at the center, the opaque wall is actually adjacent to a very classy area of the club, which is directly aligned to the mid block pedestrian crossing. there is a stair behind that wall so there is a sense of animation. the roof is gently undulating from a low point of about 16 feet of towards the north, and then back down where it shelters the park chalet, which is the restaurant use their of the very northern end of the project. it has its primary engines on the embarcadero. the bottom left side of the drawing. it opens up to a slightly elevated dining terrorists within the pacific park, which would allow people to sit and observe what is going on in the park in the playground a few steps away. we will talk in a lot more detail about the series of open spaces that pete walker seven

partners of design. continuing to the north, we're looking at the pacific park, the northern third of the project. we will talk about that in more detail later. here is a view from the southeast. this is just north of the ferry building. you can see the tables and chairs on the embarcadero. the massing of the product rises from four stories and steps up to five and then six along the embarcadero. on the drum street side, is steps up from 8 to 11. finally, to 12. we feel that the amassing of the project is an appropriate response to the general condition of the city skyline, which steps down from the financial district to the residential neighborhood that this product is a part of, and then further down to telegraph hill to the north. one of the things that we're very interested in, as well, is finding ways of the residential use can actually enliven and

enrich the cities get around it. this is a view of the washington street sidewalk, the south side of the sidewalk. the sidewalk is being greatly widened through reconfiguration of the median and traffic lanes. there is a zone on the left for landscape. a continuous strand in need the trees. pedestrian zone on the right. the bronze and glass can that be there is actually the entrance to the residential project, and there is a continuous edge to the street, which steps in height from 6 to 1 to 12 stories. said within that eds on the right side of the drawing is the entrance to public parking and glimpses into what we think will be a very beautiful residential garden, which is private but not completely screen from the public, so there are opportunities to be enriched by that, to see into it, and looking at ways to display art.

so an overall view from the east, showing the massing of the building as it steps up towards the south and up towards the west, towards the towers of the financial district and beyond. in this view from the north in the air, you can get a sense of the way the green roof, the living room of the club and the pools, really are to date -- articulate the idea that the club is a pavilion within a single open space, rather than dividing open spaces to the north and the south. and a view from the embarcadero, looking back at that green roof, sloping towards us in the front. so the public open spaces are, we believe, an enormous gift to the city. a huge increase in the amount of public open space. their three primary spaces, which their refinements over the past month have allowed us to

link much more strongly than they were before. in the middle of that drawing on the right as the jackson, and. to the left is the drum is regarded more. to the north is the pacific park. those spaces constitute a linked network of space is reaching all the way back to walton park and then further into the city to jackson square and barbara coast. jackson commons is perhaps the most urban of these. it is a pedestrian way through the project, from west to east and from east to west. it carries the fluid language of the landscaping, which pete walker's firm established at sydney walton. it allows pedestrians passage and use where there are currently none. retail in three places. the cafe and retail space. a larger one to the right. and then the club kept a to the

north. opportunities for indoor/outdoor seating and retail uses there. and then the club itself to the north, the aquatics center, is screened from the public, but in a way that we think will allow glimpses in and at least a sense of openness while preserving privacy. here is the existing conditions, looking towards the embarcadero on jackson street. a very unfortunate terminus for one of the city's interest in historical streets. and here is the idea what the jackson commons might look like. you get to the four-story portion of the residential project on the right. there is a residential garden below that low screen wall with a flower injury behind it. then a recreational club to the left with the cafe and indoor/outdoor seating. the second of these bases is the drum street garden walk. this is a space which exists currently, linking north to south, but did the dark and narrow.

we're looking to significantly lighten up, looking at integrating it into the landscaping of the overall project. you can see by shaving the outdoor space of the club at the bottom of that plan, we actually greatly widen the flies in which it can connect the jackson commons. right now, the connection can only be the with the of the sidewalk. it is greatly widened their. hearing is an existing view. and the proposed condition. you can see the greatly enlarged public space there, a greenwald said on stone, providing the club's pool, a jackson commons, and the neighborhood connections. finally, pacific park, it is the northern third of the site. it is directly connected through the walk to the west on the bottom of the drawing, towards

sydney walton. it is defined by a language of undulating melons, which aired gently sloped to allow people to sit on the grass. it is a strategy that allows more grass to be visible as its slopes up towards you. it is zone the two series of active play areas for children of different sizes. three circles are shown there. about 4500 square feet in total. for the smallest kid in north, a medium kids are in the middle. bigger kids at the bottom. all being looked down on from just a few feet away by perhaps there's parents sitting in the cafe. there would be a very low opened brought in fence on the side of the embarcadero. visually the transparent and preventing kids from running out into the roadway. here is the cross sections and elevations through the park showing the openness of the park, the scale of the trees, and the buildings of the golden gate way, commons, and beyond. the existing conditions in this

portion of the site, those of the fences around the tennis court. there's some utilities in this area. it is generally dark, and the landscaping is fairly dense. it proposed in view of. you can see out to the bay where you cannot currently. they're plenty of opportunities to occupy the bark and the playground. on the right is the park cafe without proceeding, looking down. -- with its outdoor seating looking down. a look back towards the project, financial district and beyond. the embarcadero center in the distance. the park cafe opening out. i will turn it back over to simon to summarize the project. thank you. >> this is an eye test for everybody. just to summarize quickly, we have had a long partnership

with the port. we value our relationship. we have worked with terrific members from your staff. we have had long negotiations. and i just want to summarize. there're so many people that we're working with. they have extracted -- if all the commissioners are here, a high price for this. so this is the best use for seawall lot 351, and combining it with the land needs the final objective of the 1997 plan bank. we will produce 165 housing units in a city which desperately needs housing, and we will fund 33 affordable housing units for the city. we will give the above market land payments to the port.

the land was originally valued at about $6 million. the rfp set up a minimum of $9 million. we will have a net present value payments of about $15 million. more importantly, we have broken the mold, set up a .5% transfer fee, which if you lend that over the length of a normal port 66- year lease, it will generate another $25 million. all-in-all, looking at net present values and long-term benefits for the port, worth about $60 million. in an addition, we will have tax increment financing through the establishment of an ifd district for the port, which we believe will generate $40 million in additional funds for port projects. contrary to some of the claims,

not one penny of that is going to us. it is all going to the port, for the city to do with it with the jews. the port will have ongoing participation in the sales of those transfer fees that i mentioned. we're talking about $100 million. will money for the port. probably a precedent that can be used for future port projects which will help it out of its financial mess. public space, we showed you there. we will rent that back from the port for $120,000 a year. you are currently getting $60,000 a year. the homeowners association will rins that back. the homeowners association will maintain it. the port will be a member of the homeowners association, so they can control their part. in the port will get participation from the cafe and pacific park, which goes back to

state lands. 29,000 feet of public open spaces versus a 27,000 foot parking lot. a new community rescue mission -- recreation and aquatic club. 20,000 feet of retail and restaurants, a further animating in securing the neighborhood. replacement of the surface parking lot with 255 underground public parking spaces, which will enable the port to free up over water parking as well. improved environment, elimination of curb cuts, fences, and widened sidewalks and connecting the neighborhoods to the waterfront. this is where redevelopment meets the water, the final step in reconnecting the city to the waterfront in the residential

zone of this area. we have a proven track record. we strive for excellence. we have a passion for this waterfront. we have been working on this for 42 years. we say what we're going to do, and we do what we say we do. and we pledge to make this a fabulous project for the neighborhood. and thank you for listening. >> did you want to -- >> i do not know if you want to go to public comment or come back for questions. >> commissioners, questions? >> we are available for questions if you have any. >> ok, i do have a number of speaker cards from the public. dave stockdale? >> good afternoon.

i am it the executive director of quesa. in my capacity, i am representing our 115 small businesses who worked out of this location. i know there are a lot of people who want to comment, so i will keep my very short. i will just say that we really appreciate the partnerships that have been evolving in this project. the redesign, the green nature of the project. we really like the evolution of what we have been seeing, and we continue to support this concept and what it will mean for us as small businesses in this area. yes, there will be some short- term inconveniences during construction, and issues we have to contend with. but offsets in the long term by the benefits of a nearby parking, which we need, new residents, meaning potential shoppers, which we always enjoy it as small businesses, and just

a much more of an end connected part of the waterfront that really makes the connection from the waterfront, through the business residential community and to the rest of the neighborhood. we think it is a strong plan and offer our support for it. >> thank you. victor wu? >> good afternoon, commissioners. thank you. those are the senior vice president of operations for a club. we own and operate the various number of luxury clubs in the bay area and four in san francisco. we are the operator of the golden gate way tennis and swim club. we were asked to bridges. in the design of the club and the outdoor and indoor areas. when looking at the design and

the space that is available, we really feel that it is the best design for our membership, as a majority of our memberships are in the aquatics and fitness and base. and we look forward to operating the club and look forward to doing a great job in operating the club. >> ok, thank you. jennifer warbrooke? >> good afternoon. i am it the assistant executive director at the spur, the sentence is the planning urban research association. we support the seawall lot 351 project. we believe it is a significant improvement for a key parcel on the northern waterfront. eight washington is a unique opportunity to replace the surface parking lot and private club with housing, pedestrian- friendly, publicly-accessible open space, a renovated space-to visit club, a ground-floor

retail, underground parking. we're pleased with the latest proposal, which includes an aquatics into, green roofs, and a 4,500 square-foot playground with then the public park along the embarcadero. spur supports the project height, would convince the skill of the surrounding neighborhoods. the sponsor has made adjustments for the design and skill of the building to reflect the skill of the surrounding buildings and allow for some doubled since the. given the approximately two much taller buildings, the scale is modest inappropriate. this is located adjacent to many major transportation lines, including bart, muni, and ferry lines. and there is the employment center in san francisco downtown to encourage people to bicycle, walk, and use transit. we are impressed with the public access components of the project. the public park in landscaped

commons, and the effort to reconnect the city streets to the waterfront. spur strongly believes of the project will radically improve the pedestrian experience on the western side of the embarcadero. pedestrians are currently met with the high green cents. the current use does nothing to activate the importance street frontage and attract significantly from the pedestrian experience. i am member of the golden gate way tennis and swim club. i am headed there to slam today, and also looking forward to the improvements this project will make. spur and i will support this important project. thank you. >> thank you. next. >> good afternoon, commissioner. corrine woods, speaking for myself. this is a good project, good for the poor, good for the city.

the publicly accessible open spaces marvelous. opening it up to pacific and jackson streets to views and pedestrians is a tremendous benefit for this neighborhood. and for the city. i urge you to support it. thank you. >> thank you. jon stewart. >> thank you for your attention. i am -- in my business life, i am in the real-estate world. i am here speaking as a resident of telegraph hill, over here. and i am very much in support of the developers' proposal and almost every respect. in my business life, i got a lot of planning conferences, and there is a uniform the crying of

the absence of projects, a lot of hand-wringing over the fact that we're not really getting the kind of quality that we want. many people say, why do we not have a product that has a nexus of transit, where we have people living and working in the same area? here, we have just that. we have water, a ferry, water taxis, rail, bikes, bus. i look at this project not only as -- at the forstall condominiums, which offers inner city living, which is highly desirable, white at the tod, as well as many other things. when the bottom, we're going to of people living in town using cars, to some extent, but the impact on the bridge, because of

the location of this project, will be less than the standard stuff that you see in this country. i like the design elements that seidman has introduced -- simon has introduced. in particular, if the past is prologue, i really like the quality of the work that he did hepier 1.5, 3, and 5. the thing speaks for itself. >> thank you. next. >> commissioners. i am from the san francisco trade this area. i have spare you the little ground normally drive with me to these things. i am is thinking myself this time. i am sure it will have occasion

to bring that back in the future. i want to reiterate our continuing support for this. it has continued to improve. i am it especially excited by the replacement of parking and a green screen along the embarcadero. with these things on one stretch and the sight of children playing on another. that is all good. the project with the green roof now will actually decrease the impact on the city's sewer system that might once have had. it continues to get better and better. we look forward to this being built eventually. thank you. >> thank you. next. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i have lived at the golden gateway center for 22 years. i am currently president of the

golden gate way tenants association. on many occasions, we have outlined our many reasons for opposing this project. we continue that opposition. the new thing i have heard today is that there is an adjustment to the plan to decrease the number of tennis courts by four. i do not know how many tennis courts that leaves in the plan. i am not clear on that. but i would like to add that to the number of reasons for our opposition. thank you. >> next. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i cannot wait to hear what 500 tennis players will have to say tomorrow when they hear about this plan. but let's move on from there. i am somewhat limited tonight

because i thought we had an overhead projector. i had some transparencies. with your permission, i would like to circulate some copies of what we see as the real problem. for those of you in the audience who cannot see this, it will be on the website. i chair the friends of golden gateway. our concern is with the park, the difference in openness and height. we will now begin to lose washington street. it will be a wall of glass and brick or concrete or what ever you have it. the other view on the second page is what happens to the view of telegraph hill.

there is an excellent presentation on the. if the club is going to change profile as suggested today, we are putting a dagger into hundreds of middle-class families and seniors who now enjoy the facility as we have it now. there can be improvements. but to take away nine tennis courts -- there are nine there now. to build the highest priced condominiums in the city, all i want to know is when we put a sign that says "this property is

only for the very rich. " it is an insult to the integrity of all of the work -- it is an insult to the integrity of all the work the neighborhood groups have done. we will continue our battle. we feel this was promised to the community over 40 years ago. we wish to maintain its. thank you. >> maureen aronirwin. >> i am here to read a letter submitted in support of the project. >> i am writing to express my personal support for the washington project. as a fourth generation san franciscan, i have been here long enough to live through the morning 30 years -- through the more than 30 years of the

embarcadero. during those years, changes were made on the monstrosity. that may been the highest use of the land at the time, but times have changed. since the removal of the freeway, we have seen historic buildings come alive again. we have seen the vibrant addition of cafe americano. we have seen the streetcars, viceless the close -- bicyclist, and pedestrians. as i understand it, the proposed washington project preserves the recreational features of the project site. it brings a handsome new face to the critical corner of the plaza area with residential units that will provide much-needed property tax revenues to the city while removing the blight of surface parking from the visible location. as evidenced by the piers

project, this developer has demonstrated a sensitivity to urban context and the ability to create in beijing and vibrant spaces for people. joining with many others, i urge you to approve the project and further enhance our northeastern waterfront. thank you. >> next. >> i am a neighbor. i have lived on telegraph hill for 22 years. i was a member of the telegraph hill and other club for 22 years. we do research, design, and development for condominium projects. we have really worked on watermark, embarcadero, 600 units on an affinity, right

now, we are on hawthorne and mission bay. we are familiar with the area. to report a lack of new products coming on the market, several years ago, there were sales for immediate occupancy. i think a year from today, we would be down to just a couple of hundred units. in 2006 and 2007, approximately 500 units were permitted for construction each quarter for sale. 500 units per quarter. if we look at 2008 , to does mind, and 2010, it dropped down to 150 per quarter. the third quarter, we're down to 70 units for sale permitted by construction. we're down to 14% of the number of units permitted just for five years ago. as we all understand, it takes approximately t of years to build any pro