continue to flow. thank you. >> hi. i am anaza and a core contemporary actress at the theater and have been for two years and a former student class of 2010. 30 grant avenue is currently hope to many of the individuals that make our theater tick but more importantly the home of the fine masters acting program. the students who come from afar to receivan education here in san francisco and bring theater to life in the community. the thing is that this passion and dedication is much too big for simply 30

grant and deserves to be expanded father which is why we are excited and determined to bring this life to the strand in this area. along abandoned movie and vaudeville theater, dark and dilapidated and a community in need to serve it. by creating this theater we are confident we can provide art, diversity, education, and most importantly a new home for connecting act's community with the diverse bay area community and beyond. the strand is an opportunity to do all these things and we can have diversity throughout. >> thank you. >> come on up. let me read a

couple more names. (calling speakers). >> okay. good afternoon. my name is tiand i am a third year student in act's for acting. i joined this because it's one of the top in the nation and it's commitment to company. this idea of building a community of artists that support each other. it ren enriches us and showns through in the work that we create. i experienced this first hand when we were given the hans to bring othello to high schools and we were able to bring shakespeare to students in

ways they never have seen it before and relate to their lives and engage the students in what they witnessed and express how they were affected by it in a safe environment and i believe it changes the lives of the students and changes of lives of usace artists. it's my hope in the year to become a second space like the strand will afford the students and the community to have gold work and engages the community the same way we were able to engage those students. i believe it will be a place where audience members will say their souls were fed from the stage and i urge the commission to share in this hope and enrich

the life of the community so that we have grow and thrive together. >> good afternoon commissioners. i am eddy raymond and the vice president of ist local 16 in san francisco. i was an employee for act when i came into the union office. act employees hundreds of local 16 members over the course of one season. we represent the stage staff, and the permanent stage staff and the load for the theater as well as the scene shop and prop shop with act. we see this as building new audiences and keep theater in the bay area alive and vital and relative to its community. we see this as opportunity to employ

construction workers for the remodel and 30 full time jobs at the theater and people resulted to the industry and our business manager endorsed this project 100%. thank you. >> thank you. >> good afternoon commissioners. my name is alvin padilla and the executive director of the tenderloin project and i live across the street from the strand. i want to thank thank you for your service and the opportunity to speak before you. my group is trying to facilitate community minded economic development so we are very happy and came out in support of the payroll tax exemption and lobbied and get twitter into the neighborhood. we would do the same thing if that case came up

remember. we are finding ways to leverage the welcome boom and tech so we're not a one dimensional town and that we have a vibrant downtown, mid-market that consists of tech companies, retail, restaurants, cafes, and in our view importantly arts and culture. given our experience and what we observed this other cities and neighborhoods arts and culture have a power way of weaving together the civic fabric and encouraging social interaction and engagement between populations that wouldn't otherwise engage. it's important that we maintain some semblence representation of life and analogue so to speak. it's not just a digital world out there. the strand is a pioneering step forward. i am a

fan of the theater and i think they're taking a remarkal pioneering step here. i lived across from that building for three years. i cannot imagine it with the lights on. i hear rumbling in the community where are the twitter kids? they're practically impossible so our task is compete with the free buffet and frozen yogurt and the frozen goodies and get them to go up and down the street and multi-faceted and interesting and diversity and it's not that tech is the problem and i am hearing about that but only tech is the opportunity. that's what the strand is about. we want to keep these kids. the strand is

important way and direction in that and i support act and let's and thank you and yeah go giants . >> any additional public comments? oh i thought there was one. >> good luck with the strand theater and also retirement linda here. 31 years is a long time to be working here and we appreciate you there. give our regards to the strand theater and tell them you will make it better planning. i know you

will. this strand is your strand. this strand is my strand from all the city to everywhere there. from the city ocean all through the bay view this strand was made for you and me. [applause] >> is there any additional public comment? all right. public comment portion is closed. commissioner antonini. >> thank you. this is a wonderful project, and i was greatly appreciative of a visit i had and i got to see this picture of the great white way and it made it to the screen

and i don't know if we had technical di.s before that came up and reminded me of years ago and i had my first drive down portolla drive and to get to broadway and not growing up in san francisco and the period of the 50's and the neons and the signs and maybe it can be that again. we were talking the other day for a west coast alternative for new york and have a second theater district in the nation because we have so much interest in theater and a lot of people aren't able to go back east to see the theater and this is a step in that direction and a big one and it will bring many good things to that part of market and perhaps the first step for a district along market and extend into the present theater district of geary street. i think it's a wonderful idea and can be a beginning. i had a

couple of things i did want to mention. the first is, and i have talked to the architect about this, and i am sure they're going to take care of it and make sure the lobby is warm and rich enough with the colors and as people go into legitimate theater you are used to lobbies that are comfortable areas and not that it isn't going to be comfortable but has to have that feel for a theater. a couple other things that came up in our discussion and the first is there are trues in front of the theater now and they need a little work. i appreciate the trees on market. they might not be in the best positions but if there is anything to be done as a project along market to prune them more evenly and allow visibility to what is behind them that is something that we need to work on, and the other

issue that came up i believe there is not a port to share but a drop off area that exists now and in practical terms when people are visiting and need for various reasons need to be dropped off in front it would be helpful. i know we don't want curb cuts on market but a slight area for the drop off to occur and not disrupt the traffic or movement of market certainly would be a great feature. the other thing i like about this and it was pointed out the fact that having all three levels engage the street and the black box with lights that also can be seen the light is a beacon and i think it's something that would basically bring a lot of good things with it, and i think the way this has been planned is very innovative and extremely well done and i am looking forward to seeing it finished. one other question i had that i

didn't ask the other day i know there is a sign for act planned and i don't know if there will be memorization of the name strand in there. i think we have something with geary that memorizes it. maybe not, and in front of the there and the same with the current and even though we refer to the geary as act and i'm not sure how you have that planned and that's a minor detail and a great plan. thank you very much for bringing this forward. >> commissioner sugaya. >> yes. i am particularly glad this is moving ahead. my firm did talks with another previous owner and was going to demolish the building. we dissituated him from doing that and never went ahead with that and it was fortunate and happy it didn't

disappear and i am particularly happy this project is mere. i am quite supportive. i have a couple things to staff. in considering the historic status of this particular building was there any consideration given to extending the theater loft district of the building. >> that was addressed in the want and there are several buildings there and they thought it wouldn't be appropriate to extend the district. i don't know carolyn. i am pretty sure that was there argument. carolyn is here. >> that is fine>> i think it

was filled in with a new store front and deeper than we have now and perhaps i'm not going to offer any condition or anything and i know there is language here they will continue to work with staff on the design of the building and materials and other things, so if further consideration can be giving up some square footage in the lobby to deepen that entry i think it would add to the traditional way that people entered the strand theater itself and might be a good reflection in the new store front if possible and thirdly following up on commissioner antonini in terms of perhaps there can be consideration given to some kind of interpretive exhibit in the lobby area about

the strand. you have wonderful pictures in the presentation and historical photos and maybe there could be some kind of display or -- i don't want to use the word plaque. i don't like plaques but you know what i am talking about and that would be great. >> that is part of the project. there is a negative declaration made of the project and one of the items they would work with staff to determine an appropriate display. >> okay thanks. >> commissioner hillis>> so thank you for bringing this project -- and wasn't

feasible or the performing arts groups that could do this so it's amazing that we're and thank you for act for bringing