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tv   [untitled]    April 15, 2013 9:00pm-9:30pm PDT

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would like to thank supervisor zane kim and all the of the. >> >> supervisors that made the plan happen. it's urgently needed especially in district 6. we want to see real enforcement and make sure that the mayor's strategy prioritize district 6 which south of market is a part of. the intersection and corridors clearly points to a need to prioritize district 6 and save lives where infrastructure has continued to lag behind population growth. as you know district 6 especially south of market it has the highest -- the population growth was in our neighborhood so therefore the need for pedestrian safety really needs to happen. the soma south beach rincon hill and tenderloin neighborhood needs count downs and shorter
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crossing distances and prioritize the movement of people, and not cars. that means -- [inaudible] for traffic and pedestrians for foot traffic so again this is a great plan and we want to make sure it prioritize this area because entrance of five freeways and it's been really hard if you not only families but even for people like me to cross the street so imagine if you're a senior or people with kids. thank you. >> thank you. >> hi good an afternoon supervisors and i am a resident of district 6 which is the most dangerous area in the city to live and work if you are [inaudible] so i would like to thank the leadership of supervisor zane kim and all the
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players who contributed to make pedestrian safety strategy plan happen. it is a long awaited plan that is urgently needed and we want to ask the board to prioritize district 6 with soma. it's a part of. i live in soma and everyday i experience walking in soma is a dangerous -- around betty carmichael and again this is great plan but we want to make sure it prizize south of market and district 6 because we continue to be a neighborhood that is part of a [inaudible] instead of a neighborhood that deserves to have public safety prioritized above all else. thank you. >> thank you.
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>> good afternoon supervisors. my name is raymond castillo and [inaudible] inside of market network action network. most of the stuff i was going to say has been said so let me give background of district 6 where i work at. there is a lot of families and working class, a lot of transit, alley way, a lot of families that bring their kids to school, a lot of school students that travel from d6 to a different high school so pedestrian safety is really important to this neighborhood especially like was said. there's about six freeway entrances and betty carmichael is close to two-three of them so please prioritize district 6. thank you all for your hard work. jane kim thank you and everybody else that puts in work for the pedestrian safety to make it safer for everybody.
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please district 6 prioritize it. [inaudible]. thank you. >> thank you mr. castillo. any other members that would like to speak? seeing none mr. chair we can close public comment. >> public comment is closed. [gavel] >> so if there are no closing comments supervisor. >> i was just going -- i think a lot has been said so i don't want to belabor the point. i think this is issue is incredibly important. it's great to hear from all the departments. there's a lot to be said and a lot of work happened over the last two years and i want to acknowledge that work and we look forward to see how the implementation process goes and i know we organize a district 6 work group and i know the numbers come out today so we are focusing what is going on
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in our neighborhood in terms of safety for our residents and others frankly that come and work and play and entertain in district 6 as well, and so i think a lot of that has been heard today on sixth street, on second street, on fourth street and near the highway trails and schools we definitely want to see improvement but this really impacts the entire city and thankful that we have the concern of so many other supervisors. just the last thing i would say one thing i would like to see that doesn't involve a tremendous amount of planey is more of the enforcement work and working with sfpd. i think enforcement matters. i know it impacts and changes my behavior as a driver. i am a walker and a driving and the first time i got a ticket it changed my behavior and i don't want that to be the way to go about things and penalize
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things but sometimes it makes a difference. i don't know if mass public enforcements make a difference but i think it's okay if it's not a plains clothes officer and officers are out there and this is a priority for public safety because i think that sends a signal too and changes the behavior and not just the ticket but the presence of officers working to protect the lives of the workers and residents so i think there is a lot more i could say on the issue but i'm thankful for the work done and working with the departments and coordinate this plan that we have put forward which i think is a good one. >> thank you. thank you supervisor kim. if there are no further comments supervisor would you like to file this hearing? >> sure. we can take a motion to file the hearing. >> okay. so the motion to file the hearing. colleagues can we
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take that without objection? that is the ord. madam clerk can you call two and three. >> items two and three are amending the zoning map and change use classifications and heighten bolt classifications in the upper market commercial district and upper market neighborhood transit district district. >> thank you and i am the author of these two pieces of legislation having to do with zoning and the upper market neighborhood. colleagues this legislation which has been recommended by the planning commission does three things. first it replaces the upper market neighborhood commercial district with the upper market neighborhood transit district for the block west of no street to castro street. this change has broad support. i don't
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think there is opposition to it. second it reestablishes the height control originally envisioned as the market octavia plan and 85 feet along east of church feet and 65 feet west of church street. the heights west were reduced to 50 feet pending a survey that is now completed. this legislation has been thoroughly vetted and the increased height at this proposed location is consistent with the community process. now, the planning commission did recommend 65-foot height for this corner parcel at noe and market but i am supporting a 62-foot height which is what folks in the community would prefer according to the feedback that we have received, and so i do -- i will be amending or move to amend the legislation today to reduce to 65 to 62 feet and
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then finally the legislation would allow cafe floor to have a path to legalize its long standing off site kitchen to come into compliance with the planning code. this legislation is critical to ensure the success of this important and iconic institution, kof a floor. we talk a lot in city hall about supporting our locally owned unique businesses. we all want to prefer the local businesses to formula retail so that we have unique commercial corridors, but our planning code sometimes makes it exceptionally hard for local businesses to succeed. cafe floor has had off site kitchen for decades. this legislation recognizes that reality and provides a path to legalization for anyone who has been inside of cafe flee you
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will know that the kitchen is the size of a postage stamp and i'm not exaggerating by that much, just a little bit and without the off site kitchen we know their food service capacity will shrink considerably and pressure for the business to be a bar. it's not in the interest of this neighborhood to have a cafe floor with reduced food service and increased reliance on alcohol sales. i understand there is some opposition in the neighborhood but i think there is significantly more support for this change, but i do believe this is the right path for the neighborhood and for our community. my goal as district supervisor to make sure that businesses can succeed and that our neighborhoods are benefited as a result and i believe that's what we're doing here, so with
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that said i also have several technical amendments recommended by the planning department and i will just briefly note those technical amendments before inviting the planning department to speak and opening the floor to public comment. number one, an amendment to amend the upper market ntc zoning control table section bulk limit and refer to the new section. this is a clerical error that we will rerk. number two, to amend the upper market control table to refer to section one 38.one rather than 143. again a typographical correction. to amend the upper market control table section 733.8 and number sensioned
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reference to allow bars to apply for and receive an entertainment permit without receiving a conditional use. again a typographical correction and for this section to include restrictions on tobacco paraphernalia establishments. this section of the table was inadvertently deleted in the legislation and finally as i noted before to amend the height control per the section as listed on page four lines 16 to 18 on file number what is proposed in the ordinance. paying close attention to that interesting recitation so these are the technical corrections, and with that i will invite sophie haywood from the planning
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department to come up. >> good afternoon. this recommends approval with modifications and primarily the technical amendments that supervisor wiener just listed. in addition the planning commission did recommend that the board consider converting all of the upper market to that now or in the future. i don't want much to add but i am available for questions. >> thank you very much ms. haywood. if there are no comments colleagues we will open up public comment. it's two minutes and at 30 seconds you will hear a solve bell and at two minutes a louder
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bell and if anyone is in the over flow will room we have room here now. [calling speaker names] >> go ahead. >> good afternoon. scott, you pretty much covered the bases and i will reiterate. small
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businesses are important and it's great to see you supporting them. i think this is essential to the viability of the business. it's a great icon in the neighborhood. it's a great place to go for everybody and i really like the part where are you sustaining food and minimizing alcohol and i think there is enough in that section of the town already. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hi i am [inaudible]. thank you guys. you're doing a great job especially with this initiative, and i'm just here to support the off site use for cafe floor. a lot of different catering companies like particular there is an event going out here tonight. a lot of places have these off site locations where they put their food together. being across the street from the actual location from cafe floor shouldn't be an issue and i hope that we can definitely get this passed and
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approved and cafe floor should be here for a very long time. thank you guys. >> thank you very much. >> hi i am jd petis and owner and i want to say how critical it is and 35 people it takes to run the place and it's very small and it would be really difficult to have -- not have the kitchen in the facility that we have. thank you so much. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hi. thanks for the approach to this and not an easy name. i want to thank you all and just say that this clearly works, and i heard in the first meeting that it allowed the restaurant to become a restaurant and serve more than bar food which in our
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culture we don't need more of. they keep it really tidy. they respect the neighborhood and thank you very much. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. this has to do -- i like the cafe floor but it has to do with the owner that the owner is a righteous person. he has been around for a long, long time. during the aids crisis he was a major contributor to making things better. he started the venl tabl market on noe street on wednesday. he's accommodating a couple of people in a weekend or two for a gathering. he's just a righteous person and i don't stick up many people. i don't like coming here and speaking but he's my friend and he deserves it. thank you. >> thank you very much. next
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speaker. >> good afternoon. my name is kevin blackwell. i have gone to cafe floor many times and i appreciate the food menu and the set up where it invites everyone in the neighborhood. i wanted to thank you for your time considering this. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hi good afternoon. i paul work and an interior designer and small business owner in san francisco. i read a letter that you drafted a couple of months ago that stated clearly and i thinks withly to have the exceptions in the building code and as a small business owner i am encouraged by that and people say that california is an unfriendly place to do business so i appreciated your comments and my kitchen is 89 square feet and that is exactly the size of their main kitchen and i know
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it's challenging to turn out a dinner for four much less the meals they turn out everyday and it's nothing short of impressive that they can do that. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >>i have been going to cafe floor since 72. i went to the boys school and meet my mom for a ride home. it's so better than it was when it was open and i am jd is doing a great job. i am a professional chef and have done catering and limiting a off site kitchen is really difficult as a business owner in the city because the rent. you can have a rent space for half the price to have the commissary kitchen and a space for people to sit. you are going to see more of it happening and i will see it up front and on the table so
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people know where the food is coming from. i don't see a issue moving the food up and down the streets and that's concept of farms and i don't see the issue why he shouldn't have a commissary kitchen. >> thank you. next speaker. i am wendy mog and speaking on and we want to support the legislation. the legislation modifies the explanation of the boundaries of the upper market street mairkd district and upper market neighborhood transit district, allows increased business and small business and expansion of fitness center and off site prep kitchen for use by a local restaurant. we are supportive
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of additional density on market street and the increased height to allow the growth of businesses and 14 rental units which will include below market rentals. the asked height is up to 62 feet and legalize the off site kitchen and continue as a full service restaurant it is. it's a locally neighborhood owned institution which gives generously of space and events.
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>> thank you very much: next speaker. >> good afternoon supervisors. my name is ron shmidt. san francisco has been my home for the last 16 years, the castro and cafe floor and the heart of the castro. the bareeftas know my order before i get to the counter and whether i will have crackers -- and warm smiles
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around from the cooks as they glance up from the food they place on the plate, and i have a friend or two to stop and share my table and catch up on our lives and these are friends that i met there and as i write in my journal and i am caught with visitors from all around the world. cafe floor brings people together from all over the world and i am in touch with many of them. as i was on the patio sipping drinks i noticed a couple of men holding hands and coming through the great and was 40 when i came out. it's thrilling to me to live in a
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community people are free and safe to be who they r i get a rush when i hear two men holding hands or women hugging and sharing the space with one another. cafe floor provides me with endless moments that take my breath away and fill my soul. >> thank you very much. >> i have copies for you. >> thank you. >> there is obviously a lot of support so i won't waste time. this prep work is important to san francisco and catering company scpis know that you take on a lot of opposition for different things but your
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office has been great in supporting cafe floor and a long time neighbor in the castro since 87 and hiv survivor there aren't businesses that offer their space for fundraising and they have always opened their space for fundraising and partner with department of public health on programs and donate to schools and water projects in guatemala and i want to say thank you and we look forward to another 40 years of serving the community in the castro. >> thank you very much. >> thank you scott and the rest of the supervisors for bringing this to the agenda. i am in support of it. the food is a very important part of the communication hub that cafe floor provides for our community. it's a meeting plaises for fundraisers,
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business meetings, eye candy, whatever it is to spend the day and get away from it all. the food menu is very, very important to that because just as we have heard we don't need another bar in the castro. we need the food -- actually brings us all together as well. thank you. >> thank you. >> this is actually something that i support. i don't know if i checked that on the card, but i do support it. it's one of the rare things that i support, and i just wanted to see more restaurants opening in the area of new district eight. you know past safeway. we're a whole new neighborhood and we need more restaurants than hair and nail salons that are taking over the neighborhood. >> thank you. is there any
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additional public comments on items two and or three? seeing none public comment is closed. colleagues can we move items -- is there a motion to move items two and three to the full board with positive recommendations. >> so moved. >> second. >> can we take that without objection? >> is that as amended? yes sorry about that. after making a big deal with the amendments. we can take the amendments without objection? so ordered and move this forward with a positive recommendation. that would be the order. mr. clerk can you call item four. >> item four is a hearing to review the efforts and strategies to reduce clutter on sidewalks and improving pedestrian access. >> thank you. this say tharg that i requested and as i note noted at the beginning of the hearing i would like to
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continue this given how pacted the agenda is and call to the chair and reschedule this in late may. colleagues if there are no comments i will open it up for a possibility of a continuance. any public comment on item four? seeing none public comment is closed. colleagues can we have a motion to continue item four to the call of the chair. >> so moved. >> without objection? that will be the order. item number five. >> item five is a resolution urging the municipal transportation municipal transportation agency to implement a bike sharing program by 2014. >> i called this hearing and i want to thank supervisor chiu for cosponszorring with me.
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bike sharing programs give residents to access to publicly used space throughout urban areas. these programs are effectively effective in dense cities with extensive public transit like san francisco. bike share gets them out of private automobiles and frees up seats in buss and trains. it allows people that don't own a bike to bike when they want to or need to and also for people that own bikes to bike if they don't want their bike with them all day. bike sharing program have been known to lower auto use. in paris it reduced traffic 5% the first year. in china 78 owners use bicycles previously done by cars. they are good for neighborhoods and