help. it's disgusting. you've got emergency homeless housing situation on your hands. you meet all the requirements -- [ bell rings ]. >> -- in order to sustain let us call price gouging and price fixing, where you deliberately set the price in order to be a tenant in the building at a minimum of 80% of ami. i confronted you partly on that one time before. you gave me a poor excuse. who are you hiring to clean the building? the secret service? that's why you've got so many people homeless and on the street. [ bell rings ]. >> chair ronen: thank you. is there any other member of the public who would like to speak? seeing none, public comment is closed. if there's no other comments, i think that this law makes sense. i do think that if we're not

able to close quickly on these properties that we will lose them that's a fair request you're making and i'm supportive of this. if i can make a motion to send this item forward as a committee report with positive recommendati recommendation. i'm looking to my colleagues if that is okay. that passes unanimously. ordinance authorizing the controller to modify the ballot question regarding the proposed general obligation bond ordinance for the november 5, 2019, ballot (board of supervisors file no. 190495) to incur $600,000,000 of bonded indebtedness to finance the construction, development, acquisition, improvement, rehabilitation, preservation, and repair of affordable housing improvements, and related costs necessary or convenient for the foregoing purposes.

>> chair ronen: thank you. we have sophia kitler from the mayor's office. >> thank you, supervisors. the mayor, mayor breed and president nee had introduced this to allow the controller to take advantage of senate bill 268, which would change -- it changes how we think about the ballot question and what the requirements for the ballot question are, particularly with regards making the tax rates explicit for rcd's bonds. this ordinance had allowed us to take advantage of what that might be, should it pass at the state level, specifically for the affordable housing bonds. i'm pleased to say f 268 is moving through the senate, but not applicable to the november ballot. it will not apply to affordable housing bond. while i believe we will be back

for the easter bonds, we respectfully ask that the committee table this item. thank you so much. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. open this up for public comment. any member of the public who would like to speak. mr. wright, come on up. >> this is just a continuation of my overall demonstration. you talk about 100% affordable housing. this is a $600 million bond and it's supposed to be targeted for senior citizens in order to make sure they have permanent housing. you've got re-development rules that's in the city charter that says 15% of all apartment building complexes that comes through the mayor's office on housing is supposed to be for very low and low income and moderate income bracket people and then you come up with a $600 million bond in order to get the

type of housing for the people who i've been demonstrating for years under this rule 702 pertaining to redevelopment and housing opportunities, 15% of all buildings is supposed to be for very low and low-income bracket people. if you're to follow your own rules and regulations, you wouldn't have this type of problem and you wouldn't need this bond because those people would be included in the housing opportunity and you wouldn't have this problem in the first place. for example, 15% of the total amount of apartment buildings at mission is 1,500 units. if you follow the rules and resolutions that is in that big bank of information, 15% of 1,500 means 225 of those apartments is supposed to be for very low and low and moderate-income bracket people. the giants price fix and make the lowest income in order to be

attended in that apartment complex in mission rot at about 38,000, $42,000 a year and it's only 2% of the overall pie that you advertised and you make it look like people can afford to live in the building and they can't. you're liable and i'm going to hold you to it. [ bell rings ]. >> chair ronen: thank you. would any member of the public like to speak? seeing none, it is closed. i'm happy to make a motion to file this item. without objection, that motion passes. >> to recommend. >> chair ronen: or table, sorry, not file, table the item. >> sorry. >> chair ronen: i make a motion to table the item. >> the motion is to table the matter. >> chair ronen: that's right, and without objection, that motion passes unanimously. mr. clerk, is there any more items? >> clerk: that completes the agenda. >> chair ronen: then the meeting is adjourned.

thank you. [adjournment] >> thank you, wow, we're starting on time, huh? hey to everyone here in soma. i am so excited to be here. this project was approved in 2015. i was on the board of supervisors with former

supervisor jane kim. there were a lot of delays. but delays don't mean denials. this project is going to be done. it is not only going to provide office space, it's going to provide much needed housing in our city. over 800 units of housing with 245 unit of affordable housing for seniors and families who are experiencing homelessness. this is the kind of project that should not be delayed. this is the kind of project that we need in communities all over san francisco. because we know, we have challenges with affordable housing. and we know that sometimes even when we have the financial resources to get the job done, our bureaucracy sometimes gets in the way. we have to change that. because the people who need this housing the most, they're counting on us to make better

decisions. they're counting on us to get these projects done. so i want to thank brookfield and the hertz corporation for sticking with this project to get the job done. this project will provide $76 million in community benefits for the soma neighborhood. and let me just say -- [applause] -- that one of the things i'm most excited about, is that it will be providing art support. as a former director of an arts organization, our arts and our culture are critical to the success of our communities. and it has to be at the center of all of these major projects that we produce. so i'm also excited that soma filipino heritage district is receiving the kind of support it needs, to not only be a cultural district in this community, but it will help to make sure that we provide the kinds of programs

and things so that people are reminded of the rich history and culture of the filipino community and the soma community. so thank you so much for all of the resources, all of the support, all of the excitement. this community-driven project, that is going to really revitalize and change and shape this community and do so in a way that provides mixed-use, that provides new opportunities and that ensures success and safety for this community. thank you, all, so much for being here and playing a major part in sticking with this project. and being very patient, rudy, as we know it took a lot of patience to get this project done. no more delays. we're breaking ground and we're going to get it done. thank you, all, for everyone who played a role in this. [applause] >> thank you so much, mayor london breed.

at this point, we'd like to welcome brookville properties vice president of development, jason bonet. >> well, this is a very exciting day for all of us. over a decade in the making. we've reached this moment because of the vision, and support. because of the tremendous leadership of mayors past and present. thank you to late mayor ed lee for his commitment for more housing to the city. thank you, mayor london breed, for being here today and for your tireless efforts in this city. thank you to our great partners

hurst and to our team at brookfield that is stewarding the project today. mostly we're here because of the dedication of neighbors, artists, nonprofit groups, educators and so many others who are deeply vested in the past, present and future of soma. it provides -- together we create an economic, social and cultural formula to support positive growth. this formula includes sustaining the neighborhood's inclusivity, creativity and roots. it promotes culture and the arts. it provides places of serendipity for people to socialize and exchange ideas.

welcoming to all. all this makes 5m what it is today and it will be. the next generation of mixed-use urban projects. thank you to all of you who showed up today. thank you for the good weather and i'll pass it back. >> thank you, jason. hurst corporation extends more than 130 years here in san francisco. as owner of the project, that storied history continues. please welcome the vice president and general manager stephen hurst. >> reporter: thanks everybody. we're no stranger to the neighborhood. as you heard, 130 years. my great-grandfather took possession of the san francisco examiner in 1887. i moved up here after doing a

stint at the l.a. examiner and magazine group in 1984 and worked in this building 15 years and held 9 different positions. they told me the glass was bullet-proof, all i know you couldn't see in unless it was night. at any rate, we're a longtime member of this neighborhood. we love it. we have a vested interest and we were in on the ground floor planning, along with the city and brookfield going forward. they've both been great partners. we're very pleased to see it coming to fruition. and the mayor mentioned bureaucracy. 11 years is too long to move a project like this that benefits so many. we can't wait to see the open space. it's going to be graen, it's going to be beautiful and i'm sure people are going to enjoy it on a daily basis. with that, i say thank you very much for joining us.

enjoy your day. >> thank you, stephen. the support and guidance of former district supervisor jane kim resulted in a project that always puts the community first. please welcome former district supervisor jane kim. >> thank you so much. it has really been a long journey to get to where we are today. i just want to acknowledge a number of people who made this project, not just possible, but the project that is sitting before you today. a project that is going to achieve 40% affordable and middle income housing, including very low-income housing. a project -- thank you for the applause. a project that is going to achieve open space and arts and also much needed housing here in san francisco.

but it took a lot of folks to get us here today. and first i want to acknowledge all of the members of our community. particularly here in south of market who get involved and engaged on every single new development here in our city, because this is our neighborhood. like many of the folks i'm about to acknowledge, i also live one block away from this development site, so it matters to me what we get to be a part of when we build this community. i want to acknowledge west bay filipino. podco. tenderloin filipino community association. and the mint mall resident building and their leader stefani. and of course, united players. [applause] the many years that we spent in putting this project together, i still remember the first meeting

i had with hearse when they told me the project would be coming to me within a year or 14 months for approval. i smiled. about five years later we had them come before the board of supervisors, but there was a small group of folks that worked to make this happen. now brookfield, jack and alexis and karen johnson and april ng and many of our community leader who told us what they wanted to see. ensuring that as we build more housing and grow this neighborhood, that those who have lived here, can afford to live in this development as well. while 40% is not equal in every development, it's important to

know that 40% part of 5m is for formally erly -- formerly homeless. it's important as we build, to include those struggling, but working to live in the city. i'm so proud of this project. thank you to everyone involved. especially the ladies. they were involved in the negotiation room. alexis, april, karen, in the office, it was a pleasure to see this through. thank you very much and congratulations to brookfield hearst. >> thank you, former supervisor kim. united players says it's takes a hood to save a hood. so organization has been active and participatory in the creation of the 5m program. please welcome united players executive director rudy corpus.

[applause] >> thank you, jocelyn. first of all, i want to say thank you, god, for giving me this opportunity to be here to share with you guys. and be up in here with the mayor, the arest of the you guys. when i walked in earlier today, several people asked me, what you doing here? i said i live here. right down the block. why shouldn't i be here? so i say that because, in order for us to stabilize our community where you have over 100 years of filipino history, you have to be a part of the decision-making that is happening in your community. so when you ask to take the hood to build the hood, i am the hood. i've been here all my life. i used to run up and down these alleys down here and make bad choices, but i'm still here. me and our organization and

other organizations here like west bay, the oldest filipino organization on the west region, we been here. but it's important for us to build relationships. to understand, to be a part of the solution and to be at the table with the people who are here also. that's what community is all about, building relationships. we all going to agree? no, we're not, but we got to sit at the table to figure out what is the best for our people that exist in this community right now. otherwise, we're not going to have no filipino community. you got a building right here, 90% of the people that live here is filipino. we have so many good ideas, but you have to make sure you're sitting with the people that is currently living here to build them bridges. i'm into building bridges, not walls. if you want to come to a

neighborhood where i'm at, come see me. because we're going to be here. that's right, come see me. matt is the district supervisor, but i'm the godfather of this neighborhood. believe that. so i finally want to say this to all my united players to did all the amazing work. we have over 200 kids right now, mayor breed, in this community that we're working with. kids from all over the community. they can't be because they have programming right now. so i want to say. i was asked to come here to be a part of this ground-breaking. we going to use this shovel right here. this is symbolic shovel and i share with you why. green door, other ones, right, was also supported by the late mayor ed lee and the current

mayor london breed and jane kim. we melted them guns down for mothers who lost their kids to gun violence. we put the gun parts in a furnace at 3,000°. we melted it down and made 50 shovels. this shovel right here for the commemoration of martin luther king, had a 50th anniversary when he was assassinated in april, they planted a cherry tree. this is the shovel that was used. his great-great granddaughter used this, to plant a tree for martin luther king. where him and his wife was buried. we use soil from a man who was lynched because he looked at a white woman and they said, you can't look at white women. they use his remains because they burnt him. and they threw him in the ground of the river. the mothers who lost their kids to gun violence, we melted it

down and made this shovel. then when i came back to san francisco, we used this shovel when mayor ed lee died. and we planted this tree. the mahogany tree by the library. so this symbolic shovel is being used to plant things that are really special. so now we breaking ground with this to plant this building right here. so everybody is doing something positive and productive and constructive is with this right here. may the earth again be free. in the bible it says, that swords would be turned into plow share. this is one right here. so you cannot touch nothing unless you using all the right energy and the spirit of love that came from m.l.k., martin

luther king, jr., mayor london breed. this is made out of guns, you all. this is going to break ground for our community and our people. i'm always here to acknowledge my filipino people and everybody from this community that has been here. because when i'm done finished speaking and breaking ground, guess where i'm going? walking right back to my neighborhood. thank you. >> thank you, rudy. thank you to all our speakers. as you can see, we have plenty to grow here. and as we all together break ground, it's a special momentous occasion. so before we move on with our program, we'd like to ask our speakers to take a celebratory photo down here by the trees. because we have plenty of room

to grow as a community together. but also wanted to share with everyone as we celebrate together, we have amazing artwork that is done and we have bags, so please join us in the continuous making of art together with the community. and at this time i'd like to ask the speakers to walk down. >> mayor breed: going to turn the dirt. okay. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! [cheers and applause] [ ♪ ]

>> everybody, i think we're going to get started. our honorable mayor is here, and i know that we have a huge crowd and some big celebrating to do, so i want to welcome you to the groundbreaking for 88 broadway and 75 david street. so i'm cynthia parker, and i'm the president and c.e.o. of bridge housing, and i am the

cohost today with our partner, john stewart, but what i want to do is acknowledge all of the people here in the audience who have helped us get here today. so with us, we have mayor london breed, our honorable and esteemed mayor, welcome. [applause] >> we have supervisor aaron peskin, who's been a big supporter, and thank you, supervisor peskin. we have elaine forbes who's executive director of the port of san francisco. thank you for coming and your help. [applause] >> we have many reps from bank of america. liz, thanks for coming. [applause] >> we have bruce cantor who's a member of the northeast waterfront advisory group. [applause]

>> and we have bob carrier who's a member of the barbary coast neighborhood association. so thank you for coming. [applause] >> this group that's sitting here today sort of does represent a neighborhood inside of a village, the village of san francisco. and two neighborhood associations, a waterfront advisory group, and partners with the city, with the mayor's office of housing and jayesco have really made this happen during the development period. i know that john stewart is going to comment on some of this, but i know there are 26 neighborhood meet -- there were 26 neighborhood meetings that made this happen, and i want to do a special shoutout to john stewart who lives in this neighborhood and wanted to make sure that these two developments reflect the values of this community, and i think they do. so thank you, john, for all of

your hard work, and forever, your partnership with that. when this r.f.p. came out from the city of san francisco, i ran into jack gardner who's the other principle at jay-esco. you know, he said, we did north beach together. do you think it's time to get the band back together and respond to this r.f.p.? i said yes, and we did it, and we were selected. frankly, i think we were the right team to pull this project together. it has made a big difference to this neighborhood for all the reasons i just said. 26 meetings, resident developer, and a commitment to make this happen. i want to also acknowledge some special shoutouts to both the city and the mayor, to your

commitment to affordable housing and to these kinds of developments. this project is really special because it is one of the few that's really said we're going to how's both seniors and a senior development and families and have an income mix that represents both formerly homeless people as well as people up to median income, up to 80% of median income, the missing middle. and that doesn't happen very often. i and believe it will completely -- and i believe it will completely be a success because it we've all -- because we've all worked so hard, and it represents this community. and i believe we will get more housing in the ground because we need nor housing in the city. [applause] >> so with that, i'm not going to steal the thunder. we have a lot of speakers here today, and with that, what i do want to do is invite our lovely mayor to come up. she has the values and tgumptin

to make affordable housing in the city. i invite you to come up to say a few words. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: thank you, cynthia. it's so great to be here with you because john, we know this project was a long time coming. we work hard in this city to try to repurpose this whole waterfront. some of you were around during this '89 earthquake. i certainly was. i remember when this used to be a water way, and look at how beautiful our waterfront has become with a lot of businesses, a lot of housing, and here is an opportunity to provide 178 units of affordable housing for families and seniors. this is absolutely amazing.

[applause] >> the hon. london breed: and let me just also say that last year, it was brought to my attention that for the senior development that were being placed here at 735 davis street, there were still so many seniors who didn't meet the minimum income qualifications because we know that there are a lot of different challenges with affordability in san francisco. people who are low, extremely low, people who are just exiting homelessness, people who just barely meet the minimum qualifications, and sometimes those who exceed it by just a little bit. it's why we have to change access to affordable housing in san francisco. and we along with the mayor's office of housing and kate hartley identified revenues in order to buydown the availability so that more residents who are in this community can actually qualify

for housing in the communities in which they live. so i want to thank you, kate, for your leadership on that effort. we are going to have diverse homes of mixed incomes living in these developments. so supervisor peskin, former president of the board, but representative of this district, you know i'm going to need your help to make sure that as we break ground on this project, we don't want any delays, we don't want any challenges, we don't want any issues because we need this housing, and a one-day delay is a one-day delay of housing for those who need it the most. we had a press conference for $600 million affordable housing bond, the largest bond in the

history of this city that the board of supervisors is going to be voting on unanimously to put on the ballot, and we're going to do so without raising property taxes in a very responsible way, which is how we should be handling the city's and the taxpayers' money in our city. but it means a lot because we know that there are challenges with affordability in our city. and we know that we have to work harder and faster to get this much needed affordable housing units built. people are counting on us to make good decisions and to not allow bureaucracy to get in the way of much needed affordable housing. thank you to everyone who's joining us today because those 178 seniors and families, when they move into those units, when they're looking out those new windows, when they're cooking dinner on their new

stove, can you think about how it might feel especially if you didn't have housing in the first place, if you lived in an s.r.o. and you didn't have a kitchen, can you imagine what it's going to mean to people to live right here in this beautiful, amazing community, which once consisted of darkness and a friday and is now open with all of the light and incredible views, a place where everyone want to live in in san francisco, and they will be a part of the future of this great city. no one will be left behind as a result of this great project, so thank you to john stewart and john stewart company. thank you so much to bridge housing and cynthia, to kate, to supervisor peskin, and all the community members and the people who helped make this possible. this is truly san francisco at its best, and there is more to come. thank you all so much. [applause] >> the hon. london breed:

sorry. i want to introduce john stewart, but i want to just say that i met john stewart over 20 years ago. and i used to work at treasure island, and some of you remember when that housing was empty, and it was vacated by the navy, and we have the task of rehabilitating those units and moving formerly homeless veterans, formerly homeless families and other people of all incomes into treasure island. the partnership with john stewart company was not just a partnership that helped to rehabilitate those units, they also helped to make sure that those formerly homeless families and veterans had working utilities, and that they had coffee makers and dishes and beds and sheets and all the things that so many people may take for granted. but these were people who were starting their lives over. and the person who led that effort without being asked to do so was john stewart himself, and so ladies and gentlemen, john stewart of john stewart

company. [applause] >> the mayor has been drinking early. we'll talk later. thank you so much. ed lee was once to say, i'll keep it short because i am short. that was his big one-liner. a few comments that i really wanted to speak about, i think two or three things. first, i get a lot of questions on the piles that we're sinking into the ground at 90 feet and 60 feet. they're not impact piles as the way that have occurred at many sites. these are augering, they're very sensitive to the neighbors because they're not impact piles. there's going to be 170 of them, and they're very sensitive to the neighbors. and also, we don't want to repeat -- we got the memo on

the millennium towers, and we're going to bedrock. it seemed like a good idea. also, people asked me about those cobblestones. when we dug down 8 feet, we found shoes, elixir bottles, and we also found a whole series of red caps which said make america great again, and we're going to be selling them later to enhance our financial balance sheet on this deal. on the subject of process, i think we're particularly proud of the fact that over 4-plus, almost 5 years, we had a record

number of meeting involving a myriad of local involvement, various people -- you can see authorities and housing entities that all had a stake in this thing, and they all came out, and they all spoke their piece, which i will in closing do a few shoutouts. there is something that i would call district 3 deja vu, and i'm looking at aaron now because 17 years ago, a young supervisor along with a young mayor at the time, willie brown, started working on a project called north beach place. it's out of the -- it's off the cliff side. it's a project that has great similarity to what you see today. for those of you that are a little long in the tooth, you might remember that project.

it also was affordable. it had mixed income, mixed use, and mixed age. we have, too, so there. and one of the things that strikes me about it, aaron peskin, i think really made a statement because he was boots on the ground, went to every meeting, very supportive of that project as he was then and he is now. it's my pleasure to introduce the supervisor. [applause] >> supervisor peskin: mayor breed, ms. parker, mr. stewart, to your respective organization, but most importantly to the community and amongst those and first and foremost amongst those, the barbary coast neighbors. it is true almost 20 years ago that i attended all of those

meetings at north beach place, but thankfully, i attended few if any in this particular project. but mr. cantor did, miss taylor did, and i want to say they made it a better project. this neighborhood involvement made this a better project. let me say a few words about what my mayor said, and it is the history of the embarcadero freeway which was, by all accounts, a terrible urban planning mistake. and then, in 1989, after the loma prieta earthquake, we had a mayor who had the courage to rip that thing down. and by the time then-state

senator quentin kopp transferred the property to the city for one american dollar, willie brown was mayor. and there was a little neighborhood fight about what we were going to do with those parcels. one was going to be a police station, one was going to be a butterfly museum, one was going to be affordable housing. i am pleased to say that today, they are all affordable housing for the city and county of san francisco. that is remarkable. [applause] >> supervisor peskin: now, it is true that i wanted this site, even though my friends at the barbary coast neighbors disagreed, i wanted this to be a temporary navigation site. but the mayor and i and supervisor haney have teamed up to find one not so far away. and i also want to agree with the mayor that affordable housing is actually not that affordable, and we all know the

numbers that we just saw, the homeless count. and it's just not san francisco, it's portland, seattle, and los angeles, continue to rise. so here are 53 units that are going to keep some of my seniors -- and this is the district that has the highest percentage of seniors in the city and county of san francisco from being homeless. but you know what? it's not affordable to many of our seniors, which is precisely why miss hartley, mayor breed, president yee and i teamed up to create what we called s.o.s., senior operating subsidies which is in this year's budget for shallow subsidies for seniors so they can actually continue to live and age in place. this is a great day for the city and county of san francisco, one and all, particularly to the workers who are building this thing.

congratulations. [applause] >> a . >> supervisor peskin: all right. this is a weird jurisdictional thing, because you think the owner is the city and county of san francisco, but it is the port and held in trust by the city and county of san francisco and lands owned by the public works. now weirdly enough, the port land is inland, and the public works land is closer to the water, which i've never figured out. but instrumental to this entire project was the port of the city and county of san francisco, their executive director, miss elaine forbes. >> hello, everyone. it's very great to be here today. we all love a ground breaking. as you all know, the port

manages 7.5 miles of waterfront property. our future is very brite since the loma prieta freeway came down, but nothing makes us prouder than to welcome the neighbors and residents who will come to enjoy this community. we are proud to announce what will be a solution to the affordable housing crisis. i want to acknowledge, and supervisor peskin knows this very well, it takes the port quite a long time to figure out what to do with its property, and 88 broadway was a very long conversation. and actually, it was the community residents that said they would like to use -- we would like to use these underused lots that you're using for parking.

so tom ammiano provided us a bill to be able to use this for housing. here is another example where we can welcome low, mod, seniors, and formerly homeless housing to our waterfront. for us, the northeast waterfront advisory group helped us provide standards for 88 broadway. it was a very patient process, and it did improve the project. it's that kind of collaboration, that kind of problem solving that got us here today. there's a lot of port staffers in the audience that have been working here for sometime. thank you so much, and i'd like to introduce liz minnick from the bank of america. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone, and what a glorious afternoon we have for this fabulous day

today. bank of america was founded in this very city in 1904 and has a long history of helping people get in homes and working towards affordable housing. from the work after the 1906 earthquake to the recent work with the san francisco r.a.v. commission and the rehabilitation of -- sorry. we'll let the coast guard get back. -- 29 properties for which we financed over $2.2 billion. for these two properties that we are discussing today, bank of america has provided over $133 million in financing. first, thank you to all of our bank of mercteams to continue their efforts on -- america teams to continue their efforts on helping to provide housing. and now, i will introduce

brynna cantor. [applause] >> good afternoon. we were involved in the long process of the design of this building. it's just incredible that we're going to see more family and senior housing here, which is really important to keep our city diverse. we certainly need more of them. it also includes a child care facility, so that's why i have my daughter here, simone, who has become a conoisseur of all the child care facilities in the city. since this center is going to have a playground, i think she's going to want to check that out, right, simone? >> mm-hmm. >> thanks to the mayor's office of housing and all the great

inclusive bidding that we had during this process, and of course, john stewart's wonderful team, including us along every step of the way. had countless meetings. our supervisor, aaron peskin, and the previous supervisor, julie christiansen, who really got the project going for us. again, just really impressed with the outreach from the community stages of the project. the team reacted to community concerns along the way and modified the project to a very mature building which you see on these drawings here today. in particular, we're really impressed with the ground level uses for the community, the services, retail, etc., that -- that activate the street. this was a great example of how our project should happen. so you think that's good?

>> yes. >> so i'll keep it here with introducing one of our barbary coast representatives, bob hauer. >> thank you, bruno. good afternoon, everybody. i know it's hot, so i'll try to be as brief as i possible can. first of all, i want to say on behalf of the barbary coast neighborhood association, i'm very happy to be here today as this project starts to take almost a concrete step forward to bring some badly needed housing to san francisco. and i also want to express my sincere appreciation to the port and the mayor's office of housing for all the opportunities that they gave to listen to the neighborhood and to work with us and to resolve -- well, not resolve, but to work with us to help design a project that really

will work for the neighborhood. i think there were many, many discussions and meetings and a number of outcomes that are very positive. two i'd like to mention in particular. first of all, if we look at the residents, not only will this housing unit have room and units designated for the formerly homeless and low-income, but it will also have units for the middle-income households. and this is a first in san francisco, and it's my understanding that this'll be the first large multifamily unit for affordable housing that will have units for the middle-income households, and i think everybody should be aware of the shrinking population that we have of the middle-income population in this town. secondly, i think the development of the ground floor

is another real positive outcome. rather than having a large parking garage that wouldn't add to the ambiance of the neighborhood, we have a location for child care for the children. all of this will serve to activate the neighborhood further. i think it will create a much more pleasant experience along this area of broadway. and then finally, i want to mention the -- certainly our appreciation to the john stewart company and bridge housing. the design is attractive. they've gone through a number of extra measures to make sure it's not a boring, institutional structure, and i certainly appreciate all the different opportunities that they have provided to -- for the neighborhood to get some input. so with that, i'll just close

by saying i think this project is a tremendous asset, will be a tremendous asset to the neighborhood, and it will make this stretch of broadway even more inviting. and so with that, i am done, and i will let john stewart handle the closing of this ceremony. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. i have to add one codicil to what's been said. we observe neighborhood reactions to the concept of formerly homeless, and they run screaming from the run. there's a lack of opposition. on this project, there's six entities that reviewed all of -- all of our designs and plans and our sociology. not once did i hear anybody say oh, wow, you're going to have formerly homeless? there'll be 37 formerly

homeless? that to me was a first. and also, i think they liked the idea of combining the two. that hybrid between formerly homeless making general assistance 30% of a.m.i. and people making $10,000 a month will be a grant interesting social experiment that we as a company have not tried before, and i'm sure our supervisor will be making many calls to us. in fact, i can hear you now, aaron. his battery has gone dead. i will quickly say there were a few other stars in the community. i just want to give a quick shoutout to ed -- stan hayes. janet, barbara, janice, and

ken. the fabric of this neighborhood's going to change with the additional units. architect, l.m.s. bill letty, aaron thorton were in every one of the public meetings that we had over four years. they'll bore you to death talking about quotes, but they're really nice people at heart. lenders, b of a, and the woman with the money, kate hartley. thank you, and thank you. the contractor, what can you say? cahill happened to be the contractor 17 years ago at north beach place. actually, i think howard carlson was one of the supervisors then, and he still is, so that's what i call good employee retention. we have alex shafer, don

brooks, and of course, chuck pele is one of our stars. he's fantastic. and the port, we've already done that, elaine forbes. mickey tuzanni and michael martin. gail gilman and victor makras are on the commission, and they're here today, and thank you for attending. cindy's staff are what we call our intrepids. thank you, mayor breed, for causing them to be so totally active. i would start with kate hartley, kudos to you. you were with this thing from the beginning. we appreciate it.

you've got a great team. luther from social services, cushman and wakefield are all going to be contributors to this. we do have a cafe and a restaurant going in here, and you're all expected to come and be big tippers when we open up that restaurant. bridge side, and i have to say, i'm looking at cynthia, marie tabor, give her a raise. she paid me to just say that. you owe me, marie, and in our office, several people have dedicated a large part of their lives to this. lastly, there are some empty chairs who represent back in the day.