about 20 years and a clue what in this area. i do support this project. i understand how special this neighborhood is and what it means for all of the residence. [inaudible]

i see positive change, and i hope by all of us working together, [inaudible] you are going to hear many different points of view, but i think we have a really unique opportunity. [inaudible] there is a problem that cannot be resolved. if we all work together to resolve our differences and really make this a special neighborhood that would be an example for everyone, not just in san francisco, but i'm hoping everywhere. thank you. commissioner miguel: thank you. [applause]

>> ok, for all of you who are going to speak in opposition to this project, those who support it should boo you also? ok, then that is how it should go. if you are going to boo every one who speaks in favor, they should as well. absolutely. it works for me. >> hello, commissioners. [inaudible] i have a few comments i would like to make to you. [inaudible] instead, i would like to see this isolated area integrated

into the surrounding community. [inaudible] others have pointed out the unwise risk of building tall structures in this part of the earthquake country. if worse comes to worst and approval is given for this bill- advised budget, my wife and i would be incapable of moving in less than six months. she is 65. i'm 74 and in poor health. in rent-controlled unit is our only hope. this has been guaranteed to us by the current parkmerced management. [inaudible] [applause]

>> good evening. i have lived here for 31 years. i received a flier from the tenants association and a flier from management. this is the flier from the tenants association. this is management. what -- one comes in the door, one is put on the door. on the one from the tenants association, it says, "under state law, even a promise by a landlord to continue to review a red-controlled apartment is unenforceable, making the bet even riskier. that is what i would like to be discussed tonight -- what

guarantees in writing -- not the word of a landlord -- what guarantees, and can these guarantees be enforced? that is what i'm really here for. not to know what is planned for one end of the neighborhood to another end of the neighborhood -- what is to guarantee me a rent-controlled apartment in the future after my apartment is future after my apartment is torn down? thank you. [applause] commissioner miguel: actually, that was part of the presentation tonight, but you did not want to hear it. [crowd boos] >> good evening. thanks for coming out and listening. i'm a lifetime resident