>> the commission does not

tolerate any outbursts of any kind. turn off any mobile devices, and when speaking before the commission, speak into the microphone and state your name for the record. commissioner olague? commissioner miguel? fong? sugaya? >> here. >> first up is consideration of items proposed for continuance. the only one is a late request for items 13-a, b, and c. there is no proposed continuance date from the sponsors. president olague: december 1

is the date i suggest. >> the advance calendar says that is closed, but if you want to put it there -- that is all i have. president olague: any comments on items proposed for continuance? please come to the mic. >> good afternoon. i am terry miln, the d.r. requester for 13-abc. as i understand, we have been asked to give the developers a chance to meet with neighbors about possible modifications of part of this project. and so we have agreed that this is possible. if it wil lbl be months from

now we will have plenty of time. president olague: this is a doable date, with the project sponsor. december first. and this is just for items proposed for continuance. >> i am christina crawford, talking about the 2011 -- 0.2.88c. >> this is not the time. >> i thought this was consent calendar. >> i apologize. >> any public comment on these items? seeing none, public comment is closed. >> a question on item 13-abc. commissioner antonini: reason

for continuance? president olague: the neighbors wanted extra time to meet. commissioner antonini: it is nice if they work this out ahead of time. we don't lose time hearing it today. if we have to decide at the last minute -- president olague: it makes more sens ete to hear all three at once. there was agreement. >> move to continue item 13-abc. >> on that motion to continue items 13 a, b, and c. antonini? borden? fong? moore? sugaya? miguel? and president olague?

it passes unanimously. it places you under consent calendar. all matters constitute a consent calendar. they will be acted upon by a role call vote. there will be no discussion. the matter will be considered as a separate item. case 0803-q -- natoma street, request for condominium conversion subdivision. 1737 post streak. -- street. located in japan town. requests for conditional use

authorization. 1555, request for conditional use authorization. case 88-c, through 2320 chestnut, request for authorization. those are the consent calendar items. >> is there any public comment on consent items? >> hi. i am christina crawford, here to comment on 2011-02 88 c. this is 2320 chestnut street. president olague: you would like that pulled? ok. when we call the project, you can comment on this. >> i will be notified of the new

date? president olague: we will hear it right now. jonathan -- is that it? >> thank you. at 1517 irving, commenting on item three. i would like that pulled as well. >> thank you. >> my name is michael lebeck and i'd like have removed, item 2.0, -- >> this is moved. so far, items three and four on the consent calendar will be heard. is there any public comment on the other items? which -- do you want to come to

the mic? is this one o fthose we will be hearing? >> i couldn't hear you. >> we pulled 155, 5 irving street, and the chestnut street item. >> no. >> ok. >> you have to pull it. if you comment on the consent, they are removed from consent calendar. so, if you'd like to make a comment, we have to pull this. >> yes. this is item 07-0c. >> we will pull that.

we will hear it today. you can comment on this item. >> right now? >> no. >> thank you very much. >> is there nay public -- any public comment on the first item of the consent calendar? public comment is closed. we will hear the items now. >> antonini? commissioner antonini: item one. >> on that motion to approve item one, antonini? borden? moore? sugaya? miguel? and olague? so moved, that motion passes unanimously, 7-0. we will place you on item 2. 050c, post street, suite 330.

>> sharon young, planning department. this is conditional use for an amusement arcade, mechanical devices in an nc-3 japantown district. this will involve the change of use of 800 square feet, ground floor, vacated by a retail clothing store. being part of an amusement argade. according to a project sponsor, this will have japanese-style entertainment, and venting for a birthday -- with ground floor commercial space. and the store front, located in

the interior. no expansion of the building. we recieved to phone calls for more information, with the proposed use. mechanical devices may bring up problems with japantown, and the youth involved in gangs. it may not be appropriate for children, here. the caller is concerned -- and indicates he was in support of the project. and from adjacent people -- suite 335, concern about the noise generated, being damaging for customers and businesses. the sponsor had seven letters for the project. the planning department

recommends approval with conditions. i will answer any questions. project sponsor? >> i am applying for a permit to open an japanese-style store, selling confections and anime goods. this is a need in japantown, na an experience to interact. we lack a way to bring in young children because these activities are lacking.

this is the key to longevity and development. japanese-style entertainment is different from the arcades you may be used to. i want a story about how i came up with the idea. i have three elementary-aged boys. we visit japantown. we mill about the candy aisle. it gets boring, quickly. who knows how in japan, at each mall, there is a family amusement center. they are geared to having something for everybody. if the children are happy, the parents shop longer. by entertaining the children, as the future consumers -- they will be there for all the other stores.

japanese family entertainment stores are better than the arcades with violent games. they are bright and family- oriented, with vivid space that is cute, musical, funny. the prizes are often silly merchandise. ponyo, totorro, pokemon. going to the mom and pop store -- when my wife goes shopping in japan, we go to the center -- and i enjoy it as much as my kids. i won't be doing any outreach.

japantown needs family-oriented activities. other merchants have a strong desire for more families to the mall. this is a unique cultural expedriencrience. families find it to be very nostalgic. something you would see in japan. music or amusing in theme. nothing mature or gory, no fighting games. the prize would change with new offerings. retail goods and confectionary

snacks. maybe future plans for birthday parties. it would be for ages 3-12. parents of these children, anime fans, and couples on dates. my store would have fathers playing with their children. imagine the love you'd get for winning a "hello kitty" doll. to help visualize the store, we have pictures of the entertainment stores. this is the last page in the packet. i also have pictures. does this show up anywhere? that? fantastic.

i have designed, it is bright, very well-lit. for my store, we have little children's characters to represent this. that is tomo. this is one of the pictures. a few others here. kind of, check this out. this is a new product. he is saying, "sorry, out of order." check this out. >> thank you. we may have more questions for you. >> that is an indication your time is up. >> i thought i got 15 minutes. >> we gave him 5. we cna give him another 5. >> i know, eliza was five. >> it is unique to japantown.

it is not existing here, currently. i want my store to be a hub, with other merchants being the spokes. everybody gets -- you imagine going to the dinner and a movie. the movie starts an hour. you kill some time at the store. the reality is many patrons only come to eat dinner or buy a book and go home. this would convince people to stay and spend more money. there is a direct connection between the time they spend there and the money they spend. this will raise revenue and employment. and children may be excited to

come to japantown. the letters are in your pocket. japantown task force. the promotion of japantown. japantown merchants. the community youth council. a bilingual multi-care organization. those are my main customers. a member of the organizing committee. the chair of public and land use. the agent peace offers association. i do have copies of the last two letters. they are not in the package. i have done the community outreach for the planning of japantown.

and members of the san francisco police department. to address the point on children -- this is welcome in the mall. we need to bring back the kids and families. if you look at who spends the most money, it is wage earners. not seniors. i have done voluntary tax services. most seniors do not have a lot of disposable income. the median population has an average income of 11-- more than half the population is under age 45. more than half is under 60. i have applied for them.

an article says, seniors are going here because they bring their grandchildren. the grandchildren -- the seniors would meet other seniors. this is a social gathering spot. gang members and petty theft. i thought i would bring some stuffed animals. these are the things i will be selling. on this label, this is a little girl -- a pokemon cup. here are some dolls. here is -- and here is a pokemon. pickachu. i can't imagine gang members coming in for this. i don't think it will be a major issue. one thing that concerns me,

rather than my store -- the major concern should be the vacancy rate. empty storefronts leads to crime and vandalism. store closings have been great. dennys, jvc rental, japanese tea shop and the manga cafe. cafe hana has decreased size. >> thirty seconds. >> all right. japantown has a 25% of the space open for lease. >> we det it. - we ge- we get i. >> i have a letter and the police say, more empty storefronts will lead to more crime, and a decrease in the confidence of the merchants.

>> thank you. >> ok, thank you. >> you may have questions, but you covered a lot in 10 minutes. that was good. i think you -- we'll definitely call open it up for public comment. >> i own the store next door to the proposed site, suite 335. i have a couple of comments, some of which i think he has done a good job answering. i am a store owner and i own the store along with mr. sugimoto,

who is native japanese. we are happy to see a japanese organization come in and i think many of his points are very accurate. the reason i am here today is that i am concerned about two things. first and foremost, noise. i have read the papers that were submitted and it says it's best to be in accordance with the noise ordinance of san francisco, which is above the standard background noise. we are a bit concerned about that because we are next door to them. we have an incense shop which sells japanese incense in thousands of different varieties as well as other gift items for people. many of the people coming into the store are buddhist and appreciate the peace and serenity we have in that area. one of the things that concerns me is i looked at surrounding

properties and neighborhoods and never mentioned we are next door. we seem to have been left out of the picture. probably just an omission that was nothing delivered. but we are next door, the name as -- the name is koshi. i am concerned about the noise. birthday celebrations are part of what is going to be involved. i would like to see that something is going to be done to keep the noise down. in fact, there is not even any separation between our building in the neighboring space. literally you can reach over the top of the suspended ceiling into their space. we are concerned about noise coming through. second of all, the front of the place has all glass on it advance to allow the air to circulate because it is a very old cooling system in the building. we are concerned the noise is going to come to a glass, into

the hall and spell around and to the other stores which keep their doors open all day long. i have not seen any thing whether the doors are going to be open or closed to the area. but again, noise spilling into the area, we are really concerned about it. as far as the concern about vandalism and theft, i think the target he has described alleviates that issue. i just want to make sure that does not happen. is there any way we can receive any further information on the noise coming from these machines and the noise from the people who will lead playing it and the noise of the party that is going to be held? [tone] president olague: thank you. >> commissioners, good afternoon. i'm the executive dresser -- executive director of the japan

town tax force. we're nonprofit focus on the preservation, planning and promotion of japan town. we are a recipient of a community development block grant from the mayor's office of economic development providing small business assistance in japan town. i am here to support the request for a conditional use. considering our report last week on the progress of the japan town planning effort, i am pleased to be back today to support this applicant. you can see the enthusiasm, energy and excitement he is bringing to this new business and the support letters speak for themselves. i would summarize them in six points. this is an authentic japanese business, very popular in japan today.

it fits very much into what we're trying to preserve in japan town. number two, it is a family oriented business with family -- but activities for children, which is a growing tide of consumer in japan town lead to take advantage of. three, it's not another restaurant or fast food, which we have too much of in the mall. number four, it's in the hands of a professional small business cpa accountant, experience in finance and accounting, a discipline often lacking in small businesses. it is in the hands of someone who has been totally transparent, followed the processes, done his homework, and understands the importance of outreach to the community to gain support for his business and assure his commitment to the community. for these reasons, i strongly recommend you approve this project. thank you. president olague: thank you.

is there any additional public comment? a seeingno none, public comments closed. commissioner miguel: i have seen this type of small in japan and it works extremely well. as far as the gentleman who has the space next door, it is my experience that in a normal call -- i do not know that management sap of this particular small, in this mall, the questions you have are taken care of by mall management as far as noise, as far as hours permitted, as far as air flowing from one to the other come as far as how much of the front