generic affected the building at 543 howard. i represented clients who lost their businesses because someone else was speculating on that site and he gave eviction notices to the contracting firm that did all the work on city hall, and my clients for a photographer and a clothing manufacturer. president olague: is there any additional public comment on this item? >> brett gladstone representing the garage operator. i will be speaking later when the item comes up on a conditional use permit for that. i do not know the owners of this and never talked to them. i have nothing to say for this one. but if you have any questions on this prior to the later hearing, we will see you a

little bit later. thank you. president olague: public comment is closed. i guess we are at the next item. >> thank you commissioners. we can move forward on your calendars to item 5, governor brown's proposed elimination of the development agencies. president olague: i do not know if there is anything to add to the discussion. >> i do not think i have anything new to report this week. there were no votes i am aware of in sacramento on this item this week. we are trying to keep close tabs on that. the item we talked about earlier, treasure island, is closely related to that. it is important to note the city is looking at this issue of infrastructure finance districts and how they may or not -- may or may not apply. there are similar in some ways. in some ways, they are not. we are trying to get information together to compare

and contrast how these mechanisms are similar and where they are different, so that gives you a good understanding of what that situation is about. to my knowledge, there was no further activity on it this week in sacramento, partially because of the republican convention. that delayed the vote by several days. commissioner fong: i just wanted to make a comment that i am not an expert but i do know that the infrastructure tax finance district has been used and explored along port property for several different projects. i do not know if it has come into play yet. but maybe some folks over there can shed some light on the city government's side. president olague: that would be great. commissioner moore: is in the america's cup also trying to pursue it under that same venue? that is what i heard, but i

might be wrong. there is lots of speculation. commissioner antonini: i actually made a phone call to the state attorney general just to research something thatup thn the bay area that was apparently trying to get an amount equal to redevelopment funds to a private entity. i was thinking that does not sound like you could do it. they seemed to think there might be something in the state constitution that might prohibit that. it has been in the news. i will not go into details. it sounded curious to me. president olague: great. next item. public comment on agenda items for the public hearing has been closed? public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. >> commissioners, the next

category on the calendar is public comment on items were the public hearing has been closed. this was put on the calendar to address item 12. item 12 is one of those items that we are going to do at 1:30. in a brief discussion with the city attorney's office, we might continue this until 1:30 and to get up at that time. if that is your desire, the commission could recess until 1:30. president olague: we will continue it until that time. >>

president olague: are weakened the index -- are we good now? >> the planning commission is back in session. commissioners, since we decided to move the public comment on closed items to 1:30, it makes sense to go through the consent calendar and then come back. with that, you are now under consideration of items proposed for continuance. i can 6, the -- item 6, the gene

friend recreation center. item 7, harriet street, proposed for continuance to april 21. item 8, 41255 columbus avenue proposed for continuance to may 12, 2011. i am not aware of any other items on your calendar that have been proposed for a continuance. president olague: is there any public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioner antonini: move to approve items 6, 7, and eight to the dates specified. to continue, i mean. >> is there a second? commissioners, the motion on the

floor is for continuance of items 6, 7, and eight. commissioner antonini: aue/ commissioner borden: aue/ -- aye. >> you are now on your consent calendar. items nine, 10, and 11 are considered to be routine and will be acted upon by a single vote of this commission. there would be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of this commission, the public, or staff so request. that item would be removed and considered at a future hearing. item nine is case 2010. 0797c -- is a request for a conditional use authorization to establish a wireless

communication facility by replacing two omni antennas with another type of antenna to be located within the coup plot of a building containing an automotive repair use -- within the cupola of a building containing an automatic repair use. item ten is a minor text amendment to the community safety element of the general plan by adding language to reference the most recent hazard mitigation plan. this amendment would allow the city and county of san francisco to qualify for additional funding for certain disaster recovery projects, per the california assembly bill. as you consider this, please note you are also considering environmental findings

consistent with the planning code. item 11 is 4201 van ness ave. it is a request for signed approval -- sign approval to install signs on the louise m. davies symphony hall. all applications to direct business signs in public zoning district shall be submitted to the planning commission for approval. the historic preservation commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for the proposed project on march 16. commissioners, following any public comment, which would automatically remove these items from the consent calendar, these matters are in your hands.

president olague: any comment for or against will pull this from consent. so if you are for it, just note that it will be pulled off the consent calendar if you speak to it. that being said, open it up for public comment on the consent calendar items. seeing no public comment, public comment is closed. commissioner moore: based on the comments i made earlier regarding the proposed merger between at&t and t-mobile usa, i ask that item nine people from consent and we consider it under a separate matter and bring it into the context of the conversation we all agree we would like to have. >> ok. item nine is removed from consent. are you considering items 10 and 11 as consent items? president olague: yes. commissioner borden: moved. commissioner antonini: second.

>> the motion for approval of items 10 and 11. commissioner antonini: aye. commissioner borden: aye. commissioner fong: aye. vice president miguel: aye. commissioner moore: aye. commissioner sugaya: aye. president olague: aye. >> those items have been approved as the were proposed. president olague: we are going to hear 121 golden gate first, and then we will go to item nine. >> we are now at public comment on items that have already been heard and the public hearing has been closed. this public comment category relates only to item 12. in your opportunity to address item number 12, each member of

the public may address the commission for up to 3 minutes. president olague: is there any public comment on this item? ok. public comment on items for the public hearing has been closed is closed. >> thank you. commissioners, since you are taking item 12 before item 9, we go on to consideration of findings and actions. the public hearing is for 121 golden gate avenue, the st. anthony foundation and mercy housing project. before you now is the certification of the final environmental impact report.

>> this is a division of the planning department. this is the certification of a final environmental impact report for the proposed project of 121 golden gate ave. the draft eir was published on december 8, 2010. the public hearing was on january 13, 2011. public comment closed on january 24, 2011. the responses document was published and distributed on march 10, 2011. the draft motion for eir certification was distributed to you by e-mail on march 14. if you need copies, i have them with me. the eir found the demolition of the existing building at 121 golden gate avenue would result in a project-specific unavoidable impact on a historical resource that could not been a ticket to -- could

not be mitigated to below significant levels. it would result in a significant and unavoidable air quality impact as well. therefore, the commission would need to adopt a statement of overriding consideration, pursuant to the california environmental quality act, should the commission to approve this project. the planning department requests to adopt the motion before you, which certifies that the contents of the final eir are adequate and accurate and the procedures comply with the provisions of ceqa, ceqa guidelines, and chapter 31 of the administrative code. this concludes my presentation, unless you have any questions. president olague: thank you. do we hear the whole project now? >> it is in the hands of the commission. public hearing is closed.

vice president miguel: i move for certification. commissioner antonini: second. >> on the motion for certifying the final environmental impact report for 121 golden gate ave. commissioner antonini: aye. commissioner borden: aye. commissioner fong: aye. commissioner moore: aye. commissioner sugaya: aye. vice president miguel: aye. president olague: aye. >> that motion passed unanimously. would you like to take care of the -- 13 a, b, and c prior to going to nine? this is 121 golden gate ave. it is a consideration of adoption of findings of the california environmental quality act. it is a request for a

conditional use authorization with exceptions as provided under the planning code. it is a request for variantce. the zoning administrator will consider item 13 c the request for variants. >> i am rick crawford, department's staff. this is a request for a conditional use authorization and 4 ceqa findings approval -- and for ceqa findings approval for the project to demolish the existing two-story building and construct a 10-story building with a dining hall, kitchen, and philanthropic social services, at 90 senior affordable dwelling units, and about 22,000 square feet of non-residential support services. no parking facilities within the rh-4 north of market district.

the project requires conditional use authorization. the establishment of a look of a facility above the ground floor, and exceptions are for setback requirements, rear yard viable. the project also requires variants in broad street loading as the proposed loading area does not meet the dimensional requirements of the code. the project will replace the existing st. anthony's kitchen and dining facilities with a new updated facility and construct 90 new affordable housing units for seniors, including homeless seniors. project includes philanthropic service above the ground floor, including clothing exchange service. the department has received seven letters of support, primarily from other social service providers. an extensive outreach effort was conducted with over 25 community meetings since 2007. the department is not aware of

opposition to the project. the department recommends the commission approve the project, as the project will provide 90 new housing units for variable income and homeless seniors. the project is an important philanthropic use, providing essential social services to traditionally underserved persons in the city, and it advances the objectives and policies of the general plan and meet requirements of the planning code. i am available for questions. thank you very much. commissioner olague: thank you. project sponsor? >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am executive director of st. anthony's foundation. i'm joined this afternoon by the architect for hkit architects. we would like to provide you with a brief presentation on the

inception and goals of our project and its design. said anthony foundation was founded by franciscan father alfred o. decker in october 1950. our mission is to heal, shelter, clove, lift the spirits of those in need, and create a society where all persons can flourish. we are committed to providing the pores of sanford cisco with a great way to reclaiming their sense of dignity and progressing towards stability -- the port of san francisco. st. anthony's dining room was open 50 years ago, providing hot and trichet mills in the space at 121 golden gate avenue that had been an auto repair shop. our services to disadvantaged and economically poor people have increased dramatically. every day, st. anthony's provides thousands of people with food, clothing, drug and alcohol recovery, and medical

services, and next month, we will serve our 37 million meal. for the past 10 years, st. anthony foundation has been working on improving our delivery of services to our guests in manner that also lessens the impact of those services on our community. we have explored many options over the years to improve services within the existing 121 golden gate avenue structure, which has been modified over the years. in order to add needed community services. in the end, after our exhaustive analysis, we found that it is just not feasible to again modernize and increase our services. we realized we needed more space. so we embarked on a two-part plan. the first was to develop 150 golden gate avenue to a house our medical clinic, social work center, and technology labs. the building was completed in 2008, and those services are

successfully operating on that side. our second part is to develop 121 golden gate avenue with an improved, expanded, and fully accessible dining room with an open arcade off the city's sidewalks to move the line substantially off of the sidewalk. the building will pose a free clothing program and a social center on the second floor. by relocating our social work services, it will mean that our dining room guest will be more readily able to access those services. during the development process, many people, including planning department staff, indicated that the billing would be a better fit in the environment on the corner of 121 golden gate avenue if the building were similar in height to neighboring structures. community members also were marked on the need for more affordable housing. so we reached out to be the developer of affordable housing above the first two floors. together with mercy housing, we

determined that senior housing would be the most compatible use of our side, given the aggressive services of st. anthony's. marissa housing has established a program that includes nine units of affordable housing -- 90 units of affordable housing. it will often hat -- also have open space, community rooms, and a lounge. the lobby will be located on the fourth floor, and it will be staffed 24/7. i can say we are all excited about the project and it will significantly improve the quality of services we provide. it will address community concerns regarding lines for the dining room. it will bring much needed affordable housing and can cheviot to the overall improvement of the tenderloin neighborhood. commissioner olague: thank you. did someone from mercy housing want to speak? no? ok.

>> afternoon now. i'm going to briefly go over some of the major design considerations and had in the project. i think your packet does a good job of highlighting most of them, but i will try to take up just a little time. as you are aware, the building is a compilation of two functions of the replacement of st. anthony's dining room facilities and their distribution, as well as a new community of 90 senior units, and the building is designed to fit into the neighborhood in the same way that a similar building across the street anchors itself

to the corner. the building has a strong streak facade. it's a perk -- separates itself from the existing hotel, which is here on this piece of jones, and then up the street on the golden gate is the church and the building's steps down to acknowledge the height of that as well. this is a shot of the other side of the building, which is the courtyard side, which is screened by the majority of the building mass. you can see at the podium level, which is the third level, the first housing level, we have carved the building back and created a landscape podium for the use of the senior community

and topped it on the back of the building, such that it is protected from both the wind and the discrete sounds and also, it allows the building itself, the tower, as you can see, to step away from both the boy hotel, over there on your right here, and then this element here, which is the free, to allow the existing windows and residents to maintain their light and air exposure. and the site is part of an historic neighborhood, and we have worked diligently over the past few years to design this building so that it fits in compatible with the existing texture and the feel of the tender 1, and we have worked with planning to refine the

design a number of times to make that occur, and some of the major issues and elements are the three-part arrangement of the 10-story structure to a more traditional building that has a base, which is the first two levels need to be exposed, and then kind of a body and a crown or a cap, which is the upper floors here. we have looked at a number of patterns in the neighborhood in terms of window openings that are prevalent, and we tried to replicate that type of pattern here. we have included the use of bay windows, which occur in the neighborhood a lot, and we have also looked at the materials to try to include something reminiscent of masonry in this building, and those are these panels here, which are terracotta panels or tiles.

the assemblage that you see reflects a lot of those elements, and we feel like at this point, it blends in quite well with the neighborhood and is very harmonious for the type of window patterning and materials. some of the other major design elements are the open arcade, which was issued in st. anthony's dining room, which basically use the public sidewalks for their guests to line up, and we have created an open arcade along the base on both streets, which will allow the queue in line to occur off the street and separate it from public sidewalks and provide a nice view into the dining room in off hours. that is the back wall that you see, and the arcade is always, and that is where the dining room element it sells its. at night, there are a number of

decorative grillwork elements that will coil and come down. we're planning to use the same system and is that it looked -- aesthetic looke. at night, there will still be alive, but the arcade will not be visible to anyone in off hours. both -- we tried to make each of them unique said that they have their own identity. you enter into the reception area, and before you q what, and just off the street, under this blaze element here is actually the entry point for senior housing, which has a lobby at street level and has its own set of elevators, and each will have

a separate arcade, separate entry element of of it, and separate identity in a large building. happy to answer any questions you might have about the design element. commissioner olague: none at this time. thank you. at this time, we will open it up for public comment. but before we do, i was going to ask if there is anyone in the audience who is in opposition to the project. oh, ok. and then we will ask others to stand up to show their support, and certainly, you can still speak if you would like to. >> good afternoon, commissioners. thomas picarello. we are all in support of [inaudible] commissioner olague: