them will meet individually with a case manager, and in addition to the case manager, there will be another step position there, whose goal will be to do life skills work with the young people with art-related activities or external activities. there might be outdoor activities. they might go to the opera or the symphony or kind of what ever else they want to go to, but we work together to create that's about youth are both learning the skills that they need, i e going to school, going to work, learning how to cook, manage their own finances and relationships, but also working together as a community to build an extensive connectiveness and the building and also so that they can be good members of their community and the neighborhood, said that would be the -- so that would be the work complimenting the existing -- existing staff. the staffing was increased at

the request of the neighbors, and we think it is good for the young people in addition to what services they would get on site at edwards the second, all of the people we serve also having access to all of the education employment programs, the medical care we have on our other side, and other things that larkin street provides. supervisor mar: thank you for your work with larkin street, as well. you mentioned the staffing levels. i think he said that besides a full-time case manager, there is a full-time rather than a half time counselor, and that is part of the recommendations that were made? >> yes. on the part of chp. we also increase the support services staffing -- we also

increased the support services staffing. we feel that now has a good staffing pattern that will be able to meet the needs of young people, in addition to accessing other kinds of services. >> -- supervisor mar: what happens when the property manager is off-site? what happens during that time? >> there is a property manager and desk services that will be there from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m., and then the larkin street has people. we will stagger the staffing pattern to ensure that there is basically at minimum one, most often two people on site at all times. supervisor mar: thank you. >> at thank you. -- thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. greg miller, a pro bono for the

project sponsor. i just want to give you more information about special use districts. this is a tried and true and land -- time honored issue. there are approximately 50 other sud's in the city today, and if this one were to go through, we would be section 249.55. the others are section 249 of the planning code. the reason we need this sud is that we need to relax controls currently applied to the project, and the only way we can do that is through an sud, a rezoning. other things we are seeking to relax, the rear yard requirements, some of these could be relaxed to invariant. we have simply consolidate all of these changes in this sud.

i have never worked on a project that has not required some relaxation of planning department goals. that is normally done with a variance. we established on july 14 a need for this sud, and its consistency with many of the policies, so i ask that you consider it today. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you. colleagues, if there are no questions, we will open this up for public comment. whoa, there is a stack of speaker cards here. [applause] -- [laughter] if you could keep this to two minutes and try not to be redundant, i am going to start at the top of the list.

this is the next issue, never mind. so i am just want to start calling the names. lawrie -- laurie brodie, charrle -- charles. if people could just are coming up and prove vanessa, thomas -- if people could just start coming up? vanessa, thomas, [reading names] >> good afternoon, commissioners. my name is laurie. our board did not send out a notice about this hearing today. we feel that this process is a done deal, and we're also in discussions with chp and larkin st. we are trying to move forward

with them. for nearly two years in dealing with the mayor's department of housing, the planning department, and hours of testimony, when a witness that our voices were not heard at the city. there is intense political will to push this project through regardless of how extensive the zoning exceptions. we are not here to question the merits of affordable housing for transitional aged youth. we are here to state how the residents were fail. they were not effectively brought into this process until key decisions have already been made and the building was in escrow, therefore eliminating any meaningful discussion about alternative locations in our area that would have cost us, served more young people, and without triggering the city expenditures and requirements for conditional use processes and others. from the words of the director of housing, the nats -- the last one, "it is about time your neighborhood took one of these

projects. we know what is best for your neighborhood." yet, none of the decision makers live in our area. finally, the proposed changes are not negotiable? [bell] can i continue? supervisor mar: we have quite a few speakers, so please wrap this up. >> they have been caught in crossfire. we asked the city to find another location or area that they could support, but they did not try. we do not think that they should suffer for the missteps of the city, and we are now working to craft conditions for the project, if they had to address some of the concerns. supervisor wiener: could you please finish? >> the pushback and the neighborhood and subsequent conversations with community housing partnership and youth services we believe has netted a much better project.

it is my understanding that your decision today will be to forward this to the full board without recommendation, but i hope that you have heard about the flaws in the process and the unwillingness to hear the neighborhood suggestions and optic steps to remedy this in the future. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you, miss barack's. thank you. >> supervisors, i am a resident. this project costs probably, it could be anywhere between 900 -- $9 million, a $11 million, or $12 million, and an important thing it looks like 100% of the residents will be people emerging from foster care. that is not suffocates -- not that -- that is not the case. the other will be funded by

mental-health funds in the city. the other important point i must bring to your attention is the project is disqualified for hud dancing. what happened was, in the city's zeal to acquire this property, it advanced money to the developer to close the purchase transaction, and this was all done prior to the time that hud had looked at or even received an application. with the hud rules, is a clear and bright line here that states it there is public money in the project before hud approved the application, there will be no hud financing for the project. so now, let's look at where the money will come from. i would just conclude by the

loopholes or the tax credit are going to evaporate. that is happening in washington, and only one-third of the applications for the tax credit allocations are approved in sacramento, and the reason why this project probably will not go anywhere is because the units, the estimates range from $381,000 to $500,000 per unit, and this is out of the rule of reason for this kind of project. i would endeavor and ask you to pause. and i think you, too, for your time. supervisor mar: for those of you speaking, there is a soft ding that occurs at 30 seconds -- at 90 seconds, and then there is 30 seconds to go. >> i want to say, we should never put money and property value over our young people.

these are our key is. they are coming out of transitional housing. we should do everything in our power to make sure these kids are encouraged, educated, and set on the right path. we sit up here looking like they do not belong in our neighborhood. yes, they do belong in your neighborhood because they are united states citizens. san francisco is a compassionate neighbor. this is not mississippi. we should not run away from our use. that is why our crime rate is high, because we want to run away from our youth. it is said that a village should raise children, and we are a village and should raise our children. [applause] >> good afternoon. we reviewed this project several months ago at the coalition, and i cannot express the bitter disappointment in having to be

here to fight against an appeal for a project like this. the need for housing like this is so overwhelming, and the supply is a limited, to get a good location, a good building, together with two partners, like chp and larkin street, to get funding, that is a miracle in itself, and trying to stop it, it is so easy to say no, and it risks a little, but to have a project what this move forward is a difficult, it deserves your support. contrary to those who feel it is not appropriate to have housing like this in the marina, we think that neighborhoods are actually made better when projects like this are dispersed. it creates a much more balanced city. now, it even worse, there is

word of a ceqa appeal. there is something truly misguided. it would be very disappointed, but we hope you will not do anything to delay approval of this project. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. my name is vanessa. i am also here to not only represent the larkin yout serverh says, but i am also a previous foster youth. there is a chance of becoming homeless within 18 months of emancipation. also, thousands of incarcerated adults in the prison system. i myself am a former foster youth. i was a man's opinion in 2008. -- i was emancipated in 2008.

light skills and employment skills, educational skills. -- life skills. as a transgendered woman, there are a lot of barriers. it is not always going to cut it. they have listed barriers. i have been working with them since 2004. i feel that in these eight years, i have been able to become a better person, a professionally, independently -- so i am behind them, and i back

them. [applause] supervisor mar: thank you. >> my name is stephen, and i have been with larkin st. about two months. i want housing. this is all about getting your life together and getting off of the street. since i have come here, i have money in my pocket. we should not be in the tenderloin. it is a dirty, and there are needles everywhere, and there are so many bad influence. -- influences. we just want to get our lives together. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you. i am going to call a few more names. [reading names]

wendy, david, janet, mark, joel lipske, and serena. and his people could hold their applause, we can get through this hearing a lot more quickly, so please do your best to hold your applause. >> hello, my name is thomas, and i am part of the larkin st. youth program . i arrived here in san francisco and did not have much place to go. i have had trouble finding a job in other big cities, and i have worked a few jobs in my lifetime, but it is not always easy. i am not your own understanding of rules and regulations. i understand are to make society appear more fair, and it is not really -- it is not easy to

understand some of these rules when you are living on the streets and scraping for basic life needs, like housing and food, and programs like larkin street help youth education and housing, and it helps us to understand these rules and better follow them. housing, places like marina, set up for more youth, the amount of housing they have currently is just not enough. i am sure that it is sometimes important to put education and for a rules and regulations sometimes.

-- to put education ahead of ross and regulations sometimes. supervisor mar: thank you. >> i was homeless, and i did not know where to go. i came here and applied to programs in san francisco. all of them were false, so for the next two years, i lived on a roof, and i saved my money in a duffel bag that i had under a water cooler, and i eventually pulled myself off of the street. that should not be the case. no one should have to go through the struggles that i went through, and the reason i had to go through that is that there was just no more room. we need housing so that people who really want to do something with their life and become part of regular society can do so. supervisor mar: thank you.

>> hi, my name is janice, and i am a longtime resident of the marina and from larkin. i see incredible value in building this type of housing in our neighborhood. there are hundreds of young people that find themselves without a place to call home. 3600 of them walk through the doors of larkin stock every year. they come from different backgrounds and share a common history of neglect and abuse. these kids, some of them might the children represented here today will be given the opportunity to create a better life for themselves. they will a access for services and secure employment as well as

seek counseling and get life planning courses. they will be prescreened and expected to work or attend school and follow rules or face eviction. the on-site staff will guide them to become stronger self- sufficient of dogs. the ultimate goal of this program is to prepare the young people to lead adult lives. i support the u.s. housing and look forward to building a long- term relationship -- i support the use -- youth housing. supervisor mar: thank you. >> hi, my name is konstantin. i had to move to emergency housing, and then i did not know what to do.

i had to move down. i applied for this housing. there were a lot of people. there was a big waiting list. i work hard, and they chose me to be in the housing. i am thankful for this housing. it helps a lot. people follow the rules, and people work. they have a lot of requirements. it is for people who really work hard and are trying to get a new life back. and i want to thank you very much, and i hope he will make the right decision. thank you. supervisor mar: thank you,

constantine. >> i am a former foster youth and part of the staff at larkin street. transitioned out of foster care, and if it had not been for a program through them, i would not be where i am standing today. 18-year-olds are crazy, regardless of what population become from. when i was 18, i was not only facing coming out of foster care and deal and all of these other issues, but i was also dealing with regular teenaged bs, will excuse me. however, working with larkin and helped me to find where i needed to be in the adult world.

i am 23 years old and a peer counselor for the youth services. i have my own apartment in the sunset. i have learned how to maintain my own independence, and not been for larkin street, i would never have ended up working for another nonprofit here in san francisco. i was a counselor there, which led me to be a counselor at another partnership, which led me to, all of the way back home to larkin. and one less bed there, i may not be where i am now. supervisor mar: thank you. >> my name is wendy mosely, a member of the association, and i have also attended a meeting of the marina neighborhood

association about the project. the opposition to this program is based on fear. 5700 young people never have the opportunity to see how beautiful and exhilarating life can be for those who have the opportunity to work diligently to make the choices and connections. in this neighborhood, and these -- in this neighborhood, these youth opportunity, and we want to see that they do. beyond pro mashad, -- beyond the promenade and beyond, going to

lunch on tradition -- on chestnut and lumbar. they can be inspired by the independent business owners in our community. they can take advantage of the abundant, immediate job opportunities in our many retail shops and restaurants. [bell] again, i say what we should fear is children who do not have this opportunity, youth do not have this opportunity, and what we should do is support king edward ii and to all the weekend to make these and these 24 youth a success -- and do all that we can do. supervisor mar: i am going to call these more names. [reading names] nadia, ulma, michael tracy,

berta brown, lisa and pat scott. those are all of the cards that i have paid >> thank you. my name is david gonzalez, and i am the program manager of the lesbian and gay, transsexual community center. since 2006, the center has been providing services for a transitional -- for a transitional youth. some sort of steady or survey shows that up to 40% of homeless identifies somewhere in this spectrum. supervisor mar: mr. gonzalez, what was that number? >> up to 40%.

larkin street services, on a number of projects to address in this, -- to address these. the sud is the perfect opportunity for us to provide an upstream solution for those things that rise, particularly those transitional aged youth foster care. services as well as planning as well as community engagement. right now, we are facing some really hard fiscal times locally and family, and this is our investment not only in the future but in the infrastructure to make sure that we provide self-sufficient structures for the young people coming out of foster care systems, and that is about it. supervisor mar: thank you. >> good afternoon, my name is

mark. i am about 2.5 blocks away from edward ii. i am very disturbed by the fear and lies that have been used to rally support against this project, my fellow neighbors, specifically apply to the flyers that compare it edward ii to a hotel. the hotel feels the best way to maximize their profits is to run it in the unfortunate way it is being run. i have spent years on a board of a non-profit service at risk teenagers, so i can say that edward ii not be the bridge motel. it is owned and professional operated by community housing partnership, whose reputation is beyond reproach, and services will be provided by larkin street, one of the best in the nation.

additionally, those financing the project will be regulating and monitoring. it is their prerogative. i have to wonder how many of my neighbors signed a petition because they are against the bridge hotel and not because they are against the quality project that edward ii will be. being poor does not necessarily make you a bad neighbor or bad human being, and i think the vast majority believe in that. [bell] supervisor mar: thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. joel lipske. community partnership. you have heard and will hear plenty of people talking about the merits of the project and the competence and track level of community housing