rail for development around the various transportation infrastructure. moving on to the zoning and convalescence division that includes the enforcement functions and the general advertising program. we have minor staffing in the recent years and there's been a minor amount of complaints but we're addressing those complaints and finally, the administration division. in the directors office they analysis the city municipal i municipal codes and to mania liaison with elected officials. some major projects are a reorganization and simplification of the article two of the article code and the regulation on medic-cal

canneries. further ambassador programs and ambassador work. the department is excited to be implementing a new cashier system we'll finally, be able to accept credit card and debit card so we'll provide better service and the department passing has been working with the dbi with the tracking system. we're scheduled to go live at the end of march we are excited about that as well. so a way that we access is to regularly track performances measures. most of our performances measures we report on a

perspective basis help us to see how efficient we were on our projects. and we review those measures with the senior management team and the managers and it helps us to make decisions. f in the current planning division it reviews planning permits as he due to the complexity the code it does at the end to take a little bit longer to review many of those applications. we've seen significant growth in permit alternatives and drs to name a few >> i wanted to ask a question about that one in particular. you go from 23 to 26 percent and have a target of 75 percent

that's the only place in this entire report i saw something dramatically different. what in the department is going to help get there >> the staff not increasing only by 3 percent so is that an unrealistic expectation. >> it's to be clear our comparing the actual to the targets. >> you're right and other categories that are out of change. the reason the staffing hadn't changed yet because we that haven't added any new positions. we'll likely to be able to add a few we're still getting the numbers in. so we'll be looking at this obviously that's important.

that's out of change and some people go august u argue our target should be lower >> it didn't make sense to have a target that's 50 percent. area part of this is being driven by hoa because of the how number of building permit plagues to alternate existing buildings. there's been a huge spike in the building permits who knows if that's going to keep up >> commissioner johnck. >> of course, that caught my eye on the target performance measures. but i wasn't thinking you need to add staff i was thinking what are the performances measures in the sense and what i'm familiar

with in the state and federal process is every now and then we do the value jerry and look at the process how the staff is functioning. we found one agency there was a lot of hand-offs they check whether or not the error was there and send it on. so we consolidated and went through a process to get a faster time speed. so you don't have to give a report on the standards but that's something i'm interested in. >> i want to comment on that because i see it at the time. there's some a discrepancy and

then a staff member who's a historical planner is taking five or six months to do the same detail as one other employee. maybe a shifting of workload whose who's a person who is taking 6 weeks to someone who's clearly overworked. i agree with ellen that may not be about staff but workload >> thank you. thanks. >> okay. so moving onto the citywide tracking position they're going with the design activity and a lot of those activities are quit challenging to track. however, we track those to

referrals and the programming of impact foe revenue that comes in. we've been fairly successful in programming that revenue and to complete the referrals within the target number of days over the passing past two years >> moving on the the environmental planning division again, it reviews hundreds of cases due to the complexities and the ers continue to take two years sometimes to complete as with various planning applications prongs are sometimes put on hold or revised while in the middle of the environmental reviews that causes the time to be increased for the time to get it done. there are exemptions in a timely

manner that are done well above the target. the zoning motivation there's a backlog of complaints, however, this measure tracks to insure we're starting the enforcement proceedings on complaints that come in to do an assessment of them to understand the severity of them and we've been successful with those that come in the door. and finally, in the administration division. staff are involved in many activities attorney that contribute to meeting the goals such as a the administrative code. we plan to implement the new tracking system by the end of the march of 9014 and we also report on various information technology group and how it

group supports the network and managing the ticket. we report a number of issues and we review those measures on a frequent basis to help make departmental decisions that concludes my presentation we'll be come back back with the proposed budget with the entrants and any new requests we have at that time. me and director ram and the division chiefs they're here today if you have any questions, we'll be happy to answer them thank you very much >> commissioners, comments or questions. commissioner matsuda. oh, commissioner johnck >> pardon me. >> first of all, great report and just a couple of questions.

echo districts what's that the nature area districts plan it in the water department to look at the stormwater control >> i'm with the city division. the etc., could districts a one an effort for the core sustainable program it was nichtd to pursue an effort to achieve the city's goals at a neighborhood state law scale and working with the public works and other agencies as well as private stakeholders and property owners to look at ways to achieve our goals for water

and energy at the a local level in coordination with the retrofit of existing neighborhood but altercating other agencies like public works are looking at this on are still scale to tie it to our micro efforts >> another way to think about the echo things they apply to a neighborhood there are efficiency when you look at the clupgz of buildings. it's a plan we're working on with the nature areas under their jurisdiction. that's been a very long environmental review. there's a plan they put in place and an expensive e extensive e.r. that's being conducted and there's a lot of heated

positions. there are those who building we should cut down non-native trees and there are those who don't. that's been in the throws of a long series of meeting that's why it shows up. it is a bigger task than we thought it would be >> okay. just as a response back to that two. i believe that many of our natural areas are historic this goes to a comment about golden gate park so there's kwooift quite a significant issue between this and ours good. thank you commissioner honda. >> i'd like to understand better how the mission envision was

revised without our input. this is an important document and having diagonal is role important. last year and correct me if i am wrong i'm talking about staff head counts. labor not we but it was approved for 4 new head counts before and after july 1st of last year if i remember correctly. how many of those have been filled >> we've got oh, you're happy to answer that. >> you mean department would i do. >> we went to the board in the middle of the year and they give us 8. >> 8. >> (multiple voices).

>> it was during this current installation. >> how how many have those been filled. >> well, we've hired 37 since then. we went mid year for a supplemental and got those filed and the budget included an additional 8 positions that were unfunded as a precursor to do a spill so we wouldn't have to do a supplemental and if we recognized an additional issue then the mayor approved we go through the filling of the 8 positions with the expose revenue we're realizing in the current year were >> there was one historic

preservation and there was a compliance position. >> and commissioners tim fry i wanted to clarify that those additional adheres were focused primary on the sequa backlog and then the one enforcement planner position that was mentioned we're hoping to fill that position within the next month or so. just again in response to commissioner pearlman question about the process improvement and commissioner johns. we're looking at efficiency we can make comboifrl to eliminate the more than that 60 day turn

around we understand you are concerned about the delay >> it's about the matrix and tarlthsz. my initial reaction was that metric is pretty elongated or the time was one hundred and 20 days or 90 days yet the targets weren't all that high. and i'm curious what other cities i know when i work in la and portland and sal lemon and chicago and virginia we don't deal about even a quarter of a time with getting through the approval process and the reviewed sequa >> well, not just sequa it's h.r. pr's. >> commissioners, i hate to interpreters what table. >> well, just in general.

>> a general comment. yeah. >> but non-the percentage of all e all percentages of the buildings permits are approved in 90 days. >> 90 days is a long time. >> it's from all high-rises and all permits. >> do we know what other cities are doing with a performance prospective and knowing how to achieve those performances. >> i don't know. why do we take so long. to be clear here san francisco building inspection has to review more than chicago and more than los angeles because the evaluate vast majority of

what we do are discretionary. you read in the paper new york can approve one thousand to the buildings and theirs not review by the planning department. so new york reviews as a planning agency about 5 thousand a year we review 2 thousand and new york has ten times the population of san francisco and la has about one thousand projects. the other factor is because of sequa if a an approval process is discretionary with you have some sequa applies. not only are we required to review it we're required to do a sequa process. new york and chicago they don't review it nor do a review on a

thousand to the building you don't stop at the planning department. so the details are exclusively due to the volume. each of the case loads it's the cross-examination of the issue >> commissioner matsuda >> thank you, my comments. see are regarding this report will the planning commission hear the same report tomorrow. >> they will hear the same exact presentation form tomorrow. >> i'm hoping your staff will clearly rally our concerns and to kind of look at us not as total and separate silos but commissions that can clearly

work together. i didn't see that at all through the report. particularly in the area of - where is it? the community planning group. that real encompassed various community and within communities there's a lot of discussion about cultural and history. i'm holy through this process we can figure out ways to work together and to incorporate more of historic language or historic presentation in this. i don't see it at all when it talks about the planning group. i just would liquor and i'm sure there are members of the planning commission that will appreciate and welcome us

working together to become a stronger city with one voice rather than, you know, finding out information is not flowing >> commissioner wolfram. >> i have a question about the organization of the prehistoric preservation is there ever my elevation of the organization of the way the staff works in the quadrant so the preservation staff is assigned within a quadrant because northwest needs help but southeast can't help because of the workload. >> we have assignments within

each quadrant. i have a question about the organization >> the quadrant system i i know we talk about it every year or two if that's the way to go all the current planning we haven't talked about that by putting folks in the quadrant. the advantage is people get to know their district and the key players and their somewhat distinct. >> tim you might want to comment on that. >> tim. our sequa they're housed in different quadrant their floaters they go where the need t is bans a quadrant like you

said southeast quadrant is overwhelmed we'll see if the other quadrants r are able to help. we try to rethink it but we have noticed an improvement or efficiency in reducing the sequa backlog and san bernardino them to the planners citywide. commissioners >> commissioners, comments or questions. okay. we'll close that item and we will adjourn the meeting. excuse me. you're right we didn't have any public comment? >> i got to evenly grossed in the meeting. >> president hasz.

there's a project called the assemble center but i prefer to call it someone else. one didn't exit the area it wouldn't shock you to say it's a disgraceful wasteland and part of it is because there's no descendent design there what's there is discouraging people to not to want to be in the area. i have been for 15 years trying to get a public area plan put together. and i've recently increased my complaints to the mayor and he has asked the planning department to try to pull some things together. the things include substantial

safekeeping center they've hired some exotic planners from europe to make physical improvements to the safekeeping center but there's no agreement to the physical improvements and there's a trust in the public land to try to improve the playground but you can't do that alone. and then i've been push to use the platoon that was - the draft plan prepared 90 in 1998 which was put into the deep freeze to discuss a public plan that includes not only the plaza by fulton street. if you will, stone o ton street

was cleerd by this department many years ago to be a mall or something not a mroort but it's remained a parking lot. the centennial of the safekeeping center is in 20016 so is a go time to pull it together. i haven't had many direct conversation with director ram but it probably involves you're going those parts as well some consulting services as well as staff to develop a conceptual plan that can receive support among the various parties. i am one of the directors of the safekeeping center benefit district that represents thirty blocks. and then it could be sent off to environmental review.

now it could very well call for improvements i have a plan you can't discuss improving anything and the wasteland that is there currently will remain. so i view this as apple important step and we'll get behind it >> do you want to comment on that. >> yeah. . you, you know, the city took on union square years ago and had a desi competition. i've been in the city 24 years and the safekeeping center starting from whether i came here was camp agreeing in his at the time. it was an odd space for such a

prominent grouping of the historic buildings. so i'm wondering if there's any notation for a citizen intentional to do a national design competition. though do you get people to agree on the program but it seems like that could be a fantastic way to a shine the light on what are the possibilities for one hundred years later making this a great safekeeping space for san francisco? i'm not certain we need a design competition it was held in the 90s to choose a team to develop a plan. i think there's value in the plan one of the things i hope is looked at is the draft plan to see, you know, how much of it is worth keeping. i've suggested we readhere the

planners to update it and incorporate sustainable things as a budget way to move it forward. hiring international architects and all that will there the budget by several fold and the important thing is turning to the historic g.e. try and making this a public place that doesn't need ultra fancy architects. once we put this together then they're maybe a point where someone says maybe we need to have american people international competition i don't know >> thanks again on the

planning staff it's a busy crazy crazy time. thank you. >> special order of business, superintendent you have an announcement. >> item m, one of the item m items assessment for 13, 14, is being pulled from tonight's meeting, and will be reschedule for next regularly schedule