doing the housing. additionally, i represented -- or excuse me, brought forth, that there were some weaknesses to the overall project in terms of how it was laid out. they take the taller elements and push the adjacent to the almost ally size street. and they did that for a purpose. the purpose was to not have the housing element encroach above their existing building which then had a potential impact on their occupancy and in terms of impact on construction costs. where i left the last time was for me, the biggest trade off was the housing component, and i was willing to accept the project on the basis of the housing component.

>> well, i'm the last at the table. but i have to say it doesn't strike me as fair to apply criteria that aren't written to a project developer, and that if we want more out of the eastern plan, then we should be clear about that with additional guidelines. and if they're consistent with the plan, which is what you said, staff, then i'm having a hard time understanding why i wouldn't support the staff recommendation. yes, i'll make the motion to approve. >> what are you moving? >> this matter has been called up together. it's usually one vote for both items. but if there's a preference to take up the matter separately, we can do that. >> commissioner moore.

>> so for the benefit of commissioner diamond not having participated in the many years that we are trying to struggle with impacts of the slightly wrongly-scaled and conditioned development on the mission, this particular commission has taken a very, very specific stand on trying to avoid any further negative and decimating impacts on that. and our discussion here is partially informed by that. and i believe if you care to listen to what the community and very strong and consistent representatives of the community are saying, that this particular type of office, not the office per se, is most likely doing the community that that is we are expressing caution. >> thank you, commissioners. i just appreciate the maker of the motion could separate a and b for action.

commissioner diamond. >> i'm happy to separate a and b. but i will say, commissioner moore, i -- like what you are saying makes great sense to me but we should be defining that in the plan so the project proponent knows what they are developing to. if we want a different kind of office space, our plans and code should specify what kind of office space we want. i don't think that we should be making it up as we go along. it feels unfair to the project proponent, who spent months designing this to a code. >> commissioner moore. i would just chime in, because i think that we have spent months on this project. it's not the first time. and i think the project sponsors have heard the concerns repeatedly. so commissioner moore. >> i say this was in the discretion of the commission and part of the reason why we sit here to take an extra careful look at the detail, zoning and particular rules and regulations

are only what they are, but they do not capture the subtlety of what is really the impact noticeable manifested impact that we all have observed and sit in the middle of. and that is for the discretion of the commission, as we are the most powerful tool, and for me, the most important call for me to be very attentive to. >> there's a motion. >> commissioner diamond made a motion. i have not heard a second. we'll go with 14a. >> does anybody want to second? >> second. >> very good, commissioners. for -- there's a motion that has been seconded to approve the large project authorization with conditions. on that motion -- [roll call vote]

>> so moved. that motion passes 5-1 with commissioner moore voting against. 14b. >> so moved. i make the motion. we need a second for it. >> second. >> thank you, commissioners. on that motion, then, to approve the office development authorization with conditions, [roll call vote] so moved. that motion passes 4-2 with moore and melgar voting against. commissioners, that will place us on item 15a b&c for 725

harrison. this is a large project authorization office development authorization. the zoning administrator will be considering the request for variance. >> jonas, there's been a request to turn off or down the air-conditioning. i know this is at every meeting, but people are super uncomfortable. >> i'm sorry. i'm not part of building management, but the air-conditioning has been broken. i will submit that request again. >> thank you. >> good afternoon, commissioners. zoning administrator, planning department staff. the item before the planning commission is large project authorization pursuant to planning code sections 329 and 848 so allow the construction of a 14-story mixed use building

along harrison street and to grant for building setbacks, narrow and mid-block ally controls, horizontal mass reduction and wind. the item before the zoning administrator are variance requests for obstructions, active use and ground floor along fourth street. it is commonly referred to as fourth and harrison key development site within the central soma area plan. the project includes demolition of the five existing buildings, a lot merger, a 15,000 square foot land dedication to the mayor's office of housing community development for the construction of new affordable housing. and new construction of a 14th story 185-foot tall mixed use building, approximately 935,000 square feet in total, excluding

the affordable housing site. the project consists of office, pdr, retail and childcare uses. the commercial building will include approximately 770 square feet of office space, 3,000 square feet of retail with four retail spaces, 29,000 square feet devoted to pdr, 3,000 square feet for childcare use, 16,000 square feet of provost, 116 off street below grade parking spaces, five off street loading spaces along perry street, plus six service vehicles counting as three additional loading spaces for a total of eight loading spaces. 292 bicycle parking spaces, 22 showers and 36 lockers. the commercial building consists of one structure that has two separate components. the larger shaped structure

towards harrison and fourth which is the western portion of the site and a smaller structure running from harrison to perry streets, fronting the mid-block paseo. the affordable housing building will be on the eastern portion of the lot is anticipated to be an 85-foot tall building with a ground floor lobby and amenity space and 144 units above. the final layout of the affordable housing building will be at the discretion of mocd. as noted, the project will be constructed in two phases. phase one includes 505 square feet of office, 15,200 of pdr, 3,900 of microretail and 9,600 of popos. the development of approximately 103,000 square feet of inclusionary affordable housing.

phase two includes 265,000 square feet of office, 13,900 of pdr, 3,000 square feet of childcare facility and an additional 7100 square feet of popos. the project is con tell melated as a single -- contemplated as a single project. said approval will be based on the commencement of the entire project, so the commencement of phase one. to proceed with phase two the sponsor will be required to obtain additional allocation of office use under section 321 and pursue additional building permits. the department received some inquiries about the proposed height. over the last two years, the project sponsor has conducted neighborhood outreach, including meetings with individual stakeholders and separate

workshops and community outreach forums. as described above, the project has been broken down into two phases based on the availability of office developmentalcations. office developments. phase two will not be implemented until the commission approves the subsequent office development. the individual phases meet the planning code both individually and collectively. the commission must grant the large project authorization pursuant to planning code section 329 to allow new construction over 85 feet in height and over 50,000 square feet in the central soma special use district. the commission may grant exceptions from planning code requirements for projects that exhibit a unique and superior design, provide qualified

amenity in excess of what is required and four key site development projects. as listed above, the project is seeking exceptions, which are supported by the department staff given the qualified amenity and overall design of the project. a total of 770,000 square feet of office space. the spirale soma mixed use office -- the central soma mixed use office. as of november 27th, 2019, there was approximately 896,752 square feet of large cap office allocations. but this does not include the additional recently-recaptured office square footage. so that would be in addition to that number. the department recommends the commission grant an office development authorization only for phase one of the project which would amount to 500

thundershowers square feet of office use. 500,000 square feet of office use. the project is on balance, consistent with the general plan and planning code requirements. the department finds the project is producing a new mixed use development ground floor for pr, childcare, retail and significant site updates including land landscaping and common open space. these almosts will substantially improve the surrounding neighborhood. the site is currently underutilized. the project will dedicate approximately 17,000 square foot parcel for the construction of affordable housing, contiguous to the project site that will add new affordable housing units. the project is desirable for and compatible with the vision of the neighborhood. this concludes staff's presentation. and i'm happy to answer any

questions. >> thank you. project sponsor. >> good afternoon, commissioners. thanks for having us here today. boston properties. it's been a long time coming. an application was put on file for this project all the way dating back to 2005. we're very proud to be here today and honored to present the project to you. can i see the presentation? thank you. so you can see the site from an aerial view looking south. harrison street to the north. we don't extend all the way to third street to the east. as planning staff indicated, the project will be phased. phase one you can see in the orange to the right. larger massing is highlighted in blue. the affordable housing land dedication is in yellow. i want to point out part of the phase one approvals, we are going to be clearing the affordable housing site, putting

close to a half million dollars into escrow for the mayor's office of housing to deal with remediation that is required and delivering it shovel-ready for them. we are going through the ceqa cleared this site for 144 affordable housing units. here's the project overview. i want to touch on the community benefits the project has to offer. it's a well-balanced set of benefits. we believe we have worked hard with the community on over the last couple years. starting with the affordable housing site, 15,000 square feet going to be shovel ready, for up to 144 units. we have two privately-owned public spaces. one on the interior on the fourth street side, you can see on the far left. and one at the mid-block ally that separates the office from the housing. we are working with community members on the design and programming of that outside

popos as well as programming for the interior. we have two blocks of p.d.r., 30,000 square feet split between the two phases. and we've made a commitment to deliver the first phase p.d.r. space, approximately 15,000 square feet at below-market rate to local users and occupiers. we've got four small retail blocks. and we've made commitments to deliver one of those units. again, at below-market rate for local nonprofits and to the community. i'm going to turn it over to our architect to talk about the design. in terms of the interior popos it's interior to the lobby. we put a lot of thought to make sure it didn't feel like an extension of the office lobby. it was important that it was an extension of the community space. we designed it to engage that community and bring them in and

be able to program that space very well. one thing i want to point out is one of the most important neighbors we have for this project is betsy carmichael middle school which is halfway down the street on harrison between fourth and fifth street. we've been engaged with them in discussions about ways in which we can improve their facilities. we are working with the supervisors office with that as well. they are going through a needs assessment, so we are going to be partnering with them to come up with a great program to identify areas in which we can assist. we are happy to come back to the commission for an informational hearing to discuss the ways in which we have been able to partner with the school. another point i want to make about the school, once we start construction, we get closer to it, there's going to be a lot of construction logistics required. harrison is a busy street. you have an onramp on fourth. we engaged our contractor.

so we are going to engage the community to have discussions about how we are going to logistically build the project so we don't impact our neighbors. so we think that's a very open dialogue with the school, with the community and our neighbors to ensure we are satisfying all the concerns. just to touch on the list of community benefits in total, 518 million is the present rate value of the future benefits the project is going to provide. the ones i want to touch on is $40 million we are going to in a one-time impact fee for jobs housing linkage. so we are proud of that. we have the land dedication is a big one. another big component we are proud of is the sustainability of the project. we are targeting ailed platinum design. it's an all electric building. there's no gas in the building, so it's going to be carbon neutral, the project itself. we are targeting a net zero design.

it's going to have gray water systems for water reuse. we are planning space in the garage for a tenant to implement a black water system. we did that successfully. we are doing it right now with sales force at sales force tower. so those are things we are proud about for this project. i would like to turn it over to paul, he's our architect, to talk about the design. thank you. okay. thank you. good to see you this afternoon. once again, by talking about the project. here we are, located in the heart of the central soma district. you can see the site is directly along the new central subway line, minutes from two new subway stops. one of the things that characterizes this site is the character of the urban connections in the street. the big east-west west of the remnants of the old train lines.

the north-south pedestrian streets and the beautiful connection and passes and greenways that thread through the district. we've been careful to bring all of those to bear and pay attention so the character of the neighborhood is in our site. for inspiration for the building, we looked to the material palette, the industrial heritage. [please stand by] ...

. . . >> let's talk about what it feels like in the street, and what you can see is one of the things we have done is if we start on perry street and set the building back 15 feet from the property line and did that to allow daylight and sight of the sky above onto perry. perry will be activated through new pdr, child care, retail, and also access for bike service and other access. and as we move around to the

paseo at the eastern end of the sight this, new cross block passage which doesn't exist today will be linking with the new crosswalks and thread of spaces and passages that spoke with earlier to be fronted with child care and affordable housing. to harris street, new pdr entries so both sides of the street are active and lob bust and retail, and as we hawk to fourth street, you will see where this is under the porch of the building. what does that meal like? what does it look like? here we are standing across the street and what you will see is the gentle, arcing areas and crown the ceiling floornd. we are standing at the corner of perry and 4th and micro retail in the back and activate perry

in the way that nothing happens now. as we move into the space, these forms create a new amphitheater inside of the space, a place for public gathering, the opportunity to watch the theater and the street on display. and as we move out, you can see that the corner of 4th and harrison is activated itself. as we walk down harrison street, retail and pdr enliven the street, and we've set the facade of the building bak to provide a more gracious thoroughfare on harrison street and new plantings. as we move into the paseo, you will see this crosswalk activated through plantings, child care, and through the access, the direct connection. to explain the architecture, one of the things that the building does is working carefully with the planning guidelines is establish this 85 foot urban room. >> how much time do you have

left? >> a one minute. >> as we look at the building design, it is essentially designed in a series of one to three story stacks which are intended to human scale the design. it has a rhythmic pulsing of smaller to larger panels that move across the facade, each level different to activate it. the coloration move up the building. you see the building in the context today and how it's snuggled into the neighborhood in the future. thank you. >> thank you. i have a couple speaker cards. anyone who wants to comment on the item, please line up on the left side or the screen side of the room. i have cards for the following -- [calling of speakers] and anyone is welcome to speak. whoever is ready, come on up.

>> good afternoon, commissioners. mark gleason, representing teamsters local 665 in san francisco. i want to add our support for this project. we have enjoyed working with boston on this. and they have committed to complete union labor. i know i speak for our affiliates on both the building trades and throughout the construction trades that we represent as well, and we hope you can see to approving this project for them. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> good afternoon, commissioners. alex lansburg here with a letter of support from the san francisco building and construction trades council. in strong support of the project. boston has a long relationship working with the trade and putting up the buildings as well as maintaining them. one thing that i think a lot of

people forget is just how much employment and how much of an economic engine these office buildings are after they're operating. they employ electricians, carpenters, tenant improvement work and januarytors and security guards and janitors to watch over them and take care of them during the day and most recently started bringing in recycling sorters to help with that part of it. so as you consider this project, please note the building trade support. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> somebody forgot this. i'm an honest crook. good afternoon, commissioners. i am rudy corpus t director of the violence prevention in san

francisco for the last 25 years and i'm here to speak in support of the project with boston properties. they have been a magnificent partner in the community, one i'm born and raised in. helen hunt who has been so instrumental of building this bridge with the community has been so caring and giving is to the youth organization. december 14 is the sandy hook's anniversary and that week started in san francisco with this nationwide now. and we got in it san francisco, and others and we started it right here with many, many partners and one of the best partners who was very instrumental making this happen has been boston properties. and so i'm very, very adamant when it comes to building relationships, when it comes to safety for our community and our people because all it takes and i was sharing this earlier, one

person's life to get tooken that could destroy this whole planet, but all it takes is one person's life to be saved that can save this whole planet. and so with the support that we get, that means a lot to me. it means a lot to the community. being a survivor of gun violence myself. and so i want to thank you, you know, for me to come -- i want to thank them for giving us the opportunity to come up here and build a real, authentic relationship, a long-term relationship. >> thank you. >> good afternoon. i'm heather phillip, director of programs at united players as well as a community resident. i actually walk past this site to and from work everyday, and i'm so excite to see such a thoughtful project. i want to speak today in support of the project because of just what a great partner boston properties has been to the community in being thoughtful, not just as developers sometimes

come and give contributions and help communities but really being a part of the community here in the south of market. we appreciate the thoughtfulness of the design of their project and the affordable housing that will be built and really just looking at how it can be integrated and part of the neighborhood that already exists so we just, i really want to register my support for the project. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am with united players and i am a soma resident. i want to speak a little bit about what this project means to betsy carmichael. one of the things i do in my job is facilitate the soma youth collaborative which is a network of over 20 organizations, businesses, community-based organizations that serve youth in soma but specifically serve

youth at betsy carmichael. it is a k-8 school, the highest number of homeless students in the district, and it is a split campus where the middle school is right across the street from the project. the middle school is at a former child development center. so we've got about 200 middle school kids of various shapes and sizes in all of that energy on a former preschool site. and so there are a lot of space challenges. there are a lot of infrastructure challenges. and we're super excited that boston's commit tonight help the school and district work through some of those. 85% of those 200 students are reading at below basic reading levels. so for us as a violence prevention organization, that means a that a large majority of them will end up dropping out of high school at one point. we are excited and i think boston properties has been a soma resident longer than i have. and so we're really excited about the potential of this

partnership directly across the street from each other. and right now a lot of kid come in from other neighborhoods to attend betsy and it is exciting to think that some of them could live in affordable housing building and walk to school. and just increased number of people around that area will help with safety with our young people. sometimes they get attacked on the walk to the center. sometimes they have to cross the really dangerous streets on the walk to the center. so we're excited for all the changes and improvements that will come to benefit not just that surrounding area but the school specifically. thank you so much. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> good afternoon, commissioners. my name is karla and i am the director of west filipino service center and operate out of the south of market neighborhood. almost all of the youth and families live in soma and almost all of our middle schoolers

attend betsy carmichael. i am here to speak in support of the project. you see us here often. you know what we care about, and it is always the well being of the community and for kids to thrive and live in soma. and it's not often that there's a project sponsor who thinks the transaction is thoughtful, genuine, and takes everything that those who work in the community share with them in account for them with this project. it's been wonderful working with especially helen because it's been not just about the project but really understanding how can we make the neighborhood safer. how can we make betsy middle school a school that's for the middle schoolers. and how can we also make sure there is affordable housing and livable for everyone. and wanted to express the support for the project. and thank the project sponsors

for engaging the community for an ongoing relationship to make the community thrive and also just support the project as a whole. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> good afternoon. and south of market and park space, green spashgs and under continual threat from shadows and new development. in turn, privately owned public open space solutions tend to lack the design and vision needed to mirror public open needs. this is something the planning department and commission could be more active around. we appreciate the openness and diligence of boston properties to clab rat with the community to ensure that design, programming and activation of the proposed and mid block alley will be accessible, welcoming

and beneficial to the filipino community and all seniors, family and youth in the neighborhood. reflecting the need for increased visibility and recommendation of the community in soma and also agreeing with project sponsor to incorporate place making and public art reflective of the filipino community and incorporating culturally relevant designs and boston properties have indicated that the project sponsor will provide a union wage for safety and security on is site. and these along with the continued development strategies make boston properties stand out as community minded developer, and we look forward to working with them for years to come and the project will affect the existing community. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker please.

>> to recognize, celebrate, and serve the existing filipino community in the south of market area. and the community is some of the most pressing issues in the city including rapid displacement and gentrification and income inequality and the true need for affordable housing. it is lacking and deeply need and we worked with the project sponsor to come to an agreement regarding the future of 100% affordable housing site to have prioritized neighborhood preference, multigenerational affordable housing, a range of affordability on the site and the prioritization of this project and linkage fee funds to go towards developing this site. we appreciate that the project sponsor has taken into consideration the needs of senior rs and families and truly

affordable housing. in addition to escalating commercial rents for for profit and nonprofit tenant, we worked to secure below market rate retail and community building space within the project, and we are looking forward to incorporating communities serving youth into that space. and as they work on the process, we hope that planning can incorporate the antidisplacement and community development standards that result from this strategy document so community needs are fully addressed in the initial planning process and that community groups aren't left to fill in the gaps. we appreciate the project sponsor being open to hearing community concerns and the commitment to collaborating with us and we thank helen and darren with the project sponsor for all the work. >> thank you. next speaker please.

>> good afternoon, commissioners. over four years ago before the planning department thought of it t community approached this developer and said we need to have an affordable housing parcel as part of your project because of finding sites for affordable housing in soma is increasingly difficult if not impossible due to land costs. and the developers said yes. and then four months ago developer negotiated and agreed to and a signed collateral agreement that the developer commits 15,000pdr space will be kept at below market rents for 30 years. no more than 60% of comparable rents for comparable space. so that's really important community benefit because, of

course, we're all seen in the last 10, 15 years tremendous displacement in the south of market of the organizations in particular and the cultural organizations that occupy pdr space, can occupy pdr space. this discount will make it feasible for some organizations to continue to do that in the future. and that clt ral agreement is very, very significant and goes above and beyond what the planning department can do. and we do support the project and is an exemplary and we urge you to support it as well. >> an i am a neighbor of the project and live about 225 feet away. and i fully support the project.

this space has been basically an abandoned warehouse for most of my life and it would be great if something was built. this appears to be a project that takes a lot of the community's needs and desires into account. and i hope that you guys approve it quickly and it gets built quickly. thank you very much. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> a hello. back again. carpenters local 22. we really support this project. and z boston properties has always been a friend of labor and always been good to us and always worked with us. and i tell you a few things and when they have a responsible contractor and for us it means a livable wage with medical and retirement benefits. it allows workers and families

to live in the communities they live and work in. and the wages will be re-invested into the local economy. and they spend their earnings and tax dollars to help the local schools, the government, and commitment to accredited apprenticeship programs to guarantee we will continue to have trained, skilled and experienced work force. this is able to complete high quality projects in a safe and timely manner. i know i went through the apprenticeship. i recommend for all the guys and there are some that don't. and some companies don't have apprenticeship programs. and actually, i don't think those jobs are safe to work at. and i'm part of that program and i'm happy to be here today. i really support this project and so does carpenter's local 22. thank you. >> thank you. >> any other public comment on this item?

okay. public comment is now closed. >> a commissioner moore. >> remarkably strong and thoughtful project to see so many parts of the community come and support it is heartwarming. i think the site plan is sensitive and has many subtle, very good pieces to it. i commend the mayor's office and the applicant for agreeing to dedicate a part of the site to affordable housing. the 15,000 square feet for 144 units is a significant chunk for low income housing. i wish that we would have already a timeline when this housing comes on board, but that is a question which i am sure everybody will be interested in doing so that the project is not limping with a nondeveloped site as part of the overall development. i'm in full support. i accept the notion of approving phase one for the office

allocation, but approving the project as a whole. i can make a motion because i'm so convinced and so i do. >> you are making a motion? >> yes. >> commissioner koppel. >> u a first of all, i'm going to second that motion. 14 years in the making is a long time. a lot of patience for you guys. we appreciate it. the central soma hearings itself were very lengthy. we're still approving project in that area plan and one or two more, but no offense, but at the time i had labelled the project as the best project i had ever seen, and i think this one actually beats it. all inclusively, i don't think you would have outdone yourself. and just -- again, leed platinum is almost

unattainable and takes going above and beyond what it takes to achieve that, and that is a proud badge to put on the building. and i hope to see it later. and yet you are already addressing a lot of issues we are talking about as a city and as a state with decarbonization and climate change, and i'm thrilled to see that you are taking the project this far. this is whats a going to be required of all of the buildings by 2050 and these guys are doing it as we speak. >> thank you. commissioner diamond. >> i, too, am supportive of the project, but i did have one question for clarification purposes that maybe staff and the project sponsor can answer. i raised wit both of you earlier this week. and that is, in the interim phase between the time phase one is built and phase two is built, if there is -- if you can't do it together, what is the phase two site look like? how is it maintained? is it an eyesore? >> thank you, commissioner diamond. that is a great question.

obviously the plan is to get approves on phase two as quickly as possible so it is not vacant, but we do have a strategy to deal with the vacant site because we will be tearing down all the existing buildings on the site as we have to because it is part of the delivery of affordable. and our plan is to work with the community to figure out what the needs of that temporary use could be. we've got -- we partnered with local companies like off the grid to do food trucks and we are doing that in the plaza and is very effective and very welcome by the community. the neighborhood needs a temporary dog park. we know that another playground would be an appropriate use. so again t strategy would be at the time if it was looking like we weren't ready for a phase two any time soon after phase one was completed, we would go through public outreach and work with the community and figure out what the needs are for the community and implement a temporary use while we wait for a second phase allocation.

>> staff, question for staff, is there a general condition that you draft to address is this? >> yes. so the planning commission received the packet in two components. the december 5 publication includes the demolition condition and sort of memorializing this understanding that the interim use would be coordinated with the planning department. it doesn't specify with the community, but if the commission wants to clarify that i a prooufl, it may. >> is there a time frame? >> the time frame is sort of contingent on the elephant in the room being the prop ml and i don't know that we can specify phase two, but that it is activated in the interim. >> they're under construction with phase one, going to be completed and they still don't have a phase two allocation and don't know when they are going

to start. is there a time frame? i want some sense to what circumstances we are expecting for them to do something on the site. >> this is seen as an appropriate time frame that we can all agree today and presumably, completion of construction, i think, would be an appropriate time to activate and begin activating that. we don't want a vacant, demolished vacant site. we want it to be activated. >> can i ask the project sponsor if they have lodge or a way to work into a condition? i like what you are proposing and asking the community what they want. it feels like it would be nice to document this. >> absolutely. i appreciate the question. our thought was from when phase one was completed, from the first certificate of occupancy to a year later f we hadn't started construction on phase two within that 12 month, we

would implement plan b, which would be the community outreach and implementing the temporary use. and 12 months is what we're proposing. >> is that enough guidance, staff, to draft a condition around that? we never know what will happen with office allocation and you presented a design as a whole, not part of it, and it is hard to envision if you don't have phase two, and it would be nice to know we have a game plan in case it's longer than you hoped for. commissioner moore? >> mr. fenton, could you come up to the mic one more time please. would you stay in communication with the mayor's office of housing to also come in a timely manner? you will not want to have construction trailing the completion of your own project. is there any discussion of when they would start? >> we haven't had the discussion

specifically about when that project would start. we certainly have a case for that to start sooner than later. it benefits everybody, us included. and we're happy to open the discussions up with them to understand a better timeline when they anticipate starting. >> since the building of paseo will probably come with the housing project, it would be in the interest of the project as a whole to see that happen as quickly as possible, is that correct? >> yes, that's absolutely right. the phase two paseo would likely be built as part of paseo and likely construct that and again as part of phase two, but that would be part of a temporary use that we would implement if in the event we don't get the allocation to start phase two within the 12 months of finishing phase one. >> thank you. force >> director. >> i wanted to clarify that point that mr. fenton just made.

the assumption is the temporary activation includes the phase two office and the paseo and affordable housing site so that is part of what is being activated. theoretically if the housing moves sooner than the office, you would still have an activated site in the middle between the two. what your patrol is is if the second phase prop ml allocation doesn't happen within a year, that would kind of trigger the requirement to activate the site. i wanted to make sure everyone understood that. within a year of occupancy of the first phase. >> i'm sorry. i didn't hear a motion or second. >> commissioner moore made the motion and commissioner koppel made the second. >> could i suggest it be amended to include the condition as

suggested by director ram? >> that would be to the maker of the motion. >> that is fine by me. i don't see it necessary, but prepared to do that. >> and the second? >> sure. >> there is a motion second to approve with conditions as amended and read into the record by director ram. on that motion, commissioner diamond. commissioner fung, commissioner johnson, commissioner moore, commissioner koppel, commission president melgar, so moved, commissioners. that passed assistantly. and close public hearing and grant. >> thank you. that will place us to item 16a and b and 1513a-f york street

and the zoning and request for variance. >> good afternoon, commissioners. planning department staff. the item before you is a conditional use authorization pursuant to planning code section 209.1 and 303 to allow residential entity at a ratio of one unit per 1500 square feet of lot area within the two zoning

district. this is l-shaped with one lot for a total of 17,295 square feet which would allow for a maximum of 12 units. the site is proposing a proposal of 10 residential units including the construction of four three-story duplex buildings with eight buildings measuring approximately 1325 to 1950 square feet on interior lots and two residential flats of approximately 1030 square feet on the lot fronting york street. the project will merge the three lots and access to the mid-block townhouses will be through a pedestrian walkway accessed off york street. the basement garage is proposed on the york street parcel with eight car parking spaces using a

mechanical car lift and 16 class one and two bike parking spaces. in addition, they are seeking a variance for the requirement for front setback, rear yard, and dwelling unit exposure pursuant to planning code sections 132, 134 and 140 respectively. the project sponsor has a long history of working with the community since late 1987. most recently the project sponsor presented the revised project to the burnham east slope design review board on may 2, 2019 and held a second pre-application meeting on july 9, 2019. and received one letter of support from the design board. and neighbors at previous meetings relating to open space, landscaping, vehicle access, views to and from adjacent

building, fire department concerns, and other concerns have been substantially addressed. to date the department has received four letters of support and four letters of opposition. the opposition is centered mainly on the over density and the building heighth, traffic construction and noise. since the last public hearing on november 29, 2018, the project sponsor has hired a new architecture firm and revised the project as follows, including number 1, the proposed building point will cover approximately 45% of the total area. and the townhouses will be set back from the existing to minimize the visual impact of any retaining walls and improve the privacy of overlooking properties on caesar chavez street. and common space provided including in the middle of the

development. and second, geology and the geologist with the present slope and fractured rock below the surface is and stabilization an expected that some rock could fall through the rear yard an onto caesar chavez street and regraded to a more gently sloping cliff no steeper than 45% angle. other improvements include a water management plan, an emergency plan for site access for emergency personnel which has been vetted by the fire department. in conclusion the department finds the project is on balance, consistent with the objectives and policies of the general plan. the project will add 10 family size dwelling units to city's housing stock.

the project has been sensitively designed in consideration of the location and topography. the site plan and building design are compatible with the scale and height of the neighborhood. the department finds the project to be necessary, desirable, and compatible with the surrounding neighborhooded a not to be debt detrimental to the surrounding properties. this concludes staff report. i'm happy for any questions. thank you. >> good afternoon. here on behalf of the project sponsor who is also here, mr. patrick quinnlan.

and thank you for our overview. 1513 york is a site shape on a steep north facing slope. the site has never been developed in part no doubt due to the challenging topography including cliff at the northern end and overlooking the rear yards on caesar chavez and the single lot of york street. it also has 24 abutting neighbors. first, a little history. the project began in 1987 with a proposal for four homes at the site. after many design iterations and permit filingses in the 1990s and early 2000's, the project was brought before you by the former architect on november 29 and similar that it had 10 units and different in other ways.

reception of the proposal was not favorable. structures looming over the neighbors and parking turntable and site that didn't work and how are the fire engines going to access the site. this commission generally supported the 10 units and the opportunity, you echoed that the site plan lacked clear organization, the property edges did not relate to the neighbors, the excavations very severe and arabesque and i like that word. parking was nonfunctional and major life safety and geotechnical issues were left

unresolved. and engaging with the neighbors and making good architecture. and combatable with neighboring homes and materials and patterns. there is a great opportunity to create here. and the project consists of merging three parcels of a vacant land creating and constructing five duplex buildings and moving the structures away from the cliff. and providing on grade patios for most units. and driving simple circulation path to access the homes and move materials like groceries and strollers around the site.

and stacking buildings down the hillside to preserve views from homes above. and commissioned a new soils report and geological investigations and found that the existing soils overlaying the fractured bedrock presents today even a geological hazard in the significant event that rock can be expected to fall off the cliffs into the neighbors' rear yards. the solution derived is to cut the cliff back to a 45-degree slope with the stability and replant the area and add drainage to the base. beyond correcting current hazard this, approach creates more openness and green spac