Skip to main content

tv   [untitled]    March 5, 2011 12:30am-1:00am PST

12:30 am
>> think you for your service to our city. we have lived in san francisco for 20 years. it has been our conscious choice to be committed to families staying in san francisco and we want to stay at the block. we sponsor the block parties. wheat has been needed homes for our family and work spaces. we have been talking with our neighbors probably for longer than they ever want to hear about it. we have the specific plans actually before the requirements with the reviews and all of the process because we wanted to find out how we can best address it.
12:31 am
then we had the proper parties and got the proper meeting. they have all looked at the plants, they said it was great. the only thing that came out was the across the street neighbors said, hey. it was within code, it was appropriate, but we got rid of it. that was the only thing we heard about. our design is consistent with our neighborhood and consistent with the surroundings. many of these are 3 story homes, none of which have any setback. we are kind of confused. we will put a 6 foot setback. we did that before any of the review section. that was our idea. when we got the review back,
12:32 am
there were 8 comments, seven of which we addressed right away. if we cut 15 feet off the front and 8 foot off the bat, we lose our bedrooms. asking us to do these setbacks is not nearly a design modification but it prevents us from expanding our home to useless . for him think you for your consideration. -- thank you for your consideration. >> we are in support of the project. not only looking at the plants, we lived across the street and a little bit up the hill.
12:33 am
we are looking at the home and this is consistently fine. we don't see any issues with the project. >> thank you. >> i have lived on the streets for about 10 years. i am actually the neighbor to the east. there might be some issue. i am also a little confused way we are here when all the neighbors that we know, we have talked to them and we are happy
12:34 am
for the renovation. i am here to say i support it. there is no issue for me. this is totally fine. >> thank you, commissioners. >> you mentioned a local pattern, i watched it 63-story additions go up across the street. i have been there 29 years. this is ok with me. i am confused by that. there are at the third four editions. this actually overhangs the building.
12:35 am
i did object to the penthouse and the owners greatly diminished it. this morning, when i looked out my window, i thought it would block my view. i would like to look at the local pattern. >> are there any additional speakers in support of the project.
12:36 am
>> i was raised in the house. my mother's trust currently owns the house and i am the trusty and i think that they should be able to do whatever they want. it they submitted a letter and i heard tonight that it was 28 out of 32 submitted letters and this is kind of a majority. they should be able to do what they want. this is a nice block and there are nice people on the block. >> we're hoping to remodel this.
12:37 am
we continue to approach them. we got the read on the project and we immediately proceeded. we have worked really hard and we have dumped a lot of money into the process already. we are here before you, with support of the neighbors in front of us. we write to you in support of our project. we have children and we have a
12:38 am
home office. i hope that you consider that this is not an arbitrary choice in our decision. we're working with our neighbors and presenting a recent proposal that stays consistent with the other homes around us. this is much shorter than the homes behind us which are much taller. >> are there any additional speakers? >> i look closely at these plans and i don't know what the date of the construction of this house was. i would guess late 40's early 50's.
12:39 am
typically, what you're trying to do is limited somewhat by the footprint you have and i looked at the top floor. with the setbacks you're asking for the ones in the plans and this is a tight squeeze and you'll be able to get the two patterns and three bedrooms and there but you have to allow for stairways and everything else. you would squish the bedrooms in to almost nothing because right now i think that they are 10 by 16, maybe 11 by 16. this is a little smaller. it has an entry into the dressing room. you have done about all you can do i would be supportive of not taking dr and approving the
12:40 am
project. >> i want to take th opposite tack. they were hired to do the type of work they are doing. while we don't always agree, on a strong support the -- that the single-family home is a very large home. in two minutes ago, we had at home that was available for two families. this was quite large. i believe that the department's observation is correct. the challenges are very minimal.
12:41 am
i do not believe that you can justify a building because of its architecture. i don't think that as an argument that holds. you can produce this within the constraints that we all acknowledge with each other. i would like to make a motion to makedr -- to take dr and do this as proposed. >> i would disagree. if you look at all of those, this is matching this to the houses that are directly adjacent. it could change to the homes in the last few years. there will probably be more and there might be two more family sized homes if you look at the aerial shot of those these homes were not from the same time, some of them were older homes. you can see the third floor
12:42 am
additions or the existing third floors that permeate the entire neighborhood with the exception of this little group of houses here. i think this is putting a lot of constraints on the project sponsors that are unnecessary. the design changes will be a big improvement. >> i would like to suggest at the department is not singling out this, to be more responsive to the guidelines. the same challenges would be close to those. it would be an attempt to try to enlarge the challenges which are very good president.
12:43 am
different families have different needs. the relative modifications which the department is proposing are not making this a small home by a long shot. i would argue that we would support the department's. >> i appreciate the work that the department has done but of the code allows for a certain size and this is a code compliance and maybe we should change our code. we have to decide what really want test. >> we have always struggled with the dr and these are always
12:44 am
taking it is compliant projects. it is not the case that this building is not compliant with the code. every review that we look at, the product meets the code. we can go around and around and discuss whether this is a code issue or not a code issue. if you go across the street, it shows a lot of three-story buildings. there is a relatively tall school building. it is hard to tell what is going on. if you just take the five, i
12:45 am
would like to support a staff and a greater amount of setback. i don't necessarily care about the rear. is there a second for this motion? >> i would like to make a comment and the department please interact with me on this. a code compliant building is still a challenge by the residential design guidelines and a judgment on the appropriateness of -- which is creating the building that we approve. this is in the height district and it does not mean that these are not challenging tether. none of them support each other.
12:46 am
there is a reasonable balance between the two and this creates the kind of building we approve. that is the same situation. i see this differently than you do. >> yes, we reviewed things for consistency and we also take a look at individual blocks. there are certain anomalies that might apply in certain neighborhoods that in certain circumstances can accommodate reduced setbacks, such things as a more shallow lot, those types of things we factored in our evaluations and a similar request. of the things we have to consider is how families are using this. we have circumstances now where there are extended families, parents, adult children that might be sharing a household
12:47 am
which is some justification for the need for more square footage. we try to factor those things into our evaluation of the project so that we have a basis for a recommendation. we also tried to use the president on previous recommendations we have made and the directions we have made from the planning commission. >> i think that this really supports what you did hear so i made a motion. >> i have a question about the rear set back. i understand that the front set back. what was the rationale? most often we see a friend set back and not a reader setback. >> the rear set back is to fold. you saw the neighbor here today but there is the adjacent building to the east which is
12:48 am
about 7.5 feet shorter. generally, and when you are standing in a building past the building or enlarging a building, you start to articulate a that. right now, this is right at the edge of the block. >> i would be fine with not having this. this is complicated to having a setback in the front. oral vot>> it was a 4 foot setbt
12:49 am
an 8 foot setback. i am looking at the set back here and i think that this is with recommendation. i like that and i think that creates a good transition between the different building types. >> i feel there is not enough consistency to do this. >> the motion is here. >> on the motion, the -- >> no. >> no. >> aye. >> no. >> aye.
12:50 am
>> aye. >> aye. >> the motion passes. the next item, we have >> we will be calling all the remaining items.
12:51 am
>> good evening, commissioners. i am here tonight with -- and its partners. we are here with the second informational presentation on the redevelopment project. and also changes to the general planning code. actions that needed for the redevelopment project to move forward. we gave you an overview of the project. we have additional information on the open space plan, the infrastructure plan, the financing plan. we had hoped to have a presentation about the sustainability plan but the consultants are not able to be here. when we come back with the final presentation, on april 7th, you
12:52 am
will conduct a joint hearing with the board to consider certification of the project and negotiate entitlements. here to introduce the presentation is -- and i will be back to go through the request for draft resolutions to initiate the amendments. as always, we will be here to answer questions. >> good evening, commissioners. thank you for taking the time on our calendar to allow for the project. today, we will talk about park and open space, infrastructure, and the financing plan to remind you of the calendar. we're hoping for a certification as well as the entitlement and documents by this commissioner.
12:53 am
president allow the and i were talking the other day and she mentioned the redevelopment plan which i should highlight to you which is still kind of working his way through the legislature. -- president olague and i were talking the other day. we would not be able to finance this as we were presenting it to you. the mayor, our redevelopment staff is working to try to influence that and to allow these projects to go forward because we don't see what the benefit would be buying eliminating the development here when there is no tax base. the only way to incentivize development is to supervise public financing which would go into the new infrastructure, etc.. you will be updated on that
12:54 am
legislation and how it may or may not be amended. we should know and a lot more by the next meeting on march 17th. today, we will start with the open space planning. -- is here. this is obviously a big one for the redevelopment of treasure island to create a new neighborhood which is critical to diverse open space a pentagon -- akin diverse open space. there is open space on the northern side of the island. there is a lot of open space in between. kevin will give you more details on that.
12:55 am
>> good evening. i am on the consultant team. so, what we want to do tonight is that we want to briefly give you a recap of some of the open space planning and design strategies that underlay this project and then we want to have the open space plan which is a document part of the project approvals and allow you to understand how that relates to some of the other documents. before i move forward on this slide, i have a qualifier i need to throw out which is that you heard a presentation from the architects on the 17th about some of the changes in the land use plan and that included some discussions about our reductions. some of the renderings show the towers at their previous fights but i want to promise you that just because the architects were
12:56 am
forced to make their tower smaller does not mean that the parks will get any smaller. the open has a lot to do with the fact that this was implemented over many phases and years and we were really cognizant of coming up with a framework for the open space which would allow us to have some integrity as it is built out over those times and allow for the flexibility that will inevitably occur within those times. the first thing we are aware of the existing open space facilities and amenities and the assets that are on treasure island and we will try to incorporate those into many faces of the project as it moves forward. this is the first major phase and as you will generally see, the open space follows the pattern set in the areas of the
12:57 am
land use development so that it is basically a rule of adjacency. the developments along side will also get out. as you will see, as we go from phase to phase, there are many parts larger than each of the major phases. that is why the framework approach on how this will actually get implemented will have some integrity which is important. to talk a little bit about some of the previous documents you have seen, the design for development document is a document that was important to setting the standards and guidelines to establish the quality of all the parts and open space as well as the rest of the project. the approach to the public realm is to have this framework approach which really sets forward critical programs and the uses and functions and the
12:58 am
major attractions are established and it identifies all the elements such as the waterfront promenade. there was layers that were anticipated and we hope that certain partnerships would be created. we hope that an arts organization would be getting involved to put art into the park and this would attract some partnerships. the open space has become part of the documents that are coming before you in the coming weeks. this allows for the supplemental improvements should these
12:59 am
partnerships come along. subsequent to the project approvals, there are other documents that will come forward in the future which includes the street scape master plan, a master plan and then sub phase applications. to talk about the project design ideas. as you know, there are the project cornerstones that underlay everything this product is about and the open spaces a significant contributor to these cornerstones. with over 300 acres of open space, this is really only enabled by the fact that the rest of the project is quite compact, which you know already. some of the design principles are that the open space is accessible to everyone and to the garmin forum. that includes pedia