historic preservation remote hearing for wednesday, september 16, 2020. i would like to enter the following into the record. the mayor declared a state of emergency related to covid-19. further more, the mayor and governor issued emergency -- [inaudible] -- to boards and commissions making it possible to hear commission hearings remotely. on may 29, the mayor's office authorized all commissions to reconvene remotely. this will be our 7th hearing. we request your patience in advance to enable public participation, sfgovtv is broadcasting and streaming this live and we'll receive public comment for each item on the agenda. sfgovtv is displaying the

call-in number on the bottom of the screen. and comments are opportunities to speak during public comment are available by phone by calling 1-415-655-0001, and entering access code, 146 179 5679. when you are connected and would like to submit public comment for an agenda item, press star and then 3 to be added to the queue. each speaker will be allowed up to three minutes. when you have 30 seconds remaining, you'll hear a chime. when the allotted time is reached, i will announce time is up. best practices are to call from a quiet location, speak clearly and slowly and mute your television or computer. i'd like to take roll.

>> president hyland: here. >> vice president matsuda: here. >> commissioner black: here. >> commissioner foley: here. >> jonas: commissioner johns? >> commissioner pearlman: here. >> commissioner so: here. >> jonas: thank you, commissioners. first on the agenda is general public comment. at this time members of the public may address the commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission except agenda items. with respect to agenda items, your opportunity to address the commission will be afforded when the is reached in the meeting. we should open this up for public comment. each member has three minutes. members of the public, this is your opportunity to press star and 3 to be entered in the queue. commissioners, i have no members of the public raising their hand requesting to speak. so we can then move on to

department matters. item 1, director's announcements. welcome, director hillis. >> good afternoon. good afternoon, commissioners. a couple of items. one, i think after your last meeting, you heard that jeff johnson is not -- and liz has stepped in as -- [inaudible] director for planning. we're undergoing a search to fill that position permanently. so in the interim, [inaudible] contacts, elizabeth and mark will be the present contact. i will also, if you need me at any time, please reach out and i'll try to --. i also would like to let you know that the department was approved. i think it's got some final approvals, or the mayor has -- [inaudible] it was about for the city-wide

survey program. -- [inaudible] to what we proposed in the budget reductions. so there is funding in the budget to carry us a significant way. the city-wide survey, we'll come and report on that to you. so that is my report. other items as well, but thank you and good seeing you. >> jonas: sorry, commissioners, i'm just trying to help out commissioner johns in the background to enter the hearing. thank you, director hillis. item 2, review of past events and planning commission, staff report and announcements. i don't believe there are any announcements other than what director hillis provided. we can move on to item 3, president's report and

announcements. >> president hyland: no report or announcements. >> item 4, consideration of the adoption draft minutes for the august 19 and september 2, 2020 hearings. commissioners, we should open this up for public comment. members of the public, if you wish to address the minutes, please press star and 3. i see no hands requesting to speak. commissioners, the matter is now before you. >> president hyland: okay. any comments on either of these two, or a motion for approval. >> motion to approve. >> second. >> jonas: thank you, commissioners, on that motion then to adopt the minutes for august 19 and september 2. >> commissioner black: yes. >> commissioner foley: yes.

>> commissioner johns: yes. >> commissioner so: yes. >> vice president matsuda: yes. >> president hyland: yes. >> jonas: so moved, commissioners, that motion passes unanimously, 7-0. i will remind commissioners and staff who have entered at panelists, the web x microphones are extremely sensitive, so remember to mute when not speaking. it would be very helpful on the feedback. that places us on item 5, commission comments and questions. >> president hyland: i don't see any. anyone have comments or questions?

okay. >> jonas: we can move on to consideration of items proposed for continuance. item 6, 20189197coa vallejo street. [please stand by] [please stand by]

. . . . placing us under the regular calendar for items a-e for case numbers 2020-7531, 7532, and following. for properties at 915 howard street, 1315 and 989 market

street. and these are legacy business registry applications. is staff prepared to make their presentation? kate? >> yes. >> clerk: okay. you are not the presenter. >> i believe we have a new staff person who i believe is going to be introduced. >> who is making that introduction? >> thank you, jonas. sorry about that. so we have a new staff person with the planning department and i would like to introduce him to the commission. he is a san francisco native. he's got a bachelor's of science degree in landscape architecture. he came to planning and came to the department in may of this year as an assistant planner in the southeast quadrant and is one of several staff working on legacy business combinations.

please welcome al. >> good afternoon, commissioners. katie willburn of planning staff. we have five legacy business applications today that i will quickly introduce. the first two applications will be done by al and directly after i will present on the remaining three. go ahead. >> hello, commissioners. the first legacy business -- [breaking audio] >> clerk: i am going to interrupt you because it seems as though you are having connectivity issues. if you stop your video, sometimes the audio will come through better. if you kill the video feed, then

the audio will come through at least. >> okay. would you like me to restart? >> clerk: yes, please. >> the first legacy business application we have is ambience, a 37-year-old family owned boutique that sells specially cure rated women's bothing and accessories to the san francisco community and visitors. ambience selectively chooses pieces they feel the community would enjoy at the four locations in the city. they have also help and supported multiple community events and fundraiseers. the owners of ambience has dedicated sales towards community events and including forest fires, school fundraisers, and larger efforts such as black girls code.

that supports a resolution recommending ambience to the legacy business registry. the next legacy business is farley's a31-year-old family business that sells coffee and tea paraphernalia in san francisco. farley's is open daily to their customers 364 days a year. farley's has played a crucial role in the neighborhood as a central gathering spot for the community. farley's has helped host neighborhood decision making events and also host many community groups such as planning meetings for the neighborhood, clubs, and art classes and stand-up specials, live music and poetry and poetry performances. that supports our resolution recommending farley's to the legacy business registry. thank you.

>> thank you. the third ap ligation is glbt a 35-year-old nonprofit dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing the history of san francisco's queer community. it has come to be internationally recognized as an irreplaceable asset. they have two locations, one on market street for the publicly accessible archive and program, and another within the castro cultur cultural district with a museum space. the society ensures that the unique experiences and contributions of the lgbtqi community are remembered and honored and spreads awareness and respect for this community and the cultures they create. staff supports this application and recommends a resolution to add the lgbt historical society to the legacy business registry. the next legacy business application is for the san bruno supermarket, a 31-year-old family-owned grocery store that

offers inclusive products that reflect the vibrant community. the market offered produce, meats and seafoods that can't be found at other grocery. the items are primarily chinese, filipino and vietnamese in origin. the owner is committed to safeguarding the business's use, signage, and interior features. staff supports a resolution recommending the san bruno supermarket to the legacy business registry. the last application is for val de cole wine and spirits that was advertised as far back as 1939. val de cole is known for the personalized experience, friendly and welcoming environment and the inclusive offering at all price points. it may primarily be for wine and spirits but the soul of the business is the community it has helped foster and maintain for

80 years. they are in the cole valley historic district and staff has discussed adding additional features to be safeguarded with the applicant. collectively, we recommend the following be preserved. the business's name, signage, friendly environment, and products offered at all price points. the department supports a resolution recommending val de cole to the legacy business registry. this concludes staff presentations and we will be available for any questions. thank you. >> clerk: very good, commissioners. we should open this up to public comment. members of the public, this is your community to press star and 3 to be into theed into and to speak to any of the legacy business applications. i will take the first caller, and you have three minutes. >> caller: hello, commissioners.

i am chris hillard -- i apologize i am getting some feedback here. sorry about that. commissioner, again, thank you for allowing me to speak. i am chris hillard, and my wife and i are the co-owners of farley's, the coffee house on petrero hill. we have been there for 31 years now. and my father started farley's originally when he broke his french press and could not find a replacement part and found petrero hill could be the ideal location and we really became to embrace our motto which became community in the cup when the earthquake happened in 1989 and a lot of power around water in

the city was out, except on petrero hill, and no one was going to work, so the neighborhood really came together and came to farley's and we became a community gathering space. that is really how community in a cup, our motto, began, and what we embrace today and we certainly hope to be approved for a legacy business to carry that on. as we all know, community is needed right now more than ever. i want to thank you for your consideration and thank you very much. >> clerk: thank you.

[no audio. >> sir, we lost your audio. >> caller: i am pleased to serve for the lgbt and a resident of san francisco since 1981. i regard my role as a solemn duty and the a formidable collection perhaps anywhere in the world and is sacred keeper of some of the greatry threshshies and stories. i am proud to build on the work of the founders.

recently we helped found a cultural district and the cultural heritage festival which was sent and grown since the early days in northern california and the diversity and expanded the program to include a wide array of exhibitions and work in historical preservation to house the archives and new home that will be the first full-scale museum of lgbt in the united states, but for now we and many other organizations face daunting odds and we plan to reopen on a restricted basis with the mission of collecting and preserves during our history.

we are grateful to the commissioners for their support for this nomination and hope the city strengthens the support for the legacy program to preserve the cultural heritage of san francisco. thank you very much. >> go ahead, caller. >> caller: thank you for taking my call. my name is john muskat, property enowner of san bruno supermarket at 2480 san bruno avenue. a little background here, the family property in 1940 started a grocery store with several remodelling and it has service the neighborhood over 80 years

and has been a part of the muskat family the entire time. the lee family has leased the property and is operating the market now for 20 years. we have recently re-negotiated a new lease for 20 more years through the year 2040. this will mean the location will be open as a grocery store for total of 100 years in the district. we are proud to have the ling family operation the grocery store in our building and having this added as a legacy business that will only strengthen this

commitment and to add historic value to san francisco legacy businesses for many years to come. we appreciate your consideration and look forward to receiving a favorable outcome. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. i will remind member of the public that this is your opportunity to submit testimony on any of the legacy business registry applications by pressing star 3. seeing no requests to speak, commissioner, the mater is now before you. i apologize, commissioners. we have one more request to speak and will take that caller now. >> hello, thank you, commissioners, for taking my

call. i would like to thank the historic preservation commission and city of conversation to consider ambience to be acknowledged as a legacy business. and with the historic neighborhood and iconic black and white awnings and gift boxes familiar to many in the city. our stores are in vintage buildings and with the remarkable exterior and had an artist create a huge mural. we are well known and well aboved by many in san francisco.

and ambience has received many requests to restore the different city, different state and even a different country. they make contributions to the different ways. for the past 24 years, we have had an ongoing relationship with schools and any school that asks us receives a donation and supported fashion shows and fundraising shopping parties in the stores. we organized a drive with the custom collections and with the different trade yards and merchants association and we love the city of san francisco where we live and work. very honored to be considered

for this status. ebl that our happy presence truly adds to the san francisco experience. at the peak we employed 98 staff and provided health and dental for our employees. thank you for your consideration. that is it. clerk lr thank you. members of the public, this is your community to press star. i see no additional requests to speak so the mater is now before you. >> commissioner, would anyone

like to speak? >> commissioner pearlman? >> i believe you are muted. >> we can hear you now. >> okay. and for some reason it's having a problem. i want to congratulate all the businesses. i have spent many an hour at farley's and two of the businesses are 80 year old and cruising to another 20 for 100 years old and the gentleman who spoke about the lgbt and the comment about the sacred duty to

doing this work could sum up everybody's responsibilities and feelings about their own businesses as they present to us, and i heartily endorse all of these. i will certainly vote to approve them. >> clerk: i apologize to interrupt. we have a late request for public comment and should take that caller. >> go ahead, caller. is the member of the public prepared to submit your testimony? you should mute the television or computer. there is a delayed broadcast. >> hello?

>> a yes, i run val de cole. >> can you hear me? >> yes, we can hear you, sir. >> should i speak about the store or what should i say? >> this is your opportunity to address any of the legacy business applications. ed you have less than two minutes. >> val de cole is one of the oldest wine store liquor stores in san francisco and i believe it started in the 30s and there was an older couple who always kept their newspapers and

everybody loves our store and is always coming back. one year the american express called us a second store for repeat customers in the country with the same people and the same customers. i started in 1977 and worked for a previous owner whose name was jacob and we learned all about wine and beer. the place is always respectful and we open holidays and we never close. i think it's a good addition to

the community and in a different neighborhood. so there they really like us. this is there for many, many years. >> you have 30 second, sir. >> that is why i am requesting for the legacy for the store to stay the way it is because it is very that is very classic. thank you. >> a commissioners, the mater is now before you. >> remind the commissioners to mute the mics when you are not

speaking. next commissioner please. >> commissioner: i want to congratulate all the legacy business applicants for this round. all of you spoke with great passion. i am so happy and proud to be added to the list. and i want to call out the comment by the san bruno store and with no communication and no real understanding with the landlord about how important the small business is and thank you

for understanding the small business that is in your property and very happy that you understand and realize how important it is to keep small businesses alive in the city. awe same thing as was already mentioned. i want to overall congratulate everybody and also welcome our new staff coming in. to do the application for us. i have a few to talk about and first the san bruno supermarket. i love that store and is always an anchor and to hop in and hop out with the ethnic food and is

also a much needed grocery store with the minority and asian and other culture. i really applaud the landlord to work so flexible and embrace to continue with the always changing district. congratulations. i fully support the application. farley's is my coffee shop. i really appreciate what farley's and ambience where i shop, too. i am proud to be able to sustain your business and have that

legacy for the generation. and the society is amazing and i hope you work with the neighborhood and their business to preserve and thank you for your application and your time today. i appreciate your stories and my pleasure to hear them again. >> absolutely. go ahead. i just wanted to congratulate and one of the comments i want to add is the legacy businesses

donate so many dollars and goods and services to the schools and charities to do that so generously. congratulations, all of you. >> i always was not on the list of commissioners -- >> commissioner johns, please go ahead. >> u a commissioner black and i share another thing in common, but after the wonderful and quite accurate comments that the commissioners have made, really the only thing left is to move

that all these applications be approved and sent forward. >> second that motion. >> very good, commissioners. there is a motion that is seconded to adopt approval for all the legacy and commissioner black? commissioner foeley? [roll call]

so moved. commissioner, that motions passes unanimously 7-0 and concludes our hearing today. i will remind commissioners that we have an officers meeting that we can join separately. great. thank you, all. all right. we are adjourned. stay well, everyone. >> thank you.

. >> president yee: of the 26 neighborhoods we have in west portal, it's probably the most unique in terms of a small little town. you can walk around here, and it feels different from the rest of san francisco. people know each other. they shop here, they drink wine here. what makes it different is not only the people that live here, but the businesses, and without all these establishments, you wouldn't know one neighborhood

from the other. el toreador is a unique restaurant. it's my favorite restaurant in san francisco, but when you look around, there's nowhere else that you'll see decorations like this, and it makes you feel like you're in a different world, which is very symbolic of west portal itself. >> well, the restaurant has been here since 1957, so we're going on 63 years in the neighborhood. my family came into it in 1987, with me coming in in 1988. >> my husband was a designer, and he knew a lot about art, and he loved color, so that's what inspired him to do the decorati decorations. the few times we went to

mexico, we tried to get as many things as we can, and we'd bring it in. even though we don't have no space, we try to make more space for everything else. >> president yee: juan of the reasons we came up with the legacy business concept, man eel businesses were closing down for a variety of reasons. it was a reaction to trying to keep our older businesses continuing in the city, and i think we've had some success, and i think this restaurant itself is probably proof that it works. >> having the legacy business experience has helped us a lot, too because it makes it good for us because we have been in business so long and stayed here so long.

>> we get to know people by name, and they bring their children, so we get to know them, also. it's a great experience to get to know them. supervisor yee comes to eat at the restaurant, so he's a wonderful customer, and he's very loyal to us. >> president yee: my favorite dish is the chile rellenos. i almost never from the same things. my owner's son comes out, you want the same thing again? >> well, we are known for our mole, and we do three different types of mole. in the beginning, i wasn't too familiar with the whole legacy program, but san francisco, being committed to preserve a lot of the old-time businesses,

it's important to preserve a lot of the old time flavor of these neighborhoods, and in that capacity, it was great to be recognized by the city and county of san francisco. >> i've been here 40 years, and i hope it will be another 40 yeararararararararararararararr

>> we are providing breakfast, lunch, and supper for the kids. >> say hi. hi. what's your favorite? the carrots. >> the pizza? >> i'm not going to eat the pizza. >> you like the pizza? >> they will eat anything. >> yeah, well, okay.

>> sfusd's meal program right now is passing out five days worth of meals for monday through friday. the program came about when the shelter in place order came about for san francisco. we have a lot of students that depend on school lunches to meet their daily nutritional requirement. we have families that can't take a hit like that because they have to make three meals instead of one meal. >> for the lunch, we have turkey sandwiches. right now, we have spaghetti and meat balls, we have chicken

enchiladas, and then, we have cereals and fruits and crackers, and then we have the milk. >> we heard about the school districts, that they didn't know if they were going to be able to provide it, so we've been successful in going to the stores and providing some things. they've been helpful, pointing out making sure everybody is wearing masks, making sure they're staying distant, and everybody is doing their jobs, so that's a great thing when you're working with many kid does. >> the feedback has been really good. everybody seems really

appreciative. they do request a little bit more variety, which has been hard, trying to find different types of food, but for the most part, everyone seems appreciative. growing up, i depended on them, as well, so it reminds me of myself growing up. >> i have kids at home. i have six kids. i'm a mother first, so i'm just so glad to be here. it's so great to be able to help them in such a way because some families have lost their job, some families don't have access to this food, and we're just really glad to be

>> good evening. [speaking foreign language] to this year's latino cultural heritage month celebration. i'm the cultural curator, san francisco native, and i'm honored to be your mc this evening. we would like to take a moment to acknowledge the native people of this