votes. i don't understand how we got to 8-3 but let me see if i can't find a few more votes. mark and scott should be with david. and i think that eric and carmen should be with david as well, because their committees, after all, passed this up through, and they are dependent upon him for their chairs. 31,000 people gave us the opportunity to speak here today. and i thank them. our campaign wants to be about neighborhoods up, taking the will and the voice of the constituents of a district, and bringing it to city hall, and making it reality. that is what our campaign stands for, and that's what we'd like to see in this case, 31,000 people versus simon snelgrove. it should be clear. thank you for your votes today. >> president chiu: next

speaker. >> good afternoon, president chiu, members of the board of supervisors. my name is carey vials. and i am here today to support you, as diligent and thoughtful stewards of our city. and to defend your previous decision to approve the zoning map amendment that would allow eight washington to move forward. the current attempts to reverse the approval of the project are a destructive precedent for the future of our city, and gravely disrespectful of the commitment, careful consideration and great number of hours that members of the city, the port, the planning department, you, the board of supervisors, special interest groups, hundreds of meetings with the neighborhood groups, design professionals, engineers, environmental consultants, as well as specific waterfront properties have dedicated to this project over seven years.

and i ask why would anyone ever want to contribute their time, effort, and passion to improving the fabric of our city to create new homes, both market rate and affordable parks, cafes, bicycle and pedestrian paths ever again. if they knew that after so many years of dedication, input, consensus, and formal approvals, a handful of individuals could cause this rigorous inclusive process to be ignored and be disparaged. if this initiative becomes a precedent we will no longer have a democratic process and all future projects in san francisco will likely fall victim to the same attacks. we will never achieve our collective goals for a walkable sustainable city, healthy economic growth and homes for our families and our workforce. thank you. >> president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon, president chiu, and board members, sarah

dorren and i am in support of this project. not only is eight washington an elegant addition to the embarcadero, the developer, san francisco waterfront partners has generously dedicated half of the site to recreation and public open space, retaining and improving its current recreational club. they are a local developer who has shown its dedication to the city with seven years of planning and entitlements. the project team has held over 100 public meetings which included an 18 month planning process led by the planning department requested by david chiu. it was during that process the project went through a complete redesign to address all of the public's concerns, and lowered the heights to be a third of the height of the nearest residential building. the public was given ample time to voice concerns and all the parties involved, from the developer, design consultants, special interest groans, neighborhood groups, engineers, planning department, board of supervisors, worked so carefully

to plan a project that would be a great asset to our city it shocks me we are here determining the areversal. if that vote is not final, why do we even bother to continue the democratic process, and what trust do we place in our elected officials. i ask you to show integrity and remain true to your original vote in support of the eight washington project. thank you. >> president chiu: thanks. next speaker. >> my name is danielle mcguire. good afternoon. i'm a resident of san francisco and the ex-sellsior and here to support the project. like the two speakers before my i'm well aware of the rigor the project went through and outraged by the fact people can get signatures and turn over your good work. i was approached to sign this petition no less than three times and they did not present it as being about eight

washington. the presentation was wouldn't you like to support a petition to support the public's right to due process. of course we would but that has nothing to do with eight washington because the public had a right to participate in this process. i support the project and oppose the initiative. >> president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon, board of supervisors, president. my name is benjamin -- from district eight. my statement is more of an observation of the peculiar nature by which the signatures were acquired. on two occasions i was approached by a gentleman soliciting for signatures. on the first i was downtown, five blocks from the site. he asked if i was a san franciscan voter and requested i sign this petition. when asked what it was about he stated it was about a building down the street. i asked for more information and he could not ela erate. on the second occasion i spoafd

specified the location. the gentleman was requesting signatures from anyone who would listen. i don't actually remember him asking if the people were san francisco voters. i asked about the project and he stated he didn't know much about it and was just trying to get a paycheck. on both occasions from the reaction of those signing the petition their signature was not saying i oppose the project as much as if i sign this will you stop bothering me. thank you. >> president chiu: next speaker. >> good afternoon, president chiu and board members. my name is -- archleta and i'm reading a letter of residents of 101 lombard street. we are sorry t to miss this important meeting. after all these years of sincere community outreach intended to apiece the neighbors it is

dishartenning to find out the eight washington project is back on the drawing boards at behest of a few spoiled tennis players. we listened to the signature gatherers lives. it is no wonder they were able to collect 30,000 signatures. i may have signed a petition to save sue bierman park. although it was to protect wildlife on the waterfront. these are truthful accounts witnessed. as difficult as it is for the opposition to understand, we unpaid, non-compensated volunteers have tried to set the record straight and speak for the rest of us on the waterfront strictly because we believe the project is a real asset to our neighborhood. the new park areas, upgraded fitness center, retail cafes, wider sidewalks, green roofs, underground parking will beautify that part of our city and benefit all of us. we're sorry the tennis players

have to play at another facility but that section of the waterfront is too valuable to set aside for only a few to enjoy. it belongs to all of us. please don't hand them a win. do not reverse your earlier decision. let us work to educate the voters of san francisco and get this project approved once and for all in november 2013. thank you, marcy and david albert. >> president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> thank you, president and board members. good afternoon. i'm here -- my name's andrew -- also a candidate for district 5 supervisor, and i'm here to urge you to repeal and vote yes to repeal the ordinance. i came here with a lot of experience and that experience is living in florida for 10 years. and that is a place where they build large condos on the waterfront for people that are only there four months of the year. and they do it without the

approval or the consent of the public. it ends up in not only blocking the views of the people that live there, restricting access to the waterfront, but really ruining the aesthetics of the area. you need to go to some places in florida to know that's true. we're not tampa, we're not miami, we're san francisco. we need to approve projects that reflect san francisco values. and it's not just about tennis players. it's about a dangerous precedent, setting a dangerous height precedent on your waterfront. i also want to speak for one of my colleagues who really brought the eight washington project to my attention and she said please speak for me, her name is pam aklinson, a member of the goldway club and rides her bike to and from the excelsior every morning. we need a beautifully planned north waterfront with views for all to share. that's her comments.

i reflect those comments and urge to to vote yes to repeal the ordinance. thank you. >> president chiu: thank you. next speaker. good afternoon, commissioners, president chiu. my name is janine moss an architect in a firm located in downtown san francisco. for years, i worked on the embarcadero and i am pleased to be here again on behalf of the many individuals who have worked effortlessly for years to support the thoughtful development of the waterfront communities. to be sure, the tennis club and as lot surrounded by sensing and green netting don't belong on san francisco's beautiful embarcadero. san francisco residents and visitors alike deserve the opportunity to find new and repurposed uses for our urban fabric and the water's edge needs to continue to evolve with dignity and grace. the proposal for change is difficult, as we have seen most

recently in this process, but there is no doubt eight washington represents sound planning principles, historic sensitivity, acknowledgement of open space requirements, and connectivity between neighborhoods and the bay. this city must continue to make bold steps in order to ensure our waterfront's viability and success, and this project does just that. at the end of the day, eight washington supports what many cities search for, particularly this city. after seven intensive years of design, planning department involvement, and public participation and comment, two mixed use residential buildings composed of 134 units now step back from the embarcadero with views from the waterfront to the urban fabric. mixed use components benefit the public. please maintain your steadfast commitment to this project. thank you. >> president chiu: next

speaker. >> good afternoon, distinguished board. my name is roger wong here to speak on behalf of my family, my wife, carol, and my two kids. we lived in san francisco here for over 35 years. and this area that we're talking about, we really have to look at the bigger picture. we're talking about the open public space, the renaissance of our waterfront. and we can't forget that. what this project does for the neighborhood is support the western side of the sidewalk. it opens up most importantly the accessible public view corridors, and it provides pedestrian connections to the waterfront. it's very easy to collect 30,000 signatures for people who say, well, do you want a chance to vote on this, do you want a big development when they sell people on signing these petitions, it's very easy to pay

them for somebody to gather signatures, and have the opportunity to relook at this project. i'm not hearing that today. i'm hearing people say they voted on the project already. i just want to remind people that what the facts of this project is. it's the greater pedestrian and public good that this project does. it's the public playground that we're giving back. we're moving a surface parking lot down below grade. and we're really reuniting and connecting the the waterfront back into the city. so i urge you to support the project. thank you very much. >> president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> linda chapman. well the waterfront does belong to us all. and i'm a third generation san franciscan who saw what probably none of you ever saw,

and nobody ever see again, which is the prominent profile of hills with the little pinnacles of high rises that i used to see every weekend when we would come back from visiting the relatives in marin, when i was a child. and then about 1960, high rises began to be built, which hadn't been built in my lifetime in san francisco. and the hills virtually disappeared, the whole panorama changed. even -- you know, even with the height limits that were put in to protect the waterfront. you know, it's really important not to let them disappear even more. i come from nobod nob hill. we gathered signatures to -- when that hill didn't get down to 40 feet as others were. just during the time when we were going through a process of different height limits, reducing height liements limitst

12 sites had application for high rises and we were maybe fighting them for court or they had plans for high rises which they withdrew. the same would be likely here. if there's a precedent where people feel they can get away with spot zoning there will be another space. if we had not succeeded in fighting the high rises that one by one, it would be a completely different neighborhood. it would have been completely wincompletelywiped out by high . i urge you to keep the height limit as it was. >> president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> hello. my name's manuel rodriguez, his a san francisco resident all my life, born and raised in visitacion valley, union carpenter ough out of local 22.

i raised in the city, been in the trades for 30 years. i've worked in my community to work with youth, at-risk youth, to point ough out that they cant jobs through a union and live a good life. i've been fortunate. so i continue to do that. and i think the jobs and what it creates for our young people coming up, and all my recruits who are a lot of them working now on good projects here, it's very important that they have opportunities to have jobs also. that space, again, was -- i walk on the other side of the street. i've been very -- use that corridor a lot on foot, and bike. and i use the other side of the street because it's not a friendly side to walk on. having parks and places to go there for the public would be very nice for the rest of the community. they talk about 31,000

signatures. i think there's a lot more people in san francisco than that. so take into consideration. i support the building, and that's what i'm here to say today. thank you. >> president chiu: next speaker please. >> good afternoon. i'm byron ciewth. i've been a resident of telegraph hill for 25 years. and i'm an architect, and lived in a time in which we saw that freeway come down. that was really an extraordinary moment. and the kind of opportunity that lay before us with the development of this whole area. and i think that the years and years and hours of deliberation and scrutiny and review of this project has been so significant, and i have such tremendous respect for that. and enthusiasm and excitement going forward with the kind of public collaboration i think the

city really needs to have to move forward and i look forward to the future of the city. i feel that the development of this area is essential, not just along the waterfront itself but really deeper back into the neighborhoods to constitute the kind of vitality and strength as a destination, as an identity, as a new moment within the city. and i think that we stand here at this time right now, with a decision to move forward or to hold back. and i encourage you as a long-term resident and a deep thinker about this city, the importance of the amount of time and energy and investment that the city makes in these processes, as well as the citizens along with you, that do that, that you go forward, you approve this project, and keep it on track as you have over the past couple of years. thank you very much. >> president chiu: next speaker. >> thank you. president chiu, honorable

supervisors, my name is stuart more ton on live on telegraph hill. i've been on the citizens advisory committee and have seen this project for the last seven years, i suppose. i was against it originally because it was two tall buildings. i explained to the developer that would be kind of terrific if you did a short one in the front and a larger one in the back, which he did. the press has been commenting on this high rise project. well the front building is four to six stories. the back building is 10 to 12 stories. look at the building behind that, and all around -- the little amphitheater of all buildings. this is a small project in comparison to what's behind it and around it. i'm in favor of your keeping the 8-3 vote that you did in june and certainly support the project. thank you. >> president chiu: thank you. before we hear from the next

speaker i was reminded by supervisor olague we have a quick 3:30 special commendation for a mother who has kids and i know she needs to leave the board chambers in a few minutes. i'd like to go to the 3:30 special order and special commendation to give supervisor olague opportunity to provide her commendation. >> supervisor olague: thank you president chiu and members of the audience. i believe in the cliché that a woman's work is never done, but i would also argue that a woman's work is never recognized. so it's with that in mind that i've chosen today to recognize legala gil for her service and commitment to improving public safety in district 5 and in san francisco. she is a long time community leader in the western addition and north of the panel handle neighborhood. she has been a member of the panhandle association and part

of -- from 2006 to 2008. additionally, she spearheaded the opening of the very popular divisaderoo farmers market which we appreciate every morning. i'm there getting my flowers every week. she has coordinated several of the fun safety events too, like the big rumble block party in memory of the 1989 earthquake. in 2006, her neighborhood was plagued by a series of shootings. and whenever there is a shooting that occurs in the neighborhood, many of the neighbors immediately contact leala as do i because she's the ears and eyes of the street. recently the community has experienced many occurrences of violence along the divisadero neighborhood and she has shown a

great deal of leadership but also compassion. and she understands the issues from a lot of different perspectives, not just criminalizing, which she sees, but also trying to find solutions. so that's why i appreciate the work she has done there. she is certified, she sits on the sfpd parks community advisory board and is chairperson of san francisco's dcyf advisory committee. she has lived with her husband, charles higgins, a san francisco native in the north of panhandle for more than 22 years, and in addition to all of her community service, i don't know how she finds the time, but she's also a full time working mother of two boys, trevor and parker higgins, who are here with her today. i would like to thank leala for all of her hard work and commend her for being so committed to making our neighborhood and our city safe. so thank you, leala.

>> thank you, christina. okay. i just wanted to say thank you to the board of supervisors. i'm honored to be given this certificate of commendation. and wanted everybody to know that as the board of supervisors knows, it's always a community effort. whether i'm working with community members or park station, the san francisco police department, safe, or of course our district 5 supervisor, we're all in it together. and i want to thank the board of supervisors, specifically, for creating a city and helping to maintain a city where community voices can be heard, and people can take positive action to affect change in their neighborhood. so with that, thank you very much. and i appreciate it.

>> president chiu: i also want to take a moment to recognize supervisor mar who has another commendation and this will be the last commendation we do before we continue back with the eight washington. >> thank you. i'd like to ask mr. vladimir who is in the front row to please come forward. he has four critical props with him that has significant historic reference. today it's my honor to honor one of our most incredible neighbors. he's one of my neighbors on 11th avenue, but he's a long time richmond district resident, born in odessa but living in the richmond for over 37 years. he came here around 1975 or '76 with his wife and daughter from the former soviet union. he's a tremendous member of the

russian district since coming to san francisco. he's a journalist with exceptional photographer but journalist for russian publications including russian news covering so many significant events around the world but based in san francisco. he has carried, if you could believe this, four olympic torches in four olympic games, though he's attended i think over 10 olympics, as well. but he began in -- i think it was before the 1984 olympics in l.a. you went to lake placid i think as a first. he carried the the torch in salt lake city in 2002 and athens in 2004 and beijing in 2008 in the name of standing for human rights and against antisemitism throughout the world. he also inspires many residents of san francisco with his passion for human rights around the world, but also diverse

cultures in sport and competition, in art, and most of all his kindness and amazing spirit. it was his birthday on saturday, september 1. we worked kind of with him and many richmond residents to declare that his day in the city. but i wanted to bring this to the board of supervisors also. and on behalf of the city and county of san francisco to hereby recognize on the occasion of his 80th birthday, for his impact not just to the richmond district but to all the people of the city of san francisco. >> i am living in san francisco for almost 40 years, since i came from russia. and on behalf of san francisco,

i carried four olympic torches. this is 1984, los angeles. this is 2002, salt lake city. this is 2004 in greece, athens. and this is 2008, jing beijing, china. somebody told me i'm the only person in the united states who carried four torches. i don't know and i don't care. one thing, i know that in short time this torch will go to the museum in san francisco. thank you.

>> president chiu: thank you very much, supervisor mar. why don't we go back to our speakers with regard to the eight washington hearing and let's hear from the next person in line. >> thank you, president chiu. thank you supervisors. a pleasure to be here. i'm brendan dun gan. i -- the things they've done is fantastic. i'm here in support of eight washington and the process they've been through. i think the repeal is not the kind of process the project should be going through. i'm a licensed architect in california, and that's one of

the largest issues, is having some known quawn quantity when a project goes forward for development. and seven years i think they've been engaging the community, they've listened to the community, advisory committees, they've made significant changes to the project, to the betterment of the waterfront. my kids go to school here in the city. we were recently participants of the sunday streets that was held in chinatown, went down to the waterfront and took note of the development between the ferry terminal and rode our scooters up to the ferry, to the fisherman's wharf, and just -- it's a wasteland between those two points. and development really needs to occur at that point. and this project could be a catalyst for what needs to happen and certainly a balanced approach is important, affordable housing, retail, all those things are -- the the richness of our waterfront