business slide. >> welcome. it's our custom to 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 your questions about doing business in san francisco. the office of small business should be your first stop when have you a question about what to do next. you can find us online or in person here at city hall. best of all, our services are free of charge. the small business commission is the official forum to voice your opinions and concerns about the policies that affect the economic vitality of small businesses in san francisco. if you need assistance with small business matters start here with the office of small business. >> item 1, call to order and roll call.

commissioner adams. >> here. >> clerk: commissioner dooley is absent. commissioner dwight. >> here. >> commissioner laguana. >> here. >> clerk: commissioner ortiz-cartagena. >> here. >> clerk: commissioner you have a forum. public comment allows members of the comment on matters within the small business jurisdiction but not on the calendar and suggest new items for future discussion. >> do we have members of the public who would like to make public comment on any item not on today's agenda? okay. seeing none, public comment is closed. next item, please. >> clerk: item 3 for approval of legacy businesses registry

applications and resolutions and office of the small business. >> commissioner, office of small business staff, richard kurylo legacy business program manager. sf gov tv, may i have the power point presentation. before you today are four applications for your consideration for the legacy business registry. the applications were reviewed by me for completion, submitted to planning staff october 23 and heard by the historic preservation commission november 20. for each applicant the sbc has been provided a staff report, draft resolution and application, case report from planning department staff and a resolution. there are copies on the table in the public binder. item 3a is community music center. the organization is a music school founded in september 1921. it was officially incorporated in 1939 and received 501c3

nonprofit status. the purpose is to make high quality music accessible to music of all ages and abilities regardless of financial means. the primary business address is 544 cap street in the mission neighborhood. in 1983 they opened the richmond district branch with many programs duplicated there and new programs created attune to the neighborhood's needs. in 2012 they purchased the victorian house on cap street to house additional classroom space and other recital hall and needed staff space. the expansion planned for the 100th anniversary in 2021 will greatly improve their services and ability to sustain tuition-free programs and launch new programs that address critical community needs.

item 3b is the end up. it's a bar established in 1973 as an after-hours a good western nightclub at the current site 401 sixth street for the lbbt community and they were popular for the contests and the jockey short dance contest resourced notice by in the tales of the city novels and television series. the 1990s and 2000s included expansion of the club's friday night operating hours until 6:00 a.m. and challenges from closing it in the south and market district. in 2005 the club was sold to six

investors who continued the legacy of a good disco and underground music. drew house llc has been the current owner since 2011. item 3c is items unlimited of for instance inc. it's a non-profit communities based organization in the mission district. founded in 1970 it offers culturally and linguistically rooted services in english and spanish for the mission district and san francisco. services offer abruce treatment and mental health and programs that promote healthy development and empower youth and family to take action in their community. the organization originated as a youth organization to meet the need of latino immigrant families moving to san francisco in the 1960s.

inequality is as great as it's been and the leadership and staff believe the services are needed by the youth of the mission now more than of. -- more than ever. >> item 3d is mums home of shabu shabu in japan town. the restaurant was founded in 1979 as part of a program to bring japanese culture to san francisco. at the time japan town had undergone redevelopment and they encouraged the proliferation of japanese businesses in the area. they opened the kyoto inn and in 1995 they became one of the first restaurants in san

francisco to serve japanese authentic hot pot. it's owned by a former employee an immigrant from hong kong. the restaurant has survived three management changes of the landlord and has maintained firm in maintaining the legacy of the name. all four businesses received positive recommendations from the historic preservation commission. after reviewing the applications and the recommendation staff finds businesses have met the three criteria to qualify for listing on the business registry. there are four draft resolutions for consideration by the sbc. one for each of the applicants. your support of the businesses should be as in favor of the resolutions. the resolutions please play close attention to the core

physical features. once approved by the sbc, the businesses must maintain the physical features or traditions in order to remain on the legacy business registry. for the end up it's bar and for horizons up -- unlimited it's for the latinex opportunity and for mums it's restaurant for japanese cuisine. this concludes my presentation and happy to answer any questions. there are business representives in attendness that would like to speak and possibly stories from commissioner laguana and we'll find out. thank you very much. >> commissioner: do you want to go to public comment first? >> clerk: i have speaker cards here. ben nakazo, followed by elena

nielson followed by sarah kim and followed by salina lucino. >> thank you very much, i'm a 60 year resident of japan town in the western addition and a member of the japan town task force. it's with great pride i stand before you to speak in support in favor of cafe mums in the hotel brew bucannon. i'd like to recognize the support of the president of the board and the executive director of the japan town task force. cafe mums has been a gathering place over 40 years.

not only for visitors staying at the hotel and other tourists, family and friends and community people from the neighborhood and beyond. it is an ideal place centrally located. i often go to get my breakfast or lunch and the menu offers not only japanese food but american dishes as well. as their signature plate of shabu shabu. my favorite breakfast is grilled salmon with rice with nori and my lunch is rice wrapped in an omelette and yakisoba which is fried into the noodles. i often meet with colleagues to discuss items of the day and to snack and have a drink it. offers comfort food and an ideal too recoup one's thoughts. in my mind, cafe mums obviously

means chrysanthemum blossom but my own interpretation means mums more like moms. it offers wonderful food, aattentive service, a full stomach, warmth and comfort. and i thank you for consideration of the legacy business registration for cafe mums. >> commissioner: thank you. next speaker please. >> hello. i'm a former employee of japan town task force and the japan town community business direct and active member and was a point person for compiling mum's

application to the legacy business program. when i first stat down with the owner of the business and what his business meant to him he presented me with a binder this thick with all his photos from when he first came to america and came as a dishwasher and was work at mums. and all the way to the present where he has four daughters and they're all involved in his business and he's the owner of mums now. he is so proud of his business and has so much reason to be and talked for hours about mums and how it was started by japanese from sf's former sit ter city of -- sister city of osaka and how he worked his way up as

right-hand man and all his relationship with the community members in japan town past and present and how he fought to preserve the dignity of his business despite three changes in ownership of the building to which they pay rent. mums means so much to our community. it is our decade's old lasting hub and whenever i go there there's always someone that i see. there's always someone that i know. it has been a pleasure getting to know more about the history of a business that is older than myself and there isn't a business i can more recommend to the legacy business program. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please.

>> good evening president adams, commissioners and staff members. i'm julie steinberg and the executive director of community music center and so pleased to stand before you today to ask for your support of our legacy business registry application and the applications of our fellow applicants and long-standing business who's are making an impact and keeping san francisco the rich and vibrant city it is today. it's 99 years young growing from a small volunteer run school founded in the settlement tradition serving a handful of immigrant families to today where it provides free and low-cost class to 3100 students of all ages and stages providing more than $2.4 million in direct tuition assistance to all who qualify. our concert hall is also home to more than 100 free and low-cost performances attended by more than 18,000 people each year.

our faculty members and leaders and musical genres and styles and hope to keep them here for years to come. though we're historic we rely on innovation and evolution creating responsive programs for older adults, young children and their families, immigrant community and the transgender communities to name a few. as we enter our second century of service in the city of san francisco, we appreciate your support of our application which will allow us to remain vibrant, socially relevant, engaged up our community and making a difference around the city. thank you. >> commissioner: thank you. >> i'm sarah. i'm the youngest of the four daughters for mums. i asked my dad what he wanted to say in front of you all and he

wanted to say that he was very lucky to have so much community support. very lucky to be include in japan's cultural heritage and economic sustainability strategy and very lucky to be here towards the end of the application process. he also wanted to mention that we and other legacy business out here today have been through at least three major hurdles. the economic crisis and '89 earthquake and 9/11 he saw a lot of places shut down but we're all here and alive and kicking and all the stories were touching so i'm emotional right now. sorry. it's an honor to be here in front of you all and honestly i would not be here without japan town task force. the community of japan town has been supportive of hi father's

establishment and hope i can continue to do what i can for the community and knowing me i would have failed in filling out the application so i'm thankful for them helping me out over there. thanks. >> commissioner: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi, i'm sarah samuel and i am the point person who help for the legacy business applicants. on behalf of many we're grateful and honored to be given as an opportunity as a legacy business. we are thankful that you will consider their application. to tell a little bit about me and why i'm doing this because not that i'm a huge clubgoer and i got to know the owners and i

decided to give it a visit and it is to say something that's iconic and sustain the nightlife of san francisco. it's existence since 1973 and the owners want to revive it and continue its legacy in the community of san francisco and what it's done for the nightlife and house music and the nightclub scene. they just celebrated the 46th anniversary several weeks ago. their hopes is to continue to celebrate another 46 to 50 more. so again we thank you again for your consideration of this application and thank you for the opportunity. >> >> commissioner: thank you. next speaker, please.

>> good evening commissioners and staff here. my name is salena lucero being considered for the legacy business registry. i think more so of being proud of being the executive director i think my legacy with horizons is much more important because i started there as a youth many years ago a couple decades ago if i'm going to day myself but in a nutshell horizons means so much to so many in the community. when we went through the application process a few years ago we celebrated our 50th anniversary and then through the process of the application we realized we were incorporated in 1970 so we were like do we have to celebrate the 50th

anniversary again because we were off by five years but we were actually founded in 1965 so i think we're on track with that. but horizons again though it's housed in a building on 17th and potrero it represents family and stability and represents leadership and empowerment to so many people. if you walk through the mission on any given day and talk about what the -- is going on and what the community means, so many have benefitted and generations of families who have been here. i'm the youngest of nine and all my family members have also benefitted from horizons. it's beautiful to see grandparents bring in their grandchildren to programs and stop by and see the organization still going and doing well. so i think being able to get

this recognition would validate all the work and the heart and soul that people have put into the organization for five decades. i thank you so much and want to echo the sentiment that we wish all the best to our partners that are here also in consideration for the legacy business registry. we know they are also deserving and thank you so much. it's an honor and privilege to be in front of you. have a good evening. >> commissioner: thank you. any other speakers? okay. public comment is closed. commissioners. any comments? commissioner ortiz. >> this is the best part of the jobs. mums, i always go there. i didn't even know the history so just learning the history is amazing and makes me want to go there even more. man, wow, safe nights over

there. that's one of the key things. you know you're in good hands. you could let your hair down and cmc and horizons from the mission i learned to sing over the rainbow in the '80s. off key of course but i learn it and horizons being there i walked down potrero. they're all exciting times and i'm honored to be a part of your nominations. >> commissioner: commissioner laguana. >> it's amazing to come here and hear the stories and i just want to ratify on behalf of the commission it's so uplifting to us to hear all the passion and energy that you've put and the travails you have suffered through to survive in a city when it's uncommonly difficult for a small business to make it through so i commend all of you in particular i was moved by the

family's passion ash -- around mums and i can relate to seeing how the years in front of you and your family and how it builds up over time. growing up i grew up with two a good foster parents and i remember reading tales of the city but speaking as a former professional musician i actually lived on capp street when i first moved here to san francisco and i didn't even know cmc was there to be honest. i'm astounded to discover that not only was it there but it's been there almost 100 years. what a remarkable extraordinary accomplishment to have an organization going like that so long and commissioner ortiz, i'd

be happy to help you work in getting in key. but i can't imagine how many lives have been benefitted by that and music is really i think for me and i'm sure many of you will agree as are where our humanity resides and that's some of the most important work we can do culturally. it's a tremendous honor to be here and a want to thank all of you for coming. >> commissioner: commissioner dooley. >> i just wanted to say thank you so much for all of you going through the laborious process of applying. we hear how deserving and how important the businesses are to the real san francisco. the small businesses. we want to do everything we can

to help you guys continue on, do what you do so amazingly. congratulations all of. -- all of you. >> commissioner: any other commissioner comments? okay. i just want to say to each and every one of these businesses congratulations. it's not an easy process but you learned the history and everything. community music center 100 years and you're going to be another 100 years. i love that. and horizons, i knew about you because i have a lot of friends that grew up in the mission and a lot of them said about their experienc experiences with horizons and mums, when i lived in pacific heights i did frequent mums quite a bit but it's the end up. i'm so proud of tonight. and the lgbtq community and

started with the legacy business and the lone star legacy business and the endup i spent a lot of nights in the endup when i first moved here and then some. and my a good family, we all met, there were five of us and we're all still close today. none of us knew each other and we all met at the endup after leaving club universe. after that was over we went to the endup and we all met at the endup and all became friends that night. it was october 13, 1997. august 13. the endup has a special place in my heart. i've gotten up at 4:00 in the morning to go dancing at 5:00 in the morning. you guys know what i'm talking about on sunday mornings but hey, that's part of our culture.

and i'm not ashamed of that. so i am kind of emotional here. what the endup means to the lgbt community and what you mean to the south and market community you keep the community alive and i tell people i live in the castro and a keep telling the people it's not just the castro, it's south of market and polk street. it's all over. we're everywhere. i just want to say thank you. commissioner riley. >> yes, i would love to go to mums for shabu shabu. now is the perfect weather for it and i'd love to see the big binder of yours. thank you. >> commissioner: any others? do we have a motion. >> i move to approve all four resolution to induct all fine businesses into the legacy business registry.

>> second. >> clerk: commotion by commissioner dwight to approve all four resolutions seconded by commissioner dooley. roll call vote. [roll call] motion passes 7-0 with no one absent. >> congratulations. >> commissioner: we have certificates for everybody and if we can get a quick picture.

>> item 4 san francisco planning presentation on the parklet presentation by john francis senior planner and urban designer. >> congratulations to all the legacy businesses who were nominated. it's a great way to start the meeting. i'm actually going to thank you

for inviting us to give an update on the park let program and i'm going to hand the mic to my co-program manager who will walk you through the update. thank you for the invitation to present the parklet program and i co-manage the program with my colleague john francis at the planning department but presenting with us as well tonight is our colleagues from street use and mapping at public works. we will be sharing an overview of the program and parklet program and the history, goals and policy and how the application process works and where they're located.

and then we assembled the role on permitting and enforcement. so before we dive into the parklet program, i'd like to introduce the program that works with people from san francisco to build temporary or installations to turn underused public spaces into community space. it's a collaborative efforts by mta and san francisco and it acted as a laboratory for communities to quickly and inexpensively test out new ideas in the public realm. the inspirations could take the place of a plaza, parkway or urban prototype. throughout the years programs with similar goals were piloted in 2017 they were rebranded highlighting all the project's

common goals. the projects are now categorized based on their location within the public realm which determines how project permitted for people for places ordinance. this was adopt ed by the board of supervisor in 2016 and codefies the framework for projects. the projects could be located on the sidewalk, the street on the lot or parcel or near the curb which is where park ways are located. so how did the parklet program start? in 2009 designers and neighbors got together and decided to take over a parking spot throughout the day they would feed the meter and kept it going and laid out furniture and plant and had

a community event there. and so throughout some negotiation the city began to work with them to formalize a program to pilot these so in 2011 the first parklets were piloted throughout the city and we started a request for proposa proposals-based process and have five rsps through 2015 and in 2018 we opened up the application to be-year round. -- to be year round. so why parklets? we believe it's more than just a parking space taken over by furniture and planning and it's to re-imagine the needs of city streets and balance of those travelling and because parklets are relatively low cost and

easily implementable approach to achieving better balance for all uses of the street, we encouraged non-motorized transportation and foster neighborhood interaction. in many cases neighbors have participated in the design and financing and construction and even stewardship of the parklets and also support businesses by enhancing the pedestrian environment which can help make the street feel more safe and comfortable for people shopping, runni runni runni runni running errands. and they aim to be a community asset and amenity and we can achieve this by keeping parklets public. from the origins, the program

established parklets are public spaces since they're located on public property and should benefit those who provide community amenity. we encourage the activity like adding landscape for children and active uses than just tables and chairs and other cities and jurisdictions have different models. for example, they allow table service as well but in san francisco as a matter of policy, parklets should be publicly accessible as stated here in the public works code and the administrative code because of the places where people ordinance people places are intended to be publicly accessible public spaces and so who is doing what in terms of the team working for parklets.

the three main agencies working for the parklet program are planning, which we oversee program branding and administration like website graphics and outreach and the initial point of contact for parklet applicants and ensure the goals of the program are met and they follow the standards. sfmta reviews for traffic, transit, pedestrian, bicycle or situation issues and provide changes when needed and ensure parklets achieve overall goals and objectives including mission zero goals. also, public works the division of bureau of street use and mapping ensure parklets are well constructed, safe and accessible and process permits and manage inspection and enforcement and up to all agencies to review the design of the proposals and to

coordinate on program policy as well. how it goes from an idea to a parklet on the street, we require the parklet applicant submit a parklet proposal pack and and not only does that -- package and not only does it include narration and photographs and maintenance plan and funding strategy but to ensure there's community buy-in we request a robust neighborhood outreach effort. they have to get consent from the adjacent properties and have to do a robust neighborhood outreach to neighborhoods, associations and supervisor's office and once they submit the package, our selection criteria depends on the quality of the proposal and if the site is

feasible. if they're accepted into the program and meet the criteria they can move on to public noticing and that is posted for 10 days which is when members of the community have a chance to express any concerns and they can object and if that happens a public hearing is triggered. if there's no objections, they can move on to the design development and permitting phase. so they submit design drawings and standards as well as regulations and if they comply they're issued a permit and once it's issued the sponsor has up to three months to begin public construction and the site is inspected prior and as for construction and the sponsor must comply with all responsibilities and renewing the permit every year. who can apply for the parklet? the parklet application is open

to all types of businesses, organizations or residents too as long as they submit a complete proposal package and the site is feasible. after there's responsibilities including upkeep and maintenance and regular cleaning and graffiti abatement and renew annually. they cannot provide alcohol or there cannot be smoke org branding of the business on the parklet and no table services. the parklets currently installed are mostly sponsored by restaurants or ca -- cafes but there's diversity like schools, art galleries and we have one residential parklet as well. on this map is where parklets are currently located by

supervisor districts and have a high concentration on the eastern side of the city with d9 having the most parklet. if we go into more detail and break down by neighborhood you can see in the mission it's the most dense area and most are allocated in the valencia commercial corridor and my colleagues will discuss permitting and enforcement and we're available for questions. >> i'm the commercial permit manager and joined with my colleague. we're the team that assists with processing the permits. so the permitting process is more on the back end of the overall parklet process and we're responsible for

administering the fees for the parklets which totals about $3,000 for review of the designs submitted to us, reviewing the application submitted to us and then about half of that fee will go to mta. more likely than not, that's to assist with the removal of parking meters if a parklet is des -- displacing the meters. we make sure we have an updated certificate of insurance and application and fees within. the $3,000 fee will also provide inspections. following the installation we'll send an inspector to make sure it's code compliant and installed properly. in the event a business changes hands they can transfer the parklet. it's a relatively simple procedure that doesn't warrant a public hearing because the

parklet and orientation isn't changing and get a host agreement form which more or less the sponsor is saying they'll abide for the good neighbor policies spelled out in the code and certificate of insurance for general reliability and the park let application and fee so that we know who the responsible party therein. that's the permitting process. now the parklet's in place and now the community's enjoying and there could be inspection or enforcement issues. this slide shows the bar graph on the right side. within the bar graph you'll notice a magenta -- pardon me. it's inverted on this. on the bottom there's a green box that says parklet signage missing. these complaints come to us from 311 but they're not all related

to parklet. many are parking or dumping related not at the parklet. so what i would say is focus on the bottom of the chart and that's representative of the type of complaint and volume of complaints we receive related to parklets. typically they come in through 3-1-1 and can be routed properly and there's a unique identifier in the event they need to follow-up to see what happened. we'll send out a district inspector to examine the parklet. if there's a safety issue is different than if they're missing a no smoking sign but we someone out to take a look. in the event a staffer identifies an issue with a code or something we issue a correction notice. that's not necessarily punitive in nature. there's not a penalty associated.

it's reaching out and communicating what the issue is and what you need to do to address it and the time frame in which we believe the issue may be addressed. the permit holder can comply for ask for an extending depending ob if they need materials to get something or waiting for a partly or piece to come in we'd wait on that. we take it on a case by case basis. each complaint is unique. we respond accordingly. in the event the correct notice goes unheeded it goes to a notice of violation and that is dependent on the nature of the violation and our engagement with the permit holder therein. if that were to escalate beyond notice of violation the last is

ref occasion of the permit. revocation of the permit. they would have -- to hold an excavation permit to remove the pa parklet from the right-of-way and restored porp -- properly and if someone says we don't want to be a parklet host anymore we won't bind them and if there's impaction to the presence of the parklet to revoke the permit to remove it therein there's public emergency and groups all the time if there's a water main or a utility approximate to the parklet they may revoke the permit to do that and failure to maintain the parklet which is general trash blight, what have you. that's the general overview of how we respond to complaint and what the path of escalation is

but i'd be happy to answer question if you have them and that's the conclusion of our program but i'll defer to ms. dialva. >> >> commissioner dooley. >> i have two questions. first, how do you decide on a location that would be appropriate? i know we have one in north beach across the street from our large neighborhood park. so i always wondered how did that happen? >> thank you for your question. >> we've seen this. i think what we were trying to express here the criteria for selection looks more at the land use adjacent to the parklet and making sure that they're supporting this youth and a parklet is not meant to replace any other community amenities like a park and any recreation facilities but more of a way to complement them especially in

denser areas like north beach for example and there's definitely case where's there could be a restaurant across from the park but it's more isolated. there's not enough food traffic to support those activities or the parklet activities. we would recommend it's not an appropriate location but definitely when there's heavy foot traffic in a corridor and wouldn't take way amenities that's when we support it. >> about the public outreach, i think we only have one parklet in north beach. i'm with the merchant's association, i'm with the neighborhood association. we were never contacted. there was no outreach to us so i'm curious about that.

it just came and we were like, oh. >> this parklet has been around since before i started in this program. and like i said, we do have a 10-day period notice and we do require heavy community outreach especially to merchant associations and businesses and community. sometimes as it goes with ann -- any project in the city it won't reach all people but we do provide that and then anytime when the permit is issued, there is a period to object that mirt and have -- a permit and hearing. >> but if that didn't happen people wouldn't know about it.

>> if somebody wanted to sponsor one they city put it up and now it's a better process. >> we have a few in north beach and we have an application for another and we're going a long ways in having them outreach even with the chinese chamber of commerce so they're aware of the chinese new year's day parade. we want to cover everyone affected. >> it may be nice to send a notification to the neighborhood and merchant grup -- group so they're in the loop and can interact or not. >> the planning department has processes for other types of permits. unfortunately we don't have them for parklets but we're making a note how to improve this so it's

not just the people passing a notice or people and businesses. we're making note how to improve that process. thank you. >> commissioner: commissioner laguana. >> i have a bunch of questions. what's the typical life span of one of these parklets? do people pop in for a year and get out or i know the program hasn't been in there that long. is there when it ceases to exit. -- exist. what could a neighborhood expect when one goes in?

>> they're as diverse as the city and the city's diverse and it depends on the materiality of the materials because they're required to maintain them i think the oldest one is eight years old. some are still out there, four barrel, some have been there since they were pilots and it's more of how the community takes care of them and supports or not. we've seen some that within a couple years either the location was not that great or the community complained or there was some other project they had

to remove but i think it depends on the conditions of each parklet. we've seen everything from a couple of years to eight or nine years. >> and what's the typical budget range for construction? i assume it's the host that comes up with that not the city. for a host that wants to put in a parklet, from the small end to the large end what ranged do you see them spending on construction? >> our estimate is for about one spot can be $25,000 to $30,000 with construction and assigned costs depending on which materials they use and it varies a lot. we encourage parklets are not just a platform on the street but different use for when the business is not in operation. they can vary.

i would say there's a range and we are seen parklets that are crowd-founded or the supervisor jumps in to support the parklet way small portion or the office of economic and workforce development they have grants that can help out. there's difference sources to access. >> that's interesting. talk to me about the residential parklet. how did that come to be and is that something we can potentially get more of? >> yes. it's residential but it is on valencia street. the person -- and i wasn't here when that one was installed but i know that person was active in the community always trying to pla place-make out side of their door step and would build a bicycle with speakers and parade

the streets and the community was drawn to him and to this place. a group got together and decided to do this. i think it's between 22nd and valencia and it's really i would say it's obviously one is for the home owner for the tenant to maintain it but -- >> something to give back to the community. >> exactly. >> he was willing to give up his driveway. >> clearly the distribution of parks is very mission centric with a handful of other neighborhoods. i'm curious because i saw my district has one and mission 11

has zero. you mentioned foot traffic as a criteria. in the vector of variables that are intersecting here you have foot traffic and construction costs, we have whether it would actually be beneficial enough to clearly most of these are sponsored by restaurants or cafes. but i do think it would be nice in district 7, 11 and 10 as well to see more engagement with this program. have you guys had any thoughts about how that could be maybe nudged along? is there something policy wise or recommend to policy makers to

increase these. >> access to more information about the program could help more. we haven't had more in the outreach and that's something we could do. we did a year or so ago we tried to pilot an equity grant program that would focus on districts where we weren't seeing that many parklet. we partnered with the office of economic and workforce development. that didn't go like we planned. we were trying to regroup and see how we can outreach again and do a more robust process for that. on district 11 there was one parklet until a year or so ago the business unfortunately left and we had to be removed in the end. another example is the ocean

avenue cbd they had a mobile parklet they intended to move around different businesses. that doesn't work out for them as much as they thought but another business, breakfast at tiffany's is adopting the parklet and it's a way to share resources between districts if we make them more mobile or more flexible. it could be a way to do that. >> i really like the mobile idea. >> me too. >> that's clever. that's really good. talk to me about the foot traffic requirement. i know we do have a lot of parks in the city but there are some neighborhoods that are pretty far away from it from any sort of green space within walking distance. i guess what i'm struck by is

geez, it'd be nice if there was a way for more local neighbors, residents, whatever, to create more of a community space and that would i think be beneficial to the small businesses in the area. what's drive the need for the foot traffic. what's the thinking there is the parking is so valuable that i guess i shouldn't put words in your mouth but what is driving that. >> the question is how to create more of these spaces sometimes i have worked the excelsior in the mission corridor and there were a lot of vacancies and we were looking how to have incentives

to attract traffic and it's what comes first the business or amenity but it's particular to each case. it's very dense and businesses are constantly changing and that's why we get all the foot traffic. we've had people complain about parking and it's the amenity that's an extra value for them. >> we had tons of parking in the mission when i moved there in '91. i don't think anybody would say that businesses were doing better back then. it's been largely beneficial. >> i think the parklet is not the solution for everything and that it comes with a labe in the past years it's the icon to

gentrifying neighborhoods but it's also one thing we've tried to fight back and keep in public but something we know for sure they don't want it in the mission on mission street. to answer the question, it's the parent program's goals there's many different ways in which more community spaces can be achieved. we partnered with sfmta to have the spaces even if they're one day to have the community come out and create the strength of the community so they can then plan how can we make up for the gaps in open public space. >> last question and an appreciate your patience. there's 59 parklets in the city right now. is there a sense of the maximum number you guys could sustain

with your current resources? like do you have a sense we have to stop at 65 or 70 or you know, whatever the number is. >> i think once a parklet is installed and ready to go, there's no time unless there's an issue. the biggest portion of staff time goes to reviewing the proposals and the designs and once it's out there it's kind of taking care of its own and the community helps us be the inspectors of anything. >> and one last question because that triggered another one. this echoes back to my first question. is there a percentage of the time the neighborhood or

community or local businesses are like we thought it was cool but it was totally not cool and hasn't been helpful. we'd rather not have the parklet. how long does that happen? my sense is that's a small minority. of course i wouldn't see that if they just showed up and disappeared? >> i think it's a very small percentage and it's more of an investme investment. i can think of a couple on 18th street between south van ness and mission. the ramen place. they used to have a parklet there. we thought that corridor was going to be much more activated. so the building across has been vacant for a number of years and that didn't help the situation and we didn't have uses and the

embassy were spending a lot of staff time at the beginning of the day to clean up the parklet and they decided it was not worth it. that's why we logged they're reversible and tried to keep the applicants conscious about the design so if and the time comes they're able to do that without a lot of resources. >> thank you so much. >> commissioner dwight. >> thank you for your presentation. i remember when the program started. i'm a supporter of it. how have you seen the application process. you don't have a proactive program so it has to be people who become aware on their own behalf and come up with enough money. what's the activity like now? below where it's been in the past? >> in mission we used to do rsp

cycles. i think it would be 30 days when the rfp was open. it was building momentum. we had a couple open houses to make sure everybody knew about it and saturation and we'd get 100 applications and end up with maybe 15. and that was in 2015 we had the last one. then after that there was staff changes and we couldn't spend that many resources on that. now that we released the rolling application all year round we were getting 50 inquiries from people and we were like we're almost there and didn't hear anything from october of last year we've had five applications

so we know people want it and probably trying to figure out the requirements in getting the funding and getting the maintenance plan and making sure they have a designer on the back end stuff that goes into that. i think that's what's keeping people and like i mentioned, we would like to do more outreach. we've done a little bit with supervisors. that's help because they're in close contact with constituents. i think that would be the strategy to kind of have the program -- >> do you have limited applications how many projects could you work on a year with your current staffing? >> i will add in the first few years of the program i think there was a lot of pent-up excitement because it's a new thing. >> commissioner: it was novel. >> exactly.

there were a lot of applications many of which didn't pan out because the applicants didn't realize what it entailed. >> and the price tag. >> and the cost and all the maintenance responsibilities. i think after all of that initial excitement and novelty has peaked, now we're getting a more consistent level of applications that is like the stasis. what we would expect going forward in the next few years like probably five to 10 a year. >> and how many projects would you handle with staff time in >> five to 10 a year is where our current staffing could sustain that. >> commissioner: commissioner ortiz-cartagena. >> thank you for the presentation and your time.

i had a few questions regarding specifically the mission district and mission corridor. i'm from the mission so i represent a lot of businesses there. i've had feedback from some businesses especially on the 24th corridor and mission street there's been hesitation associated with gentrification. i'm glad you brought that up. what do you vision along those two corridors and what community input would be involved from the various non-profits and business associations? >> i think we had inquiries from boys and girls club. we'd love to facilitate those but application initiated by the community and the organizations so we don't have a say on who gets to apply.

>> but if a community organization would oppose a small business from getting one on mission does it matter or is the permitting process black and white. like in conditional use. >> i think it's heavy on community input. like everything else in the city. i think it's up to the hearing officers but we've seen pushback and john has worked with a community and they recently came up with guidelines for that. i don't know if you want to add anything. >> the one thing i would add is we're very aware of some perceptions in certain neighborhoods of parklets and what they might represent. in particular in those communities if we got an

application from a potential sponsor we'd be particularly inassista inassistant -- inassistant on a community -- insistent that the community is in support and if they can do that we'd be happy to work on a great design that benefits the community. >> great. my second question was part of the non-profit component. i saw museums and schools but has a non-profit ever done a parklet or can they die parklet? >> -- do a parklet? >> the community on fulmer you worked on that application. fulmer and webster. >> yeah. we've had a few like the african

american cultural center. they submitted applications for various reasons i think part was funding. it didn't pan out. but we have the museum of craft and design has a parklet. there's two schools. all non-profit organizations. so yeah, like maria said earlier we're open to any type of sponsor. most important is that they get community support and can maintain the parklet and be good stewards over the long term so the parklet stays a community asset and doesn't become a burden. >> my last question is for nonprofits like sometimes in small business we have waivers for permits. is there a consideration to waive fees for nonprofits or even small businesses that meet certain criteria?

>> we don't have anything in place but the ordinance was meant to cut the fees in half to increase accessibility to all people. right now we don't have a mechanism in place. i don't know if they have any. >> we couldn't administratively waive a fee based on the code but if there was legislation supported by a supervisor to absolve an applicant of a fee it's something we can work with. there's not a direct route to make that happen but there are resources that would be available at their disposal and we'd put them in touch with economic development and try to work through the process with them as well. >> okay. up in -- thank you.

>> one organization partners with others and they have a strong partner and the burden is not put on them. >> thank you. >> commissioner: commissioner riley. >> thank you for your presentation. i think most my questions covered by my fellow colleagues. of the 59 parklets you have, how many are coffee shops or cafes or restaurants. i know many are right outside the restaurants is like an extension of their business which is okay. it mentioned no table service but people go and buy coffee and sit there it's all right, right? so how many parklets are sponsor

restaurants? >> 48 currently out there are restaurants or cafes. >> 48 out of 59. >> it's high, yeah. >> i'm sure it's great for the restaurants and cafes but do you get a lot of complaints from the neighborhood businesses. having a parklet could take away parking spaces which is scarce begin with. >> yes, i think we've seen cases that there's concern over parking loss but we've seen businesses that work together with their neighboring businesses and talk about the benefits of having this as a community. i can think of the rolling out bakery in the sunset. they sponsor the parklet but their neighbors were supportive and they actually now take care of it between the three businesses that are there.

and they see it as a neighborhood asset that's good for foot traffic in the corridor. >> it's not an issue then? >> it hasn't been a major issue. there's been some complaints when the parklet was approved there were some articles out there some people were complaining with the parking lots and a little bit of the same side of a park near -- nearby and it's liberate the sidewalk for the pedestrian right-of-way as well. >> what outreach effort do you have to educate the businesses, the process of applying for the parklet and what they need to do and if somebody has a question, who do they call?

>> all the information is on the website on parklets.org. we assist with any questions even before. sometimes you don't want to spend all the time putting together an application that maybe is not going to be feasible for a small issue like a water valve on the street. the am -- applicant can contact us to make sure there's no capital project coming in the coming years to apply without the fear. >> so they should check the website then? >> that's pe -- the best way. >> commissioner zouzounis. >> thank you for your presentation. a couple questions is there an mta cap on how many parking spots can be turned into parklets?

>> not as policy. when there's a yellow curb for commercial loading it's always recommended it's replaced somewhere else. if it works with the corridor we usually don't allow it on curbs and we make sure it's accessible. >> you said they're city-initiated parklets. who pays for the city-initiated parklets? definitely partners with cbds but are there others? >> sometimes groundplay projects

are initiated. so that slide was talking about programs like living innovation and play streets. the market street prototyping festival. those were initiated with partners in the city and community partners as well. parklets are usually only initiated unless a supervisor is supportive. >> got it. and so it's good to know dpw didn't do enforcement and all that. it's largely when guys get call you go out, okay? >> always when we do calls and we'll do an inspection after to ensure it's installed properly and not interfering with

furniture. we're so busy with all the other inspections we're not in the business of hassling someone over a violation that's not life safety. we're responsive to any and all complaints typically we do correction notices usually they need a reminder and a tap on the shoulder and smile and that's what we're there for. >> that's great. with that, do you ever feel business concerns are placed and i'd like to know if you get sides from that side of the equation. >> the process is so thorough on the front end by the time it steps in the permit holder or sponsor typically has an understanding of what the responsibilities are as far as cleanliness and we've gone through notification and everything at that point. at that point, the questions we'll be assisting the business

owner with as a parklet host is how i navigate the fees and permitting process with public works and that's not unique from any other permit. we're there to provide support for the permit and scope. we provide a lot of assistance because planning is the front door and we're the back end, we're less inquiry heffy that extent. if we did have to issue a correction notice or notice of violation we'd be thorough in assisting the host understanding why they received that and what they need to do to correct it. does that answer your question? >> definitely. there are nuances in the table service question and i know it's probably awkward for some businesses to have to not cross a certain threshold.

like how hard is that line? is that something you guys kind of leave up to the information of this is the jurisdiction? >> it's prescribed in the code they can't do table service and engage in certain behavior and if we got a complaint pursuant to that behavior we'd follow-up and look into it. >> some businesses get creative. i know mojo cafe had a table that said no beers here or we'll get closed down and i know others will give you a number when you place your order but they will come and let you know your table is ready and get your to go box. that's how they're handling it.

that's still compliant as long as there's no actual table service. >> so you're allowed to take a number there. >> yes. they're not allowed to serve you. >> okay. got it. thank you. >> commissioner dooley. >> i have one last question and thank you so much it's helpful and i learned a lot of things. my last question is i get a lot of inquiries about putting up parklets on grant avenue in north beach which is a very narrow street. is there some criteria about how wide a street is is there a limit to that or not? >> that's an smta question but i do know if there's parking allowed on the street, that means a parklet can fit in that space. it would be allowed.

what we do not allow is a street over 25 miles-an-hour speed limit we don't do that. >> third street violation. >> which one? >> third street is like 50 miles an hour people travel. i would wonder why that parklet got out there out in museum. it's a hostile environment. >> commissioner: commissioner laguana. >> thank you for sticking around. we appreciate it. i learned a lot. very quick question. the original parklet program was like a pop-up park and i noticed with $3,000 fee on the front end and the average build out cost $30,000, is there an appetite, do you think among the people that come to you for like an

old-school pop-up parklet that is there for a month or two or summer months when it's warmer or where the microclimates where it's only going to be used for a couple months anyways. is there an appetite for that and have you given that consideration? >> so i think so the places or people ordinance is meant to tackle all the in betweens we weren't catching before the parklets used to be permitted through a director's order. now we have a platform where we can know how to permit all these >> so there's a different permitting regime for that kind of thing? >> right. it's a packet and you check the boxes where your specific type of idea comes and i do think they would still need a lot of documentation even for a

temporary installation. >> got it. thank you. >> and a would encourage if you have the time to read the parklet manual has more information and in your packets you'll see the design. it's very thorough in all the processes and we work really hard on that so i would love if you can take a look at that. it's on the website as well. >> the website is -- >> parklets.org on the last slide of your packet. the website is right there. >> thank you. >> i have one last question. if there's a construction project the city initiated and the parklet has to move, does the city pay for that? >> no, unfortunately thought. we make them aware of the

beginning of the application it would be their responsibility and we encourage flexible design. maybe some parklet sponsors could potentially store part of the parklet and come back when it's finished though it's also costly. generally, no, we wouldn't. >> thank you. >> commissioner: okay. we'll open this up for public comment. do we have members of the public that would like to speak? come on up. >> thank you so much. thank you to your presenters. that was really informative and worthwhile to see and thank you to the commission for taking this on and the director for your leadership. my name is joseph sweiss a fellow commissioner on xhum human rights but but leer on the air american democratic club because we work with merchant groups and merchants a lot of which are too busy to come to these kinds of events but we're

also appreciative for this. i love the parklets and i'll be brief. i think they're great for commercialppreciative for this. i love the parklets and i'll be brief. i think they're great for commercial corridors and neighborhoods. i think based on merchant association neighborhood meetings with supervisors and supervisor mendelton it's time to update the codes in regards to the table service. a lot of restaurants and cafes that do serve food do find an awkward daily occurrence where they walk up with a plate that isn't to go and they're going up to consumers that may be mostly tourists depending on the district like the castro or hayes and have to constantly explain you have to stand up and

come get your food with me and because they incur costs and keep the space public and don't inhibit the public use and maintain it and keep it clean they'd like to have more of a conversation with the relevant agencies maybe how certain restaurants or cafes could maybe have a more updated amendment to these codes to be more of a seamless effort with the public spaces. i know after we met with the supervisor we thought the next best thing would be to inquire with the small business commission since you're the subject matter experts to see what you think and what we do going forward and i would love a follow-up discussion with stakeholders and community members interested and supervisor and merchants to see if it's a good time to discuss amendments that are good for the small businesses and members of the public. that's all i'd have to say and i'd like to see the conversation

move forward. thank you so much and thank you for the presentation. >> commissioner: thank you very much. any other members of this public. seeing none, public comment is closed. i'd like to thank the members of the public and there say restaurant in the castro -- is a restaurant in the castro i won't name the restaurant on 16th street and they string the lights up and were told not to serve and yet they serve and i don't have a problem with that bit know the -- with that but i know the owners want to work with the city in legalizing that. maybe that's one thick the commission can do -- thing the commission can do going forward continuing the conversation and especially with a lot of the smaller restaurant owners who want to engage. that would be great idea. commissioner dwight. >> i had one comment to your question and i wanted to say

it's always a good time to ask questions how to improve situations for small businesses in san francisco to the extent the merchant associations and merchant and restaurants are interested in having that dialing -- dialogue first to the cdma and they can inquire with their memberships what merchant associations would like to finish the conversation. always look for ways to make life in san francisco better and easier for businesses. >> commissioner laguana. >> i'd like to echo what commissioner adams and dwight. i was listening earlier and thinking why can't they? it's essentially serving that purpose anyways. it seems like an arbitrary distinction that is lost on me.

it's a great conversation to have. i can't speak for my fellow commissioners but i'm strongly in support of having that conversation. i'm sure there's a reason for it. i can't imagine what it was. if there's a reason let's have a conversation about what reasonable exception to that reason might be. >> commissioner: thank you. any other comments? thank you very much for your presentation. this was a very good presentation this evening. thank you very much and for coming tonight. >> thank you. >> commissioner: next item, please. >> clerk: approval of the minutes action item. >> commissioner: any comments on the minutes? >> nope. >> commissioner: do members of the public would like to comment on item number 5 the minutes? seeing none, public comment is closed.

do we have a motion to approve the draft minutes for october 28? >> move to prove the minutes as present. >> second. >> commissioner: all in favor of voice vote. any opposed? okay. next item. >> clerk: item 6 director's report and announcements from the mayor and regarding small business activities, discussion item. >> commissioners, just passed the director's report so just wanted to make sure each were able to get a copy. so just want to make sure i'm doing a reminder about the implicit bias training. i realize there's been complications for some commissioners in being able to log on.

we're both gone the week of the 23 through the 27 and she's gone the week afterwards. since it does need to be completed by the end of the year, to resolve the issues i'm requesting you try to test out logging in to get the issues resolved so you're able to complete the training in time. and i think it's hard to know whether it's the user number or the password so feel free to call me with issues so i can help figure this all out four. -- for you. then the next thing is there is and i pu put this under city initiative and programs because it's legislation that is going to be requiring departments have a hearing on the budget twice

when the mayor introduces the budget. that does mean this is at to the board of supervisors tomorrow for the first reading. i anticipate it's going to pass. this will mean we'll need to schedule in two hearings for our budget is -- so the timing will be probably in february but i'll know more by the end of the month in terms of the mayor's budget timing for submittal. it could be from the last meeting in january to the last in march we're scheduling a presentation. i wanted to provide an update for active space. december 6 was the final day for the submission to the planning department around for those

businesses that need to get legitimized in establishing the youth for that space because the majority of the active space the uses were never officially established. the property owner is taking responsibility for that. and so did get the submittals in. and did inform us they will be assisting those businesses that are office space. the legacy program so we're in our final stage of selecting so we'll have a decision done by the end of week and be able to inform you on that for the plaques. then we're in the new position for the legacy business program is making its way through the approval process through h.r. and the budget office.

couple things i wanted to bring to your attention is that the sfmta is going through a whole new look and potential revision to the curb color management. i wanted to bring that to your presentation. if you'd like a presentation we'll work to schedule that. there's a congestion pricing advisory committee meet from external stakeholders and internal. so for the external stakeholders the sfcdma mario magonom is on that committee but i do think it's probably advisable we ask for updates to be presented to the commission as well. so if you would like that, let me know. and we can start scheduling those updates and providing you

with materials to read. >> i wanted to ask a question on the congestion pricing. definitely would like a presentation and from previous things put out congestion pricing would tend to impact some neighborhoods much much much more than other neighborhoods. is there going to be a time those areas could speak? >> that's a good question. i don't know. we'll ask for the sfcta to provide a presentation for you. >> so taxi hailing is not a

congestion tax? >> no. >> the people who use city streets for the purpose of running a business or using a public right-of-way as their primary source of revenue which makes it harder for small businesses they need to consider different tiers based on usage. >> we can write them here. >> and impacts residents. >> okay. >> so great. i just wanted to put it on your radar since they've had a meeting. i will be taking information from their committee meetings and forwarding documents so

those interested you can do nighttime reading. then moving on to legislation, supervisor peskin has initiated a request to the city attorney's office to draft a definition of small business based on number of store fronts, employees, actual or anticipated annual gross receipts. i think he's looking at creating some sort of definition to apply for fee mitigation and we have reached out to supervisor's peskin's office to make sure our office is involved. right now we use the state definition of 100 employees or less. i think that's important. that's for employee regulations and the fact is the majority of our businesses that ploy employ one or more is 10% or 80 or more

employees. i'd want to caution any specific d definition being the definitive definition dealing with small entities. >> i think they should call it something in and of itself like micro business. we're not harmonized as it is with the state and the federal government. we need a category where everyone can agree. we're not talking about small businesses in the broader scope but what we in san francisco regard as micro business. >> first that's well said and a great suggestion but one challenge is going to be the

political messaging because you'll want to say you did something for small business so we may be wrapped around the axle nonetheless. i agree. >> i think the nuancing of creating a definition to be utilized to help do some incentives can be addressed in the broader scope of small business. i know that the state while we looked at the definition of small business in a revenue level but the state mostly refer to it in a numerical number which is 100 employees. which is where the commission

when it started adopt the definition. >> continue. >> and then the accessible business entrance program while dbi did send out a notice not long ago affordable housiinform thigh needed to extend the time period for some of the other filings that need to be completed just and they feel they need more time with property owners to get things done. you'll hear that at the first

meeting in january just so you know and i provided updates on other items. the vacant commercial storefront tax pasd -- passed the board of s and submitted november 21. you heard supervisor mandelman extending the waiver and refund of investigation fees and the time period for medical cannabis dispensary permits to make its way through the permitting process. he had to amend it and separate it out. initially the legislation you heard was an extension of one year both for the fee waiver and then through the permitting process. so he's extended the waiver the refund to two years and getting through the permitting process

to three years. so just so you have an update on that. and then the environmental for the code the promotion of the reusable food service ware you heard for the 25 cents for cups for coffee and requiring businesses that use disposable items for cafes or restaurants to use disposable items to transition and charge for disposable items hit me. here with the park let if we end up passing any legislation that requires restaurants or cafes to use reusable items then right

now it's like those going out to the parklet -- >> there's going to be a lot of dishes in the parklets. >> anyway just to bring attention to and sitting with supervisor peskin and working on the massage regulation, it looks like supervisor ronan will be taking as the primary sponsor for supervisor brown and the planning code revisions are being drafted and may soon be submitted.

i have the additional new business items we need to work our way through on here.