tv Small Business Commission 61316 SFGTV June 22, 2016 2:00am-6:31am PDT
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>> this is a regular meeting of the small business commission held on monday, june 13, 2016. this meeting is being called to order at 5:30 pm. tonight's meeting is being televised live in a small business commission thanks media services and sfgtv for televising and airing live the commission meeting. they can be viewed on speed tv channel to channel 78 or live stream by going to sfgtv.org and click on watch sf the of td two. members of the public please take this opportunity to silence your phones and other electronic devices. public comment during the meeting is limited to 3 min. per speaker. unless otherwise established by the presiding officer of the meeting. speakers are requested but not required to state their names completion of the speaker card while optional, will ensure proper spelling of speakers names in the written record of the meeting. these deliver speaker card to the segregated additionally there's a sign in sheet at the front
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table aa to be added to our mailing list. >> before we get started i will just do our normal preamble as is our new customer we begin and end each small business commission meeting with a reminder that the office of small business is the only place to start your new business in san francisco and the best place to get answers to questions about doing business in san francisco. the office of small business should be your first stop when you have a question about what to do next. it is also the official forum for discussing policies projects and other items that affect small business in san francisco. so we invite everyone from the public to come here and express any issues or concerns you have. best of all, all of the servers of the office of small business are free. so if you need assistance with small business matters, start here at the office of small business. thank you. >> item number one, call to order and will call. commissioner adams, here. dooley-she's on her way.
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commissioner dwight, here. ortiz-cartegena is excuse. commissioner tour-sarkissian, here. riley, here. transgress , here. mr. pres. you have a quorum >> great. if i may, general public comment [inaudible] for those you been here before we sometimes begin the meeting with public comment but we are going to let general public comment is item number 11. just fyi. item number two >> item number two, approval of the july 27, 2016 draft regular meeting minutes. >> commissioners? moved and seconded. all in favor >>[chorus of ayes] opposed?
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>> approved. five aye and zero nay. item number three, approval of the september -parting >> september 14. >> yes we should take- >> sorry. so, we are taking care of some past minutes here approving them. if there's anyone who like to comment on item number two, which is approval of the july 27, 2015 meeting minutes, you may choose to at this time. any public comment. seeing none, public comment is closed. on to item number three >> item number three approval of the september 14, 2015 draft regular meeting minutes. >> commissioners? >> we should take public comments. before taking a motion.
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>> any members of the public like to comment on item number three? >> all right seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners? moved and seconded. >>[chorus of ayes] opposed? >> passes unanimously >> now that we done that anyway like to comment on this item? so public comment is closed. item number four >> item number four approval of the april 25, 2016 draft whether meeting minutes. >> when anyone from the public like to comment on these minutes ? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners? moved and seconded. all in favor >>[chorus of ayes] opposed? passes unanimously. when anyone in the public like to comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed.
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sounds all little weird but got to do it. item number five. >> item number five, presentation and discussion on board of supervisors file number 160639. initiative ordinance business and tax regulations code 3/4 cent sales tax. our present to be jason elliott deputy chief of staff at the office of mayor ed we lee. >> welcome jason. >> there we go. >> no, not yet >> testing. testing >> there we go >> good afternoon. my name is jason elliott on the deputy chief of staff to san francisco mayor ed lea. thank for having
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his presentation today in the hopes that you can see the second half of the game. i'll keep my comments short and reserve your time for questions. as was described,, the mayor, along with supervisors john avalos, weiner for whom a representative is to address you briefly as well, supervisor mark and joe and jane kim sent several months working on drafting a proposal for this november ballot to increase the city's sales tax to fund priorities related to transportation and homelessness, and we are happy to have put forward a consensus measure and we know seeking the support of this commission, many other commissions. the board of supervisors and ultimately the voters of the city to raise the city sales tax by 0.75%, the currently sales tax is .8 .75. the state
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will be reducing their portion of the sales tax by .25 and then we would intend to increase the sales tax by 0.75. after all that is done, we would be looking at an effective rate of 9.25. by way of comparison, even with these increases were proposing and i'll get into the uses in a moment-even with the increase we are proposing, we would still rank fifth of the nine big cities that surround us including oakland, berkeley fremont, san mateo, daly city and san jose. certainly, we know san francisco likes to be number one. when it comes to tax rates. that's maybe not something this commission would seek in this case we would not be the highest effective sales tax rate of our major bay area big-city neighbors. so, the tax itself, as i mentioned, .75, would raise approximately $150 million a year and growing by inflation and by growth in the economy. we are basing all of the uses off of 150
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million-dollar round number just to help the conversation. so, within that $150 million were looking at spending about $100 million more on transportation related improvements on the city. broadly, that's about $50 million a year to the mta for a variety of things including a bus is commanding facilities, and service expansion. about $35 million a year to street repaving, good old-fashioned street repaving and pothole repair and about $50 million a year to fill some of the city's regional transportation commitments including two bath and caltrain. at approximately $100 million for transportation and the remaining $50 million will be to fund expansions of the city's spots to homelessness. they're not use categories specified the way there are for transportation, but within the homeless bucket per se, we would look to spend most of that money on expanding the navigation centers, on
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solving the family homelessness, on creating more housing exits as we: an permanent supportive housing building. that's really the broad breakdown of course am happy to answer any questions about those categories that commissioners have. i will just mention that the mayor has a-i'm sorry. i should also state proposing a 25 year sunset on the stack. in 2042, it begins in calendar year 2017 and would sunset in 2042. i'll just mention in california, jurisdictions can only add 2% above whatever the state tax rate is good that's a cap. we would not be--there are 11 jurisdictions that i've actually received legislative approval to go all the way up to 10% and we are not one of those jurisdictions we don't intend to seek that approval. those jurisdictions that allow to go to 10% include alameda county contra costa, la county,
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in several cities, hayward, union city we go, rivera and southgate. those places all proved to be a 10%. we are not as i mentioned were not seeking that approval. so, before i answer questions, they to invite any time and from supervisor scott weiner's office to make a brief statement in support. if that's okay? >> sure. >> i could on any from legislate away from the scott weiner. i will highlight our office has been working closely with supervisor avalos and supervisor farrell beginning the expenditure plan. in addition to just a lot of making sure this gets on the ballot smoothly. putting a lot of time into this without biggest interest of being seeing that there is dedicated sustainable dependable secure funding for transportation. having a secure revenue source is important especially in these longer-term infrastructure focused master plans. money going towards part. money going towards
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caltrain bagels. towards the muni equity strategy, towards preventative maintenance for muni vehicles. money going towards mission zero and complete streets by safety, etc. so, definitely in support of the sales tax for transportation and, i'll answer any questions. thank you >> all right. i have a few questions. so, presently, the state of california base rate is 7.5. is that correct? >> currently, the state base rate as of april 1 of 2016 is 6.25%. >> >> 6.25% >> correct >> so are already above the 2% cap? >> the locals raised sales taxes 1.25% and the special use tax which includes parts and schools which is not general fund, is about >> those those were not-and
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those were not instituted by the county is san francisco. those are regional? >> there is a dude by the county of san francisco but they don't fund general government purposes from the general fund such as homelessness. >> all right. so there's been a lot of emphasis on this theme dedicated phone. my understanding this is a general obligation bond. is that correct? >> if the general-the way that we have chosen to move forward is to propose two pieces of legislation and i don't know technically which are hearing today but there's actually two different files. first is an initiative ordinance to raise the tax itself and then there's a companion charter members which is supported by the same group of elected officials, there were actually great expenditure categories and would act as a baseline for the earliest social uses i mentioned ashley two separate measures. >> so we asked the public to vote on dedicated funding we require a different percentage
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to pass that. is that correct? >> yes. there's an option to have a two thirds vote threshold measure, which is a dedicated tax get what we propose is a general tax. >> but we, so we are going to pass a general tax with 51% vote and they were going to a charter amendments to dedicate this funding? >> that's accurate >> a lot of and this is on by your colleague there on the making sure that we preserve funding. well, what you do that is two thirds vote for dedicated funding and charter members can be rolled back by the subject of administration, cannot? >> no. only the voters can change that charter amendment. >> only the voters >> in other words if the charter amendment was to pass which really doesn't know future administration or board of supervisors- >> the charter initiative is a
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ballot initiative? >> yes. i'm sorry that was not clear. >> okay. i am new to this so it's interesting to me that we are trading two thirds votes for two items that require a simple majority. is that what i'm saying? >> sorry for interrupting. we have done this in the past including with housing trusts created $1.5 billion housing fund in the city back in 2012. there is precedent for this. >> okay. the other thing is, and i don't know if will hear from anyone from our merchant community as to whether they have an issue with raising the sales tax for that much. so, we are basically taking-particular quarter percent but california's rolling off this proposition 30 is some setting that quarter percent. we will take that for ourselves because what goes to the state
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[inaudible] because it's parsed out across all the entire state. so we will we claim that and add another half a percent rather than seeing it decrease in our sales tax which we would see this did not exist, we will see a half percent net increase. that's the net. >> that is accurate. would look at pain have a similar dollar for your cup of coffee. >> okay. commissioners, any questions? >> i have a question. this reduction is going to take place one? >> at the end of the calendar year, december 31 >> these two pieces of legislation have to pass at the same time. if one does not pass-x ln. that to me. how was i going to- >> sure. the intent of both on this november's ballot. in the charter amendment, which great
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expenditure categories there is an option for a unilateral option for the mayor to cancel the baseline. to cancel the charter amendment, if in looking at the city's revenue picture the mayor doesn't feel those baselines are fiscally booted. so there's an option for the mayor to, in other words, the sales tax would you not have server some other reason the mayor would have a one-time option to not have the baseline expenditures move for. these are scenarios which we are losing and will to win these measures. >> you will to win. >>) >> i just want to know how that's when to work. if you have to pass at the same time, for your goal to be reached, correct >> that's right >> also, with these take effect
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simultaneously with the sales tax with the reduction of the city government waived not personal tax goes down and goes back up again? >> that's a good question for the controller's office which i cannot give you a definitive answer to. >> burgess will need to know,, and all of us will need to know where selling online, red brick-and-mortar to adjust the tax tables in concert with whatever changes are happening. will need some guidelines on that. >> i will make a note of that. >> actually entered-i actually two questions. one was about a sunset provision answer you're building a 25 year sunset did i won't be around for that one probably. then, provision for release of california were to raise its base rate but i guess that's implicit in the 2% cap unless we were to pass more dedicated funding. is that correct? >> if the city were to pass the measure that were proposing for this november ballot there would be no more room in the city's ability, local ability, to pass new tax it. >> but in advantage of this
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being general obligation tax money is it contributes to the 2% cap >> that's correct >> if we make this a two thirds vote dedicated tax, that would leave room for additional tax general obligation tax within the 2% >> that is possible. if were to be a tax that were run through the county transportation authority for example. so it sort of, yes. to answer the question >> i'm just trying to-i think my concern is a merchants and is a vocal citizen is that we are creeping up on 10% here. i don't want to be the first one to go there. >> and we are not, commissioner, opened as an effective rate right now of 9.5%. as i mentioned, a number of our neighboring cities including berkeley and fremont are also up at the 9.5. i read off the cities and counties that sought legislative approval to exceed that cap, as i mentioned we don't intend to
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do that. >> all right, commissioners? commissioner dooley >> have you done a report on possible impact on big-ticket items in the city that might be impacted by those dollars leading us to go to another area that would have a lower sales tax? >> we've asked those questions. there's a use tax oh sales and use tax not an expert on tax law. i do know there's a controller's office person who can help me out on this one, but as i understand it, it's a sales and use tax and if you buy a car in this vein, wherever those car dealerships out, and you intend to use it in san francisco if it paid that san francisco use tax. that's my understand is just that question. also, the point i was trying to make is that
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there's a number of cities that border us in the bigger cities around us that don't have a effective tax rates that are significantly below ours. we might see on the state border where the taxes is 8-10% lower 20 min. away. we simply don't have that situation. >> the old buying in your car in oregon, chad. >> that old trick. >> commissioner riley >> i mentioned the 25 years. why 25 years? is a reason for that? >> that was a product of discussion between the matter supervisors i mentioned earlier to create a revenue stream that's long enough to make some of the investments we want to make because this tax has been discussed is intended to fund infrastructure projects the purchasing of new vehicles, many things that we look over a long time horizon to fund as was the number of years exactly 25, that was simply a point of discussion among elected officials and that's where they chose to link it will be happy to take any feedback the commission thinks that that's
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too long or too short. we welcome feedback. >> well you are saying it takes 25 years two, which we want to accomplish? >> well, i think it would take longer to question everything we want. i think we always have to keep working to build a better immunity system and fund parts and build more homeless housing. certainly, these are longer-term investments that we want to make and so we have one of long time horizon to look out over sort out trying to buy a ton of stuff in your one and two and having it sit around on use. it is as a longer planning horizon. >> thanks >> commissioners, any other questions or comments? okay so thank you dennis. will open this up to public comment. any members of the public that would comment on this item? just a reminder public comment is limited to on these items, 2 min. is that correct? >> 3 min. unless you-
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>> okay 3 min. just so you know you'll get a gong 30 seconds left. when not trying to be rude but if you start to get the gist we have certain rules to follow here and so 3 min. is the limit and it will interrupt you at the 3 min. and use my proverbial hook to pull you off the stage. we encourage people if you have comments in advance i come down and read them into the rut. you're here to get it on the record so you don't get any demerits for reading here. it's not the academy wants. just get it on the record. >> my name is eileen broken, parkside resident. i'm opposing the three-quarter cent sales tax and its regressive and impact low income people the most. also, it's not clear at least that one point mta was paying for their own, you know, proposal for a half cent sales that. it's been combined with something else or is this in addition to what mta is asking
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for a have sent? that's not really clear. so, whether there's one or sales to taxes. but, did the proposed sales tax initiative are in addition to in november will be a parcel tax for trees and this would be in addition to the recent parcel tax for dave restoration, so we just seems that this feeding frenzy when it comes to new tax. >> thank you. next. >> stephen cornell. i just want to point out that proposition 13 was passed. a lot of us think it might be a bad thing, but it was passed. that's the will of the voters it was real specific. you need two thirds vote to pass a tax. this is a way to get around that a little bit. i think, in the spirit of the law, that something we should be thinking about. i didn't i lived here all my life. i can remember
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unfortunately when it was 3% sales tax. remember, it's a percentage. it's not $100. it's a percentage and every so many years ago is up and up and up taking more bigger piece of the pie. sometimes we might have to live within our means. thank you. >> any other comments? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners, any other follow-up? well, we can take action or not. i think even this is the first that we've heard of this, great, thank you very much. appreciate you informing us those numbers who showed up today. so, if we want to discuss this further awaiting with the meeting we can agenda. >> perhaps we should get the timeline of when you could provide the commission with a timeline of when this need to
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be decided upon to be on about? >> survey. both of these items are now for the board of supervisors and i'll follow the normal election calendar, and media can ask sonny to me because i don't know exactly but it sometimes at the end of july the measures need to go. i'm sorry. i didn't ask you. it sometime in the end of-i trust some. she says july 12. it sometime around that timeframe maybe i can e-mail you the exact count. i'm sorry i don't have an answer >> no problem get one or two meetings the penning on one that is i had a bus so if there is an interest in having us on the agenda, it is now stimulates some interest in the broader community and they want to discuss this item here and will consider that. >> be happy to come back anytime >> thank you. all right. next item >> item number six, discussion
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and possible action on board of supervisors file number 160102, planning code weighting formula retail and polk street neighborhood commercial district 1 but cementing the planning code to branded formula retail industry will street neighborhood district open the planning departments determination under the california environmental quality act making findings including findings of public necessity, convenience and welfare under planning code section 302 and findings of consistency the general plan and the priority policies of planning code section 101.1. discussion and possible action item. >> our presenter is sonny angelo of an a to supervisor peskin. >> hello. good evening everyone. thank you, commissioners for having me here this evening. and for considering supervisor peskin's legislation. so, just to give
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you a little bit of background and some context of the legislation that is before, in 2005, supervisor peskin legislative successful formula retail controls the north beach and he's been a strong supporter of the committee's push to preserve the character of chinatown. to similar measure did a decade ago neighborhood groups like the lord polk neighborhoods, neighborhood association and cathedral neighborhood association began organizing efforts in the general polk cd to connect issues of public safety transportation of small business preservation. we are appreciative of their combined leadership now more than ever as several major transportation infrastructure projects, many of you may be familiar with, the polk improvement project, and a very large hospital project are all taking shape within the polk street and city were very close by. in
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february, after initial meetings with many of the stakeholder groups, supervisor peskin introduce formula retail controls tailored to the unique needs and market pressures of this people street and city. it intended to be a tool in the future community planning process this very vibrant neighborhood recently named one of the city's top 10 most trendy neighborhoods fyi in case you're looking for place to roll revoked. the last neighbors in the city that still retains a diverse mix of middle income families, low income seniors and sro tenants, ethnic specialty stores, pedestrians scale boutiques and beloved neighborhood legacy businesses as well as a very vibrant and still thriving lgbt heritage district. it's a neighborhood that people want to live in with a very strong cultural fabric will continue to be attractive to chain stores as projects like the polk improvement project and the
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-will forget we party or permitting folks at this is a very desirable place for them to locate. i mean the pedestrian traffic combined with all the transit improvements are really going to bring a tremendous amount of people to this part of the city. with many small local businesses still struggling to compete in a market prioritizes large non-local corporations for long-term leases, a small businesses need our support and they need our help. my surgeon supervisor kim's office we passed successful formula retail controls in limited market area neighborhoods not known for small business john but actually full of struggling small businesses. we saw the success of those controls because they were designed to disincentive i swim boards from even entering into negotiations with large-scale corporate entities. they were designed to even the playing field and ensure our small businesses have a fighting chance negotiating a reasonable lease agreement with a commercial landlords enjoying every hot real estate market rainout all
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throughout the city but particularly in neighborhood commercial district. they were successful and they work. his out-of-control work. with beach controls that work. chinatown has been able to preserve its neighborhood and cultural character because of smart planning controls. i was recently at a monthly cleanup a community cleanup there was sponsored by local grocery store inaugural some you may be familiar it's called-marketed joel-the owner has been operating this beloved cornerstone market since 1986. he knows every resident. he sits on the police captains community please advise reported he takes to two residents who are sick. he hires from the neighborhood. he sponsors neighborhood events and community cleanups when he's an integral part of the fabric of the model neighborhood. this really is the kind of small business we are working to preserve and keep in the neighborhood who will be unable to compete with the large-scale chainstore in
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his immediate vicinity. this account of neighborhood culture we should be fighting for. local residents and small business owners look out for each other and are engaged in the day-to-day culture of the neighborhood. this is what our residents love about the neighborhood they live in. although this legislation is not intended to target any one specific entity, we've heard from many but constituents their desire to see grocery about at 1600 jackson st. which is within the polk ncd and has a pending application for a whole foods store and those of you who may have watched the planning commission meeting a couple weeks ago, that was still continues to be a hot topic and i'm here to reiterate once again supervisor peskin's intent is to grandfather and we've stated that publicly not only at the planning commission but in-he put forward about a month ago in our negotiations
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with both bob isaacson and bob twyman, we stated plainly that their project, although it's not small business, and i understand this does not covered under the local jurisdiction but when you got to be considering, because it is a pending application a day like any other pending application will be able to have their day before the commission so to speak and have an opportunity to make their case to the process. this legislation is not intended to address any of those pending applications. so, with that i just want to thank the very broad coalition of both neighborhood leaders, homeowners association, small business and merchant associations. we've received a tremendous amount of support throughout the city from the small business community and i think many people can agree that polk street is one of the last horizons for commercial preservation, legacy business
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preservation, and really helping to model what our efforts are as a city to ensure not displacing small businesses that were really standing up for them and making sure their voices are heard. i know that-is here from the middle cole nickerson is a video he would like to play but maybe it's actually queued up, i'll be happy to play it. is it? it isn't. both you want to queue it up? okay. i would love it if we could entertain, if we could see that brief video. the different neighborhood residents and folks engaged from creating a community benefit district in middle polk. i spent a lot of time interviewing folks in the neighborhood and trying to get at the charm and neighborhood character of middle polk. i encourage you to take a listen to that and i just want to thank everyone that has been instrumental in helping to shape this legislation moving for. thank you very much. >> thank you. are you going to show the video? i have seen it. so, while that's coming up, we
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will n no doubt here some support for this. i've been involved, some of us have been involved in other discussions about this specific matter at the council district merchants and other venues. i think that it is somewhat telling that we are choosing to grandfather this one exception, and my own opinion is that their band and we have a conditional use process in this city to take care of things at, in the neighborhoods that we may or may not want and for the neighborhoods to make those decisions. i think that when we implement bands, we basically hobble future generations for making decisions on their own. we may decide tomorrow that something that's good for the
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neighborhood, but falls into the category of what we call formula retail, were chain stores, is actually a great benefit to the community. either observation is that these bands are slipped a negative impact on certain success stories that we've had in san francisco. so, it's copy today paulson the formula we don't category as does the san francisco soup kitchen at both companies founded here in san francisco, continue to expand in san francisco and frankly, should be allowed to expand to perhaps the favor of certain ones outside our community. light blue bottle coffee for example. so, the blue bottles of the world and the-are getting huge amounts of venture capital behind him so it's not the just the starbucks of the world that some about local success stories. were making decisions to make that affect not only our own, but people from the outside. so, with
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that, when we listen to the video and commissioner adams has comments ensure we have other comments. >> we do first need to do questions in public comments. >> before we hear the video? >> after we hear the video. >> okay the video than other commissioners can ask questions. >> are happy to address any of the points commissioner dwight has brought up. >> when we have questions. >>[video] >>
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>> thanks. great video. commissioner adams >> my question is, we voted and i supported the ban on formula retail and the conditional use process when we went to the palace several years ago. and, we voted in the time the-neighborhood, north beach in certain sections of the city. my neighborhood was involved in that which is the castro. but it's worked. if we don't want somebody in our neighborhood, if we don't want a big retail in our neighborhood, it goes to a conditional use, and why are we
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coming back to this neighborhood now. if the neighborhood doesn't want something in their neighborhood, you know, the conditional use in my opinion has worked. we did want a trailer chose on market street. the neighborhood got up. we said no. planning set up your we do not get a. i feel like with commissioner dwight says, the hands are bad. because guns you can something its permanence. i'm all for small business. i love that video. i do nothing but shop at small businesses and spend my money at small businesses, however, when this when the formula retail came in we all voted on it now supported it. let's see. it seems to work. it works all over the city. what is not working in middle polk that's not working anywhere else in the city?
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>> a discretion to likely to address? >> yes. on valencia street we didn't want certain businesses and we came out and we voiced our opinion and the neighborhood are deciding in the neighborhoods. so, i think why now with this particular street? >> excellent question commissioner adams. again, this legislation was absolutely informed by our small business community. this is something that i take directly from small businesses that constitute the majority of the commercial tenants within the polk ncd. i think there's a couple of things. number one, i think what i mentioned in my earlier comments, is that many-i lot of what this legislation is intended to his level the playing field from the very
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outset. i mean, when we get to a point with this and application that is pending on a particular site, we have already lost half the battle because that applicant has artie entered into a series of negotiations the property owner has been able to offer cash up front for a long-term lease among other kinds of tenant improvements, i think as one of the small business owners there was interviewed in the video pointed out, these are the kinds of things that are local small businesses are really not able to do. they just don't have the capital,. the city unfortunately, doing the best job we can to offer subsidies to offer technical assistance to upper resources to support small businesses were not doing enough in this is one the reasons i think a lot of the small businesses in this neighborhood have come to us and said, hey, were being pinched out. to commissioner dwight comment about how telling it is that there's this one entity that were grandfather now, i want to read rate this is not something that's intended to just take
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care of whole foods. that is-is about pending applications and it is anyone in the pipeline. there's other people in the pipeline that are also going to be eligible to take advantage of this grandfathering. what i would say is that there's other applicants from the small business side there not formula retail they can't disclose who they are or what lot numbers they are after what ground floor retail looking goat into with her in active negotiations with the property owners for these sites and they are just getting obliterated. they just do not have the resources available to compete in this highly competitive market. the other thing i will say is that with respect to the cu process, and having been a part of on both sides of the organizing efforts, foresee use, whether it's for or against, it takes a tremendous amount of capacity and takes a tremendous amount of organizing, really both political capital and powerless
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and allow and frankly, money. a lot of our small businesses in particular, do not have the capacity, do not have the money to hire a lobbyist or campaign organizer to go out i mean, dear isaac together and campaign work together any kind of a campaign that's going to be essentially a marketing campaign for that cu exception. that is just something that also applies to our residents. some of the residents of a lot of time on their hands. they both take the day off of work and come out and say this is what i want or what i don't want i do want this in my neighborhood. a lot of our residents actually don't have that luxury. their audio to take up the day off of work but
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able to participate in the community process. a small business merchants are very similar to what other merchants are working all day that require hardship for them to engage in a kind of a process. again, this legislation is intended at the outset upfront be able to lay the groundwork for an even playing field to recognize the unique pressures that small businesses are facing here in the city right now but particularly in a very hot very attractive very desirable neighborhoods like the polk ncd is going to be experiencing a tremendous amount of development. the of 13 residential projects in the pipeline right now that are on the way to being realized in the polk ncd. mostly market rate. unfortunately, and it's going to be a kind of pressure on folks to have a lot of upscale, you know, upscale chain stores and places that are going to be able to service people, either that or they're going to be ordering things online. that's the other trend we've seen that except in competing with. everything from mike cellophane wrapped individually wrapped potatoes to getting their toilet paper
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hand-delivered straight to their door. these are the kinds of pressures that folks are dealing with. they need brick-and-mortar spaces where they can create community, where they can get to know the residents in the neighborhood and get to know who their clientele was really set up a community like-at knob hill mark. that's the kind of business were really looking to help preserve with this legislation. >> first off, again, dan into my question. i get the small business party. what makes this neighborhood different on national use than my neighborhood? were my neighborhood we have small business. got to take a timeout. i did take time out of my work to go fight something in my neighborhood. when i talk about an even playing field. that's an even playing field. as to bands, hayes valley has the highest gross retail in the city right now. they have a band. so if you sit there and tell me that a band in middle polk is going to create lower
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rent, your only joking. you're only kidding yourself because hayes valley is so competitive with a small businesses over there, and because you can't have a formula retail over there which i agree with. i love the charm in hayes valley in that. i get everything you're saying about the small business. but, the rents over there are the highest in the city and in a lot of cases it's double than what it is in the mission, in the castro, even in north beach in other parts of the city. i know that for a fact. so be very careful what you wish for. >> thank you commissioner >> commissioner dooley >> i have a question. a lot of people bring up hayes valley can you address the effect in north beach, in chinatown? having form of the retail control? >> you know, with respect to those district 3 neighborhoods that have really put small
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business protections on the map as a priority for the city, we've heard nothing but good things from our residents and from the small business merchants that have benefited from those formula retail controls. i spent a terminus amount of time and the district walking around. i know supervisor jim peskin does as well. talking to a lot of the merchant. again, these are people-and i also want to be clear about this issue of rent. i mean, i understand that we can't control commercial rent. we do not have the power to implement commercial rent control here in san francisco. that being said, i think there is something-there's something to having local small business owners could i mean, i'm not familiar with everyone
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small-business up here on the commission, but i know you've all had varying price points were different constituencies that you represent. but you are local. your people interested in the community and i think the north beach and chinatown, that's very important for polk street. it's very important to be able to have somebody that is point to sponsor that little league team and donate to other uniforms made. that's when to be able to sponsor a community cleanup and the neighbor is consulate on the please kevin's advisor board and go to public safety meetings and actually going to engage in the community. i think that is something that you absolutely will not find with chain stores with formula rita. >> i think you're preaching to the choir on down. nobody here is contesting the importance of small business. small business owner. i understand as well as anyone the intense gross pressure. i live in a fastest-growing neighborhoods in san francisco.net and my business is located or have a factory in regional president could either factory in san francisco. when the most expensive neighborhoods in san francisco which nine years ago
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in the recession was not one the most expensive neighborhoods in san francisco and wasn't tripling its population in the next four years. so, i get it. we are not here to argue we don't need to argue any more about your small business. what we are here to ask good questions about is legislation and whether it serves the public or not. small businesses are one constituent in a neighborhood. the residence are another. so, legislation is, i just want to warn people, legislation is a poor substitute for community engagement. the notion that it's difficult to come out and make time to make yourself heard is top. it's democracy. we have to come out. that's what we all volunteer our time here to sit at this twice a month. that's why most of us are invested in our communities. we are working on behalf of small business here. were not here to derail anything that makes the
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world a better place for small business. that being said, we are also we are to make sure that we pass good laws. that the supervisors and the mayor benefit from our expertise, not only a small business owners and advocates, but as advisors to lawmakers. the observation that you're hearing from some of us, not all of us, perhaps, is that legislation, legislative bans, are prohibited. they are bans. we have developed laws in the city to allow flexibility around what we want and what we don't
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want. also, don't be too sure about the small business that's opening a restaurant in your neighborhood. most restaurants they are so exorbitantly expensive to open their millions of dollars of private funding behind them whether their eventual capitalist or angel investors. it takes a tremendous minor money to open up it group up, a restaurant of any size. not only that, many small businesses are using san francisco is a leaping off point as a springboard point. today, it so difficult to open a small business that when you see a business opening, sometimes you want to scratch the surface and say what's going on it.-in a cell is a perfect example but they got to the conditional use process because they were not a form of the retail but they lined up already 20 locations outside of san francisco they were going to open whether they open in san francisco first? because they wanted a location and prevented they knew they would not get one if they win the other 21st. they knew that san francisco is a key place for them to be. so they opened here first. they got in under the controls and then they went off and started their growing enterprise. so, there's ways to get around the conditional use process. there's ways to deal with it. these bands, they don't level the playing field. they created a one-sided playing field for small businesses in san francisco,
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but they preclude present and future generations for making decisions in their own neighborhoods is a combination of both small businesses and residents. you do have to come out. you have to lobby your position but as we've seen in neighborhoods here, those who do come out and copy their position, they often, not always, often prevail. isn't always going to go away a small business. it isn't. in the case of polk street i love local marketed microphone and i shop there all the time. then tested enterprise. great company was wonderful owners you've ever met in their life. quickly, they will not be negatively impacted by the neighborhood desire, if it goes that way, to have a small whole foods in their neighborhood. >> that's not what this is about. >> specifically, i hear what you are saying, but the fact of the matter is, there's a tremendous outpouring of
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sentiment both ways about the whole foods thing, and clearly, were navigating that. >> and we've listened to that and they will absolutely get their date before the planning commission absolutely >> of course, they were. no future situational because the playing field will be blocked out to those people might want to come in and put in-as well get older we might decide we want a walgreens in our neighborhood so we can go get the medication we need and all that subject and don't have neighborhood pharmacy and the longer to go to. but are you going to get one quick not if you have a formula we tell them. no way. you have to go on a bus and go to the one nearest to you >> where you have to inform the policymakers >> or find someone who wants to spend the money to open a pharmacy which is highly unlikely. again, i'm not advocating-i'm not-i'm just proposing to you this is a double-sided coin, to answer
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them however you want to call it. so, we'll have comments from people. i'm totally fine with that. the commission, i just wanted to the know the commission is not advocate a small business but also an advocate of good by making good commissioner adams >> yes that i just wonder reiterate what i was part of the castro merchants i was in favor when supervisor weiner and john lamb of the planning department, we decided we were all freaking out all foods came and market and dolores. i was sitting with your city now and we've got to ban the use formula retail stores coming in. they're going to earn all our businesses in the neighborhood. that was five years ago. problem we have now, the rents have still gone all in him looking at but a lot of vacancy the market octavia, all the way to castro street rate now. it's just sitting there.
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now, do i want from the retail in all the spots? no. >> this is on market street? >> this is on market shifted moxie tonight >> that zoning is similar to the van ness, am i correct? >> yes. we have special market and church street to boston other side we have a special area because of the safeway and whole foods came and that supervisor weiner and ram on this board of supervisor we all came in with this. were still in our test period. >> got it >> one thing about it is the rents have still gone up in him looking at a lot of vacancies. one of the things i've learned is, sometimes it formula retail can especially in the new developments, now in an old building,, i don't know if there can be something tailored to older structures, but in new
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buildings, because you're going to get these new buildings and a lot of retail space in these newer buildings, if maybe you can write something in where the formula retail can actually subsidize smaller businesses. like at market, no we, 16th st. we have a bank of the west in the development building. the bank of the west is a formula retail. they are paying top market rent. also helping the developer pay that building, and in the meantime, the for individuals small businesses at below market rates. they're all thriving. and have long-term leases, two. very favorable leases that keeps them in. so, maybe if you can construct something like that and still preserve the character. when i
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first moved here, i lived in lower polk. when we tell you is the most charming neighborhood and it's really what got me into the whole small business shopping because there was nothing there. that's all i had was polk street. i feel like i grew up on that street and learned a lot >> a kind of ethnic businesses. specialty grocery stores. >> i get where everybody in this room is protective. then i seen the other side of it, too. maybe if there can be a compromise like in the newer buildings 12 smaller buildings with businesses when they come in. maybe i can live with that, but an outright ban, like i said, in my neighborhood the on castro and 18, the formula to conditional work works. we take a timeout and i've had some battles with some major players coming in and jack spade wanted to comment on valencia street.
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we knew that would be bad over there and we thought that and one. so, >> what i hear you saying the hands preclude not only flexibility for creative solutions. so, the notion their creative solutions that will allow quote-unquote chain retailers to create a solution to subsidize other retail other local retailers is an interesting proposition because the dance will not prevent rents from going up. hands will not stave off the internet. don't put yourself the internet is marching at its own pace. regardless of bans on formula retail. so this is not the solution to that problem. the maybe others but this is not it. >> that's not what this claims to >> we made the statement yourself. >> but i am just-it is one of the many issues that folks are facing >> commissioner
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tour-sarkissian >> i have a question. my office is in the hayes valley since 1986. i've seen it grow. rents are very very high. so, i see formula retail is not permitted in my neighborhood. yet, the rents have gone up and most businesses-i'm an attorney, so my clients cannot afford the rents in my neighborhood. it's out of the question that i don't want to go into space that specifics because i don't know the square footage rental value of the space. the question that i have for you, maybe hayes neighborhood commercial transit district is the exception. tell me how much beach neighborhood and the chinatown retail district fairs as compared to other neighborhoods in rents. did the fact that-was not
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allowed in these neighborhoods get the rents down allowing small businesses to an easier time? i don't think so, but i want to see your opinion about. >> what was the question again? >> the question again we have prohibited work it formula retail out of these three neighbors. i know about his because my office is there. the question is, i would like to ask you, what happens in north beach and in chinatown? that's all i want to get your opinion as to whether that helped the prohibition, helped? yes.
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>> yes. again i'm only representing the small businesses is in artistic. not being a small business owner anymore myself, i used to be a small business owner though in district 3, i have heard from many folks that the formula retail controls have helped them to be long-term tenants. i mean, these are folks that have basically been able to secure long-term leases and become literally acres of the community. they have been there for years. they feel protected and they recognize that, even though north beach, for example and chinatown, really tourist hubs. tourist destinations. the frankly one of the two neighborhoods that put san francisco on the map as a unique destination, that tour is some culture has still not been allowed to completely take over the entire identity of the neighborhood. that includes the residential as well. so, those formula retail controls absolutely help to ensure those neighborhoods remain unique, they remain culturally sensitive. that they prioritize
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the existing tenants, and that re not just-when up-and-coming fisherman's wharf. patient's what has a distinctive identity it was because a very special identity and it's a blend of a lot of different cultures, ethnic heritage is, a lot of different legacies in the polk street ncd, i think one of the things we are fighting for is really our lgbt community. a lot of the businesses pushed out and described for commercial retail spaces are becoming very attractive are our lgbt businesses. >> but, if the rents go up, whether you are a small business were larger business, your can be pushed out. my question to you is, >> that's why we have other tools that can help with that. those are tools that-all of these things are part and
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parcel. the city for all say it again. this really about leveling the playing field. i have helped businesses at the outset of their negotiations with the landlord's many times and ultimately, there's another contender in the running that can pay four times what even asking prices, there's no point in even negotiating with a small business owner zero local get it doesn't matter whether they can bring to the table what other assets when other improvements are planning on making. it doesn't matter. they're going to go with a formula retail guy every single time. >> maybe commissioner dooley can comment on the vacancies in north beach because there seems to be an awful lot of them in my recent tourist. >> i would say having been a merchant in north beach for many years and currently working with merchants, he's formula retail ban has been entirely positive. it's kept the rents down. it allowed smaller businesses to come in. yes, they may compete with each other, but they're not looking
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at some in coming and who can pay you huge amount of money, and because of that, we are continuing every single day to have new and interesting businesses come into our neighborhood. i would say, if you asked the residents, everyone would agree it was a good thing to get we've retained other local services. we've got new restaurants. were not really lacking, and there is not a lot of vacancies in our neighborhood. i have a couple questions >> thank you commissioner. >> now, what is the recommended percentage of formula retail versus small businesses in the code? >> that i do not know off the top of my head, commissioner. i'm happy to get that information, though >> i believe it's about 80%. i
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think something like that. around there >> around 8% sounds about right >> so, i want to ask, >> under 10 >> how many formula businesses and services are there already in place on polk street we pick other things seriously lacking besides the grocery store? >> you know, i've heard from folks that they would like -certainly more family oriented things like child care facilities were child programming activities for kids, for youth. i think, also, ground-floor retail space that serves as the arts. i know that-and really, this might be questioned that are put to the folks that have been organizing around the potential community benefit district because that did do a survey of a lot of small business owners also residents ask what it is they would like to see in the neighborhood that they would like to attract and center buys. i do know arts was definitely high up on the list.
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also, >> that's not really my question. i question is, just for example, other any formula retails pharmacies in the neighborhood? >> yes, they are >> just try to figure out- >> there's walgreens, starbucks, there is a pete's coffee. there is formerly, a radioshack. i know there is potentially another form of the retail outfit looking at that site. i mean come i can get you the full list of existing formula retail sites that are operating within the polk street ncd. >> do you know-you know- >> of course, brownies of 11 harvard store the many many moons they recently been acquired by ace but they still continue to have the same employees. >> okay, thank you >> actually a question. is
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there any provision in the band for the community to come forward and say actually everybody wants something. is there any provision in the band, if the desire is unanimous, is something that the community can bypass the band? >> there is not currently a provision that speaks to- >> for example let's say the community wanted child care and childcare. extraordinarily extensive to ensure so the only childcare provider is a chain of childcare providers that is licensed by the state and insured to provide child care, and the community agrees amongst all of themselves, we must have childcare. otherwise, we can have fun ways and our neighborhoods. the community
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cannot overturn the ban to allow for private for-profit child care provider that happens to be a chain or from the retail to come in and buy that service. is that correct? >> number one, i've no idea what eight form the retail childcare center would be >> there are many >> i will look into that but typically in these type of situations where i will look into that. typically, in these type of situations where there is a planning control in place that is an out right planning control, you can legislate three special use district could that is something that if all residents were-brought something to us and some unified consensus, >> there is a mechanism you could legislate around it if you had to >> correct >> that's important to know because my assumption if you ban it and you ban it and
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there's no exceptions the city could enact a special piece of legislation and we have, i gather, special president for that to allow something that is otherwise precluded in general. just try to get it out there >> right. policy is not a static thing. i mean it's constantly evolving, constantly fluid. right now, this is the number one ask that's been brought to us by the small businesses within our district and so this the policy we have shaped moving forward to address those concerns. certainly, four years from now, six years from now, eight years from now, who knows what that will look like. were not to be policymakers for you at her but this is the policy that we have crafted in concert with the community. >> understood. commissioner zouzounis >> thank you for your presentation could i do? some of the conversations you had with the city attorney's office
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for my own curiosity since i was part of the formula retail control and formula retail subsidiary control working groups before. the thing that i kept hearing from the city attorney's office we can interfere with the market and we can't give priority status to some businesses over the other. so i am just curious as to the prioritize versus the band, and what is then legal in terms of supporting small businesses in a proactive way and i'm just curious what the conversations around what we could do and could not to came up in discussion with this legislation? >> really, this legislation was modeled off of legislation we asked before the north beach control hayes valley control. so, this is something the city attorney has bedded and determined to be completely within our legal boundaries as
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policy. >> commissioner riley >> yes, this came up before in the previous discussion about banning from the retail. the purpose is this because you mentioned conditional use process does not work. so, can we look at fixing the cu process instead of banning? once the ban is passed what does it take to undo it? >> once the band is passed? once this legislation is passed , the question is-okay, so you are saying how long would it take for a new piece of legislation to be introduced-or >> how do you see that is to do it? >> really, passing legislation
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is a simple as what we have undertaken here today. we've introduce legislation. it will go before the board of supervisors for a vote and if someone else wanted to introduce legislation, they could do that. absolutely. i don't know if the question is how easy is it to completely wall back the legislation or >> the situation has changed in the future. people don't want this anymore. they may have to go through the process two- >> just like any legislation we can amend. like i said, it's not static. i mean, if the commission has recommendations that they think the legislation can be improved, i am listening. i am happy to take those back to the office for consideration and, please do share them. thank you. >> commissioners zouzounis >> i think i guess whereas try
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to get out terms of the solution thing in the more proactive especially since we qualified with the fact that the rent situation doesn't really get affected and impacted by legislation like this, i know personally i been seeing it happen with my family's business formula retail does pressure distributors not to sell to small businesses. the all these subversive ways of setting the market in different ways. when i think about more proactive approaches, and this is probably a conversation with to have more off-line with merchant groups and whatnot, but bulk buying power is really a huge issue for small businesses having to go up against one were talking a different walgreens. even though petitioner may deliver more tour one tiny store than they do to a little walgreens, 13 middles able to purchase more
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that is a competition or purchase at a lower rate that is a competition piece that i was curious about like legalities of how can we get creative and more proactive approaches for small businesses like merchant independent grocer associations were ways that the city could support more proactive approaches like that. i am curious, maybe we can have a conversation about that off-line. >> i would love that >> looking at more proactive privatizing is a conversation i thought we could have >> that's great feedback. thank you >> thank you. is the enabler commissioner, and so will open up to public comments now. i presume we have some members of the public >> we have speaker cards. stated once again public comment >> can you read the speaker cards?
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>> public comment is limited to 3 min. i will give you the houck at 3 min. please be respectful of the other people are lined up behind you would sell many. so, we will take the speaker cards and cough names >> so, we will have speaker cards of first and then those that did not fill out your not required, but >> the speaker is speak on tape one of you read off three in a row so we know >> >>[calling names] >> if i may, w obligated to fill your 3 min. if you're reiterating something someone else said you be read into the record of being supported. there's obviously, security in
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numbers so it will be reported that you are one of those supporting or not the proposition. so, if you have new things to add, that's fabulous, but all of us on the schedule here so let's get to as quick as we can. thank you >> commissioners reminds michael's: the good i live in the neighborhood for since 1997. i'm against this ban. we need both quality and affordable retailers on polk. commercial property owners must participate in this discussion. read attraction not dissent of static. polk street can maintain the same level of traffic and attacking mrs. 24th st. the shopping districts thrive with independent retailers and formula retail. the formula retail band is not
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the solution for polk about his. please, reject this legislation is unneeded and formula retail can and does value. it is unwanted governments should not pick winners and losers and lastly, no majority support from the residents. the residents were involved in this petition from supervisor peskin's office. believe me. so, please ask supervisor peskin to address the lack of incentives for property owners to lease these vacant properties. we have year after your storefront like. give absentee and offshore property owners. it's time to rethink the future retail on paul. we need to incentivize these property owners to modernize and upgrade to move in and incentivize these property owners to offer pop-up shops. the current status of storefronts in my neighborhood, with 11 vacant storefronts and seven box going from broadway to california. we have 10 foot
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massage and many petty thousands going from broadway to california. we are the many petty capital of san francisco. the common good ashes of these vacant storefronts other antiquated and single and double date. they're not modernize. there's no backstreet for deliveries. the exorbitant rents and their poorly maintained residential façade above street level could believe me, formula retail does not want to go into these storefronts. if you look at the right curtains about what we have is not involved 10 overs. the newest tenants are the cheapest cheapest go that's hence manicures-pedicures and for massage. kevin guy in the planning department has got a new job. he's managing airbnb rental. we need someone like that to manage vacant storefronts in san francisco. if you walk walk along my neighborhood are using a
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butcher block paper. you'll see a single sign. why? these property owners have no interest in marketing the property. the jamaica mandatory. if i'm a perspective -walking down the street i be much better served to see a sign that says, here is a storefront. was here before was a café. this is the amount of square footage here. you are leasing agent. thank you >> thank you very much. appreciate it. next speaker, please. >> fell. on gail boss. i've come here before actually to talk about some other things but especially by the call to action on supporting small business and san francisco after a high-profile appeal to declare kids and james were to the board of appeals and i was rejected. the chains were now sits in hayes valley supportive of local artists and businesses promised before the planning commission remains unfulfilled.
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at that time, i call for specific agenda items list of them to be placed before your commission to explore ways to support small business in the face of new developments, retail brokers, who may not engage san francisco small businesses as a retail leasing strategy. i would still like to move forward with those agenda items but before you last year. meantime, today, i am here as the president of the hayes valley neighborhood association to represent the cochairs of our hayes valley merchants group, which is within our neighborhood association. our organizations force the establishment of a formula retail band in those neighborhoods have chosen to do so and of course that's the key point, they choose to do that. we help create the formula retail band and its implementation in the hayes ncd. it has allowed many new businesses to flourish our neighborhood is experimented with various types of retail, including temporary retail on sites destined for developments.
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by having the formula retail band in place, we believe our commercial district has served as an incubator for new retail concepts on temporary retail sites managed by envelope a+ b, your garden, smitten ice cream and brick-and-mortar stores along hayes, at katie, doc and franklin street. you concept we killers are attracted to this ncd because the formula retail ban. rents though high for small businesses, would be even higher if the were not for the chainstore ban. we work closely with many of our developers are building housing the street-level commercial spaces or neighborhood and they have confirmed to us that they would've charged even higher rents the opportunity to these two agents were were allowed. the hayes costs ncd did not have much character at the beginning of the fight to take on the freeway. it's apparent -it became apparent soon after
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and not before, the 40 foot elevated freeway you know obviously it was important. the incubator-the incubation of new business is a key element to making this district first. chaistores is that in the environment. we urge you to support the polk street ncd as proposed without modification. but the neighborhood how decide how research he develops in the coming years. we would there's many business opportunities that were flourish in neighborhoods like the polk street ncd the formula retail band to support the growth of new businesses in those neighborhoods. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good evening commission. my name is paul warmer. i am actually, i want to the polk neighborhood a lot but i live over on california by fillmore. i've observed what happened on the upper fillmore district. it
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was listed as sort of a nice place to visit. a good mix of formula retail and him. that's slightly misleading. virtually, all of the new retail on the upper fillmore is formed the reach of. restaurants, and those few owners who are still there are not good all of the new retail is formula retail with a couple of exceptions. the real venture capital funding but there from massachusetts, not here. oh well. what i see is at my gym, which i've been going to for many years, it's they got hit with a 39% rent increase. that is in part a response to the perceived value of the rental property based on the rents on
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fillmore, rather than half a block off where there's no pedestrian lead to bring pedestrians were shoppers to that site. we lost barry's for pets for my very valuable bible neighborhood pet store because the landlord look at the rents on fillmore but the formula retail folks were paying and said, well, you can match that i'll get someone else to replace it. it's been vacant and for rent for nine months now. in this hot retail environment why? because of stress off the path. it just out of where the walking traffic goes. formula retail doesn't want it. the landlord learns that now overvalued neighborhood retailer was driven out by exorbitant price increases the were not justified because landlords get inappropriate expectations. i have had calls from realtors trying to find space on fillmore for a local person but they
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can't get the landlord to talk to them on this listed property because they were only talking to chain stores to formula retail. chain stores are not just the gaps, the walgreens, safeway's, the big names the big brands, etc. there places like scotch and soda. they are places like-. they create incredible pressures when they move into a district where there are are small storefronts that work for that particular business model. the local players are not going to be able to compete and not going to be able to start all. i thought this eu controls would work. i cannot trot out the same number of people the consultants like barbary coast turnout for the corporate clients. >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> the next three. >>[calling
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names] >> good afternoon commissioners. master point of order question before my time starts? >> what is that? >> just a process question >> yes >> i represent russian homemakers and wondering if the future if we have a video to present, is that time in addition to our public speaking? >> this is to anyone who would ever like to present anything to this commission, please simply let us know in advance we can put it on the agenda and give you all the time. don't cram it into ymin.our 3 because treatments are limited to 3 min. by water of law. by all means, let us know in advance. anyone who wants to anything before the commission as long as we get it on the agenda and it's appropriate for our commission. a lot of videos we don't want to see. but we will get it on the agenda and for discussion
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>> point of clarification. the presenter also chooses what is part of their presentation as well. >> i was just curious >> if you do, in the future, please, approaches that of them so we can clarify the details. >> we absolutely welcome you. that's why we are here everybody in the richer the content the better the experience >> i appreciate that because i was curious about the mta video shown earlier. >> now the sand ongoing. >> good afternoon commissioners. thank you they must my name is richard gardella. i live on russian hills since 1983. also a small business owner and the son of a small business owner. so i do appreciate the challenges of running a business. i'm here to speak against the formula retail ban on polk should. first, however i'm curious i'm one of those kind of people, in
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your package there was the statement from supervisor peskin stating this at past that the planning commission. imagine you are all aware this was not passed in favor at the planning commission. in fact, the planning commission voted to not approved and not recommend adoption of this ordinance for the board of supervisors. i am just curious why what was in your pocket >> we can't comment. we just have to listen to you. >> sorry. also at the planning commission's hearing the representative of the planning to five and stated that 7% from the retail makes 7-93% with a very low amount of formula retail in an ncd that in fact, 10% is considered healthy. also, the planning commission discussed they have been three
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conditional use applications for the polk street area, to which were approved. one of which was denied, so that tells me that the existing conditional use process does work. as you likely know, the sponsor is stated that the surprise introduction of this proposed legislation was motivated to stop the application process of a specific project, the whole foods 365 store at 1600 jackson street in polk street location. the community wants his neighborhood serving business. such a business could well be a draw bring in more customers to the polk street neighborhood commercial district to the benefit of other merchants in the area. russian hill neighborhoods conducted a survey: shows our members and other russian hill residence clearly and overwhelmingly want and need the neighborhood serving grocery store and they support it being at the location of the former lombardi sports building. it's been
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suggested ms. angola said again today, that the legislation would carve out whole foods. we've not seen anything in writing and we very much appreciate some concrete language that carves out grandfathering in that whole foods could we not seen that. it's been stated but we've not seen it. would you cherish the long-established businesses which serve our area. we also welcome new businesses. the ncd conditional use process works and thank you so much >> thank you very much. next, please. >> by the way i very much appreciate audio slave you people got to the end of the time of not got i appreciate you ending without me having to interrupt you. >> good evening. my name is- lindberg. i'm a resident of the avenue on the corner of polk. i
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am also a member of russian hill neighbors. i'm also a real estate agent. recently we heard whole foods was considering a new concept store at jackson's. i'd be very much affected by the traffic there but i'm here to absolutely oppose a ban on formula retail. it spurred me to think about what many now call the whole foods affect on real estate second. i researched numerous studies on the topic and have come up with the following point i like to report to you. whole foods as a bellwether. there's little question that whole foods has consistently been able to identify neighborhoods undergoing rapid upswing. i can tell you that they take an unusual approach when evaluating a neighborhood for
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their market. unlike a typical retailer, and contrary to what you might expect, whole foods does not focus on household income but rather, on education levels in a potential trade area. they usually require a minimum population of 200,000 college education. but, what does whole foods due to amplify growth? research has found rigorous analysis of what amenities like all foods do for growth. property values increased an average of 17.5%. after a specialty grocery store opens nearby, although that varies per location. there's no doubt whole foods is a valuable amenity for local residents and workers. it point anybody in real estate industry or those little common sense would take as a given. and drives real
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estate economics. in the real estate industry the term anchor is used to describe a business a department store cinema or eight major traffic generators and creates value for the surrounding area because it's considered a destination. meaning, it will draw customers from significant distances was coming especially for that business. this large customer base will often shop, eat, and spend money at the surrounding location. they can proximity to an acre very valuable. but among, whole foods is an anchor one of the best there is. a new location on polk street with ring tones of new consumer traffic to the area which is the real estate sector which is good. it means many more customers for local businesses. in turn, this leads to a plethora of new stores opening in the neighborhood >> thank you very much. just a
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brief update if i may. the warriors are winning 49-48 in the second quarter with 5 min. remaining. so, if the nailbiter. you don't know what that is good for the long and will find it with the game score is laid get well, >> good evening. my name is sara taylor. i been living on russian hill often on. actually, my husband took me away for a few years but since 1970, i have been shopping on polk street 412 blocks of it because my churches at the other end from where i live continuously since 1970. i treasure the small businesses on the street but i cannot think -they seem to be really that
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formula retail will destroy them. frankly, i was struck that planning commission hearing which we've been mentioning which, by the way, had four hours of testimony, was much largely-much larger representation from the neighborhood. the neighborhood was-had two major points. they do not want this ban on formula retail. they wanted to have chance to have a say on what was on their shopping street. that was very strongly said. they thought every one of them thought conditional use process works. the planning commissioners went on to state that, quite frankly, in the last two years there's only three formula retail propositions brought to them and one of them was dismissed and only two of them were approved. i want to stress what richard said, that they said
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right now we only have 7% before the retail and that 10% is considered to be the ideal. in fact, commissioner antonini thought the formula retail band, he made the comment was like a solution seeking a problem. which i thought was witty of them. very astute and very right. we do not want have our ability to shop the limited by a total ban. i do think the conditional use process works and could keep out that things from our neighborhood. i don't know why our small business people are so concerned about this supposed it competition winner bring more foot traffic to polk street. it would already have a lot of stores that are empty. i didn't put that of two greedy landlords. i do put that of two offshore landlords, but a situation of three years ago was when the polk street florist heather rent almost doubles and there
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were spaces across the street. she moved across state she's there and moves and is very happy in that sort remains empty because of the greedy landlord. but they don't seem to care. they seem to leave their places empty. the looking for the high rent and i don't think a formula retail band is going to necessarily help. >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> the next three speakers. >>[calling names] >> good evening, commissioner. my name is john don turned, cofounder of the middle polk association and the chair of this group for nearly 11 years until this january when i
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retired. in this capacity, i came to an old middle polk and the surrounding area six or may well having worked very closely with both neighbors and our fine merchant. polk street is the very core of our neighborhood. plural. it is a very unique san francisco only experience. the middle polk banners, which looks something like this, which were funded by investing neighborhoods program called a village in the city not a mall in the city a village in the circuit thus received another grant for these and these bags are to be used when the up coming road construction happens on polk street to keep our small businesses up and running. they
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will donate promotional materials, coupons, etc. into the bag. we've got a map showing you how to get to polk street the at every possible way. middle people neighborhood will distribute these to visitors and other neighbors. there's a close connection between neighbors and merchants. last week at the planning commission, it was decided as has been mentioned tonight, the cu process works. however, the statement fails to understand the extent and put into small merchants in order to attend a long line at a 30 day hearing. it also fails to recognize the expense to neighbors who must take time off of work to attend these one by one cu hearings. the cu process is, in fact, genuine hardship to the neighborhood. conversely, inappropriate businesses such as large formula retail are
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paid their full salaries in order to attend a cu hearing and as of the lobbyists and their expensive lawyers. it's not an even playing ground. the very character of the polk ncd is a uniqueness about web are small businesses. supervisor peskin's retail band, minus planning session, which moods seriously the band, states what is. polk street is already a unique one-of-a-kind san francisco experiences and we as neighbors want to keep it that way. we do not want to lose our treasured legacy small businesses. these are the businesses we want to keep. thank you very much and go warriors >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> good evening,
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commissioners. my name is jamie whitaker. i live in lincoln hill were we have developments going up of 1000 residents at the infinity and so on but retail space are empty. so, we don't have any existing businesses were very few existing business because it's all railroad tracks to transbay and warehouses. i like to encourage retailers that are looking to relocate or open spaces in san francisco look at lincoln hill. we have plenty space looking for folks to serve the neighborhood. i'm very much in favor of the ban that's being proposed here. his first single street as far as i know. it's a street that has a consistent history, wetherbee lgbt destination were as a
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dining destination. i go there myself. the cable car just for kicks to ride the cable car and i think it's easy to forget van nuys chainsaws are more than welcome to locate on van nuys. that is a block over. most of downtown as far as i know there's no ban on commercial stores. the thing about democracy is people have to have time to participate and in my neighborhoods i'm sure it's going to happen in middle polk as the new developments are going up, young families, especially, don't hear from young families. what are they doing after work? they're taking care of their family, taking care of their kids. your disenfranchising the families of san francisco.. a lot of people are working much more than 40 hours a week. again,
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those folks that work 60-70 hours work there not to make time for this bull malarkey for coming to city hall for two, three, four meetings in the middle of the day. i appreciate the desire to have a case-by-case call but there seven existing were nine existing bands and this is a temp. i guess the question is, about long-term perspective, polk street one of those does it deserve to be the 10th area where we try to preserve san francisco along this street and let the national, anywhere usa stores show up on van nuys and other locations where do we want polk street to look like anywhere usa not be distinct in san francisco. i hope you support this ban. thank you. >> thank you very much. next
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speaker, please. >> good afternoon commissioners chris shulman brothers and the lowest people neighbors. it's a pleasure to be before this commission. for the first time since i staff the commission had some things to say a couple years ago but the city attorney when i let me. now i get to be there for you. i do have a letter from lower polk neighbors. was committed last week and inadvertently was not included in your pipe. not sure if it made in your binder but in case it's a good it does address some things that were-had been discussed. i think of things it's a time commitment. it's time commitment that a number of us are willing to take but it does wear down on. as articulate their study projects on people to. those projects, development their ground zero performing the retail. they get packaged with formula retail.
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they get complicated it gets pocket it's hard to shop. we have to plan as a community we have to organize did it takes time. it's get dozens of folks. these companies this is not the same formula retail battles pit 2-5 years ago. they have consultants and they have astroturf campaigns. it's difficult. look at 30 development and even half of them have formula retail connected to them it's going to take a lot of effort. her spec a lot of folks on russian hill. the grocery stores can get grandfathered in. i've never seen a supervisor, for the planning commission,, for this commission and reneged. the issue of venice avenue, were not living in a silo on polk should. dennis avenue is one lockout. not saying willy-nilly but formula retail on van ness. it's conditional use on van ness that works. street has a lot of pressure for from the retail. and the rents are up. people are holding up. i work
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with urban saloon yet we can't even get [inaudible] because they're holding off performing the retail. a lot of colleagues in my new word groups digital, >>[calling names] rescue please consider this. i do ask him not to say this, these listen to public comment before making your mind up next and i know stuff it's easy to come out but it's discouraging when we have things to say and we feel the commission has only made their mind up. i know in some of you have not. please keep that in mind. thank you so much that it's honored before the commission of the for two coming in the future. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> did you fill out a speaker card? >> yes. pacific heights neighborhood association >> if you don't mind i'm going to go in order with the speaker cards. the next three.
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>>[calling names] >> if you give us a card we will put you on the list. just fill out a speaker card so we can keep it in order. >> if anyone else wants to speak and has not about a speaker card, please do so. it helps keep things organized here. >> while we are recruiting, 61-61. it's a must-have time. so, chill. >> all right, go ahead >> good evening commissioners. my name is teresa fernandez representing united food commercial workers local 648. we are all in favor of the formula retail restriction as proposed by supervisor peskin. we are labor union representing a small business in the area's been operating for over 30 years. retail chain score would
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negatively impact the story and others. we request you vote in favor of the proposal thank you for your consideration >> thank you very much. there's some and i want to see the game. next, please >> it will be quick. i've been broken outside resident. i'm here in solidarity with little polk neighbors in support of the >> peskin legislation in the commercial district. 15 seconds >> fantastic. way to go. that was a three pointer. let's get some more three pointers. >> hello. i michael-i'm in the owner and operations manager at the jug shop on 1590% that at polk. i'm here in support of
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the legislation at hands. i would like to say that the jug shop is a purveyor of fine wines and spirits and craft beer , and a multiple that polk nancy which is composed of numerous independently owned businesses will continue to thrive your recommendation for retail controls on polk to the board of supervisors. the jug shop has recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and the owners account for two generations, it's a family and this legislation is a safeguard for our future. let's see here. we are currently facing the exact threat with the potential whole foods 365 moving into the old one body support space, as you. they plan to carry a large selection of wine and beer. they plan to carry a nearly i'm
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sure, but the cassette of what my good neighbor cheese, plus with carrie. so for all these reasons, this direct competition we rode our revenue and jeopardize our potential longevity in the neighborhood and so for those reasons, it's precut and drive trust that this ban would be important to ensure a longevity in the future and i thank you for your consideration. >> thank you very much. 2.5 point >> the next three speakers. >>[calling names] >> my name is emily help you,
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mother of two and a resident of russian hill. most of the president, new president russian hill neighbors. one of the oldest and largest nonprofit neighborhood groups in san francisco. were very happy to be here tonight. we represent hundreds of families for residents and merchants in the russian hill neighborhood, which encompasses these people street ncd from broadway to filbert street. for whatever reason, supervisor peskin did not consult with russian hill neighbors before you introduced this legislation. we really wish you would have. that's what we feel it's important to come tonight and speak you directly. we fully support his commitment to protect our existing neighborhood character and encourage a local businesses on polk street. russian no labor celebrates our small businesses. we do eat eggs all the time. promote their services and their
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offerings. you can take a look at our website to see that, but russian hill neighbors also really values choice, affordability and community input into our neighborhood evolves and meets the needs of its residents. we surveyed our hundreds of members may adjust we affirm that force. that's why i'm here tonight. i will skip all the a lot of what my colleagues have said. skip onto really saying that we want to ensure the community always has a voice the kinds of businesses which come into our neighborhood. whether larger or smaller core chain or independent. he feels strongly that this ban is not needed. the important community dialogue that needs to take place. as the planning commission cited in their june 2 hearing on this legislation, again, there's been only three applications perform the retail within the polk ncd since 2011. one was rejected and two were approved. again, we feel this no problem to fix here in the
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conditional use process works. as a mother, but got a babysitter that came tonight. there's many families engage in what our community direction our community is headed despite the previous speakers have said. i encourage you to oppose this ban. the reality is the good formula retail and meets the current conditional use process by allowing all residents and merchants of the community to weigh in canopus create a diverse and thriving commercial district for everyone now and in the future. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good evening, commissioners. my name is robin tucker. i am the cochair and cofounder pacific avenue neighborhood association. i'm here to speak in support of the band of formula retail on polk street. we founded the pacific avenue neighborhood association also known as-in 2003 and our
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vision at that time and still is to attract and support independent small businesses that serve not only immediate neighborhoods residents but destination shoppers, visitors. this approach will grow and support our economic and social diversity in our generational diversity as well. it will contribute to a thriving and sustainable polk street commercial district. our neighborhood has old world san francisco charm that could be gone forever without stronger development and formula retail controls. we believe these controls are necessary in our neighborhood to encourage creative and unique small-scale building development retail and dining experiences. which are really integral to and complement the fabric of our community in san francisco.
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members and neighbors believe formula retail controls legislation will protect legacy businesses within the imposter seven neighborhood good i could go on but i would like to say on a personal note as well, i personal experience owning a small chain of retail stores, not in san francisco, but in another state. when formula retail moved in, but as successful as our small businesses were, we would only have been able to stay in business if we changed our entire concept because that formula retail business that came in, carried almost everything that we carried in our stores and they were able to move the product much more quickly than we could. so, i don't think it's just about the rents. it's also about our small businesses and it's also about our neighborhood as well
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in the character of that neighborhood. it does change things when formula retail moves in. thank you so much. >> thank you very much. now. >> i'm here representing [inaudible] association >> the microphone >> district heights association supports the man looks for the polk street ncd did founded in 1970, we have over 500 members representing merchants within the boundaries of [inaudible] presidio to venice. on similar streets we have experienced a significant reduction in neighborhood character, quality of life and sense of community that can occur when formula retail is operated. for java, members can still enjoy polk street unique character and we urge you to
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pass the planning amendment preventing formula retail. [inaudible] thank you for considering this very important part of the city >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. we have another? >> next three speakers,. >>[calling names] >> i'm here to share a three point good hobby really quick but when we look at the legislation we've asked >> supervisor peskin: fourth. we asked his office. we will work side-by-side i think this coming from the constituents of the neighbors could i been on the board for five years now. we are asking for this. this is something we want. we don't want eight-we need to look back at our merchants back in the corner and think of the community. think. >> swished.
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>> i am slow. stephen cornell. first thing i want to say i heard earlier of 11 boundaries was sold to ace hardware. bonnie's whistles will link a local person who lives in the excelsior in san francisco for the last 25 years. i stop a little piece of this. it is not a chain store. it's owned by an individual. i'm here to represent the polk merchants tonight. polk district merchants have asked for this. the council district merchant have agreed with dos and their have asked for this. except for one, every single neighborhood association is in favor of this. the coalition of san francisco neighborhoods is in favor of this. it is quite overwhelming who wants this. you've heard a lot of speakers from one district next to-which
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was the whole foods argument, but everybody else wants this as a group. they vote on it. at the planning commission, the planning department came out and said, there's 7% formula retail in this district. that 7% is a little on the low side. maybe 10% would be a little bit on the high side. i objected and said you're only counting polk street. one little narrow street. some he said earlier, we are kind of unique your we have van ness less than 600 feet away from polk should. it's part of our neighborhood. the planning department moves down present uses things whenever they want. like to put one thing on the overhead. >> the overt. it's old-fashioned. >> yes. can you see that?
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anyway, that's a map from planning that was used for the bicycle lane stuff. sorry. wrong side when planning wants to do something else notice of a make a little browned boundary. these are quarter mile and van ness, it goes almost up to franklin. if you take it just van ness in now adding 44 more formula businesses. we don't have [inaudible] we have an anonymous amount of businesses. the cu process doesn't always work. there are three businesses. ups, benjamin moore, and high-performance bikes. they all moved in since they had the cu process. they never checked off the little box, never had a cu. they just
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moved in. nobody did anything about it. nobody knew about it till they were dumb. it doesn't always work. thanks. >> thank you very much. solid two pointer. >> good evening. my name is joseph holman. i'm from the bull market. >> welcome. congratulations on your recent award. >> thanks. on the pmi 32nd year and visited zero other changes as a native san franciscan route the city. i believe the biggest challenge we face is a small food business is there's increased competition from big-box stores. i was in business before whole foods opened up. and trader joe's opened up and the ferry building got redone and fortunately, i community has continued to support me during all those changes. i think it was important for me to address the needs of the community so they would continue to engage the business i was conducting their. but i
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see the threat that small businesses in the same line as the food business that 365 is going to bring into that community. it 20 devastating for any those food businesses now there, very successful the junk shop, cheese, plus, the meat company. there's no way that's not point to adversely affect business despite what whole foods advertises when we come and everybody does what. #antiques across the street i think that antique store will do well, but all of these food businesses are in a south of the consequences the major competitive like oh foods coming in. there's a lot of unintended consequences with their arrival. he will see event increase even more than they already are in the conditions currently on polk street as i see it now. the cost of operating small businesses continue to escalate.
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the pressures on our insurances, our utilities, labor costs, health and licensing fees in gq to go up each year in of we don't allow for small businesses to provide an environment for these businesses to continue to succeed, and put them in the crosshairs of large formula retail stores that suck all the air out of the room, and those businesses will not be able to survive. that's what i think all business commission has to consider whether look at legislation like this. i mean, because there's a potential threat within 10-15 years more of these businesses coming in as can be smaller ponds, fewer ponds on the chessboard or no kings or queens second all the air. with that, thank you very much >> thank you very much. >> our next three speakers are >>[calling names]. >> good evening, commissioned.
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my name is henry-. first of all i want to say we did have a robust discussion at our meeting when presented to us and we didn't vote in support of this band. i come from a city of 200,000 souls in australia where [inaudible] and basically has killed all the small business in the town. you would not believe it. it's amazing what's happening. at least begun to was false. the regard to the downtown. the downtown is pretty well dead. solely starting to recover. so the cu does work as a courtesy but it comes down to the lobby is. if you a good decent lobbies that do the hard work they can get a cu through. no matter what. if they have their act together they can win the
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argument and the cu will prevail and i'll get the formula retail in. so lobbies to help in doing that. the other thing is that i'm okay, so that tent area of bans. how many of those have asked for revocation? how many of those have come over and said we don't have the band anymore? we want formula retail in our areas. lastly, what comes to your rents, let's face it, come on. eat retail, his can afford to pay the higher rents. yes, he's valley [inaudible] billy has [inaudible] and was terrible. it's got nothing to do with formula retail. it's got such as a lovely place that everybody wants to go to. that's why it's so popular and that's why [inaudible] limitary form of the retail moves in the rates are going to be high. believe me. if you think i'm wrong not just check out the figures in other areas. you
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will find are willing to pay higher rents and landlord will hold up to get those higher rents. but again, i urge you to pass this band. i'm all for small business and all for venison and that he gets a fair shake, but this is what makes our city so special. i just our city but cities around the world it's a small business communities around the globe that make them so special. i urge you to please support this band. thank you. >> hello commissioners. my name is adam mayor. i'm on the board of-dir. of planning and design, architect by profession. i'm also a seven year resident of the knob hill the current residents on polk street. my address is on polk street. there's been a lot of conversation but the economics of retail ban. does it raise
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rents were lower rents could i can't comment on that because i'm not an expert. what i wanted comments on is about how local business as to the neighborhood character of a place. i'm an architect so i spent a lot of time designing what i call the hardware, the brick-and-mortar spaces but it's really community that is the software of our cities and our neighborhoods and small business, small local businesses are an integral part of the extensive community and experience a place. i love polk street. it's probably my favorite place to go in the city. that's why i live there and i love the diversity of businesses that are there and i think there was some talk about also conditional use and how
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that's been an effective method so far, but you have to remember, is more than a dozen new housing projects the ground floor retail in the pipeline in the neighborhood in a like to see the spaces utilized in a way that supports the community and adds more diversity in terms of the experience of the ground floor retail. so, i see this is as a design discussion as well as supporting a local prison. i mean come i do love support my local business. i live half a block away from 69 or jackson, where people of mention whole foods has amended the application. some of the common seven made there's not enough grocery business serving the neighborhood. i wholeheartedly disagree with that. there's cheese, plus where that would have a nice pasta and cheese dinner i can get fresh pasta and cheese. it forget fresh vegetables i go to
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golden vegetables a california and uber. i want good meets i can go to the bull market. these discussions but not a grocery store in the neighborhood does not make sense to me. >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> good evening. my name is suzanne bartel fox m amended by steer of the polk neighborhood association. i got a letter for you from the coalition of san francisco neighborhoods. i didn't see it in the packet and i apologize. i don't have multiple copies but it was a resolution passed unanimously in favor of the formula retail controls. we stand with the polk district version association and consortium of san francisco neighborhoods.
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many small businesses better personality of our neighborhood. formula retail is an important part of our national economy. it has unintended consequences when it's cited in the wrong places. apply to areas like polk street big box may attract business that the expense of small business. unable to compete on price and margin, and under constant pressure on rents, small businesses cannot be sustained. the result is loss of these neighbors commerce and the colorful nation of the neighborhood changes to a sterile monochrome no different from any suburban strip mall across america. i'll and my comments there in favor of the warriors and hope that you will consider our statement. >> thank you very much. all right we have another speaker. >> >>[calling names]. >> hello. i have a business called cheese, plus the corner of polk and pacific since 25. i the great pleasure [inaudible] of course somebody come here and say i'm in support of this. i'm a couple things i'd like to say. in response, walgreens
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would not be precluded from coming into the neighborhood. that's part of this deal because of the unique thing they offer. so, if walgreens want to commend it to do that. if soup-co-wanted to come in the mighty to that but that does not mean someone else could not come in. do something similar another small business. the idea that it has to be whole foods, it is not the whole foods could become an independent joker decide to move the boat that be something the community to talk about as well. so by putting this band in place, doesn't mean it's all over. there's no other choice. there's so many choices out there. i'm the perfect example that. i started with nothing but this place over 11 years now to become actually an anchor for the neighborhood and very proud to be one. so, the idea that neighborhood associations can get up here and say they support small
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business, get trashed them at the same by saying they want to see form the retail coming here is just appalling. i think there's a lot of opportunity that still left with this probation. with that, i'll say good night. >> thank you very much. you've inspired some others. come on up. >> thank you president dwight and members of the commission. for your time on this matter. just to give you a little bit of background, it's really unfortunate we don't have this in play. 1600 jackson was slated to be 62 units with condos in a housing crisis. all of a sudden, 62 units of condos in a market where units are going for 1200 ft.2 is not as profitable to lease the property to whole foods. so, we get a debate where every day i
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have to worry about some lobbyist telling people to come to my neighborhood association social with messages, don't worry. there won't be too many people there. but supporters like you should go and talk to them and tell them how great the grocery store will be for the neighborhood. don't worry. let's call our lawyers and pursue this and fight, fight, fight. why? we lose 62 units of husband never should've had that debate. let's back up. the polk street and cd is along polk. it's van ness is 600 feet away. formula retail and committee chief choice within welcome along all these other portions. all were doing is creating a safe zone, is a zone along polk street much like they did and he's about. 13
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developments in the pipeline. lower polk and middle polk neighbors are some of the most receptive and engaging organizations in meeting with housing developers. will meet with any developer wants to come and bring new housing to our neighborhood. other groups won't. they say we don't need more housing in san francisco was his praise of the drawbridge and we are fine. so, what were asking really is for a venue's protection. we are saying you for going to build a high class neighborhood, we get to save a little bit of what we've got. that's all were asking for. these merchants, they poured out her heart and soul out there and we love them. we've got a whole folder of california franklin. we have a trader joe's. we have to walgreens. we've got these
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basic amenities. we need to keep is our character. formula retail may provide people a lot of basic necessities, but it does not provide things that are interesting things that are creative. things that are uniquely san franciscan. i love going to north these. i spell of time that. but going to chinatown. love going to hayes valley. it's a great interesting neighborhood. all we're saying is let's just have some fair rules of the game. the cu process is broken. commissioners clearly said that. two commissioners indicated some reform was necessary. thank you so much >> thank you. all right. next up, please. anymore speakers? at the end? all right, thank you i appreciate everyone who came out tonight. so, i note that it's onerous to participate in these, but i have to take difference it's absolutely essential adjuster. that's the fundamental basis of democracy. it's a pain in the butt but it works. there's
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creative ways to participate and so i applaud the community leaders who come out tonight both on behalf of residents and businesses representing their groups and reading letters of support were not. whatever your position is, but taking a position in your neighborhood, bringing it here the form of a letter were petition is a perfectly and genuine perfectly good and genuine way to participate please, do that and take that back to your neighborhoods please tell them you were commended for showing up tonight with us here at the small business commission or planning commission did we don't adjudicate this matter. planning commission doesn't board of supervisors do. when advisory body. we may or may not take a position tonight. i will say though i'm sure i signaled to many of you in my early comments a distrust of
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bands, and i still have a distrust of bands, however, by activity tonight has been one of considering perhaps it began as a zoning restriction and him all about zoning. zoning is legislation just like a band. just as this is going to be this and not that. here, what we are saying is not to be something where maybe it could exist under the current rules. so, it's been instructive for me. we learn at these meetings, two. when not experts on any everyone of the subject and we are here to the advocates of small business as we are also good legislation, were not here to oppose small business owners when they express their will and their desires. when i hear a portion of the residence have one sentiment and a portion has another, i take that into consideration as well. in the end, we probably put more emphasis on the position of business, small business, because that's who we are advocating for. anyway, it's been fantastic and i do appreciate it. especially
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onerous on a night when the warriors are in the final throes of winning a championship. so, we now have a period where some of the commissioners may make some comments and we'll take it from there. commissioner dooley >> once again, we really appreciate everyone coming out. that's what it's all about. i do want to make a few comments. i think were all here because things are really rapidly changing on polk should. there's a much development coming up. that's just, when you're developing a market rate and then the landlords are going to be looking for higher rent. there were going to be looking for folks to cater maybe not to everyone on polk shape of those particular residence and we've seen this before. holding out for higher rents. leaving their places they can. we've all received it in places like fillmore street.
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i really agree with the speaker who talked about requiring property owners and rental information into windows. this is something we are really concerned about here on our commission. we do need to keep working on it. it's really unconscionable we have these vacant storefronts and they're not making any effort whatsoever to rent them. that's just bad for the neighborhood. i've got to say, i believe competing for locations against formula retail is certainly not in even playing field anymore. you know, they have a paid group of lobbyists marketers, lawyers, and note neighborhood group can compete with that. in fact, i have to say that prior to this meeting a pr firm asked
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to have me recused from this meeting. now, that was not coming from neighbors were local folks. that is a perfect example of people with a deep pocket trying to push things around. so, it's a changing neighborhood on polk street. it does have a unique flavor and i think it's entirely reasonable to ask to keep some component of it could you know, there could be compromises like perhaps business locations from a commercial locations, under 2500 feet could possibly be banning formula retail, which would leave if there's some really large white elephants in the neighborhood, that could go through the cu prosecute i could see that might be a compromise. i know the whole foods is off the table since it's already part of the grandfathering in of any cu that are already moving forward. so, i don't think we need to discuss that. so, i think we are the small business commission and i feel that we
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need to respect the needs of our constituents, which appear tonight are small businesses and what they need to survive, you have heard from many neighborhood businesses and i believe we need to support them. >> commissioners, any other comments? commissioner riley >> where are we on this legislation? has the planning department hurry yet? >> yes. the planning department heard it last week and so they took action on it. for them, because this is-there advisory for this kind of legislation as well, they adjudicate on specific pieces of land but this is in terms of overall policy. so, it will move forward to the board of
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supervisors. it could possibly be on the land use committee next week. >> what was the outcome of the planning commission? >> the planning commission, the outcome was 4-3 not to support. >> so we have the option tonight to take a position on this or not. i think that's, i mean, we have that option. so, commissioner adams >> i agree with having commissioner dooley said. it is the small businesses we represent. however, when a legislative aide was here she talked about a level playing field. what worries me is a we get a band in this neighborhood and what about-they talked about three conditional use
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since 2011 and then there's another gentleman here that says, three businesses opened up and nothing was done. well, shame on you for not doing anything because in our neighborhood, what a business opened up, and they do not get a cu, when they needed to get a cu we shut them down. they had to wait two years in order to open up. until they finally got approved. so, if somebody opens up without a cu, you can shut them down and they will shut them down. this is where i'm torn. it's that level playing field because is not a level playing field. it's not a level playing field with the other commercial districts in this town. that's were i am torn. if
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we do a ban on polk street then let's do a ban on valencia, a ban on castro, a ban on west portal, it in on ocean, a ban on mission. if there's anything that easily fixed that i think it's the cu process. because the cu process, in my opinion, works. our neighborhood we've had about 15 and you know, we've had seven no. that's why i'm torn on this legislation.we also draw for work and we had a fight. was it a pain in the ass, yes but we stopped them. what really is worrying me if we do this for this street what about the rest of the city in making it an even level playing field quick. that's just my
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opinion on this. >> either personal interest as the founder of a new merchant association or business is those asian dogpatch. i'm certain we will face the same discussion in our neighborhood. so, this is an edge education process for me as i anticipate what kinds of discussion would have in our neighborhood especially since we don't have a grocery store. so, i, too, am torn but i think the way that i would get my head wrapped around this is really looking at this. i mean, ben is a showboating word as a zoning restriction and not so much-to use that language is a marketing guide, i would find much more palatable than the use of the term, banned, because i think that the end stupor preclude future generations are making decisions they want to make it however, is been noted this the restricted geographic area there's other locations that are zones and are not being subject to this restriction
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that would be within walking distance of the residence were interested in the level of convenience. so, again, tough decisions we have to make. i'm not going to make a motion for action this evening, but if any of our-if anyone here wants to, let's have at it. >> i move that we support the request from the polk street neighbors and merchants to allow former the retail band. we can call it a zoning change if we want because it's kind of the same. it's just that noxious word, banned, that gets in the way. you know, we see how it goes. it's not your revocable. it's not the hardest thing in the world to make changes. i'm sure that before it even passes there'll be more changes. such as, grandfathering in the cu already coming forward. you
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know, as a small business person myself, i will say without a doubt, if it wasn't for ban on form of the retail north beach i would've been out of business and my sympathies lie with a small businesses. so , make a motion to support >> i would second that if we can change the language to zoning that we can get guarantees on the currency current cu that are in place >> i think that's fair. >> i think that's fair as well. those are about those particular is this is to go to the cu process as it exists in the neighborhood can make a determination through the cu positive as would be if we were to oppose this. >> so what is the-the motion to support the proposed legislation for banning retail
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on polk street with the following provisions. one would be to have, in writing before us, within the week, stating clearly in writing that everyone who's applied for a cu was a form of the retail will be able to go through that process unencumbered. >> the zoning change >> i'm not sure >> i like to zoning changes >> i'm not sure if that's a technicality but i guess we could say we prefer to have it addressed as a zoning restriction >> as a zoning restriction because i don't like that word, banned >> i participated on the user neighborhood we zoning commission. i have that lingo in my head. zoning restriction as opposed to abm. i think that they may very well be-we manhandled the banners out
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there a new marketing slogan to: zoning restriction rather than a band that i think that's more appropriate- >> zoning restriction will allow you to >> the zoning restriction is a zoning restriction it depends how you write the restriction. this is effectively a zoning restriction defined as precluding were banning, form the retail as defined. but the motion before us is to support the legislation with a written confirmation and affirmation of taking the existing applicants through their condition these processes. it doesn't say will be allowed. as is the go through the conditional use processes as specified by the city >> may i be back the motion >> yes >> motion is within one we have in writing that anyone who is already applied as of that date, i assume, would be honored
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, allowed to go through the full cu process and secondly, to call it a zoning restriction like to add the zoning restriction would preclude form of the retail or would you like to just call it a zoning restriction? >> no. by the way, if we may, benefit committee to put in like mandating timeframe. they need to providing writing confirmation that the existing conditional use applications will be honored and will go through the conditional use process. stop. >> okay. >> i just about because of the scheduled to go forward >> before approved by the board of supervisors. >> okay >> just for the commission to do the due diligence and to make sure that we can adequately represent what you have to say at the land use committee that we get that confirmation before its heard in committee
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>> absolute. just before let's make an affirmative two overtime to get it in before that is before that and use committee meeting >> so, the commission is recommending to the board of supervisors approval upon the commission condition that the commission received, in writing, and confirmation, before the land use committee that the current application that are in the pipeline are able to go through. >> right >> this was calling it a zoning restriction >> i don't know that's a legislative matter >> okay. just number one. all right >> so is there a second to the motion? moved and seconded. >> we will do a roll call. >> rollcall vote >> welcome. adams aye dooley aye dwight aye ortiz-cartegena is absent tour-sarkissian aye
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zouzounis aye. this motion passes unanimously. >> again, thank you all very much for coming out and i appreciate it. >> and we will see you all again. >> we will see you all again the next zoning restriction proposition. >> you're welcome to come to our meetings on any other matter as well. >> might even be in.net. the latest update is 85-77. we are losing. >> third quarter, still >> we are moving onto the next item. those leaving the room, these do so quietly. let's call the next item >> next item, please
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>> all right. item number seven, presentation and discussion on san francisco municipal transportation agency's sfmta eight residential parking permit program evaluation and reform project. this is a discussion item in our presenters catherine sidewalk and with >> i do want to make a quick acknowledgment that with this particular presentation, this a very good example of this is being early at the table so you're not receiving a final presentation but a solicitation of them put and provide some-you'll have the opportunity provide some direction to the department on as they look on the damping the residential parking program. permit parking program. >> all right. just give me one
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return to catherine start about to start her presentation on item number seven. >> good evening, commissioners. it's a pleasure to be here. i'm kathy stockwell with the san francisco invisible transportation agency. i manage the residential parking permit program and am also managing the residential parking permit program evaluation and reform project. with me here today is anti- -going to assist in moving our presentation along but also help in answering questions you might have. based on the previous discussion, i see you are very strong commitment to small business and that's exactly why we are here. residential parking affects small businesses as well good there are many many
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neighborhood commercial districts that are within residential parking permit areas, and so it's vital that we receive your import. were not proposing anything right now , so we're just here to have you listen to a presentation, comments, and providing input to some of the issues will be presenting to you and we want to hear what you would do if you were in our shoes. first of all, we came up with a set of six guiding principles and guiding us as we move through this evaluation and reform project. number one, excellent customer service. providing residential parking permits is a service. it's a service that we are provided since 1978. legislation was passed by the board of supervisors in 78.
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it's 40 years old this year it is time to reform the program. but in doing that, number one, our goal is to excellent customer service. sensitivity to the local context means that we want to provide a program that is flexible two different neighborhood needs. right now, the program is one-size-fits-all. whether you're in chinatown or whether you're in-those two neighborhoods are completely different but the program is exactly the same no matter where you are. we want to change that. equitable access. that means what we are doing is recognizing that we are a multimodal community that we want to provide multi modal solutions to getting around and rpp is part of that. policy alignment, as you have heard, many times the planning department in the general plan and zoning ordinance has
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enacted parking maximums in several areas. which, in some areas, such as south beach about only one parking space for four units and in other areas, allow only one parking space for two units and were one parking space per one units. they also allow developers to not build any parking command what happens is those residents, when they come in and find there's no parking, they come to us and ask for a parking permit. so, what we want to do is make sure mtas policy in the transportation code is in alignment with the general plan and with our transit first policy. this reform project is about policy alignment as well. of course, what sf mta is all about is reducing congestion and
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improving transit. we have people circling for parking your gumming up the works. you're slowing trarawn and you're making it harder for people to get from point a to point b in transit inefficiently. also as far as this meeting is concerned in this group is concerned we want to make sure whatever we do supports neighborhood commercial vitality. that's the most important thing we want you to focus on today. so, in terms of the time i, we been at this for over 18 months. we started on it when i arrived back in 2014 and we've been
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working on it ever since, mostly in terms of gathering research, gathering information about what is happening in the various residential parking permit areas, conducting a household survey, conducting parking utilization surveys, research in the field, etc. we conducted a set of four open houses this spring. we received a lot of feedback from various neighborhoods. this spring we are in the process of evaluating various options, which we will discuss with you later in this meeting, but in addition, we are conducting community workshops. one in each supervisors district. we voted conducted 10 of them. we have one left to do, but were also reaching out to various businesses another neighborhood associations. for instance from another colleague of ours is meeting with south beach when connie hill mission bay neighborhood this evening and tomorrow night be with telegraph hill dwellers. on the
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21st working to be meeting with the council of urchins and so we are eager to hear as much as we can from the true stakeholders of this program. in the fall, we plan to provide the sfmta board of directors is set of recommendations. the final report, in terms of our evaluation in our recommendations for reforming the program based on their input, their feedback, will then move forward with whatever proposals that they support and work towards getting those passed by the board. as you can see from this map, we have 29 different rpp areas. they cover a full quarter of the city's geography. 44% of all city households are in one rpp area
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or another, and so far we have about 78,000 residential parking permit areas. the first rpp area was. number a the beach telegraph hill area. there's is established in 1978 they were primarily responsible for getting the legislation passed in 1976. the latest one to be formed right smack in the middle barry, that happened last year. we brought in 7000 households into that area prior to that they were a donut hole that's why the commuters were parking because they cannot park anywhere else around there. so, with our research, with all the public input we've had we've identified five key issues. i'm going to go over three of them tonight because i think it's
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these three that impact businesses the most. the first is balancing parking demands and supplies. the second is bouncing neighborhood needs them to go into those a little more in-depth later. rationalizing permanent area boundaries and regulations did as you can see from the map we just had up on the screen, there of all different sizes and within that, each of these areas have different combinations of powers of enforcement, parking grace period, days of enforcement. sometimes they vary from one block to the next. sometimes from one side of the street to the night. what this does is make enforcement very difficult , inefficient, and it's not providing good customer service in terms of proper enforcement of the time limit. clarifying the process of establishing and modifying areas. it's very
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cumbersome to form a brand-new area requiring 250 signatures, but then again, like an area q with her 7000 households in the area, dakota allowed us to start the process with only 250 signatures a lot of people had a problem with that representing the whole neighborhood, but there's a lot of other issues with the program that we want to address. we want to clarify the requirements for extending and modifying areas. also, lastly improving efficiency and customer service using better technology. available technology. technologies that are there will to everyone else but government, and so we want
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to bring this program into the 21st century and by doing so, improving enforcement and improve customer service, make it easier to get the permit but only for residents but also for businesses. so, going into the first of the five issues, balancing demand and supply, what i mean by that is that we have a finite supply of on street parking and that's what we are talking about today. the on street parking. abusing over the last couple of years, with new developments, we sometimes lose that. were losing parking to bike lanes. were losing parking to transit lanes. were losing parking to park let's. these are desired by the public board i'm saying the amount of parking is not going up. it's barely sane static if anything it's going down. at the same time, the man for parking is going up. our population is increasing number of households increasing number of jobs is increasing. as you can see from this map, if you look at the
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salmon colored areas, those percentages, for instance, north beach area 138% chinatown area when 52%, the other areas, 124%, these numbers correspond with the number of permits issued per rpp for instance, in chinatown were issuing 1.5 permits for every available on street rpp we think we are doing the purchasers, the account holders of rpp a disservice by issuing work permits than there are. it becomes a hunting license. obviously, no guarantee to actually get in a space. also, one of the things i want to point out is that there is a direct correlation between ability to access on street
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parking and your perception or your satisfaction with quality of life. this is a key finding of our household ssurveys. those who felt quality of life was great also had easier access to on street parking. as you can see from this pie chart, 40% of the households felt access to on street parking was poor and 31%, fair,. we are not delivering on our promise there. so, here is one of the solutions. like i said, these are just ideas. this is based on our research could this is based on interaction with the public at our workshops, our open houses household surveys, etc. so, how it works now in terms of managing demand and supply, we
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currently allow for permits per household. you may petition for additional permits and there is currently no areawide cap on the number of permits issued per area. what we are thinking of is in some areas that are impacted, not on every area, but instituting an areawide cap that is based on were right in relation to the available spaces than expected demand for the spaces. lower the per unit captain set of four, maybe have it go down to two. work, and these are all, or is, some we can combine some. some we will do one instead of the other but another is a cap per person. so, this would benefit people
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who lived in shared housing situations, where there's five twentysomethings in a single home or six twentysomethings in a single home right now with a capital for that would require two people not be able to get a permits. the other is capped by type of land use. in other words what i mean by that is residential units get up to a certain percentage of the total pie. businesses get another percentage of the total pie. another option is instituting graduated pricing. how it works now. your comment cost exactly the same, $111 as your first permit. business permits cost the same as residential permits and there's no incentive to use your garage consider parking on the street.
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people park on the street at a convenience savanna to pull in and out of their garage. so, how it might work. prices would've very. the second, it would cost more than the first. the third permits would cost more than the second and on and on. if you have access to off street parking you would pay more good in other words, if you don't have access to parking, you permit my costs would say $100, but if you do have access to parking your permit my cost twice that amount, maybe $200. as a slight incentive for you to clean out your garage and maybe use it in free of the parking for maybe a business customer, a business employee or teacher with a plumber or somebody else that might need that space. prices may vary by occupancy rates. in areas that are greatly impacted
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by smite the higher. places that have a lots of open parking the price would be lower. things like that. while we are thinking that the 111 dollar permit price is such a good value in our response to our household surveys said it was a great value, there are 44% of those who have to pay for on-site parking, or off street parking, or pain between 100-$250 per month. there's 32% of those who are parking off street our pain between 250-$500 per month. so one under $11 a year is quite a great value. that's giving us some hope that perhaps we can institute graduated pricing. another option is that, right now no matter when you're
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building was built, no matter how much parking it offers a dozen offer, in rebuilding within rpp area is eligible. what we are thinking is, as i said before, earlier, in this conversation, new buildings going up that are being built in accordance with the parking maximum, for instance, only one space per four units, and that are allowed to put and absolutely no parking, that they would not be eligible for permits because the idea there is that the developer in complying with the planning code is encouraging you to transit. they're taking advantage of transit infrastructure and their fulfilling the goal of the general plan to reduce auto
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ownership. however, developers can elect to exclude new buildings from rpp lg ability. right now, one of point out that were working with the city attorney and we are not--we don't know if this is legal or in compliance with the california vehicle code. so, all of these have to be vetted by the city attorney. bouncing neighborhood needs. what i mean by this is that everybody has a need for curb space. not just residents. the name of our program, residential parking permit program provides a sense of entitlement to residents and it conveys the notion that only residents have a righttwo curbside parking in neighborhoods. as you saw from
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the discussion in the last item on your agenda,to survive and thrive and continue to serve their needs. so, what were proposing is to have a bit of a mindset shift in that work on street parking should be for a multiple-multitude of users. it's paper the residence. it should be for the businesses. it should be for the customers could it should be for the childcare workers, the teacher, the plumber, the traveling salesman. or one. so, anyway, i see well looking at the clock and you're anxious because you want to read the score again. >>[laughing] for the purpose of this map is to show you that the density of employment, pdr,
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production distribution and repair services as well as retail employment is very widely distributed to all rpp areas. that rpp areas are not made up just a residential units. parking supply and demand. basically, and again, the bouncy neighborhood needs, we have a total parking supply of 78,000 rpp spaces. honestly, those are on street. we have no way of knowing at this point in time coming off street spaces we have however, on the other side we are parking demand. 153,000 households, 70% of which have a vehicle and 34% that don't have off street parking. plus, we have 1220
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2000 jobs in those rpp areas and these numbers, but i want to convey and emphasize this is just within existing rpp areas. these numbers. so, bouncing a good demand for parking is key. so, one of the things right now, businesses only get one permit. they can get three additional permits for delivery vehicles that are registered to the business that are commercial vehicles. how a might work, we could increase the number of permits that businesses could get just across the board given to permits or we could do that by area depending upon availability depending upon occupancy rates , and depending upon ratio of residential units to businesses. another idea is to combine
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paid parking with permit parking, and in this situation permit holders for residential and were businesses with permits would begin able to part with no timeouts. however, visitors, any type of visitor would have to pay for parking in the be either pay by phone or a multi-space kiosk at the corner somewhere where they can get a receipt and displayed on it the pictures are of two different options. the one on the right is from the presidio, within exactly this program to accommodate visitors and residents. the last issue, issue number five, leveraging information technology to provide better customer service
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. as many of you know, if your account holders in rpp of city permits is time-consuming, especially if it's your first permit. if you go down or go through the mail. you've to provide much in the way of documentation if you want a visitor or short-term permit, you actually have to go down to 11 band that's the one and only location where you can do that, wait in line, get your permit and usually many have only one or two days notice when grandmother again bob was arriving and a good friend and you have to get a permit. existing processes and the technology limit our ability to explore new policy options. we have many many complaints about the lack of enforcement or regulatory enforcement and, as i said before, this is very much
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the result of the poor definition of our rpp areas, in terms of size and shape, as well as the on street regulations and the multitude of various regulations. and better technology can make enforcement more efficient. for instance, license plate recognition technology. well me have too little forgoes-whatever the little carts are called. only two of them. for the-out of 35 have these little license plate recognition technology. so, there's a lot of great interesting technologies used in many other parts of the united states parts of the world that we could apply here and approved the situation. so, we can allow for better online purchasing of permits. printed out at home. flexible permit duration. in other words, what are people around only six
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months away. maybe get a permit that allows only six months or a subscription basis. seniors have a difficult time paying $111 of one-time. that's $10 a month be easier for them to pay . regular monitoring and evaluation, this is been a one-off project, but stuart regularly. keep monitoring the program. with access to better data with better databases,, better software, their enforcement. we can easily evaluate and update this program on a regular basis. so, next steps, working to continue our public engagements throughout the summer. within a complete our valuation and develop a set of recommendations. we will return to the mta board of directors in december with our policy recommendations and we welcome your input. thank you very
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much. >> thank you. i have to confess i'm so frustrated with this parking policy in san francisco. i live in dogpatch right next to the development in mission bay. as you all know, mission they were ucsf is not beholden to our planning commission it does not have to abide by the restrictions of the city and it got a novel means of addressing the parking issue. both parking structures. there many parking structures admission date for their employees otherwise they would not be will to operate the hospital. they have to bring in nurses and doctors outside the city. those nurses and doctors either park pay for parking on the facility they park in my neighborhood and take muni our walk. i know are actively addressing this issue in the dogpatch. you know, it's
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like were trying to ration the oxygen in the room there's not enough to go around and we all at notes there's not enough to go around with all of god's oxygen is required for life yet we don't want to address the real issue and that is we have such a germanic imbalance of supply and demand in the city. as you pointed out, not only is extraordinary today but it's only getting worse. in dogpatch alone, we are tripling our residential population next four years and we are throttling parking in all new developments to the point where .75 in some cases zero parking. that is simply not practical. this is not going to be a new car city and so all we got is a regressive situation where only the wealthy people can afford parking. i'm not good i bought a parking place my condominium building. if i not had any parking options were not have bought the unit in the building. i can invite my parents live
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in hillsboro to visit me. because they're in their 80s. they have to drive and they can't get a parking place for any more than a limited amount of time in my neighborhood. they can come visit me. i have to go there. so we are creating a city that's awkward allow people to come from the outside if they don't find alternative means of getting a. to take uber from host it would cost a fortune. so, you know, work in a talk about this until we are blue in the face. this is not your fault. you are delivering the message. i think but that the city needs to rethink this whole thing. it's not going to work. you can keep taking away
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something that's increasing demand and think that it's going to work itself out. whether by some magical means of statistical manipulation of permits and time limits given to make everybody fit in those parking spaces. it isn't going to happen. as medevac a lot of congestion on our streets is due to the fact people can't find a parking space. i'm curious no one would happen if they could find a parking space and got in there got off the street and went to work and spend the set of sending an hour looking for parking space during prime time causing a nightmare for every. he talked about residence. my employees have gone on noticing the token street were my pdr businesses located moving the parking from four hours to two hours. now i've admonish all my employees, all 20 something not to drive to work. don't tell me your problems about driving to work. take public transportation. as difficult as that can be, but i three employees to have to drive another worry have to go out-the working in a production environment-they believe every two hours ago move their car?
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in hopes of finding another place which by the way they won't. the minute they get in the car and start driving around i lost them for an indeterminate amount of time. they're off the clock. they can make money and i can run my factory. so it's not working. is not working for anybody. isn't going to work by any kind of imagination of permits and limits in all accounts stop. procure work, technology, it's not going to work. so the map to continue to do my employees to take public transportation. and hope they can figure that out and work in a [inaudible] it says in your will give the owner a permits. that doesn't solve the problem. my delivery vehicles. i don't need permits for delivery vehicles on the permits for employees and not three. bb 10. i don't know. so, there's no solution here for me. only an increase in sort of the aggravation. so, i don't know. i can't see spending
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hours and hours and hours listening to the stuff and trying to make this solution work when it's clearly not going to work. it just does not work. you don't have to be an engineer traffic or otherwise to figure that out. seriously, you can't leave this in a fix the problem. it's escalating. it's getting worse and worse and worse and we already have a shortage. supply and demand principles work with you prior to the economy of this parking situation. >> well we are here about your ideas. >> it's not about ideas. i don't have a formula you don't know about. there is no solution. this solution is you have to provide parking. you have to build parking. there's no alternative, or, you need to make driving a car so-i don't say that way because we are doing baking at driving the car
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still undesirable you do anything to take public transportation. the corollary is you to make public transportation so easy, the petite run every 3 min., make every mode of transportation very frankly, not faster, more frequently, so that driving a car is less quick and less-it's just a less attractive alternative regardless of whether you have a car or not. frankly i don't own a car. if i can take public transportation, which i do routinely, and furthermore car sharing is not a solution all the time because you're in the same traffic everybody else's. i need the best possible right-of-way public transportation that this world can offer. this idiotic take a leadership position on that. so, i mean no disrespect.
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i have no solution that you have not thought of. you are experts in this, not me but i will tell you one thing. none of the solutions i've seen from any of the experts, anywhere even approximate a solution to this problem because the only solution is to create more parking because we need more every day and we are taking it away, not adding it, to daylighting and taking: parson restricting developers from putting in a parking and yet we have an organization operating in the city that solve the problem, ucsf. not beholden to us in our byzantine approach to this. the building parking structures for their employees. for that under the banner of public health. okay. who can argue with that? well, why can't we build parking under the banner of quality of life? we all have to be sick of quality of life that you cfs uca that campus broken we
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create quality of life in the city we came to live in. it's an abomination. sorry for the, for this, but were always each other's time in every meeting i go to in my neighborhood. in my business association,. the commission, with the mayor. at the planning commission. it's a total waste of time because were talking about the wrong solution. i don't really want to sit around and listen to a bunch of people tell me spin around in circles about how urban assault was problem by making sure that people can play this musical chairs game. it doesn't work. you've seen already one of the most important quality of life issues in the neighborhood is the availability of on street parking. we continue to take it away. we continue to take way the obvious thing we would love everybody to clear out the garage and put their car in their barrage. that tells me we
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would love everybody to have off street parking. but only if they are the habit. only if the grandfather because the building is so old that was built in a time when they allowed it. oh, by the way, any new construction were not to let anybody have enough parking in our new buildings. the very place where we could be providing adequate parking and not only that could be providing access parking and subsidizing those building by saying i will so you parking place for $250 per month. let's go down not up. let's build it subterranean. people dig holes all day long but pricing model is there. you've driven it there to this transportation first policy by making parking so expensive that it's more expensive than some cases don't parking space per square foot than a rental spot. so, it's regressive. the low-paid
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workers of to work at my place can't find a parking space. the only alternative is either no parking, taking public transportation, or pain some exorbitant fee for parking permit they may or may not find a place for. so, it's regressive. simpatico. it's unrealistic and it doesn't-it does not address the true reality of the situation in the city. so, great. we want to help, but we can help you. we'll have a solution. so, greats. go ahead. >> thank you for your presentation. one question i did have, and i know it overlays some planning department inspection wools on not very clear on, but a lot
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of sro type market-rate buildings are coming up in our city and they're not mandated to help parking. there mandated to help bike parking, bike or scooter if i'm not mistaken. so, yes, i think that createsas to an atmosphere of city is going towards and i don't part of that generation am also-for the business i work enough to go to the wholesaler because of grocery in my car and bring it back. i drive my 94-year-old grandmother around and stuff like that. so, it is confusing those kind of buildings are not only contribute in to a transitional class of young generation, but it's also
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not-but the parking correlation mandated for the bikes, i'm confused about that. i don't know if you can provide some context for the certain type of building or that's a precedent for development right now in general? certain types of development that [inaudible] >> right. though i can speak to especially in soma, where, yes, you get parking maximums and the developer could get away with provided no parking, but i think andy will know best about the whole the climate for bike parking. it could be actually a zoning requirements. >> it is, yes. indeed chairman dwight i take to heart everything you say. united have been working on this in various ways through the years. it's planning commission and joan plan basically that is that it dictates what we do off the street the mta has to deal with
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later. this part what kathy is telling you now that the mta is trying to make up the difference as a city police 10 years now. transit first goes back to 1970. three about dianne feinstein inventing this in 1973. the buildings that are getting entitled in various zoning districts to have ceilings on parking a lot of times developers find a more profitable to put in more housing units unless part. so they're not like to put in car parking. that same planning code applies a certain amount of bike parking there's a little car share in well as well. if you build it garage for cars it to put a sump number of parking for bikes beat it but the opposite is not happen? >> the opposite is often but the developer is an option. david baker was divine projects in the step oh there's
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definitely projects coming online that more pipe stalls and car stalls downstairs. this is land use policy. this is planning code and we been talking quite a bit tonight about the planning commission and what we do between our various agencies. i think if you care about this, and i know you do, that's where you should be looking and talking. as the code has changed, the planning commission and neighbors and its other groups pushing on that to change parking ratios. we as the mta cannot control how much parking is being put into buildings. as i said, we have to deal with it. after the building is there than the neighbors say, hey, kathy alonso permits because of our park in the street. were left with the top job of rough fine refereeing a finite amount. as chairman dwight said were turning that curb into bike lanes,, at such. day lighting is pressuring. if you just log parking spaces but exactly
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saving some lives. makes it less likely someone scored to be powered into somebody at an intersection. so it's a trade-off. safety for parking. well we got before you is how do you help us slice the pie. we've only got as much parking and the dogpatch we are working with neighbors there some of the residents want more parking for residents. some businesses were more parking for businesses. we have allow for visitors. we have to allow for firemen. it allow for everybody wants some of that parking we can't make work her. we just can't make more curb. that's a problem we have with you tonight >> of a couple of follow-up questions just a matter of public city space being leased to private. do we have any kind of numbers that show city parking structures that maybe have someballet service in a more rideshare service that's leasing space? i mean, i'm
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just curious because i do see a dwindling of public space and, yes, some of it is due to mta projects, but some it is also, i see a lot of private uses, which may be do have a public purpose, but i'm curious if there's anything giving up that? >> austria we should complain but only are we in charge of 74,000 parking spaces, 10% metered, 20% of those are under rpp control but our vast inventory of 275,000 parking spaces on street, we also the mta controls 19 garages in 19 parking lots. of those parking lots are little tiny ones out neighborhood commercial but my region district part of town with that some will 24-30 i cannot between implementing geary. entourage is very in size and i think this admission garage has something like 5000
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spaces. it's a bastard so there's a lot of parking we control austria. some that parking is put out to permit to work in his nations a small handful, few dozen and scoot networks have some permits and some of our garages. private garages, we don't know were we don't control there may be a six-year-old garage in union square the 20to uber or someone like that. i'm sure that's happening. that's a business decision for them. it's real estate. we know there's a rogers being turned into other things. this beautiful ancient garages from the 20s. neighborhood garages and restaurants. and health clubs and other things. there's a beautiful one on sacramento street but it's spruced now, i believe. very desirable restaurant. some grudges become other things about. it's very expensive to build garages.
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it's very expensive to go down into the soil and in northeast mission, there's a former public utilities commission parking lot at 1710 fulsome, which, after a decade of community advocating is becoming a park and 100% affordable housing could those arrest but that parking back underneath that. well, it's former mission bay in when you turn the state into soil you have a puddle. to drill down and make a parking garage there means having a simmering technology. dr. palms running constantly and you have to have a lot of engineering. there's this is that it costs upwards of a quarter million dollars to put in a parking spots in san francisco. you could put a better man for that much. so, we control parking austria we control parking on street. but there's a lot of parking that is off street we have no idea what's going on that's not in our control.
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>> one must question. >> okay so we can get two other commissioners. what is your question? >> in regards to students can you provide a little bit of information to meet the city cause students to go to different campuses have that works. even state is always crazy over there for student parking if you control that the plans as you have for changes? >> no, we don't control that all we control is the parking on the street that's around those campuses. there's many cc sf campuses and some of them are within our areas and others are not. i know that the main campus-was established specifically to keep students out of people's neighborhoods so that they would use transit, but i understand having a son who goes to cc sf, you go to school and you go to work the back to school you back to work
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and many students can do that using transit. so, no, we don't control parking for students. sf state has a lot of unregulated parking all around the campus.. i do know that around there but again, we do not work with either of those colleges to manage parking. >> thank you. commissioner dooley >> i agree with the fact that transit first in many respects just doesn't work. i agree that we need to have garages. if we have more and more people pouring in they have to go somewhere not going on the street. but beyond that, actually do have some comments on this. some compromises that might be a stopgap to update little bit. one is, i see we
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need to lower the per unit cap to like half, to like, too. we all have to take-sacrifices both the residents and the businesses. that's one. the other is, clearly, anyone who has a garage i don't care what they should use it for should not get a permit. that's it. they should not get a permit on street. >> airbnb >> claimant area their office near the plaza and i live on telegraph hill. now, the amount of offices down there in the employees far exceeds the residence. so, we've got to get some balance that. i know as a residence i cannot go home before 6 pm because there's just no parking. i've had those
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moments where you have something frozen from the store animals before you part. so, that down there is out of control. they know that the traffic enforcement is not there at all. they party eight hours a day down there. never get a ticket and there's got to be some balance between business. right below where i live, there's a for-profit college. they get 15 permits. that's an entire block. maybe more. so, i think we do have to at least as a stopgap measure start tweaking this stuff. the ultimate solution is still to have garages in my opinion, but
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more enforcement of the time so people just think who cares. will part here all day or move our car every two hours which is really unproductive. so, those are ways to perhaps get some of our employees at of those cars. we've times of garages. is there some way the city can work with these private rogers in any way to incentivize them help these businesses have a lot of employees, maybe help them set something like that up because they're taking all the street parking and their many garages that are sitting around down there. so, discover be a combination of these things since obviously, it can be huge hall for us to pull back on this insanity of not building any parking and yet building, building, building at the same time both businesses and residential. so, i would say we should have a few of these things that will help even this much would be helpful. same thing with a business permit.
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it is residential parking so matching we should not give permits but perhaps they should be at a different rate, and once again, don't let people have 1 million. same thing with like recipe they don't need for permits per unit. that's insane. nobody lives like that anymore. so i'm just suggesting we we do all these things quickly and even if it helps us have 10% less congestion, i mean we take that over nothing is what we have now. nothing and getting worse >> commissioner tour-sarkissian >> question. the seven 8000 parking supply and 29 permit areas? so, just to determine the extent of the problem, you have seven 8000 800 and these
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29 areas and you have 153,000 households seeking permits >> some of them are >> some of them are. then you have businesses. so, certainly you don't have enough on street parking. >> that's for sure >> what i don't understand the 29 permit areas. how do you determine 29 versus the rest. first of all the permit areas cover 1% >> they cover one fourth of a geographic area. >> we identify these permit areas because there is a higher
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concentration in demand for parking? >> yes. first of all, there was no planning at all behind the establishment of these areas. except for in area a. were commissioner dooley lives. basically, it's a citizen initiated process. what happens is the neighborhood residents come to us and say, or before was to the board of supervisors, department of public works, we have a parking problem. we want an rpp area and so we say you got a get a petition. you can get 50% of the residents signing. then we'll do in occupancy survey. if you have 80% of your available spaces parked in, big also part in them yet you have a parking problem. so will start the process of establishing a new era. all this was established organically
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that's why you see-since it's a much easier to extend an existing area of them establish a brand-new area, we see some areas just growing and growing and growing id area f. north of know we valley and south of castro. so, it's all been organic. there's been no rational planning behind it whatsoever. >> so your plan is to kind of >> rationalize it. >> throughout the city? >> justin these 29 areas, yes >> white? wyoming 29 >> why just the 29? >> why not citywide and why are we concentrating on 29.. if we want to resolve the problem citywide, why would we concentrate our efforts only on 29 areas. >> brothers many parts of the city. the homes all have at
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least one parking spot per unit in some cases, to parking spots per units. there's less of a problem out there so, given limited resources, city governments and all, why focus on something that doesn't need-there'll be a solution following a problem like was said before. so these 29 areas, with established that your parking problems. so what we need to do is better manage the parking problem in those areas. >> you going to set standards that maybe you use about? >> yes, exactly >> thank you >> i'm going to interrupt myself, 40 years ago rpp was invented for a purpose and that is to protect neighborhoods against invaders. so, it's not we have a parking problem in the neighborhood. if you parking problem your neighbor owns to make cars, that's not what rpp is about. rpp was
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invented because there's a university and it's trying a lot of traffic and neighbors find students are parking in the driveway. we've got usf nsf state. problem is here's a part station and people are driving parking in my driveway and they're getting on bart. so the rpp idea has this permits that it's for the neighbors to defend themselves against invaders. on the west side of town there isn't a factor. there is in a part stop. there's an something that's causing folks to invadeand that is [inaudible] the financial district we honored up against these invaders. the problem, as i said is that approach is fine when you have an us and them starting point. we live here and someone is doing my parking. but, it's your
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neighbors were fighting with each other, then rpd is not going to help. by giving some privilege to an insider versus outsider, that doesn't solve the problem of the neighbors having more cars than acapulco. that's why some neighborhoods don't have resident parking systems now but already reaching a boiling point in some areas where the idea that there's too many cars, we can solve that with the resident permit program. this will achieve problems. >> these invasions are symptomatic. they're symptomatic of an imbalance of supply and demand. innovation occurs when you restrict or have insufficient supply in one place, a new building goes up, demand increased. the university has higher enrollment demand increases. whatever it is, that imbalance cause the diaspora of parking needs and so it fundamentally moves to where the path of least resistance. so, were
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pitting artificial barriers to contain problems which can't be contained because there are demand spikes and were building those demand spikes. every day we are issuing permits to create parking problems by issuing permits to new buildings that to go in with insufficient parking for the new residents whether they be people going to work out whether people living there. again, i get back to this we need a referendum in the city. it's time that the people spoke about this because it's a people suffering in san francisco. the legislature continues on with outdated transportation first policy which is developed in the 1970s over that any idea what about it was going to look like today and furthermore we perpetuated without any idea but some better idea of what obama works in the future and we know is can it continue to boom, even
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if it hits skids now and in which no doubt it will, we always recover and go back into a development mode. we know it's can happen. it's 49 mi.2 in the opportunity it to go up great density and we want to create density they can still a desirable place to move to desirable place to have your business in spite all the problems with that. so, again i get to i think we need to change this discussion. i think time for a referendum. i think time for legislation that does away with this outdated policy and express is the will of the people to more parking. period. to address these fundamental supply and demand issues which are fundamental. we cannot defeat a map of the situation at demand is increasing and supply is shrinking. we will not solve this problem with
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even the most sophisticated sharing technology. we won't. cars are not going away. even if we move to self driving cars. crates. there still vehicles. even the shared vehicles are vehicles. we places for those vehicles. we have a moratorium on creating more supply. we have to relax the one fundamental restriction that is supplied. so, great, we can nibble at the edges by asking you for four hours, two hours, this that the other. we get a little bit here and a little bit there. we're chasing our tails here. were going to it over here and move a little bit over here and then 29 will become 32 will become 50. zones in san francisco becomes so hypercritical we need to do frankly ineffective fixes for.
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so, i samiti you that given unsolvable problem, which you been set on. i mean, i feel for you. but it's not solvable. were not can help you other than these little tweaks that are really solving the problem. while talking about the wrong issue here. seriously. it's getting to the point where i just can't figure it out. the emperor has no clothes, people. we have to acknowledge that. i'm sorry, but we have to do it here in city hall. such with commissions like this they can't do a damn thing about it again so we make it our voice heard in public on the record and i'm going on the record today as saying, this has to stop. because it's not solvable you of an engineering degree
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did not a transportation engineer, but i know math. i also know practicality. and rational. there is no rationalizing the nonrational system. it's not fundamentally rational. it's like trying to turn in same person same. this is disconnected there's two different worlds. so, we have to acknowledge that. we have to get into the world of reality here. talk about the un-reality of thinking managing never diminishing supply of parking is going to solve the ever increasing demand for parking. those two points there is no alignment to connect those two points. okay? so let's not waste our time. it is getting late and i'm getting a little bit exasperated obviously but please, people, we've got to move on from this. director
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>> i am sam we are saying commissioner dwight. having moving to doing the referendum doing more parking is a big lift and we do have some incremental improvements. i look at my area i live in the upper haight and i'm area q and it's very suburban approach to the residential parking program. it's a monday through friday daytime and there's plenty of spaces to find on the street because the people who live there get in their cars and drive away, and yet we are restricting parking from customers to the businesses and employees because we have a two-hour limit their. so, i do think it's not going to be the big problem when a to solve, but some incremental changes. >> i agree because you know
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what, i've been screaming this lease and screaming for years with planning. people are chopping are not shopping in our neighborhoods anymore. people used to come to san francisco to shop. they don't do that anymore because there's nowhere to park in the neighborhood >> we talked to residents who won't go across town here because they can't park >> there's no parking in the city needs to wake up and build parking. that's the reality that. transit first will work for people that live here but guess what this is a regional destination and people are not taking the bart train to come here. so i agree 110% with commissioner dwight and i actually feel this is a waste of time. >> but wait. it's not. the reason it's not is because no rational group like ours is going to listen to the
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presentation and come away thinking great. these guys are the right people to solve the problem. it's not because you're the wrong people to solve the problem it's because you can't solve a problem that time we woke up and figure that out. until people like us who have volunteered to help this city get its act together, start telling it like it is rather than going well i didn't get to see the game. i'm glad they lost. this is ridiculous. to say it's a heavy left is a copout. this city never shied away from heavy lift. we have pioneered more things in the city then we can recount here tonight. it's not because we said it was a heavy lift and were not going to do it. so it's time we decide what to do the heavy left open up all up and do the heavy left. because it's a complete and utter waste
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of time and effort to not think about that. we could be spending our time solving the problem, not frittering it away on solutions that are not solutions. so, this is not a waste of time. go tell your story to every other commission in this building and i hope they will watch this and feel empowered and emboldened to tell you you cannot solve this problem. that the only solution to this problem is to address the supply problem and get it in sync with demand. at the same time, to develop transportation that helps people get out of their cars. i am all for getting out of your card. i've abandoned my car. i want to take public transportation. i don't want to be in my car. it's frustrated and i can do other things from taking the team. i can spend a lot of time on the two. in our to get over here and i get a
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lot of work done. i've taken the caltrain for a couple of years. i get it. i want good public transportation. public transportation we have here is unreliable doesn't run frequently enough. i don't care about the speed. as matter of fact i don't have the buses running faster. i want the more frequent and reliable. seriously. every body in this city hall that hears these things and is in position to state their opinion should be saying, this is not going to work. we have to change the situation and as a heavy lift as it is with all to get together and lifted. one person is not going to lift ticket one commission is not going to lift it but citizens of san francisco could lift it. we should put something on the ballot. we should take it to the people. we should say, this must change. i mean that's the
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only solution >> in the interim i think you should be litigating mitigating the problem. this dialogue is important. >> i don't agree. your push on one section is coming off the. by people can park now but a few residents can park their cars. it does not solve the problem. it pushes problem around. it's not just solving the problem in my neighborhood. i just created a problem for my employees. i get it. human spaces for people to come. they're not going to dillydally around much because you get a ticket. and you can't say after done with lunch am going to go shop your i actually want to spend more than two hours and neighborhood i don't live in. it had to drive my car and now i paid $45 were whatever and a fine. i'm never going back there again. now i am test. i'm
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out a significant amount of money. so, i really object to this idea that in the meantime were to push this around. no. the problem is getting worse every single day. you can keep up with it. your efforts will not keep up with the imbalance and the increasing imbalance. so we have to stop. we have to stop thinking that all this talking were doing is solving the problem. it's not. it's just taking us further down this path of no solution. a bunch of people getting paid to propose stuff that isn't going to work. so, i mean, great. >> public comments. >> so, any public comment? >> thank you commissioner dwight. there's no parking
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problem in the sunset. you people never been a good i live there. there is a parking problem. i also completely agree with commissioner dwight. this is a byzantine problem. it's a policy problem. now they're saying they're pointing the finger at the planning department. i hate to break it to them the mta has its own set of policies. they are in the picture. to say that it's not our fault, i think is disingenuous. it is a-it's coming from-the planning side is coming from the transportation side and yes, this is not the solve anything. it is a supply and demand.are people going to get out of the cause because they can't get a place to park? no. this is a
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car culture. california usa is a car culture. i took transit to get down here. i believe in transit. but it's not commissioner hughes used to be on the planning commission at this is not a transit first city. it's not a transit only city. there are times i'm taking my car to go to the grocery store. i hate to take tell you i'm not taking groceries on the bus and at the gallon of paint on the bus again. never again. if i go to the hardware store i'm taking my card. it's a reality i do live in suburban san francisco. with the highest car ownership. your rights. if i can get a parking place or on my own house, there's something wrong here. if i've to go down to south city to go to a hardware store where can find a place to park, i will go to south city. it's not worth circling around to find a local business where
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i can park. i love my local businesses. they still preaching the good party but mta has anything to do with it there taking away the parking for the merchants and putting it on some side street medicine offset that it's not going to work. these people are just as much a part of the situation as the planning department and they have to own up to that. thank you. >> thank you. >>i go i agree with pres. dwight. it is a supply and demand problem. there for many years better transit first pulse. everybody batters that around. i want to read you the first item of the transit first policy to ensure quality of life and economic health to san francisco. the primary objective of the transportation system must be the safe and
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efficient movement of people and goods. so, job of the transportation-transit first policy is to move us around. there's nothing about from you can put parking in. is nothing in the entire transit first policy that says you can't correct it arise. it is a policy of the mta not put up garages. the last two garages that were put up were significant. big ones. performing arts project and one at general hospital. who are using those things? a lot of city employees. not san francisco residents or businesses. the biggest employers in san francisco are sitting county the san francisco. you see met, the federal government, state government and the school district. all of them are not following the transit first policy. they're taking care of
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their own. every fire station every police station, every park has free parking for their employees. the mta, muni arts used to have a. it changes a little bit but it's still parking all around it from aldie for their employees to part. they're taking care of themselves, not taking care of their customers. the residence. what kind of job is out there? muni has increased the number of riders in san francisco every year. but the percentage of riders to the increased population has gone down for the last 20 years. we haven't done a good job. at all. we need more parking. all they have to do is change their policy. we have the bike lane think it we identified three spots for parking. here's a
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parking lot. build up. absolute refusal. the parking lot is still there just build up from it. thank you >> thank you. anymore public commons? comments? seeing none, public comment is closed. again i'm not lashing out to us individuals and regardless of the comment not lashing out to the mta. a must out at the institutionalization of the problem. we need to break this logjam in the only way to do it not to the methods been proposed but to change the policy on parking and building a parking and addressing the supply problem. enough said. it is no further comments this item is close with want to the next one. >> item number eight, proposed schedule for completion of backlog minutes. discussion and action item. >> commissioners, as a matter pro forma, since you govern the office we have had absences
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over the last couple of years, breaks world had a commission secretary. we've developed a plan for you to address getting the backlog of minutes completed. we have, let's see, about nine of them. excuse me, seven of them nearly completed and will be available for you if you want to read 7 min. at the next commission meeting. then, we have about 18 more. excuse me. not a team. yes, 18 sets of minutes they need to be completed and we are working to get close from a transcription
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service to help transcribe and format the minutes for us so we can get them rapidly produced and before. >> point of clarification when you say we do minutes, we will read him here we don't have to read them out at the meeting because we do not is that correct? >> it's having you read them prior to the meeting. >> so, i would like to make a recommendation that come 01, the addresses backlog as you described it and get a transcription service to do it will diligently-there 16 them either? 18. okay. i like to address this over 4-5 meetings. i think 4-5 min. as and 3-5 min. per meeting is something we can handle and obviously was to call public comments before and after everyone sorts time-consuming for us here. i also would like to, for the record, please, let's make the first priority the minutes from the meeting we just had. we don't have meetings from our
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last meeting. i want to tell you that i want i don't about to get bigger. so, make the minutes of the meeting tonight available for the next meeting and also please catch up on the last ones. we should be current system is knowledge into this issue on all meetings were having now. okay? is adding to the problem before backfilling the newest meetings as minutes of mapping completed. so, first order of business is the minutes of the current meeting get past one and this one and all meetings after this one. simultaneously will address the backlog the paid transcription service once you have it i would suggest over the course of 4-5 meetings we knock them down and get currents. that is acceptable to the other commissioners here think that's the way to do it. >> can we make a commitment is commissioners were partly responsible for the fact this
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did not happen and when we make a commitment to make sure that we are currents from now one. address the backlog, but this can never happen again >> absolutely. from this point going forward own because her current meetings. that's why i see that first order of business. >> last in, first out. >> correct. last in, first out. so, >> so we will know that >> i will call for public comment. any public comment. seeing none, this item is closed. >> i will second what mike said >> we need to have a motion to approve. >> can i make a motion? >> yes. >> i make a motion as commissioner tour-sarkissian oh, we put, last in, first out. so be current on all meetings including our last one and this one. that's the first priority.
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that subsequent we want to once we have our service provider in place, want to knock these down at let's say for-five per meetings with the course of four meetings we get rid of the backlog. >> [inaudible] >> that's fine. >> to be a little less of the backlog as were doing the current meetings >> no. i presume meetings for current meetings are not going to be handled by paid service going forward? >> i'm sorry >> for scheduling on the agenda you want for-five in addition >> in addition to the minutes from the last meeting. i know were going 4-5 next time probably because we don't have the paid service. we might have it the top section completed
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project will take on whatever you've got next meeting. if it's 71 knock them down. >> can we put on the record my comments about the commissions obligation to make sure this does not happen again >> weaver combined location between the commission and the office of small business we do not get in this position again. absolutely. duly noted. so, i made the motion. moved and seconded. >> all in favor >>[chorus of ayes] the motion passes unanimously. update on legacy business. commissioners, quickly our budget we work on them now. as of two-year rolling budget, the mayor's budget instructions we did have to reduce our budget 1.5% and
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for each year for the next two fiscal years due to a projected budget deficit. so, our-my proposal for the request for the budget mother budget cuts did come out of salaries. that dollar amount, but we can, because of our ada program and the additional dollars we get from the business registration, if it does come to that, then i can offset the time that we spent doing with ada work to backfill from that those programmatic dollars, the general fund dollars for the salary. so, it's $14,300 for the first fiscal year. is there any questions on that? it's
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not like where you have to cut time or salaries. would just pull from a different line item. on the budget, program funding we have the legacy business registry application fee projecting $15,000 for the year that is 300 times $50 per application it if we have a maximum of 300 applications for the. the legacy business preservation funds as per the announcement that was set, announced on may 19. that's 1,000,002.5 per year. broken out over the two fiscal years. pad project fee, which i mentioned here is projected at $55,000 and 60,000 within utilizing that for doing subsidize inspections and helping to do with improvements, but if need be, only to do with the salary budget come, we definitely spend time on educating businesses with her ada
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requirements so i can call from the fund to offset any salary cuts with the business counselor. so, expenses, salad, give our salary and binge fringe benefits, operating expenses, operating expenses of things like our salesforce dollars salesforce licenses, nonpersonal services, and material and supplies. so, that is the projected budget for the next two years. then, on the next page, i didn't list out who is on staff for our staffing. >> these positions all currently filled?
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>> the legacy business program manager is. we are waiting to fill it and was business counselor is at halftime and will be filling it with a full-time. >> thanks. is it the same person? >> another. typically, commissions do approve the budget. so, if you are not-want to wait one meeting and wait another meeting to approve the budget it's up to you where you can approve this project. >> i propose that we >> we should do public comment first. >> any members about of the public that would like to comment on the seven? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioner riley >> what is that 50,000 come from? >> that comes from is a dollar that charged business registration. this is the state requirement so was due to sunset after 2018. the city
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gets to keep $.70 of every dollar we send $.30 that goes to the california commission on disability access. >> the money comes from the merchant? >> it comes in the businesses, yes. there's a dollar assessment to eat each business registration >> were you allocating that to [inaudible] >>[cough] >> if it comes to-because we had to do a budget cut at 1.5%, and so if it deems absolutely necessary we may not need to do that because there could be salary savings in the other ways , then the dollars that we spent we doing outreach education, advising businesses on ada then if we have to offset those dollars. but, right now-these dollars are spent with assisting primarily
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with cass inspections. i'll be able to let you know we've not actually spent all are allocated dollars from this fiscal year. because we are challenged with getting the-we are challenged with being able to keep up the number of cass inspections because we don't have enough cass inspectors if that makes sense >> i just think the ada program the outreach is very important. something that i feel like is very important for the commission. >> this will not be percolating us from doing that outreach. it's just saying were going to be-we may, not definite, they use those funds to pay for some of our staff to do that outreach. >> okay. >> who is the management out? >> it's martha.
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>> always going to take action on this overweight >> i propose we take an action. i make a proposal >> moved to approve the budget >> moved to approve the budget. >> moved and seconded. all those in favor say, aye. opposed? >> the motion passes unanimously. >> neck seven >> that's item item 7 update on the legacy registered. >> commissioners i did send you an update on what transferred transpired at the government oversight committee. in your binder is an overview of we've hired for the position. it's close. we will begin interviews hoping at the end of this week and definitely into next. todd russo has re-signed marianne thompson who
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heads up the shop and dine in the 49 ayn rand the business tax program to assist with all the new nominations that are coming to the office until we have the legacy business program manager higher. last week i did a train with the aid to make sure they were all clear on the nominating process and the application procedures. again, claire find that every business needs to go through the application process and what's involved in that too be placed on the registry to be eligible, to be eligible to apply for the grant funding. so, there are an
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additional list of some other timelines. i think the most key things are, so, a week from today i'll be forward even over to the historical preservation commission the first set of applications for them to review and their targeting. july 20 meeting, and then from there it will be the first set of applications will be coming before you and that will likely be the july-excuse me-i'm sorry. it will actually have to be the walking of time for us to prepare the packet in five days as it would be the first meeting in august. >> can i ask you send them to us when you sent him to the historical society so we can get a look at them and will track any changes >> sure. okay. then, the june
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27 meeting we will have getting drafts for the rent stabilization grants in the july 11, the businesses assistance grant for you. to approve. review and then determine whether you're ready to prove we told the next beating.also, a is information on the legacy business procedures. to really clarify, we have an application cover sheet but the bulk is the written narrative and the supplemental history. that we cannot do for the business. they have to do that for themselves.so that timing is on him to complete and submit to the office. so a supervisor may have nominated a business, we
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cannot move them through the process until they completed that application. >> nomination is not an application >> correct >> can we say when the application is available? >> it's online. online at our website. the other point of clarification i do want to state, on the application, the business is affirming. our current on the business tax licenses. their taxes, there are licenses. any fees that they owe the city may have no -they've no outstanding issues with the office of labor standards and enforcement. so, while the business may have something they need to correct that respect, i could also delay them in completing an application >> all businesses must be in good standing before having
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their application considered. >> yes. >> imaging you sent something out to us in addition to what's in the binder? >> i sent a memo out with this list, but i do not send you this document. >> i look for it again. >> i will resend it to you. then, the next is just so we have now 64 businesses that have been nominated. the first page is the list of those that i've received some form of application, some of them are complete. some of them are still waiting for additional information. either they need to a pdf their application and
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i'm still waiting a check of historical preservation has forwarded some specific guidelines. things they would like to see and so i've had to reach back out to different businesses to ask for that information. >> please add a number column to the left so we can tell the number we don't have to count by hand, okay? >> is down at the bottom i'm sorry. >> just put a number on the left and calm >> oh, okay i see. on the left-hand comp. >> the question [inaudible] the business commission site has seen a number of [inaudible] for the legacy business in elevators no what that is? >> there's been no official application submitted to them. so, i will look at their site. they may have applications for the building registry, but i
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will double check that. >> look into it >> so, the next two pages of a list of businesses that have been nominated. evolving reached out. this is the group of businesses that marianne is talking to. so you're aware of that. >> nomination is not an application. all right. anything else on this item? >> if there's any questions am happy to answer them. >> commissioners? no. i'll miss up to public comment. anyone want to comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners and the other discussion on this matter? no. let's move on to item number 11 >> item number 11 is general public am. i will call for general public comment? >> i'm using the overhead.
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eileen broken. i'm here to read the resolution from the coalition for san francisco neighborhood into the public record. before i do, i would like to put this resolution into context. for fiscal year 2016-27 and the mta is budgeted to receive $286.3 million in general fund support. taxpayer money, our money. the resolution: whereas, the sfmta 84 program is responsible or transit related projects citywide, whereas community for project has been swamped over negative impacts on mission street such as merchant difficulty in getting deliveries, patients not able to shop locally and the climbing customer base, as people decide to avoid going to shop in the mission altogether. whereas, you need for design for lombard yuri venice california geneva
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etc. and stockton were potentially. negative impact similar to mission street where is the proposed muni for design for-potentially great negative impact similar to those on mission street, whereas the sfmta's budget is supplemented by general fund monies, whereas the board of supervisors has control over appropriating general fund monies to the sfmta, getting john such year-where's the board of supervisors has the ability to place general fund money on reserve that are allocated to the sfmta eight during the city budget and appropriations process, therefore, be it resolved the coalition for san francisco neighbors urges the board of supervisors to place
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$25 million of general fund money allocated to the sfmta eight for fiscal year 2016-17 on reserve until such time as the negative impacts of the muni forward project on mission bombard banas california etc. are resolved to the satisfaction of the affected communities. thank you for your- >> here is your copy >> thank you. any other members of the public there would like to participate in general public comment. seeing none, public comment is closed. next item, please >> item number 12, directors report. >> so, commissioners i first want to thank you for very successful small business week. thank you president dwight perko cheering and leading a very successful week commissioner dooley providing flowers. commissioner adams and zouzounis. extended support for flavors.. our office was the sponsor for that and of course commissioner tour-sarkissian and riley and ortiz-cartegena
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your over all participation at it was a very successful week. i just want to highlight a couple projects underway for the office. we have as i've noted in the past meeting we've seen an increase in the number of clients coming into the office. we have set up a kiosk area for clients so that they can have the business portal to look at whether waiting to talk to a business counselor. also, were underway and developing a new logo for the office. we talked about this and so that is finally off the ground. we are redoing the starting a business book of with tomorrow partners who did the design for the business portal so that our booklet has the same look and feel as the business portal. and we are now officially, officially were now going to be opening an office space
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predominately it'll be the small business the roman senders office base at 1650 mission st., right between planning and dbi, will have a satellite section there. a satellite office. also, the small business accelerator keys manager, the restaurant person who is going to be case managing restaurants through the process much katie scherping, she starting this week. should be introducing herself to you at the next commission meeting. she will be one of our individuals and probably the legacy business person will be located at that office. so, we are excited about that. then, the mayor's quarterly meeting was held with a small business leaders was held on may 31 and they presented to him the plan that they are starting to work on stephen cornell has
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presented one of the items to you a couple meetings back. we will provide more information on that. one of the topics is the by local and there is by local work happening. i'm not participating in that but our representation is through president dwight who's been participating in those meetings. a couple other notes, i think, in terms of wanting to highlight that come up in relation to the formula regional meeting we did here is that the commission did hear about affordable housing bonus program we did have some discussions about space in new development. so, perhaps that's kind of a continued discussion. that we might one have with the planning department that something you're interested in, but we will be revisiting those incentives to work originally talked about this new development. then, lastly, i also want to maybe just remind
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commissioners that perhaps some of the vacancies that were noted on polk street produce a soft story orders. things are covered in carver and there may not be signage that is a street that does have there are buildings that have more than five units residential units, above and so to can keep that in mind that some of those vacancies may be due to the soft story ordinance. then, at her next meeting you're going to have a presentation from the planning department on transportation demand management. so, perhaps this is a good place for you to also address some of your comments and concerns that you brought up to catherine and to angie. as well. so will redistribute in those materials to you later this week so you have an opportunity to read them before the next meeting. this is a
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project that the planning department has undergoing they're doing outreach and community meetings. so, that could concludes my report unless you have questions. >> commissioners, any questions? will open this up to public only. any members of the public to like to comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. onto the next item >> item number 13, commissioners reports >> i will start. i did attend numerous activities and small business week. i attended the business leadership meeting with the mayor on may 31. i attended a meeting of the small business to wrap up. first of several. i attended was in on the meeting for the local briefing and also attended a seminar for the by local campaign. and i ran my business. anybody else? >> i participated in small business and various events.
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>> anybody else? >> i participated in a merchant walk on polk street area to visit some of the folks that are applying for legacy business status. i met with the mta last week at supervisor peskin's office to go over more of the issues that are coming up , that are particular to north beach like wanting to put the lead transit lanes on columbus avenue. i would say he was a productive meeting primarily because supervisor peskin was quite forceful on his opinions on those things and we are apparently going to organize a group of stakeholders in north beach to work with the mta and i urge them to do that in every single neighborhood in san francisco because that is what
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we need, is to be involved from the very beginning in projects that affect our neighborhood. >> here here. anyone else? >> i something to report. i also attended the [inaudible] and was well attended and i had a chance to [inaudible] it was great. i also attended the asian-american business mixer that was hosted by a bank, ease west bank and was at the third wall at 901 market st. one thing i want to point out is one of the panel speakers was a success story from our assistant send. his name means is [inaudible] and the first place he came to was our assistance center. then we hooked him up with-and help
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them with the opportunity fund and working solutions, and now he's qualify for sba loan. he now owns four locations. with good credit and expand >> what is it called? >> he started out as a pushcart. >> out, sure. last year's award winner. awesome. anybody else? okay we are good. we have any public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. >> new business >> commissioners, a new business to recommend? no. public comment. seeing none, public comment is closed. >> item number 15 germans.
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>> no. work in a pause for a second. we are adjourning- >> for the adjournment i like to in memoriam i like to add your for kyla jackson did other work for the mayors office of disability. i sing you are through her work in the lgbt community so i want to read a statement here in memory of her i want to adjourn tonight's meeting in her on. kyla johnson work for the city and county is the van for 27 years. most of those years, were for the department of building inspection for building inspector. for the last six years she served as a director the mayor's office of disability in the cities ada coordinator. i've got to say she did an awesome job in that. her leadership was instrumental including increasing accessibility in public housing and homelessness services. the
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city's communication and software applications at public events and disaster plan. karl worked closely with the opposite small business and supervisor tang to great the groundbreaking law mandating commercial property owners to make their entryway successful i also know that commissioner dooley was involved in new her quite well. again, i worked with carla on various lgbt issues, especially her work in equality california and marriage equality. karl had a generous heart. the kindest demeanor and her life was just out dedicated to public service. she had compassion and community. she be greatly missed. the small business
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commission closes the meeting of june 13, 2016 in her memory and honor. thank you >> we will miss carla. she was an amazing woman. she did so much good work. she was an inspiration i would say for pretty much anyone whether met her. >> yes >> so, with that, >> meeting adjourned at 10:02 pm >> we need to have a motion and second. bush and to adjourn? >> moved and seconded. all those in favor say, aye. >>[chorus of ayes] >> meeting is adjourned at 10:02 pm. >>[gavel] >>[adjournmen
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>> my name is holly i'm been in enterprise software training for 10 years that expired film and art and voice-over week work and all kinds of work. >> i'm jane a program director for the state of california i have the privilege of working on special technology projects for the depth of the technology a passion for helping people and a passion for doing work that makes a difference and makes me feel good at night and i think about what i did today and helping every single person in
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the city as. >> a technology professional a need for more women and more women in leadership roles the diversity and the leadership pipeline is an area that needs a little bit of love. >> a lot of love. >> a whole lost love. >> i'll contribute for the change for women's equality by showing up and demonstrating that the face of success schizophrenia came come in a variety of corresponds. they're a lot of roadblocks for san francisco when it comes to our proposition and finding a play for information that has how to start and grow management so we started to build the san francisco business portal not just consults or the taxpayers
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and voters they're actually customers we are the government serving the consumers in our neighborhood i point to at least one best that i personally touched with one way or another and makes me feel good about the projects like the business portal and in embarking on this new exciting journey of finding better and efficient ways to deliver services to san franciscans i sit through a lot of senior management meetings i'm the only woman in the room i know that our c i o is tried to recruit for women and a male dominated environment. >> i've felt unbounded and inspired to pursue a lot of things over time i recognize to
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be cricked in ways i didn't anticipate you know i've followed the calling but now put me in a position to spend most of my time doing things i love this is the whole point; right? you ought to feel inspired in our work and found opportunities to have you're work put you in service for others and happy doing what you're spending so much time. >> my father was a journalist lift and my mom a teacher when we finally decided to give up their lives because of me and now i actually get to serve the city and county of san francisco it makes me feel really, really good not this didn't happen overnight i've worked my entire life to get to this point and
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much more to learn and i have a lot of changes ahead. >> really think about what moves you what you're pat's about and trust that you are sufficient and enough where you are to begin and then is her that you are being tenacious about getting to the next place in the evolution but by all means start with you are and know that's enough >> good afternoon everybody and welcome to the san francisco board of supervisor's meeting for tuesday
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