near the door. and i'm going to remind you to turn off or silence your cell phone. >> madam secretary i have a quick announcement by commissioner sugaya. >> thank you. the historic

preservation commission which ms. avery is also the secretary for presented her with these flowers. they wanted to give you these and from the hpc. and the commission has a card and we need to get your signature on here and we appreciate everything that you have done linda and i think commissioners add their peace but i add mine to that. >> thank you so much. >> how about a big hand for linda? [applause]

>> [inaudible] >> okay. now you guys excuse me when i am mean for the rest of the meeting. okay. commissioners, if we can move forward on your calendar and again i'm going to ask that you try not to surround the door. it becomes a fire hazard. thank you. commissioners, you're now on item 15 for 1127 market street a request for conditional use authorization. >> commissioners, before ms. hilyard starts i want to introduce you and she's been with the department since february. prior to her work with the department she was the program manager at spur and worked for a preservation consultant here for three years and we welcome her to the

commission. >> good afternoon president fong and commission. today is a conditional use authorization request to convert a vacant movie theater into a living entertainment theater suropportunity to the planning code. the project site is on the south side of market street and the frontage of market stephens street. the strand theater has been vacant since 2003. the proposed project requires rehabilitation to turn into a performance theater and performance space and lighting facilities, office and a ground floor cafe for the american conservatory theater. 62 organizations and individuals have submitted formal endorsements and these letters are included in your packets

and i have others letters that came in late. we have received no opposition to the project at this time. we have worked with economic work force development and aligns with the goals of the central market neighborhood. department staff has found that many aspects of the project are necessary, compatible and recommend that you approve it for the following reasons. it will provide vitality to the location and the historic use of the strand theater and for the interior standards of historic property. the theater will serve as important cultural and entertainment venue and complement venues in the areas. it's aligned with the strategies of the central market strategy and enhance the neighborhood. the project is well served by

public transportation and not expected to enbummure parking or traf in this case the neighborhood. it's desirable and compatible with the neighborhood and applies with the general plan. the design team are in attendance and have a presentation. this kofn cludes my presentation and i am available for questions. thanks. >> thank you. project sponsor. >> good afternoon. i am ellen richard. i am the executive director of american conservatory theater. act was brought to san francisco in 1967 and by a host of leaders with great determination they left the city of chicago for and won the right to bring this theater

to san francisco and founded by bill ball in 1965. they made their home in the historic area and we have a fantastic picture here of them putting a picture up on the theater in 1967 announcing act is here to stay and we still are. as we celebrate half a century in san francisco's art community and we include to open a second home in the strand theater. we are in this for the long run. act has been a leader for performance and education since the first summer in san francisco. our master program in san francisco is rated in the top five in the united states. each year we serve an audience of a quarter million people and act training

and education to more than 11,000 students. we provide employment to over 600 people a year. we provide thousands of complementary tickets to the schooland areas of the city and supported by donors and committed trustees lead my nancy living son and mr. roof. when we first met ms. kim we were asked to do outreach. we have met with many leaders of community groups and various leaders. you have those letters of support in our packet. today you will hear several of the supporters and our president, our ark architect, we have speakers and from the tenderloin

economic project, one of our students, one of the core acting company and students from the continuation high school. we started a partnership with the downtown school and we are thrilled what we are learning about education working with this dedicated team and their passionate students. our partners are here to also answer any questions. our artistic director is celebrating her 20th year with act. her dream is to have a second space to explore artistic opportunities. for the first 20 years act was a theater company rising money for the geary after the earthquake. it's a magnificent theater but it's a thousand seats and limited ourselves and the performance opportunity focus the students and use by the community. >> >> when i first arrived in san

francisco two years ago i looked at every possible venue on market street or near market street for a second home. i came back it for the best performance and like the geary it was built in the 20th century and sadly the strand theater spent the last nine years as a porn theater before it waserated by the san francisco police and closeed in 2003 and since then it's been unoccupied because of squatters and birds and it has a wonderful location and public transportation doesn't get better. the area is sketchy now but we believe turning the lights on will only increase safety and civil behavior and excited what the market street plan will do for all of us.

the new strand theater will houselet 320 seat theater and for performance and events and a small cafe. it will open along to the street and allow act to increase subsubscription offerings and moster and increase the community programs and provide art education to the students of san francisco. we will provide permanent employment to 30 people and construction jobs and anticipate audience of over 100,000 a year at the strand theater and watching performances and taking part in the education programs. i am sure we will show a film from time to time. i am sure we will show rocky horror picture show at this time. we will please tourists and patrons to the area and opening 52 weeks

of the year and furthering the economic strategy. we hope that the strand theater will be a welcoming center for the community arts and gatherings and learning. we bought it in february this year from a gift from a board member and we are having a campaign to raise the funds necessary for the renovation. we worked with the planning department and come to agreement on every issue. we have support of the community. this is a great project but more importantly a long-term investment in the city of san francisco. we really want to move this forward and do it quickly. a conditional use permit today to convert it to a live performance venue is critical for our ability to get market tax credits and provide overall 20% of the project estimated to be $28 million. if we make the time line we will

begin construction in spring of next year and open in fall of 2014 turning on the lights in the long dark corner of san francisco with the incredible design of this revitalized space. i would like to thank the commission and the planning staff. i hope you help to me this project a reality in 2014. >> thank you. >> can we turn on the slide procedure? >> linda stepped out. >> great. i am michael dunakin and thank you for the opportunity to present this project. this is an incredible opportunity to give new life

and there is the beginning of a community there for act with the costume shop and the two building start to form a small campus for the institution. you can see looking at this position that's it's directly across from un plaza and has stevenson alley there for service which is terrific for the theater. the building can be an important player in terms of making the space at un plaza. it also has a great visibility and with the federal building behind it it's

nicely framed. a short history of the strand theater. it was silenced or not. all right. commissioners, roll call. commissioner moore. >> here. (roll call) commissioners the first category are items proposed for continuance . item one is the adoption of procedures manual update. the calendar shows

continuous to november 82012. items two and b case for 1550 bryant street and proposed for continuance. next is for polk street proposed for continuous for november 15, 2012. item number four case amendments to the planning code to establish the divisadero neighborhood commerical district proposed for continuous. item five case amendments to the planning code to establish the fillmore street neighborhood commerical district and proposed for continuous. and commissioners, the first item on your kltd consent

calendar, the first two actually for south venice avenue and propose for continuous and item number seven case for 601 venice proposed for continuous. i will ask you to take action on all of those items but bear with me. there are more items for continuous but these are the regular calendar and i will ask that you delay action on these until the call of the item. with that said the first item 13 for westportal avenue. there is a proposal to continue this item to avenue 29, 2012. it's my understanding that -- the

project sponsor made the request but the neighborhood organization that is in support of the project is in support of that and staff is in support. next for 1865 post street and continuous to december 6, 2012. and item number 18 for 1856 pacific avenue proposed for continuous to december 6, 2012. commissioners, with that i am not aware -- we might have a short hearing -- that any other item on the calendar is proposed for continuous. >> thank you. is there any public comment on the items proposed are for continuous and the two items on the consent calendar proposed for

continuous. >> just a moment sir. >> go ahead sir. >> we have a comment on the last one. >> sir, the commission is not going to take action on that. that was just an information to let them know it's coming up. >>i am here on the subject of continuous . this was a last moment proposed moved to december 6. our firm has a trial on december 6 and cannot do it -- >> the commission will not consider the continuousacy until the call of the item. >> meaning if you hang on we will come to that item. next comments. >> on items one through seven only. later in the calendar we your opportunity will be presented at the call of that item. >> okay. >> thank you. >> seeing no other public comment commissioner moore. >>i ask for continuous of the

items listed with the specific dated amended by secretary avery. >> second. >> second. >> thank you commissioners on the motion to continue items one through five as we have discussed with item one being continued to november 8 and item six to november 29 and item seven to december 6 on that motion commissioners. >> aye. >> commissioner. >> aye. >> commissioner. >> aye. >> commissioner. >> aye. >> commissioner. >> aye. >> thank you commissioners. those items are continued as we have discussed. commissioners, you are now on your consent calendar. mr. president if i may for the people standing up just so there is clarity. the commission will not consider the

continuous requests. i just announced them so the public and the commission know they're coming up but they won't consider those requests until we get to those items on calendar, so it will be a while, so have a seat, and when we get to them you will have an opportunity to address the items. now we are the consent calendar and they're considered routine and acted upon a separate roll call and there is no discussion unless a member or the public and will be considered at a later hearing. the first one is for ellis street and conditional use to allow the partial conversion to a car rental office and car

rental agency that is doing business as enterprise rent-a-car. next is for 47 cambon drive and conditional use authorize arizona and for car sales or rental use doing business as you hall within the shopping district. commissioners follow public comment that removes them from the consent calendar. these items are before you for consideration. >> thank you. any public comment on the items on thed consent calendar? seeing none it is closed. >> move to approve. >> thank you. commissioners, the motion on the floor is for approval of both items eight and nine as they are proposed. on that motion commissioner antonini. >> aye. >> commissioner.

>> aye. >> commissioner. >> aye. >> commissioner. >> aye. >> commissioner. >> aye. >> thank you the motion passed unanimously. commissioners are there any other commission matters? >> commissioner antonini. >> thank you. a couple of things and first of the all and not to throw water on the giants and i was there for gave seven and it was a terrific night but i took muni back that night and after riding public transportation in many cities we need to have clean secure trips for passengers. some of the tunnels are long and people were in there with the belongings and blocking the area and aggressive panhandling and when you go to the stockton street and by

yourself on the narrow tunnel and hard to get through and people are occupying areas, and i hope that we can look into this. muni i understand got additional funding and one of the first things they should use it for in conjunction for bart is better security in their stations if they want riders to feel safe when they ride it at evening or any other time but other than that everything has been great. i do want to mention a couple of other things. first of all subcommittee for secretary search, the two chairs or presidents of that subcommittee, myself and dan masuta from the historic preservation commission had a meeting with representatives from dhr yesterday to try to work on an issue that we have been grappling with with the

classification of the job being offered regrettably to replace linda avery as our commission secretary, and i am happy to report we are continuing to meet on that subject and we hopefully we can work that out to everyone's satisfaction. we have another meeting scheduled for tuesday, and i also want to say and you all probably know this already it is linda's last day, and we're going to be very sad, and it won't seem the same without her, but it's what she has and needs to do and we certainly appreciate all the years of service and particularly i served with her over ten years now and it's been wonderful. >> thank you. >> well, i want to take this time and continue that on. this is an important day for the planning commission and the planning department and it's linda's last day in that