>> the project will make parkmerced green. the truth, the project will cut down over 1000 trees. the project will replace or provide for new open space. the truth, the project would eliminate 7 acres of open space. supervisor mar: thank you very much. >> you are welcome. supervisor mar: next speaker. ms. ting. >> i am from the parkmerced action coalition. yes, we're here in the audience. we are very opposed to this. we do not want any demolition. we have not had enough time to go over these new papers that you have given us. just looking at it quickly, we

do not feel that $160 million is enough. this is one of the articles mike was talking about -- my neighbor -- about the larry gluck demolition. i think it is in harlem. it's the piece of property that he owned when he wanted to try to destroy those people. he was not allowed to. parkmerced is a beautiful place. it's absolutely spectacular. it's a lovely place to live. we do not want to be torn down. we would like to stay just where we are. we would hope that you vote against this. we do not want to be put out of our homes. we want to stay there. thank you very much. supervisor mar: thank you. >> good morning. i'm with the housing rights

committee of san francisco. i would like to mention these scary scenarios. i think it is possible here. even though i would like to believe in fairy tales, i also know from experience as a tenant advocate for the last 15 years that you pass something on the ballot or you pass legislation, it gets challenged, and it gets struck down. no matter how much to plan and how many meetings you have for you have lawyers and legal people assuring you this cannot be struck down and this is constitutional, it gets struck down. i want to know what happens if all of what mr. chiu is proposing -- and i like what he is proposing -- what happens if that is struck down? what happens to the tenants? the other right that is not being talked about is the right to quiet enjoyment. 30 years of construction does not constitute quiet enjoyment

and the right to safety, which is also guaranteed by california civil code. when toxic substances are poured into your environment daily for 30 years -- safety? hardly. 30% of tenants at parkmerced currently are seniors. are they going to benefit from this housing? no. this housing will not be affordable to most people in san francisco. we know that most people in san francisco cannot afford market rate housing or condos? who is this being billed for? obviously, not the people live in san francisco right now. that's the problem. they're asking for more gentrification by doing that. history should have taught us that lesson by now. finally, i would like to propose that the only way that we protect the rights of tenants, the only way we guarantee there's no displacement or gentrification is to reject this project.

thank you. [applause] supervisor mar: thank you. i think dr. faulkner had been called previously, as well. >> good afternoon. my name is gene adams, a longtime tenant of parkmerced. my first point, compensation being offered is certainly not adequate for most of the seniors and disabled. it will have no alternative but to go homeless and go to golden gate park, if golden gate park will receive them as homeless people. the environmental impact of 30 years of demolition, but the release of toxic pollutants into the atmosphere of the most vulnerable part of san francisco, the son said, did irreparable damage to the

environment. not just the $1 million homes own parkmerced, but the low- income homes in merced heights. environmental damage that will never be eradicated because pollutants will stay in the atmosphere forever. please reconsider and deeply ponder over the so-called imaginary profit for the future of 30 years. it may not ever work. besides, seniors and handicapped are not adequately compensated. a large proportion of them will suffer and there's no reasonable accommodation for their needs as required by federal law. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you. mr. faulkner. >> my name is dr. terence faulkner. i would like to incorporate by reference the grand jury report, which is titled "parkmerced vision -government by

developer." we have a large group called fortress that bought control of parkmerced, basically because they were on the verge of bankruptcy in october. the head of fortress is daniel mudd, the former ceo of fannie mae. fannie mae was a wonderful lobbying organization. they did a wonderful snow job on the congress of the united states. there's a book, "all the devils were there." basically, they do wonderful lobbying. they talk of congress into a lot of things. the cost of the united states government over $100 billion. one of the most expensive transactions in american history. mr. mudd has now come to san

francisco and he is going to bless us some more. my advice to you is -- let the buyer beware. you were going to get stuck. you are not going to like the results. in vancouver, they did not like the results of fortress. they lost river tonight in new york. you are going to get hurt. i'm sorry to say that. what's happening at parkmerced -- they've gotten rid of garbage collection at the doors now. it's bad management. it's the worst we've ever had. we've had bad management in the past. the current management at parkmerced is the absolute worst. they do not collect garbage of the doors anymore. supervisor mar: thank you. i'm going to call the last remaining cards. john thomas, jeff, kevin mckay,

manny flores. >> good morning. in the executive director of the professional property management division and i'm here to speak on behalf and in favor of the parkmerced project. a lot has been said about the displacement of tenants, the demolition of homes in the process. in the long run, i think there will be new homes built that will be better for the tenants. parkmerced has agreed to comply with the current housing ordinances. the renovation and expansion will increase affordable housing in san francisco. it benefits all the citizens in this city. the other thing to also keep in mind is that the city needs to grow jobs and this is an opportunity to do that. to do it in a situation where it is local to the community and also citywide. the tax revenues and the fees

are significant. the additional individuals and families moving into parkmerced will mean increased revenue generated to the payroll and other taxes and fees. in addition, the project will produce permanent jobs both on site and in the surrounding communities. construction jobs are estimated to average over 1000 per year over the 20-year period. the proposed project will be rehabilitating an existing site. many of these homes are over 60 years old. as a homeowner of a 50-year- old home, i know that's difficult. this works with existing infrastructure to attract families to the city, which i think would be a great benefit. in closing, by providing jobs on site and locally in the community, parkmerced is setting the example of creating living spaces and jobs in the city and should be commended for their vision of creating a better san francisco. please approve this project.

thank you. supervisor mar: thank you. >> good morning. i am at the collatiocoalition. this demolition is also a demolition that has never been seen before in san francisco since the redevelopment in the 1960's and 1970's. the african-american community and the japanese town was demolished and it never recovered from that. during that instance, it was homeowners and renters. there was a terrible situation. now with parkmerced, the excuse for development is -- it is 50 years old. my house is 98 years old and i had to do maintenance.

i had to change the sewer. at a small cost for keeping a house, keeping your home. in parkmerced, they should do the same. 50 years old is not all for a house. someone lives there. that's their home. that is not being considered. in some sense, the renters are treated like second-class citizens. they are being treated like sharecroppers. [applause] a landlord is the big boss. he is the man. the renters are just renters. they're not people. it does not matter. we all know what the real reason for this is. money. big money. developers are going to make a big profit. the city thinks they're going to make a profit. there is infrastructure that

will cost. these things will not offset the cost. more importantly, there is a human cost. these are people that live there. they are not just numbers. please send it back. supervisor mar: thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i live in the sunset. since the previous two speakers mentioned the housing stock, i happen to have the housing characteristics start from the housing elements from the old housing element. to have a house in san francisco which was built after 1939 is 54% of the housing stock. that's nothing unusual.

the houses in parkmerced are among our newer housing stocks. i wanted to comment on something totally different. i'm a member. we had a meeting last night on disaster preparedness. formally the differdeputy direcr of dbi was the speaker. he expects the big one to be close. the most of the damage will occur on old concrete buildings. parkmerced has 11 hours with load bearing walls of concrete. they are very vulnerable for earthquake. i think the whole project is done from the wrong end.

if they need to demolish something, demolish from the earthquake safety point of the. -- point of view. the towers, not the garden apartments, provide a wonderful quality of life. the project and the eir denies there are problems with the existing tower. a second project is that -- supervisor mar: thank you very much. thank you. next speaker, please. >> i have lived in parkmerced for 38 years with my husband. we happen to like it very much there. i will make this very short. we have a lot of respect for the management. we find that they have been very

honest with us. they are really trying hard. they have really put in a lot of effort into keeping our place clean. i know not everybody agrees with this, but i walk the property every day and i see a lot. i want to thank them. thank you,, supervisors. supervisor mar: thank you. >> my name is mike smith, nine- year resident of parkmerced. my home is neither blighted or sound. i've had a lot of problems with it. i can only imagine that a good percentage of people in parkmerced have also had problems tear i. i like living in parkmerced. i do.

for the amount of rent taipei, i expect a little bang for the buck. i'm in favor of the project. i believe the quality of life will increase. we will not have to leave the property practically. everything will be there for us. i have to apologize. i've kind of forgotten the other issue. i'm also in favor -- i'm a retired union man and i'm in favor of 1300 jobs being created for this project. i'm in favor. thank you. supervisor mar: mr. turner? >> good afternoon, supervisors. brooke turner. i understand the concerns of the tenants in place at parkmerced. i applaud president chiu and all of your efforts to try to address the concerns but i'm here today as an environmental minded person, who has worked

for many years to sustainable development and this is what this proposal is. as president chiu pointed out, this is an exceptional proposal, the likes of which have not been seen in san francisco before. i'm not aware of any other developments in the nation of more sustainable or environmentally considerate. many of you have had the opportunity to meet my sons. some of you have suffered their visits to your office. for that, i apologize. despite their bad behavior, it's for their futures i became involved and interested in the environmental movement. i believe that my children, your children, and all the kids in san francisco who grew up here will benefit from the project by showing all of us that sustainable and socially responsible development can be achieved. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you.

>> good morning, supervisors. i speak today in support of this project. the population of san francisco is growing and the land mass is not. that is a reality. we have but one option left and that's to increase the density of housing in this great city. occupancy in the city right now is approximating what it was in the dot com era, but without a bubble to sustain us. we need additional housing. any vacant units distrust with multiple applications and increased market pricing. the competition is stiff. this project as a number of units to address the main concerns in san francisco.

there seem to be very many adequate, if not overreaching projectionprotection street as y manager, any property manager will abide by them. we need this housing. it is beautiful design. it addresses many needs of san francisco. it's done ain a sustainable way. i really insist that you keep your mind open. supervisor mar: thank you very much. >> good morning. i'm a business representative with the international union of elevator constructors, local eight. thank you for allowing me to speak. i've been a resident of west would park for the last 20 years. i've worked in the downtown area for probably the last 30 years. it's with great pride that i

watched the renewal and revitalization of the south of market area and areas around downtown. it was a project on the west side of the city which has not experienced any such renewal. this project is -- has enough provisions in it to protect the tenants in light of supervisor chiu's proposed amendments. i would strongly urge, in light of that, that you allow this important project to move forward. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you. >> i am peter andersson. i'm a business owner, architect, and faculty member of california college of the arts. i strongly support this project and believe it should now be brought forward to the board of supervisors for review and approval. i sympathize with current rent whose individual households will be impacted in the short

term. i would like to call attention to the larger values and the positive impact that this project will have for its immediate community and the greater community that is the city of san francisco. i believe the value of the city is that it allows for collective benefits distributed broadly to all the residents of the city. it's the job of the elected officials to look out for the larger good, which sometimes balances the interests of the individuals with the interest of the city. i'm from a area two blocks from the new trans bay construction project. speaking of quiet enjoyment, some days it is noisy and destructive, but i'm excited about what the new development will bring to the city as a whole. it would be more convenient for me, of course, for the neighborhood to not have that area in construction right now. it would not the right to hinder the benefits that will come to the city from the terminal project for the narrow and short-term interests of immediate neighbors. in the same way parkmerced -- benefits of the development will

bring positive things to all of the city. the development plans are progressive based on forward thinking concepts about sustainable approach to urban design and living. i encourage you to support this project. supervisor mar: thank you. we are joined by the former supervisor. >> good morning. we have a housing crisis in san francisco. a housing crisis that was created by your predecessors. your predecessors failed to recognize that housing in the city is the most affordable housing -- not the new housing. the demolition of the most affordable housing is something that even the housing element in the past has recognized is a policy that should be opposed

by the board as a policy for our city. however, that has been ignored by your predecessors in the redevelopment areas in the western addition, iand as a result of freeways, we have demolish housing. as a result, we demolish the most affordable part of our housing stock. the result of that, we had a housing crisis for the corporations fled and took hundreds of thousands of jobs to the suburbs. we now have the economy in a straitjacket. you do not now go to parkmerced and most 1500 units of housing. [applause] this is nothing more than the continuation of the failed policies of your predecessors. if you want to do your job correctly for the city and county of san francisco, you

preserve the existing housing and tell the developers to build new housing in vacant lots. supervisor mar: thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. fifth generation san francisc an. got involved in this project 3 and a half years ago. about 600 families came together in an area near the project to try to form a group that would be sort of a liaison to the developers and all the concern interests. i think one of the primary things that allowed us to back the project from the beginning was that the developer was willing to preserve rent control. they had never had a problem with preserving rent control. supervisor mar: just keep

speaking, polease. >> we have to look at what will happen when we do not approve this project. i know what happened when san francisco state came through and wanted to do some improvements and some growth. they took their border regions in sacramento. that was a primary eir agency and we had nothing to do with that. we talked to our state senator, the mayor, a number of different people. we are kidding ourselves if we think that if we do not approve this project at this developer will stand around and try to find something else to do. we will watch $300 billion of funding go away. we will watch a lot of benefits we could derive and we will slowly be gobbled up by san francisco state, who has a mandate for housing, who has a mandate to increase student housing. guess what? it's not rent controls.

we're like to be the ones that suffer out there in san francisco. all of these rent-controlled units we're talking about preserving right now -- bye bye. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you. >> good morning, board members. my name is kevin. carpenter, local 22. i've been here since 9:00 a.m. and i'm tired. i know you must be tired, too. if there are a lot of unhappy people here. i know it is a hard thing to do for growth. we all sacrifice. we're all in this together. if we are all in this together, there are people that are hurting right now and there are jobs that are available out there for us.

i'm thinking these supervisors -- you guys have a hard job to do. i understand you try to make everybody happy. times are hard right now. if we could accumulate some drops to get this economy going again, that would be a good thing for us all. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you. >> my name is john thomas and i was lucky enough to be sent here in 1955 by the united states air force. once i got here, i did not want to leave and i'm very happy i'm still here. i'm also a resident of parkmerced. i have been there for 38 years. i would say without a doubt that the stellar management has really followed through on every project they made to us. the biggest improvement was the new elevators in all the high rises. that caused a lot of problems at the beginning. these are the things that

happened. i think the best thing you can do is go with a stellar management and hope that everything comes out great. 20 years is a long time. thank you very much. supervisor mar: thank you. >> good morning, supervisors. i represent carpenters' local 22. i would like to say that yes, parking is bad. you bet. traffic along 19th avenue is terrible. is there a need for housing? yes, there is. we can stand around and not do anything. if this were to happen -- a lot of people say this is a bad project 3 we could have another 100 meetings. where would that get us? if we did this on april 19, 1906, we would be meeting in temporary trailers and brisbane right now. i guarantee you that. we got it done.

we did it at city hall. we do it every day in san francisco. we get things done. this is a project that needs to get done. it will not just put people to work, which is my primary goal. this will provide people with direct control. this is something that we need. the whole west side of the city needs this project. we need this to go through. aror hands. we can continue it. that is not progress. we need to vote and get this passed through land use and we need to vote yes this afternoon. thank you, supervisor chiu, for those amendments. let's hope this can go through. for those amendments. let's hope this can go through.