talk about is the accessibility for wheelchair. chapter 11 of the california building code says there should be enough wheelchair path of travel to leave the vehicle. right now, there is no clear height for the parking garage. the parking dredge also has mechanical rooms. that is a distribution of air and smoke -- president chiu: thank you very much. i think your time is up. thank you. next speaker? and there is a timer on the podium. you will hear a soft buzzer when you have a little bit of time left. i think it is a 15 second warning. >> good afternoon. i am an long-time san francisco resident. i would like to talk about the negative effect of this

development on washington street. there are traffic concerns and a violation of the america's cup commitment. the developer claims that are providing more sidewalk space on washington street with this development. it is thought true. they claim 27 feet of sidewalk space, of which really only four is set aside as public walkways, and that is the minimum legal requirement. the actual walking space has been reduced from 10 feet to 4 feet. the rest is used for dining tables and trees. rather than admitting to the appearance of the minimum legal standard, that our obfuscating the facts. in reference to traffic congestion, the eir recognizes that the general plan of san francisco identifies washington street as a major arterial in the congestion management network between kern the street and embarcadero.

traffic is developed in level of of service. a through d are considered satisfactory. e and f r unacceptable. today, washington st. is at lof d. in the eir, the impact includes the proposed project would have a considerable contribution to cumulative traffic impacts which are significant and unavoidable. anyone who drives the embarcadero knows what a relief it is to exit 2 washington street, especially during rush hour or if the giants are in town. it will become level f gridlock. my last comment is san francisco commitment to the america's cup and all the construction that is going to be happening -- i urge the supervisors to vote against this project.

thank you for your time. >> hello. my name is mary baldwin. i have been a city resident for i think 20 years. i started playing tennis i think 10 years ago. we need more recreational opportunities in this city, not fewer. we are facing an obesity epidemic. surely, everyone understands that a diverse range of recreational opportunities is what makes the city a vibrant place that people want to live in. it is not enough to fill the city with housing. we have to have something for people to do once we lived there. golden gateway is part of a vibrant tennis community that spans across public courts. thousands and thousands of players come to the city to play at golden gate why -- gave way. golden gate with yields for the teams in itself -- golden gate

fields 40 teams itself. we need to respect the fact that a city needs to offer a range of opportunities for all kinds of people. please respect the community that golden gateway provides, and please vote no on this project. thank you. president chiu: before the next speaker, i have just been apprised there are parents with young children here, in addition to one who is about to speak. if there are any, we would like to give them the opportunity to go sooner, rather than later. if you are disabled and also would like that courtesy, please feel free to wind up. >> this is my husband peter and my daughter anna. i have been living in san francisco for 10 years.

we are members of the golden gate with tennis and swim club since 2006. she is 2 years old. whittaker to the club at least once a week. as you know, there are not a lot of open recreational places around this area. it makes a huge difference for us to be able to be part of this great community that is the golden gate way tennis and swim club. people know us. they know her. that always say, "it is ok. work out for a little bit. we will take care of her." it is amazing. when i moved to san francisco, i did not have many friends. it changed completely when i felt part of the community. please, when it is gone, it is gone. we are a hard-working family. we are middle-class. we cannot afford a club.

if this is gone, we would consider leaving the city. it would be hard for us to stay in the city without a working club. president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> hello. i have lived in the city my whole life. i have been a member of the club since i was very young. it is a place i have learned to swim. i have many fond memories. if it were gone, it would make an enormous impact on my fellow citizens. thank you. president chiu: thank you. >> carol mccarthy. i lived in north beach. 25 years ago, as a single mother, i joined on a salary of

$20,000 a year. i have never been able to afford a home with an outdoor space in this city, but i have been able to enjoy this respite from cramped city living. this is the wrong solution. it violates 45 years of city policy in the northern waterfront, destroys out -- destroys outdoor recreation space, it does not affect the character of the neighborhood, and does not connect san francisco to the waterfront. it puts up a wall, blocking the use of telegraph hill. why are we giving away this land to the only developer who submitted a proposal to the rfp? ever since the developer established a relationship with the port, responses to the opposition have been self- serving. the proposal is outmoded, and eight blatantly reckless disregard to the quality of life mandated by the city's general plan. it does not look to the future. it is a developer who will

profit from building luxury condos at the expense of low income families and the elderly. there are alternatives. the serbs agreed to local population. it can be upgraded. the design vision for the waterfront -- i cannot believe nobody is talking about this. it provides a comprehensive and feasible plan that promotes mixed use, makes a vital destination, and creates more jobs than a developer proposal. this proposal is a true community effort, not a behind the scenes planning effort. why haven't we considered alternatives? why haven't we looked at cities like new york in santa monica, who use sustainable designed to make the area's modern and vibrant? think, innovate, and consider alternatives. look at our neighborhoods as a

whole, not just the few who stand to profit from the development of more luxury condos. president chiu: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. my name is deborah smith. i have lived in district 2 for 13 years. i have a letter i am reading today from a young woman who could not be here, because she is taking her final exams at university. her name is karen duffy. she was a junior counselor for the kids can't of golden gateway for three years. i met benjamin connors in the summer of 2008. i was 13, and returning camp counselor. he was 7 and autistic. that monday, i received my group list. the week seemed no different from any other. my supervisor sullenly approached me and said i would

be in charge of ben connors's group. he explained that ben was autistic and thought i might be up to the challenge. with no background on autism, i was bewildered, to say the least. then i saw him, a seven-year-old with a thick head of brown hair, scrawny lambs, pigeon toed feet, and squinty eyes that darted back and forth. i could tell he was different. i was nervous. whenever i was there anyone with special needs, my stomach did flips, probably due to my lack of knowledge. i did not know where to start, but i knew i would try my best. i noticed that ben had difficulty running. i continually asked him to benefit, and surprisingly, he

did. he put his part -- his heart into every activity. through patience and conversation, i have to interact with his friends, and mediated and the conflict. my world view changed. i found sincerity and a genuine passion for life. he wanted new experience. the first time i saw ben smile, my heart melted. i realize that with the proper education -- president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> i am a homeowner in district 8 and a golden gateway member for monthly costs that are less than my cable, internet, and phone bill. when i first moved here, i knew nobody. i looked to two things -- community and recreation. as a data nerd, i have the facts and figures. in comparison with the census

data, we see that this plan only excess profits the loss of our community. there will be more seasonal use dwellings, more vacancy, and 160% increase in rental vacancy rates, and more exits of families from the city. i also looked out recreation in the form of tennis courts. our city should have 400 tennis courts. it currently has 128. that is 32% of what they recommend. i wonder where the city is looking at building the other courts to make up the difference. the were the comments about the catchment area. analyzed households by zip code and from the following. 42 unique zip codes in the city.

16-200 or more member households. five zip codes have over 100 member households. this negatively impact what i look for in terms of recreation. i hope you vote no to the washington project. president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> i would like to talk through the eight washington street proposal, and how it would negatively impact the recreational space available to our committee. there is a lap pool force from classes, and a lot of open space. it is important to note that there are programs available to the public, not just facility members. the most notable program is kids camp.

it employs 20 people each summer, providing tennis and arts and crafts. children from low income families can enjoy these families. it is important to note that a key part of the space is things like a lawn used for community activities such as barbecues, family gatherings, and fund- raising events. there are a few problems i see with the proposal. first, when it comes to these areas, the proposal is vague. the pool would not be open to the community, and there would be no lawns or deck space for outdoor recreation. the changes to the existing outdoor space are misleading. the 2006 proposal creates 2,600 feet of outdoor recreation space.

i can assure you that 12 dozen feet of outdoor recreation space did not simply disappear in five years. under the new proposal, there would be no kids camp been diminished capacity for fund- raisers and community gatherings. i hope this convinces you how these changes would be a detriment to our community. thank you for your time and consideration. >> my name is alan brodsky. i am a trial lawyer and law professor. i have lived in san francisco for 66 years. i am here to oppose this project. the first point i want to make is that this is not just any other project. this is a unique project.

those of us who have thought about it a great deal find it clear that this project is the most flagrant twisting of, or request to twist, the building codes and other restrictions on developers that exist in the city. your vote on this project will be remembered, particularly with you as the people of your district to send you back to the board of supervisors. for example, scott wiener send out a fire asking that he be reelected -- president chiu: please direct

your comments to all of the board. we have a rule to request the conversation with the full board. >> i did not intend to address our remarks to mr. wiener, but to make it about him. he sent out a flier. he said preserving open space. he is an advocate of open space. i asked -- how can anyone who is an advocate of open space support this project? the only other point i want to make -- i hope i am not repeating others that have been made. the evolution of this project in

its present -- president chiu: thank you. >> sorry. i did not have a second in a -- a second minute. president chiu: we have the same time for everyone, but we appreciate your comment. thank you. everyone has exactly the same number of time. thank you very much. it goes by fast. thank you. next speaker. >> i am a resident of russian hill. i have been a member of golden gateway for the last 10 years. i will try not to repeat any of the other comments, in terms of opposing this.

this does not mean stop development. it means stop this project. we actually are in favor. i am strongly in favor of some development to help the area been made modern and good for the future. it is not receiving investment today because of the tension everyone is under, and the suspense around what is going to happen. a couple of things concern me. they come down to transparency. so far, this project has shown virtually 0 transparency. it has morphed about a dozen times. each time, the developer tells us what he thinks we want to hear. unfortunately, it misses the mark every single tied. it violates city code for height. the cannot understand why that is not an issue, especially in terms of environmental impact.

the inside the america's cup document, there were trying to slip in an approval for this project. interesting sleight of hand. lack of transparency. i hope that you on the board can see through that and reject this proposal. thank you. chiu: thank-you, next speaker. >> what we're hearing here is a declaration that this system can only build housing for the multi-billion ariaires and can y drive working people out of this city. >> desperate for jobs, they are

telling you that we need to support this project in order to supply jobs. if this system can only build houses, housing for the super rich and can only supply jobs to build housing for the super rich, the system does not deserve to exist. president chiu: next speaker, please. >> kevin o'brien here. in my 16 years, i have appeared at least 50 times, and never in my life have i ever seen a project more ill-advised, ill- conceived with moralizing and malfeasance then this project. this is a con job on the people of san francisco, pure and simple. let me tell you right now that

there is too much rushing through, too much softness and too much double dealing. you have a desperate builder here, a desperate developer. and you have a recipe for another fontana towers. that is what this is. i went to clint reilly's house and attended a fundraiser for ed lee. he was asked about the absurd attempt to purchase the reservoir and develop it. he said, under my administration, as long as i am here, if the neighbors don't want the project, it won't be built. if you want to have this on your watch that you brought us the sequel to that monstrosity, you

folks are going in the right direction. wake up, this is a bad deal. president chiu: thank you, next speaker. >> i would like to read this resolution that was passed by the coalition on may 18. proposing the washington street project and historic waterfront, whereas the height and the massing of the mixed use of luxury condo development at a washington is in appropriately skilled in relationship to the historical ted. -- bulkhead. whereas the project is

inappropriate for the location along the waterfront at the edge of the embarcadero and immediately adjacent to the park. whereas the product will build a wall on the waterfront and diminished the pedestrian experience but hawking views of telegraph hill and deny locals and tourists alike of some of the city's iconic use. -- iconic views. swim club, a recreational amenity that is part of the redevelopment plan, it serves as not only the residents of the golden gateway, but all san franciscans. and washington street, we urge

the board of supervisors to uphold the appeal of the fdir and deny the c.u. for this project. the are only a certain number of sites in san francisco and if we wish to this valuable land for what we need, what we need is a moderate rate housing in a low- income housing. please deny this. >> thank you for favoring the old-timers to go home and have better to go to sleep. i come before you as a concerned citizen, 56 years in the construction business. and i come to you in full support of this project and i urge you to approve the eir.

president chiu: will be taking comments of hon individuals the support the project later on in the hearing. we will accommodate you early in that part of the public comment, but hang tight. thank you. next speaker, please. >> supervisors, my name is george haymaker. a lot has been said about the importance of the health and recreational benefits of the golden gate tennis and swim club. i would like to personalize that just a bit for you so you can see how it does impact some of us. my wife has disabling arthritis, the only practical means is in a warm water pool in the type that exists at the golden gate way. the aqua aerobics programs that you can get there, it can't be replaced have any place else in

san francisco. on a practical basis. the reality is that if this glove ceases to exist, her health and her lifestyle, and in turn, my lifestyle, will be severely impacted. she is not alone, nor am i. there are seniors and younger people that require this kind of access. for their health and for their well-being. i urge you to reject this project. >> high-end in opposition of -- iam i am in opposition of 8 washington. i am for community life style. i maintain my career and social

life in the city and the financial district. i live on the east bay and continue to maintain my membership. we will miss the unique qualities of the golden gate way. to start, four years ago, i was a tennis player. we would figure out where we are going to go because the public courts are not maintained in the city and i was looking for a place that had of portable outdoor recreation facilities that had a community and a social setting. it was a unique environment that no other place has in the city. another strong decision point i was -- was lighting in the public courts as well.

i am asking me, if this development continues, what will you replace for affordability enand in-like? [chime] we are eliminating the children's center of the swimming facilities, families, and french ships produced at this location. of what is your plan for green space? what happened to the ordinance is that the promises the city may years back when we want to keep her green space. it should be considered just as important as the densely populated cities. [chime] it should have the separation in those terms. president chiu: thank you very much. much. >> good evening, president ch