conditions we're not necessarily with this expansion and improvement looking for bigger conferences our larger conferences are what the community wants but allows us to do back to back conferences smaller conferences instead of having dark days we can have a smaller conference in mucus west. the benefits will create about 34 hundred construction jobs and about 35 hundred permanent jobs. an additional $20 million in hotel tax revenue generated out of the project and continue to be a major economic development force for the city and county of san francisco and region of san francisco. the objectives of this project are to maximize the economic impact by attracting the clients and keeping the clients what we we already have. we want to maintain contiguous

operations of the building that's a complicated process to do the improvement while conferences are meeting in san francisco we don't want to close the building and have the negative impacts we're keeping the building open during construction and it will be beneficial to the citizens and california lists on muscone location by improving it's connections into the neighborhoods that's important when moscone opened 32 south it was different this will help to build san francisco's economic going forward but recognize and respect the neighborhood that has developed around it so we're very excited and we're forwarding to a successful project i'd like to ask mr. lopez our architect to come up and talk about this >> good afternoon edith lopez i

wanted the opportunity to add a few words about the importance the project to san francisco. over the past two years we've been w5shgd with the project team with an capitalization to fit the needs and expanding and at the same time fits into the neighborhood we've held more than two dozen community meetings with people and not or listens to their concerns and feedback has helped we've changed the maps and scaled back the south end of the building not to impose on was children's playground and improved accident access around mucus center. a lot of that was done through very detailed codifies with community members thank them and the project is better off when

we start and look forward to your approval of the project. thank you >> thank you. let's up for public comment please line up on the screen see of the room not to block the doors this is the public comment for item 12 through 13 d (calling names) >> good afternoon. i'm elaine i'm 81 years old i live across mucus from any balcony i see mucking everyday. there are 2 thousand people living around moscone. at the back maybe i don't

notice. we live here in the more thaning we go out and come home in the afternoon you're talking about mucus thousands and thousands of young people middle-aged we live here don't forget about us it's a children's park there's singers here the young and old there are too many people you're talking about extension. we want the city to implement a sidewalk management plan. that's all we ask. thank you >> thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors i'm john the chair of the beyond all doubt consortium i need to say the eir is still bad but

what happens is what matters we're willing to live with the paperwork and the results are very good. i wanted to note when i first when we first started this process maybe four years ago, we asked two goals from the city one was that yerba buena gardens after all said and define be a better place today, i'm pleased to report it will be a much better place the improvements that mucking center will make are used full and have a very good outcome and second i've explained to you at the hearing that the pedestrian issues clearly resulted from mucking starting 32 years ago finally once and for all will be mitigated and i'm pleased to

report thanks to the leadership of the director of public works they are going to be solved going to be basically mrementsd several items put before you two months ago to address the issues so the outcome is really good. we do need there's a few dot all the i's and cross the t's about the pedestrian mitigations we need what's been briefing alluded to by the city and put in a memo or letter before the board of supervisors when they approved this project i definitely have confidence in the director and team to foreperson follow through. i wanted to just amend what the gentleman said i know why we said it's a public-private partnership it's really a public-private at the mucus center the changes in the design

over the several years are sixth they were significant a great deal changed and so from our point of view you, you know, this is as we hope outline large south of market projects will be it's not just an economic engine for the tourists community but it's important south of market for all of us to get outcomes. and mr. alessandro will discover it's the best conference center in the country as a result >> thank you. >> good afternoon commissioners i'm sonya with todd could community advocate i thank john and i think they've spoken about

the expansion of the mucus center but we still have concerns about the number of conference people that will be at the center at all the complexed with the expansion and how that refers to pedestrians in the neighborhood. because people live in the neighborhood seniors people with disabilities and families that use the garden so there needs to be a mitigation plan in place to be or actually, i'mlogies my train of thought to be a part of the overall expansion of mucus. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> good afternoon, commissioners commissioner president wu i'm alice light director of community planning at the todd could groco group a.

those were on drawings but not part of the timeline of the project we're we're pleased in the current project the current amended project description those are part of the project and in the timeline i've talked specifically about when this begins we're pleased about that. there are items around design that have yet to be flushed out we look forward to continuing the public-private communicated partnership with the mucus team to find out more about the green wall and as i said before we

would like to see the 10 lower 10 feet be excellent plantings because that is what impacts the opportunity community the most and the bridge we know where it that will land but look forward to being part of the design >> thank you as the next speaker comes up i'll call more names (calling names). >> good afternoon, commissioners henry i'm the president of the south of market business association. we looking forward to an expansion of the mucus center it's going to create a better venue for companies to come over here rather than going to chicago other cities around the country it's a great project and

we're pleased to have this it will help to bring more people into south of market i hope you'll support this and we are certainly looking forward to that thank you. thank you >> thank you. >> good afternoon, commissioners i'm the secretary of the hotel of san francisco i want to thank you for your continued support the discussions have happened about the economic benefit especially for our hotels but in addition to that we have more business many our hotels had helps the citizens especially those working w in the hotels it increases our presence and our guests spend more money outside the hotels and helps others businesses working as well we're an industry of 24 you thousand employees and 57 period of time live and work in san francisco as a benefit of the expansion of

mucus really helps our citizens not only working but enjoying our community. i want to thank you and encourage you approve the eir before you today. thank you so much >> thank you. >> good afternoon, commissioners i'm scott i'm managing director for the yerba buena center i'm speaking on behalf of myself and our director. >> the yerba buena center supports the mucus project and the mucus center we appreciate the designer teams listening to the community and viewing the design it is a better design and function and creates numerous pedestrian and public realm improvements and finally we ask the city and mucus team to

continue the partnership that's been long-standing between the divisions thank you. >> thank you. >> commissioners excuse me. commissioner president wu and director ram i'm andrew be robison with the district i'm here to advocate for the commitments to the improvements in the public realm as the cd said before we support the mucus center and recognize it's benefits to the active streetscapes, however, it will increase the pedestrians traffic and in response we want to make sure the funding happens on the

east side we are pleased that the property pedestrian bridge the remnant of the bridge will be funding for that. we want to see the enforcement officers during the conferences that is probably the biggest supports to the pedestrian supports on conference day a bit more attendance we need on bicycling there's a bike share share in the yerba buena gardens plaza adjacent to the theatre i'll encourage the project team to make sure there's cooperation with other planned bike consortiums on howard and fulsome street finally, i want to thank the mucus team for engaging the neighborhood the teams response all reflected in the eir and i'm hoping that the

outcome of the mucking center has ground and we welcome pits integration into that community >> thank you. additional speakers (calling names) >> good afternoon commissioners my name is jennifer i'm the project manager at spur and here to support the mucus center first of all, that project we appreciate the economic significance of the tremendous importance of tourism in san francisco and ridicule the sites social and contacts the yerba buena sites is a community resource so the needs of the mucus center must be balanced. we evaluated the project according to land use and building design and economical effect we find the design

commendable it will improve the realm 6th and it will improve the pedestrian environment by bringing facades of mucus north and south closer to howard street and it will be repalatium for pedestrians the third street ramps to the loading docks will-less on the impacts opening up morality space on howard we are intrigued by the children's garden and welcome the better for block and the emphasis and encouraged the project design team to select the right uses and visible he elements to make it better the way it is constructed and managed will help to keep it safe.

we kurng the bridge across howard we believe the simplified bridge option improves the circulation on howard street near the carrousel and it will significantly improve the site we appreciate the outreach that the project sponsor has taken with the other stakeholders to address the concerns race and we encourage the commission to move forward on this project today. thank you very much >> next speaker. >> good afternoon, commissioners. my name is peter heart man a resident homeowner and an immediate neighbor of mucus center i live at third and fulsome over 20 years now. and i'm also a member of the

mucus strategic advisory group and i've watched the evolution of the project that is a great project and deserves our support. i i know in my long career as the city planning i've had an opportunity to go to conventions and conferences around the entry and in mucus meetings in the mucus center the difference can be striking with some of the other convention facilities the spaces are much bigger continued spaces are much bigger and the competing facilities. and this, of course, you've heard will allow mucus to update it's facility to be flexible for

the customers needs e needs whether chicago or orlando and other cities those conferences continue. from my standpoint you've heard about the pedestrian improvements i highly agree that that will improve any pedestrian experiences as a resident of the area particularly along third street that i walk sometimes several times a day which right now if you have been down on the block of fulsome >> howard it is on a experience that will improve it quite a bit and break up the block. mucus center has been from my point of view a very good neighbor and contributes is a lot of vital to the neighborhood people that attend the meetings

at mucus center spend money and support our local businesses the bars and restaurants and galleries in the neighborhood and i'd like to see this continue. so, please support the project. thank you >> thank you. >> good afternoon, everyone. commissioners my name is joe ann desmond a member of the local 16 i'm here to speak on behalf of the mucus expansion project? a wufr opportunity for san francisco to continue to attract high-level conferences as well as maintain the current efforts that be growing. without the mucus expansion san francisco risks losing how profile conferences to california and other states the

mucking expansion is essential to maintaining good wages and benefits for the members of local 16, the other employees at the mucking center as well as other businesses that support this industry. we'll appreciated our consideration thank you. thank you. next speaker. . >> good afternoon commissioners. commissioner president wu and director ram i'm kathy the executive director of the yerba buena community district i thank you for the opportunity to speak about the eir. has been mentioned previously the neighborhood has been transformed over the last thirty plus years to the increasing number of residents there's over 10 thousand people that that live within the yerba buena area the yerba buena gardens is a

focal points it's critical to the neighborhood vitality. i want to speak today in support of the overall project and all the public space improvements specifically funding improvements so far the children's garden area and the western pedestrian bridge both of those amenities are well loved in the neighborhood. i'd like to ask funds be looked for the pedestrian safety consortiums as referenced in the eir and that mucking continues to make the annual payments in closing i'd like to thank the mucking expansion team for listening to the neighborhood and making adjustment that improved the overall project we look forward to a vibrant conference center that serves the city as well.

thank you >> thank you. >> good afternoon commissioners and commissioner president wu and director ram i'm mary with the management group our firm has the privilege of providing the management services to yerba buena gardens and i'm here to speak in support of the mucus project and to speak to the improvements of the children's gardener in particular those improvements provide more useful and flexible spaces for the children to play currently, we have 2 hundred thousand kids a year that use the garden we expect more attendance with the families moving in and those greater attendance numbers are anticipated in the new design of the children's garden we'll be accommodating those numbers with more rooms and a complete

redesign of the flexible spaces. i want to speak to the comments about the community building through the design process and that's very true. many of the members of the design team meeting met with the parents and the janitor and the engineers in the garden that teach the other children in the learning garden everybody was part of the process and it's been beautifully designed. it is my duty to close all of us who work in the gardens are expecting increased attention on the street and we request that you fined the new pedestrian improvements thank you very much. thank you is there any additional public comment >> thank you, commissioners i'm

dick i've been the general manager of the mucus center for 32 years and been involved with the two previous projects i want to thank you in advance. >> thank you. >> sue hester i've had my office at market and polling for 32 years the mucus center has been opened less than that. i think the planning commission has a bigger responsibility now the redevelopment agency it no more there's no one left to have a hearing on the area around the heart of the mucus center it was really needed i speak as someone

that's been watching the conferenceers coming down irving and fourth a big intersection it's one of the main impediments to circulation in that area the traffic is helter-sketler and the pedestrians are out i have control and a lot of the people going through the intersection are going to the convention you see the badges on their chests i was disappointed in the eir the eir basically said it was foreign territory when our talking about fourth of market they only deal with fulsome and howard. the reality is people live the convention center and head to their hotel down eric street and

market street. there's really insignificant traffic control pedestrian control we need desperately widened sidewalks every time a convention is in the blocks howard street the traffic the muni is ridiculous. because it is an obstruction of the main thoroughfare we have the world's most tim i do control officers they don't yell at the pedestrians to stop blocking the traffic we need a lot of attention paid if increase no real development agency no more the planning

commission has to convene and hearing who do we go to. it because what is in the eir is kind of insulting it doesn't say those are valid conditions the situation is in a bad condition the flow of traffic is not a valid condition and because the construction is not a condition. so not so thank you >> thank you. is there any additional public comment oak seeing none, public comment is closed. i want to thank the mucking team for your presentation and the public that came out i agree with wholeheartedly the team is taking this seriously i appreciate you characterize the design to the project it is not

feeling going to to hearing the community i hope that spirit is taken into the future >> commissioner antonini. >> thank you for an excellent report and from what i'm hearing is listen to comments from the neighborhood. seems to be addressing them i hope that continues end up with a good sidewalk management and traffic control plans in e nucleus it is a part we have to address this in a variety of ways particularly the central somewhat subway and the center corridor we're going to be working on that to incorporate all of that to make transit

traffic more and more move more wisely through the area. and the only thing i'll comment on i think this is a great first step i may have mentioned this is from the 25th largest convention center to the 17 largest in the united states. as a city we're somewhere between 12 and 14th larger in population there are others cities that are of the same population but more important than that there are a lot of cities that attract the convention because of the appearance and the larger ones that attack if you kwemgz by a more significant thing the convention center is the largest in the i didn't in you include