required to. the outpouring is moving but i wish that we have this sooner. i support everything that arriba juntos does. i support children, first graduates. i understand the mission. we're not developers, we have a small project. we are two working families, and over the last few years we have very few, modest-quality buildings. these projects employed 99% people from san francisco. we continue to want to build these, these buildings and in the past -- we have done a good job and we hope to continue to

do this. i ask that you consider the project as proposed. >> thank you. >> good afternoon. i am carolyn worth, president of arts management, that has performed the needs assessment study for this center, located in the mission armory. we conducted extensive market research, locally and nationally, going to similar venues to analyze the operation of 12 comparable armories. with great support and enthusiasm for the community

center and others, the mission- based agency and cultural programs. the parks and recreation commission and professional and athletic organizations. the bay-area corporations and retailers, non-profits and planners, promoters and caterers and fund-raisers. there was a clear need for a venue that could host a larger variety of events and activities including banquets and trade shows, exhibits and conferences, community youth and adult sports programming, concerts' and recitals and lectures, hiring halls, job fairs and community meetings. major upgrades to restore this to a place of public assembly

are currently in progress and will be completed later this year including the installation of a fire detection system and upgrades, reconfigured lighting and electrical work. we intend to oppose monthly events, on a temporary use basis. my firm has been asked for a full business plan which will ultimately result in a permanent change of use applications that we would present to the planning department next year. this includes for the restorations such as restoring the windows and adding attractive restrooms and amenities and restoring mezzanine seating. this will coalesce a richly- diverse community by offering programs and facilities not

accessible to most of the district. it will enhance the quality of life, for social and economic growth. >> i worked for arriba juntos. i am speaking in spanish. also, i have benicio castro in the english version. [speaking spanish]

>> thank you. >> good afternoon. i am just going to read the english of what you just heard. 45 years of service to the community, almost half of the century. what would it mean for the 1500 children to wait with so much effort but a lot of love -- what would it be, for the children and their parents, without their

programs? with this give them a free and safe place for healthy recreation, to help them with their homework? let alone, what would happen for the is getting off track with their lives. if it wasn't for the safe haven, that we offered to them, turning them into productive members of the society. what would it mean for the 85,000 families, to get employment and training. what would it mean for the 100 small-business families that work in the flea markets? for these people, this is the only income they have to support their families.

because of the greed and benefit of one person, with the hopes of a better future for their families and the workforce. can anyone among the audience answer this question. if this project passes, where will the children play? where will these small businesses find -- the services take place very early in the parking lot. the future residents will complain later, with the economy and the social consciousness. we cannot allow for this to happen. arriba juntos is willing to buy

this so we can continue the human services mission. thank you. -- >> susanna -- -- >> i represent the russian community. my family, when we came here -- we did not have any money. we didn't have a lot of resources. my parents were working -- they had to choose a shelter where they paid for the food. i started to volunteer, so my job was to come in at 5:00 in the morning and we would have people there to get the food.

we would get the numbers to the people. we had 900 people just to get through. my job is to organize all those people. right now the economy is very bad and people don't have the money to buy food. people with disabilities stay in the disabled blind. just to get a little bag of groceries, whenever they provide. arriba juntos prepares tax-free tax preparation, and we offer this even on the weekends. thank you very much. -- >> i am an architect, the architect of the mission armory. we have done a shad a study and

it may be here. i showed this yesterday but --

>> just to clarify, the neighboring building is 51 feet at the avenue side. are there any questions? >> we may have a few to end the discussion but not at this moment. i have no more speaker cards. those who have not spoken,

please come to the microphone, or if you want to show your support or opposition. >> i am charles and did not expect to speak to this issue, i came for another issue but i have been somewhat and involved with arriba juntos and absolutely amazed and pleased with such wonderful work that they are doing for the community. i am a developer and a business owner, and i am property owner, and i feel, unfortunately, that this particular project is a misfit for the area that will impact hundreds of people and their services to the community which absolutely necessary.

we are a service-oriented community and i feel that -- i am also the chairman of the council of armenian-american organizations but i am is speaking for myself. i would hope that you take this into consideration. i do not want this organization or others in the service area to be impacted by a project such as this. thank you. -- >> good afternoon, commissioners. uni have something in common. i was helping you with your food pantry -- so we have something in common. i do my volunteer work with the food distribution, and we serve about 900 people.

we have got up to 1000. cumbersome and overwhelming, it is my hope that each of you commissioners will take the time to come and visit so that you can see for yourself the tremendous work that these people have put together. this is a business of 46 years, 46 years. i think it has established itself in the community, and for you to sit there and say, one more speaker -- i want to go home. i am tired, but can you imagine the people who have to leave their work to come here to present their opposition to what has been presented.

i worked in the community for 54 years. my own zero in cultural center on third and mission, out in the historical building. i have given my life to the city because i believe in the people can we serve the cross section of the people. we have asian and latino, and italian, antony -- antonini. >> lebanini, god bless you. you have to deal with the cross- section of people. we entertainers who came to us to support what we have been doing and this is commendable. you have to make some kind of a decision.

i would not want to be in your shoes because this is very difficult. somebody has to win and someone has to lose. in this case we will not lose and let me tell you why. we have given such a tremendous. of charity to the people in the community, establishing ourselves. this is something the commissioners should look upon. they should say that we're doing tremendous work at arriba juntos. make it a point to visit arriba juntos and you will appreciate the work that is being done for the community. in serving people, we do god's work. thank you. >> good afternoon.

i work for arriba juntos. i am the resident of san francisco and i promote the community and is so tremendously against this project. this is about community and compatibility. there is no compatibility. i was outraged with how this will impact a lot of the services by want to think about one service we offer. from 4:00 until 5:00. in the tae bo class, we have people from the community and children from the elementary school, in every friday. if these projects continue i can tell you that the first thing that will go is the friday afternoon class.

not only in a community gathering but this is also promoting health among the residents. i asked you to please give the opportunity to further study this project. i heard one of the speakers to say that this is not about community, this is not just about family. we are talking about two families against this who were not in here because of rules and regulations. how many are not here because they have to go work and their children are in the after-school program. i am a resident of san francisco. i hope that my opinion is worth something.

i never spoke with them. this is about compatibility. and this is obviously not compatible. think about this carefully. thank you. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i own 49 julian with john ward. i am working builder, 40 years in the city. we purchased this with a great deal of personal savings. we made our application to the city. we were told about the eastern neighborhoods and their plan, we waited long and expensive years for this to be resolved. i have been working with him for all that time, i am happy to

finally be here at the commission this afternoon. the charity work of arriba juntos is commendable and by no means would be affected them in continuing the work. we will disclose the new owners the existing activities and there will be fully disclosed when the owners are aware. we have abided by the rules, and agreed to compromise to accommodate neighbors' concerns and we ask at this time -- we are not developers. we are two working families who build homes that work in the neighborhoods and we will do our best to make this happen. i ask that you allow us to

continue our project. thank you for your time. >> we have no more speaker cards. mr. kim, you spoke. we have no more speaker cards. is there anyone else would like to speak to the commission at this time? seeing no additional public comment, public comment is closed. commissioner antininionini: mr., you spoke about your outreach. did you try to have reached all the different groups that were named, or at least as many of them as you could identify? there were many with the neighborhood. >> i represent the project sponsor. what is addressed by myself -- and the representative, i spoke

to everybody in the neighborhood. i had to personally back to get a meeting with him. i asked him to please invite any other members of the board, the letters that he receives, no one else but him attended that meeting. i think we should expand on that and we should hear what he has to say. >> i would like to hear about your outreach. >> andrew gregg. a lot has been said about the lack of dialogue. at the one meeting we were allowed to have, we were told that they were going to fight us. i was not satisfied with that and i called the executive director twice and those calls were never answered. i've been called a representative of tracie brown, twice, and we set up meetings and a couple of hours before

both meetings, she canceled. we were wanting to have this hour -- and have been shot down by arriba juntos, and we learned a lot more about the other umbrella positions that they work with. we tried to mirror the shutdown. one other portion of this conversation that we should not double chair -- he said, quite definitively, that they have interest in purchasing this property. and that would bring the price down. he said this to us, flatly. >> thank you and i appreciate your comments and would assume that if this is approved, you would be willing to work with them and the neighborhood to see if we could reach an accord. this is troubling.

there was a woman who said that this would be like a football game. if this is approved, this will be good for everybody. this is a very small project. this has been around since 2005 and is only 50 feet. there are 360 units approved in the general vicinity with 230 under construction, many of which are condominiums. these are not all rental units or low-income units, most are market-rate. 1880 mission, we approved the ownership and they could beat printing those for the time being. their intention is to be middle- income, home-ownership units which we are trying to get in

san francisco. there are many ownership units in the area. this tiny project is surrounded by two very high structures, one of them is the armory. 1880 mission is 65 feet, maybe less in some areas. we have the exhibition that was sent to the project sponsor and it was asked that they would give this to the prospective condo owners, and they have agreed to do this. this is a list of all of the activities that go on, so they know at a time what goes on and they have to approve or be informed of this. obviously, this is important and is just like the situation where someone moves into the area with

a lot of entertainment and complain about the noise. when somebody spends the money to buy one of these units, they would have to understand the neighborhood that they are in and the situation. the idea of a changing your activities is much overstated. there will not be that much of an impact. the other thing they did is a lot of modifications to lessen the impact on the armory parade grounds, and i would certainly be willing to approve of this with the idea that they continue to work if there is a request for another setback -- if this is necessary, to satisfy the armory, we will do this but this does not have to be done. i am not sure what is going on here. there was hpc