would have liked one of them out. $20,000.12 months later, we withdrew the application. it has been said the historic commission has approved 99% of the things submitted to them. i think that's because of 99% are withdrawn before they ever reach the historic mission, such as ours was. we got a notice we had to remove the cartouche is. they said they were not with the code. now i am probably $10,000 into this one already and will probably have to give in if we do not get some action on it. thank you. supervisor wiener: thank you. >> i am his wife.

we have been told we have to take down our cartouche is. i love my home and i would like any and all of the to drive by. the house is spilling over with flowers. every time i walked out of the garage, and told how beautiful our home as. tourists stop and take a picture of our home all the time. i devote my life, five days a week, to trying to make this city a better place to live in. our home is a big part of that because our home is open to everyone for any charity event they want to give. i'm involved with st. anthony's, where events are starting at our house to fund-raisers and get the homeless off the streets and

the hungry fed. i started fence -- [tone] oh, mt god. supervisor wiener: just to be clear, you placed these decorative medallions on your home in the planning department sent a letter saying they would have to do a historic evaluation? >> they said we had to remove them with a certain time or pay $250 a day until they are removed. >>supervisor wiener: that is because your home is a historic? >> i would just like to say, this is heartbreaking when i work five days a week to make this city a better place to live and some wants to come and destroy the front of my home. i don't know why. thank you.

supervisor wiener: thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. i am a 32-year resident. in san francisco. in 2005, i got involved with a group of historians, teachers, business people and other residents in an effort to save and reuse 55 lacuna, san francisco's oldest public college. the campus had been zoned for educational and public use and was the largest parcel of public land outside of golden gate park. my question for you is i think the historic preservation commission should retain its authority and that's all i need to say. thank you.

supervisor wiener: let me call some more names. [reading names] >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am an architect and i have extensive experience working in san francisco, especially in residential areas.

one thing in terms of the language in these districts, how it affects permitting one of the districts that was recently adopted, you run into a problem very quickly. $20,000, you hit a threshold pretty quickly when you are doing a window project. with the language of this district, it requires a certificate of appropriateness when you are doing window replacement. it requires a hearing, a very simple hearing, but a hearing just the same. the planning fee for the certificate of appropriateness on a $20,000 job is -- >> which district? >> i have run into that problem down there. but it just goes to the broader view that you need to make sure

that the small homeowners are not adverse limb pacted, especially when most people really want to maintain their houses. >> thank you very much. mr. whitaker. >> i have -- my name is jamie whitaker. i'm the president of the rankin hill neighborhood association. i have an overhead. i think we have a transportation problem. i think we have a problem holding up development. right now we have a plan at treasure island, and the san francisco business times informed us the 2010 census -- informed us there's 30,000 that are not occupied, existing dwelling units, 30,000 in addition to residential housing, we will have a lot of commercial building that's approved or in the process of being approved like the transit center district plan which would add another 13,000 jobs just in the northeast quad rant of the city.

and pedestrian safety is my -- my main issue these days. we have bart that's full. high-speed rail that may or may not, and we hope high-speed rail comes to fruition to give folks in the valley to chance to work in san francisco. we can't take on all of it but we're glad to say the hill area has 45% for housing and development is starting to thaw out. we're going to see construction cranes in rankin hill in the first quarter of next year, god will. thank you. >> thank you very much. mr. butler. >> thank you, supervisor wiener, chair maher and supervisor cohen. how to get to balance? supervisor wiener aunts the balance between the other pollingsies but if he wants

state laws and enforcement, is it a suggestion to look the other way? as a certified local government, how does the city achieve that for taking grant funds for survey? how is it achieved as responsible to the state agency to the state for environmental reviews. the purpose for historic resources inventory are surveyed is to assemble information about buildings in the study area and local neighborhood plan and determine which of those buildings have specific and special historic culture oork tech churl significance. these planning tools facilitate permit applications. the determination of whether a property is historic, culture or architectural value is based tonight factual documentation in the public record, with or without a survey, california state regulations require the planning department to make a determination on the status when almost any application is submitted. how do you propose the city do less than that? >> thank you very much, mr. butler. >> my name is francisco.

all of the talk here today, i'm asking the planning department that they first have an inventory of fallout in unmarked buildings. we do not have detailed inventory. secondly, the planning department has failed to respect the first people, right before the strangers came here they were the first people, and failed to respect the over 200 sites that we have in san francisco. thirdly, we have the academy of art university that has taken thousands of units depriving us of affordable housing. and we do not need to encourage property manager like the john steuben company to come into the bay view and other poor communities and take affordable housing. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> good afternoon. i'm john barbie. i'm part of the team that set up liberty hill 25 years ago. we did it because it's hard for us to get zigation. i hope you notice the map mr.

frey presented. very tiny number of residents are designated. what was that, 2,000 out of 20,000 victorians alone and it's been a i mixed bag for us. we were facing wholesale demolitions throughout the neighborhoods. what would replace them were things for want a of a better description looked like little motels. and we believed in the worth and sustainability of our victorian houses, beauty of them. we hope that now if something is surveyed f. it's been altered in the front, it's just invisible. we were hoping that people would easily restorable fronts would do such a thing. you have to bear that in mind when you look at the surveys. they don't include the houses and they are numerous. i think clear rules would help a lot. i think you have to recognize the historic preservation is the little guy and should be an important policy. >> thank you very much.

mr. speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i'm the chairperson of the city that speaks, sunset action and committee. although the sunset is not known for historic buildings, there are several clusters of historical development in the larger sunset area and we have focused on the neighborhood in the outer sunset along the ocean beach, which used to be called the ocean side. we as a community group did our survey, professionally of 500 surviving buildings which were developed before 1925. we were recently invited to aid preapplication meeting and saw what the results were. due to our survey work, which

was conducted by professional historians, the applicants saved a lot of money as they did not have to hire a consultant. their architect and input of the planning department developed a very acceptable proposal -- >> thank you very much. >> and i hope you're not putting away with these ways of retaining our neighborhood character. >> thank you very much. >> honorable supervisors, i had the honor of directing the western office of the historical trust preservation, founded in san francisco in 1971. because people cared them about your city's incredible heritage and they care now. before i came here, i had the honor of surveying two city's preservation planner, i would chair the city's preservation commission and i would governor gray davis' chairman of the status resources commission. i urged you to continue on your spirit of inquiry but to

consider, too, preservation is about managing change, integrating your historic preservation and planning department along with your incredible activities here and having -- making sure san francisco takes its place not only with los angeles, new york, charleston, but pasadena, san diego, riverside, fresno, all incredible cities in california that strive to do preservation planning and i know you can too.s0 we're here to help. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon. my name is ryan turner. i'm a resident of the richmond district and practice environmental land use law. i'm strongly in fanger of the program. i see it as embodiment and action of the precautionary principle which the board adopted in 2003, very simple motto, think before you act and choose the least environmentally harmful alternative.

regarding sequa, i would highlight the prevention is getting the people we opportunity attract to our cities. the historic buildings are assets and not liabilities. the developer widely recognized value added qualities of historic and orlede buildings respect the history of our community and contributions of those who came before them. forbe those who choose to demolish historic buildings, sequa is intended to challenge those constructions. it is wasteful and requires trucking and new materials and supports an economy predicated on unlimited distraction. this inot the motto we should be promoting. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisor wiener. i will try to stick to my minutes. i'm pretty sure the question

before you is one you already answered. it's not a good faith inquiry about preservation development. it's more of a cross between political show trial, witch-hunt and fishing exposition. i think you're throwing mud at the h.p.c., which was established fair and square by the voters. god bless preservation. thanks for the two minutes -- or one minute. >> that was more like 30 seconds. >> good afternoon. i'm anthony beercamp, 18-year resident and homeowner. city by the john s. and james l. knight foundation called the sole of the community project supports my belief far from actings a barrier of progress historic preservation is fundamental to our city's social, culture and economic life in a way that's not widely appreciated. the soul of the community focuses on what it calls community attachment. it turns out residents' perception on public policy concerns like job, economy and safety show little correlation

about how attached residents are 0 their communities. rather people consistently give higher ratings for ratings that relate to quality day-to-day life. the three main quality that's attach people to place are areas of physical beauties, opportunities for socializing and community's openness to all people. across all 26 communities studied, there's consistent anomaly while perceptions of the local economy do not play a significant factor in driving community attachment, those communities with the highest attachment also have the highest rates of economic growth. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> supervisor james green. i'm resident of the city and participated in the design construction of single family homes and i'm responsible for creation in 1991 as the city's first historical land mark referred to earlier, park emergency hospital building. clearly i believe in the value of maintaining the architectural character of our diverse

neighborhoods as well as individually and meritorious and private buildings. however, i also believe if someone owns a home or lot, they should be able to build their dream home. in this way neighborhoods evolve, renew themselves, speak physically, esthetically, economically and culturally to the particular moment in time in which they're built. the same sentiment must be extended to the city government. the city has a duty to provide for changing needs and demands of its citizenry. while i do not advocate san francisco abandon or turns back on historical or architectural past, the city must have the ability and flexibility to decide that some sacrifices must be made. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hello, i'm courtney clarkson. in the 1990's i was on the board of directors of one of the large neighborhood organizations in san francisco. not the telegraph dwellers, by the way. we were very interested in

historic preservation. i spent a lot of time at city hall before various commissions, including the landmarks board. the landmarks board was pretty worthless as far as i can tell in those days. the so-called preservation expert on the board was the person that the developers hired to say an historic building was not historic. i think it is finally time after too many years that the pendulum starts to swing the other way. a lot of us thought long and hard for a real commission with real teeth and historic preservation was not just the grand buildings, the golden gate bridge, grand houses. the preservation is the buildings that make up san francisco. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> linda chapman. there's no more grim practice than reusing historic buildings

and nothing better for affordable housing than saving the affordable rental housing that we have that is under rent control. in the '70's and '80's, knob hill neighbors saved thousands of rental buildings from the high-rise developers who wanted to tear them down because they were essentially historic district. but the condo developer that you heard, who wants to tear down the methodist church, he sounded pathetic, didn't he? the methodist church wanted to build affordable housing. we can't. tndc is ready, david baker, mayor's office of housing and so on but he stands in the way. instead of appealing the denial of his plan to you, he sued you, mind you. the methodist church actually wanted to bailed forwardability housing. we have the ability to do that and reuse the church and have a community facility there. often it's a choice. the city of paris, for example, was torn down but retailers wanted to use it, they wanted to reuse it. >> thank you very much.

next speaker. >> my name is richard zelman, member of the eternal alliance and longtime member of the san francisco heritage and the other organizations. we are the hands-on past historic preservation in san francisco, who live in, work on and love our historic buildings. the major focus of my adult life and that of my life share has been the reservation and preservation of our vic torrian apartments. with that background i'm almost the poster boy of what has gone wrong with historic preservation in san francisco. in 1994 we bought our land mark house at 280 dizzderio street. behind it a dilapidated carriage house. we submitted plans and the planning department said we could not bill anything which that could be mistaken for historic but remodel like a barn, which it never was. five expensive produced one that tells the truth. the project won't have a negative effect on the

environment or main house but planning still opposes it. dd >> please speak clearly into the mic, ma'am. >> we had neighbors on the historic assembly to testify before us for the h.p.c., and we were rejected and at the same time the board of appeals we were also rejected that made many people very upset and some people were concerned for their livelihoods. the appropriate application of the stand rds if not done for tax credits is that, quote, self-hiss torism or building something new is acceptable and

adaptable if done well. do hold otherwise is to attempt to free san francisco and will produce architectural white elephants. the worst spirits of the hands-on presidential community have been realized fog the passage of prop j. there's a new horror story nearly every month from some san francisco owner ha that has run into the planning department. >> thank you very much. let me call two more cards, our final batch of cards. for any children, regan and carol, judy west, mark duffettes , johanna streets, howard long, joe wood, katherine howard, marilyn cone, bradley weidmeyer, june osterburg, jeremy paul,

courtney damclogger, alice carey and that's it. i also have three cards that i -- i'm not sure if they're for treasure island or this so i'm going to call you just in case they're for this one. sergei severnov, zack stewart and john tamen. go ahead. >> thanks. my name is ellen dudley. it's ironic the following suggestion i have is already in my prepared remarks before we were limited to what is n. my opinion, a ludicrous one minute to collect a coherent thought to share with you. so i will proceed anyway. applicants should be allowed up to five minutes per speaker or up to one hour per application, with the possibility to petition for additional time if needed. and such petitions should not be unreasonablely denied. commissions and boards should be under mandate to strongly

consider the opinion of the majority of the neighbors of a project and every effort should be made to work with an applicant to reach a mutually acceptable solution. i also believe decisions of the board of appeals be based on the simple and not a super majority. you have a chance to be on the right side of history on all of these issues and i certainly wish you well in getting there. i would like to end with a final thought. i would be interested from hearing your points of view what the salient messages have come out of the public comment period might be. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> this is not a city that can somehow impair needed development. i would like to forward a proposal there is precedent in the county council that work that provides endorsement and

experience and provides foot prints of necessary regulations which they did through the national trust in terms of architectural heritage. it exists to stop the subterfuge to somehow fast track unnecessary development that would cost more for the city than we can afford. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> let's get on with treasure island. >> we will shortly. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i'm judy west. i have owned and renovated a number of potentially historic building in and around the northeast mission and showplace square and i have grave concerns about the unintended consequences of historic resource designation. especially as it pertains to the ability of property ornse to perform seismic upgrades. unfortunately i think too many politicians ignore the fact that

we are at ground zero for earthquake country. instead of encouraging the retrofit of historic buildings, sweem to add more and more road blocks and expenses to the process. when a property undergoes a change in use with increased density or activities owners require to make seismic and handicap upgrades. but historic resource designation has been used instead to land bank wide loss of land for future government housing is what i assume in the eastern neighborhoods. we have a serious responsible to enable and facilitate more seismic upgrades and relax the land uses, instead of restricting what one does with an old industrial building or especially areas in liquid

fashion zones. i think if you have legitimately historic resources in seismically prone areas, you need to provide some way for property owners to recoup that investment that is required and to incent size the seismic upgrades. by this i mean you don't lower the land use designation, you up zone. you allow a greater intensity of these historic buildings. and we took these and down zoned them and high-tech and housing and any of the things that have beautifully renovated noir historic warehouse districts. instead we down zoned our liquid fashion zones and it's going to come back to haunt us if we don't do something about this. historic -- it needs incentive to upgrade. thank you.

>> thank you very much. >> good afternoon, supervisors. thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to speak to you. my name is jeremy paul and i'm a permit consultant. i work in the residential neighborhoods so i'm going to confine my remarks to preservation activity in those neighborhoods. i would like to echo the speaker's comment and state the value that retaining our historic buildings, it needs to be able to be extracted in some ways by property owners by the seismic work they need to do to save these buildings. and i would like to make the point quite often things are saved for the sake of saving them. i think it's crushing the practice of architecture in our city. i think great architecture is done in the past continue can be done now in our neighborhoods but not if every old billing is

saved simply because it's an old building. it's not necessarily worth saving just because it's not environmentally sound to keep an unenergy efficient building intact. thank you. >> thank you very much. mr. long? >> howard long, architect. practicing for 30 years as an architect, i worked on long commercial, institutional projects, remodelings, historic preservation. in all projects, we have building codes, planning codes, energy codes, americans with disabilities act, funding constraints, all designed professionals deal and balance any of these issues. some of the projects that we work on are historic resources and that's actually a fairly small percentage of the total project that the design profession works on. but in those