>> presentation. >> be mindful you have 10 minutes. >> 10 minutes okay. >> then my name is peter i'm the sfmta project manager for the van ness brt project i have my arts architect and landscaper architect to go over the landscaper wish you were here last month we did a presentation like a recap we'll talk about things i'll address some of the things the planning department staff has requested on the granite curbs we guarantee that we will replace and repair any curbs that are damages or sdprushd during the

destruction credit i construction process the issue comes up of putting now grainiest curbs the f.k. funding is they specific about only be able to use project funds for transit improvements and the question is either union street in curb that are a betterment i'm going to get a better dissension what it comes in the fta says it's okay. we'll go ahead and do it from the fta says they'll consider a betterment then we have a find a separate source funding we can't have the curbs are transit related i know it is splitting hairs on the platform we can put in curbs

brand new construction and transit related item we can adjust those to include the grainiest feature in these the public platform the she will not design back within 6 months and working with the staff to come up with something we can maintain that fits the character of the corridor and that in the future we can tie-in with the rest of the platforms you're building at mccart and van ness the earth features that tie platforms it didn't disruptive

the unity of the project the historic signage we can work with the planning department staff and sidewalks the sidewalks are an issue we're rebuilding all the sidewalks from the curb to between 5 and 7 feet into the middle of the sidewalk we're doing active construction work we can go in and could through the construction work and we have broken the sidewalk for poles we have putting in decoration for the - >> two feet and 5 fiat foot. >> two foot wide and 5 fufshz to enhance the look and the

sidewalk the fta recognizes the disabled improvements basically on the ramps the section in the middle of the block away formulates curb line in front of of the properties i couldn't or again, a question how to pay for it it is currently in the contract documents as a bid item we're work with dpw and planning to find a source of funds if we can find an independent source of funds we'll move forward but the core of the project we have a spebdz the funds on specific on transit related items and while we can justify the rae building sidewalks with a trolley poles it is a transit issue further in it gets trickier and defending ourselves with audits is tricky but

thought the appropriate color to do the work with and is signage we're happy to work with the planning department and coming up with something appropriate and coming back the last issue is the poles we the project team is happy to leave the exist poles we'll be happy to put a new cannot have painting not recommend we do this the poles 3 of them not in too bad of shape one is and hundred-year-old concrete this is why one of the poles are spilling concrete and others poles dropping concrete the rebar is starting to over load in the end after the project is completed the poles will be orphans no use to the sfmta no money to own them are maintain

them they can't be used as trolley poles not at all enough you are strong enough a secondary use as light poles in the sfmta didn't want them on more than poles the whole corridor tied together so at best we go have wherein hundreds-year-old poles poles in front of the the city hall and the open practicing are house an issue from the short term for graffiti and long term from concrete failure and the /* rotation the city department steps up and takes ownership everyone didn't center the funding or the abandoned width

i'll be happy to answer any questions. >> thank you. >> any questions commission. >> commissioner johnck. >> well, i guess i'll try to figure out what we're left with today oil defer to the architecture review committee you've heard this what a months ago or so, so i guess what do you feel you're left with in terms of we're left with not too much to approve without future information or do you think in our timeline. >> - >> a certify f /* /- certificate of approval to do the work i'm happy to do the sidewalk if you find a fund from

the fta has the funding i'll be happy to do that i'll work with the planning department staff to lobby the fta to get that permission and if we could get a certificate of appropriateness with those conditions anticipate is historic signage on the granite curbs open mcallister streets i'll go away happy the poles make that a condition the condition as far as preserving them we can preserve them but the sfmta didn't recommend preserving those poles as soon as the construction is done at the don't belong to anybody when they eventually drop a piece of concrete arrest a regular 311 you have a pole

that is rotting all the departments will be saying that's you're responsibility we'll say not us. >> any other questions. >> yeah. i have a question for the gentleman sorry. >> you talked about the signage and then i were suggesting that it was dir to the platt program is that the intent. >> yes the the city is started to or the department started to design some templates for landmarks and scanners for landmark district so shannon from our office presented that a few weeks ago to the commission we would like to continue to work on development of that template with the proximate cause team but you saw the basic

design to install banners rather than a fixed poster board along the van ness corridor within the district. >> and that i'm sorry, i didn't think to bring the graphic in with me i'm sorry the banner template includes two banners a map of the district and there's are texted with the brief description. >> and then option for either graphics on either side of the banner. >> thanks. >> so let's move on to public comment we have a handful of speaker cards. >> ask for your forgiveness if i mispronounce you're name

(calling names). >> you have up to 3 minutes. >> jane edwards a donor fin at city hall people all over the world come to this city not only for it but it's historic significance i don't believe for a minute that those light poles cannot be repaired it is something they just don't care about what other city in the united states can boost of century old light posts and lamps and if they can it is because they cherish the tradition they cherish the background and heritage that so many of our so many - people

before us have preserved do we want to live in a city that looks like every other city? those light posters and ramp posts are simple and beautiful in design they have a hints of mayan architecture in the american renaissance that was so important at the time they were built no. those people don't care they do not care about the lift those are essential to the history of the city and we want to say again that the trees that line van ness trees are the lungs of the earth

we 53 we should nurture them thank you >> (clapping.) thank you. >> pete. >> next up it mary ann. >> come on up, sir. >> good afternoon i motives to san francisco in 199 drawn to the fact one of the major arteries was mature trees i lives in negotiation and nothing like that running past city hall one of the you know, i realize there were several options brought up in the eir and option

a hybrids three and four that puts the brt in the middle as opposed to to the curbside by the board of supervisors but within the context of preserving the historic investment of thgrn space it is important to consider option two putting it at the curb see i've been a member of season ticket holder for the beetle singles 1999 i will say that during intermission stand on the balconies looking at across city hall you notice the beautiful mature trees in the for ground of the buildings behind they were studied for their health and i think on a ranking from one being poor and 5 the best almost all the medium trees that internal revenue the largest and

mature trees were ranked 4 or 5 this proposal putting the bart in the middle is suggesting taking down large and mature and healthy trees others trees put back will take many years of warranties to get those trees to get them close to where they are now decades and from today's meeting he hadn't been aware the granite curb situation but police vehicle new brt curb line that will free up the abilities for the granite i don't know i appreciate the environment and the trees are a large part of

that and hopefully, you'll move the brt to the bush side thank you. >> i'll read a few to get you lines lined up (calling names). >> mime mary anne represent the conveniently coalition we internal revenue strongly against the brt in the middle and we know that most of the public is completely unaware of the what this is all about and what will happen and what it see to the city it is think unbelievable restraining order building crime to not let's the public fwheeg on this project

i strongly urge that we go back to reconsidering the curbside alternative for so many reasons one being that is it safer and less more convenient for the elderly and the disabled to get to a bus stop that is curbside and also they're going to be eliminating a lot of bus stops 9 out of 16 so the disabled and seniors will have to walk blocks and cross busy streets to get to a bus this is absolutely ridiculous and doing it in the middle makes the beautiful look of van ness disappear those trees make van ness beautiful. >> highway it looks like a

famous boulevard with the beautiful trees and takes away two lasciviousness from traffic the traffic it credibly incredibly too heavy and that makes that worse and put up those this saping trees in 20 years the species is branched out tree that didn't have the ability to absorb all the carbon dioxide that will be produced if they put this in the middle and take away two lanes from vehicles and not only vehicles was the golden buses and all the tech buses and tour buses will still be using the two vehicle lanes so it is going to be a madhouse and for years of construction plus the inability

to make left-hand turns in two places and eliminating one hundred and 7 parking spaces is going to kill small businesses on van ness and flaesh that is there no way it project make sense at all and i really hope that someone comes to their senses and let's the city and public become aware and weigh in on what they want it is not what months of the people i know i have this with 4 hundred signatures. >> (clapping.) we can refrain from the clapping thank you. >> (clapping.) >> (calling names) commission i'm with the city and

county of san francisco i which is asked to come today, i feel strongly about the look and feel of van ness i'm like pete he was born and raised here and watched this go up as a boulevard that was an impairment the trees have added a characterization to the neighborhood and feel pride every taxi driver i've talked to in the last two months has expressed absolute disdain and amazement that this project it is underway you're beautiful old trees that were planted objective before i was born i'm close to historic preservation commission status not quite yet but those trees in the ground on van ness for over 50 years those

people are amazed we're having this conversation a sixth breakdown in the communication and my understanding this commission has the ability to review what has been going on and has the potential ability to slow down so we can at least came back take a solid look at what we are losing and - excuse-me. and make sure that all of the issues that those people here that are addressing are accurately address is other things pertain to the spofrz continued ability to find funding their focused on the transportation factor of this project we will not hear the end of this agreement argument we

have having don't have the money it's to the allocated for transportation as a skis not to address the van ness issues i'm sorry this is honestly not the last we've heard that have that excess /* excuse and new trees going in >> (calling names). >> is chris parks here move on mary is it chris parks okay come forward.

>> once you start speaking sgov will put it on the screen i am chris parks a big fan of muni grateful and use it almost everyday i doesn't support in certificate of appropriateness without substantial changes i'll character those changes as more in the orders of a rebuild i often jog around van ness and see the signs on the medium trees and all the trees have signs and then i came across the street lamps i wanted to give you something that hadn't come across in the drawings the

actual pictures this is van ness as you can see this huge cropping of medium trees and then along the sides are the historic street lamps in 1950 or something like that so this is just to give you a picture of what is happening this highlights the medium trees that character an end and begin van ness the historic van ness this is what is going to happen this is i don't know if this is a word but what we want to happen to van ness i'm worried about it trees up close where i work golden gate avenue crossing van ness and here are the trees to be removed those large medium trees and a lamp

posts hundreds of lamp posts being removed and one of the hectic lamp posts and this is the new station a channel with a contract now put this on the project sponsor said they'll have to remove those american people's tops i don't know what necessary have to do with the district this is where we are today and a picture of the is you know the trees lost in front of us so, anyway i'm asking to reconsider this i was going to add i requested that you continue this certificate of appropriateness and ask the project sponsor to work with staff to address you know the preservation of these granted medium trees and others feature that make van ness the heritage street today, i throughout the

project has a gap but no one was to address the historic features it this noting is not something to address the 14 needs to find a solution for that, however, thank you. >> please refrain from clapping. >> sir if you continue to disrupt those procedures we'll call the sheriff you'll be removed from these chambers if you so wish. >> so the last 4 speaker cards (calling names). >> mary are you here? okay. we'll move on jeff.

>> yes. i'm jeff hello, i'm jaws of life a citizen of san francisco thank you for having me. thank you for my fellow citizens to bring this to the commission and ask you oppose the approval of that project for a number of reasons my fellow citizens mentioned in particular the trees and shade of that covers van ness is quite beautiful and that will be gone as soon as they do the project i came to talk about practical aspects i think are ridiculous so the project design will speed up muni along van ness avenue currently the bus goes 3 mile-per-hour across the stretch to a kwhoop 6 mile-per-hour not rapid 6 miles per hour is not rapid any bicycle can go faster

than change the name the project and how did i get this whooping speeds one they reduce the number of lanes present from of down to 4 they get rid of turns and they change the timing of the lights and most importantly and what you needs to consider the removing more and more half of the current bus stops i'll ask this group of people that put this project together to try to do a trial run along the side of the street not in the middle but along the side of running the buses with reduced number of sidewalks i bet the buses go faster than the proposed in the medium middle with all at changes from 5 to $10 million i think i heard not enough funds to do what you're parking space

to do remove the bus stops and run current buses with a reduced number of bus stops to maybe 5 to $10 million that gives us $9 million to do other things you need to consider as well as the project could be done maybe in a couple of weeks instead of a few years with inconvenient recuse the lanes from 6 to four where will accident traffic go in the proposal they don't dr. an answer it is a thirty percent reduction of number of cars from the what is currently undergo this is a lot of a lot of adams pollution with no trees to suck up the co2 and the medium someone else mentioned that in the middle 100 percent of the

riders need to cross van ness avenue on the side only 50 percent need to cross the street thank you very much. >> patrick kearny. >> hello commissioners. i'm address the commission up to three minutes. care in a an architect that works worked on the recreation of city hall i'm a member of the city hall advisors commission to our commission sent you a letter about the brt's all to run to the highlights number one the light poles their referring to can you zoom if you account the hectic photo the poles are

actually utility wires put up for the pan pacific exhibition so those poles have been originally transit poles not light poles since the poles were insult as part of streetcar poles be remained i agree keep the hectic fabric but the poles had been remained have no relevance towards city hall towards van ness for the exhibition or anywhere on van ness up to some that are remained remained we know those poles were not planned in any of the 6 years designed torn city hall for the

architect and roe vs. wade the trees we love trees we want to be sure that still does we feel the quantity of trees located only haven between grove and mcallister be reduce to allow better voishltd the city hall and any trees replaced westbound unified in the transparent canopy we have concerns about the double right now of trees proposed for one section in the medium strip base of the blockage of city hall additionally with a wall of it all closely spaced gum trees down van ness the composition of the veterans building can be obscured the composition between the building is not two parts divided by a hedge of eucalyptus

trees we applaud the work that mediating and her team and the additional trees will add to van ness but the team is adding many, many more trees and planted as large as the city can afford third, the height of the new fence and gate system to be in the mediums strip been grove and mcallister park be recommended from 4 foot 6 to 4 foot for more visible thank you, sir, your time is up thank you. >> robert masonry. >> thanks i'm robert masonry senior engineer with the transportation authority my agency was the lead agree agency from 2007 and intuitively and with the mitigation program and

monitoring program i came here to have some notes from the environmentally. >> sir, if you're part of project team you should have incorporated you're presentation. >> we're not part of the team but a cooperating agency. >> you're hired. >> no a separate agency with its own interests in the project. >> all right. >> so you're a public citizen commenting. >> i'm a professional civil engineering the federal administration did designate the authority to the transportation authority that concludes the analysis done consulting with the planning department staff and the states go historic preservation officer some defensive that were daughters

and concurred by the ship regarding did trolley poles our historical consultant from j rp consulting find the trolley poles are not eligible for the register in and of itself because we lack the integrity of the significance and in parts they have different fixtures that were changed and moved later and the design and installation were not part of civic center plan with the connection to the pacific exhibition and only have a partial relationship to the historic district that said this transportation authority strongly supports the advice and approval of the historic preservation commission as shown in 5 of our 41 mitigation measures that the certificate of appropriateness

provides and we are very happy to see you taking that role seriously and support our continued involvement in the project thank you. >> i think we have two more speaker cards. >> this item. >> donald. >> (calling names). >> become i'm donald the executive director of the civically communicated benefit district on the planning cac i came because we've been working on this for two years and having

another 3 years before you see a bus going down the mediums for the project for all reasons that people are against it and people for it it seems like the idea of being a unique endeavor to walk to the middle the streets we do it on market street and complaeshg and in front of of the ball park i'm not concerned where people pick up the bus we are concerned about the construction phasing and a long term for the area and you know the arithmetic are concerned how that will work they realize that getting to the transportation flowing through where what it is now will help where it is in thirty or 40 years we'll be

cutting down trees but replanting twice as many trees i'm happy about that part i want as a person if the actual community wanted to say thank you. >> thank you. >> good afternoon. i work across the street 4 hundred mcallister park court house and shamdz to say i learned about that project today but when i heard about it i felt compelled to come and speak in opposition of the project first for several reasons many have been and the to summarize i think you need to view this is as a cost benefit analysis the costs i'm hearing a lot about what cost to be to the

public and i really don't get what the benefit would be to cut the lane traffic from 6 to 4 i don't know if any of you traveled along van ness friday late afternoon it is very, very long time to get a short distance to reduce the unable number of lanes is a horrible as to the number of trees their crucial to clean the air i on the need for the trees to remain is greatest i personally need to make a left on van ness and the left-hand turns my understanding is lombard it is inconvenient for someone like me and further

the one a hundred and 7 patricia's that will be permanently eliminated it is in the wrong direction an extreme shortage of parking spaces so it is so bad i got rid of my car parking is to bad around here i'm a fan of muni i like the other speakers before me this project is very parolee could be severed and i think at the lease consider some other alternatives and maybe give the city more tii understand amendments we should consider the trees as landmark trees they quality in items of size and diameter i ask the commission to consider

any public comment? hearing non-and seeing none, public comment is closed commissioners, back to you. >> commissioners you want to talk about that. >> if we could start out with what we're here for that focuses the discussion certain things if i miss state i hope my fellow commissioners or city attorney will correct me but i do not think it is within our purify to review the traffic studies and i don't think it is within our purview to review the wisdom are not have that kind of of a plan our focus is much on more

specific and much narrower and has to do with with things like for example, the poles and the architecture or design of the bus stations which is now seems as somewhat off the table for today because there's going to be reconsidered and other things not in the nature of freezing the development of the city and county of san francisco but are in the nature of determining as by itself we can how the historic preservation commission concerns can be addressed within 9 context of this project so limiting to that i think that the developments as far as taking temporary making

the bus shelters all the table is a very good step i have in opinion on the tree issue i'm sympathetic that the views of city hall ought not to be blocked i would say i think that the light poles streetcar pole thing is becoming clear to me that they should simply be eliminated the reason they should be eliminated they're not eliminated now it seems to me they'll fall down and injury someone this and others civic bodies will be put in a position to say trying to say that it was responsible to require them to be maintained or to be left there we know that none will

maintain them moofr i'm not convinced their such a significant part of the history of san francisco that they need to stay in in front of the the city hall and the opera house someone suggested they could be put somewhere else i think this would be a very good idea but until we can maintain them we have simply causing a safety hazard i don't know we should do that after that i think the proposal has considerable merit. >> commissioner pearlman. >> thank you you know, i wanted to get clarity for the people that spoke i have sympathy for your concerns we received this letter from mary miles an attorney for

your concerns it is dated september 2013 so one of the speakers so no public you know the public didn't know about this project and the last speaker said i find out about today, if this is a final environmental impact report and to years and years of review and i'm surprised that and is project sponsor can you can tell me if this is true i see a woman shaking her head you can't are an eir without lost public anonymous. >> ma'am, ma'am, yourself out - >> no environmental impact report means lots of public announcements whether you believe that is of particular

concern a number of issues at hand our purview is only for this brt project within the civic center and i think a lot of the public think we have responsibility for the brt's along van ness which we have no jurisdiction over and i think commissioner johnck commissioner johns said no jurisdiction over where the lands go and thing that have been worked on for many, many years i do have some comments about what we are here for we're he would say hostage by the notation we don't dr. enough money we don't have enough money i agree with the speaker that talked about that fact a fact of civic life there is on this so much money that goes around i'm concerned about the sidewalk issue i mean the curb and

sidewalk issue through expelling there is some way i think a patchwork of half the sidewalk done and some of the sidewalks and curbs done in front of the the civic center ♪ historic district is a disagree so much of the presentation of san francisco i don't know where the money comes from i'm sympathetic to the project sponsor that you know you can't reach into his pocket and throw in additional money for the curbs i'm here on behalf of the project sponsor the department and mta can perhaps make an argument why it is port of transit corridor and there's value it seems to me people walking along the sidewalk to get to the bus is part of a transportation issue so you know it seems to me rather than desperately e stepping back

without awning argument let's gets creative to figure out union argument the fta can contribute because those things in the civic center district are sxooem important one other comment about the signage this is not the place to resolve this today, i was hoping there would be something more informative than two banners something that might be in the shelter or something it to read about it is amount in a year the intriefr line along van ness was built for the p pe i think that is a pretty interesting story and, of course, the civic center and why our stopping here pretty important part of the story we'll be discussing on, on the poles i'll torn i understand the issue of them been orphans i go

a commissioner johns for us to say they have to be part of that and a piece of concrete drops on someone's head who is responsible is a significant front to back so i'm sort of leon in the camp of let's not have them at the same time that aerial shot that shows someone put on the overhead you can see the light poles marching down they're part of history the p pi e their history the resurrection ever san francisco arrest the earthquake and they're not part of history it seems to me they definitely are more of the comments i had when we were reviewing is there any way to you know and this is there the arts commission to make an art

piece out of some with interpretive information for a place for people to witness that history i am not i was hoping to be at this significant place i think so is can't be hopefully, this will be future exams before they're taken down between the planning department's or the arts commission that we you know perhaps come up with a creative idea for in their reuse i tends to agree with commissioner johns but you know not having them at all if in their and nuisance over time >> quick question for the project sponsor just was because i take the bus will the bus lines has nothing

to do with it but you're here i'll ask this will the private commuter bus be like on market. >> the van ness lines the transit is muni returning the 47 and 49 lines and golden gate transit from marin county and 5 stops - 7 stops along van ness avenue. >> my thing were basically down during commute hours on van ness because muni shares a plain clothes block of lanes with taxis picking up people and now all of a sudden without accommodations for those other folks that have a pull over a plain clothes a lane we're down to one lane. >> the commuter shuttles are

allowed to share the transit lanes we look at that possible and typically board passersby in 30 seconds the commuters take 5 or 6 minutes that is a weigh the for the passengers it will mess up and transit timetables we're providing though 4 of our old sidewalk side stops during commute hours to be there for the use of the counterpart shuttles so a lot of traffic into a bus stop and not have us fighting with them over whether or not they should be there and board their passersby more efficiently. >> the last thing i mentions last time is trucks i'll go through any local supervisor

farrell to get transportation for no longer tractor-trailers their block a lane down to one lane will be a disastrous thank you. >> so on the historic side you know the light poles i'm torn as well i love them i lived either on union or van ness and traveled van ness for 20 years, however, t ti b buildings were not to last their falling apart once being a builder that once the rebar is rusty that will continue to crumble i'd like to save them this is done they're not built to last unfortunately, like the p pi building mayor they were but for public safety the granite curbs i have a tough

time not traditional to bring in the curb and it is one section if we do it if we want to try to fight that fight but not the whole project for that preparing to me not a fan of the project but not here to comment as a whole on this on the specific parts thank you. >> commissioner johnck. >> thank you for claifshg our jurisdiction which i agree with specific about what we have over the project to me what is make sense or compelling the fact that the section one so 6 evaluation products 5 mitigations that those mitigation conditions found their way in as conditions that are recommended to us ; is that correct shelly.

>> just to clarify those 5 mitigations are all require a certificate of appropriateness to be issued for the final project as it in the area of the civic center landmark district. >> okay. but no more explicit. >> no - >> having more detail. >> the by requiring the c of a impacts to the aesthetics and can remember resources will be mitigated. >> okay. so we selected this or you selected those particular conditions okay. fine which i think are valid they're good and but i was think and done with the evaluation so i agree with the team of what our staff has come up with now except for

the trollies poles i thoughts it was interesting that they were not credit cards resources two of the in terms of the p pi e the history that have that somehow, i got the yfdz of a debate their sixth i agree walking down here van ness today coming to city hall i was thinking about them i knew they were part find discussion so it is hard for me as well but none taking ownership he like the idea of art commission yeah. i think that would be something assets to the committee and the arts commission could think of speaking but, yeah if they're a safety hazard none will take charge of them i'll be in favor.

>> don't like to do it i'm in favor of that recommendation. >> mr. fry and commissioners two points of clarifications in our deliberation over the trolley poles one the trolley poles will not found to be resources for lack of district in the eir are contributing features to the seismically landmark district in the service center they're considered character to finding marvin at our discretion to see how their treats the second clarifications is that nobody disputes the concrete portion the poles are in disrepair and in discussions with the project team it was always assumed some recasting of concrete portion has to occur

this will certainly extends the life of the new poll and reuse of decorative metal features on the hectic pole being moved to the new poll while we think those poles are left in place and left to further degrades, in fact, the intent the absorption of the department compel rehabbed and could buy us time to find responsible parties whether dpw or mta to maintain them as we move forward we don't believe the safety hazard will be as i am meningitis. >> commissioner hasz. >> are you talking about the poles in the civic center. >> just the poles in the civic center and that's per staff's recommendation. >> right and the funding source

for recasting. >> i would defer to the project sponsor but my understanding is they have the ability to recast the poles and rehab the poles should this commission find that that is something that should be include in the project the big question the long or long term maintenance. >> project sponsor. >> yeah. i don't think i've given the impression do we have a technical ability to recast the poles yes. >> do we have budget of justification no, i mean we could build new polls and do it all sorts of new things the primary concern our part is that in the end whatever we put out there whether not have an owner

and had discussions we agreed to with the existing poles refurnish and fix them up once the water gets to the rebar and it rusts we can try to reseal but the damage is done and we said have to look at the costs of actually taking down the exist poles and casting new concrete poles and in their place we talked about at the last meager about on the same page all the cast ironrk