>> okay, good afternoon and welcome to the san francisco historic preservation commission hearing for wednesday august 16, 2023. to enable public participation s fgtv is broadcasting. each speaker is allowed to speak up to 3 minutes. when your allotted time is reached, with i will take the next up for comment. for those persons participating via webex, the password is hpc2023

and please raise your hand when public comment is called . those calling in call 415-655-0001 and enter access code 26647623674 and press # twice. first you need to wait for the item interested in speaker to and for public comment to be announced. to comment enter star 3 to raise your hand. once you raised your hand you will hear a prompt, you raised your hand to ask a question. please wait to speak untell the host calls on you. when you hear you are unmuted you can begin speaking. call for a quite location and please mute the volume on the television or computer. those in person, please line up on the screen side of the room or to your right. please speak clearry and slowly and if you care state your name for the record. i'll ask we silence

mobile devices that may sound during the proceedings. at this time i like to take roll. commission matsuda, >> here. >> commissioner nageswaran. >> here. >> commissioner vergara. >> here. >> commissioner wright. >> here. >> first on the agenda is public comment. members may address the commission on items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission accept agenda items. each member of the public may address the commission up to three minutes. again, if you are in the chamber, please come forward. calling remotely, press star 3 or raise yor hand. seeing no members in the chambers coming forward let's go to our remote caller.

>> hello. this is mike patrellis calling and i'm setting my stop watch for three minutes. i'm representing fact. friends and allies of the castro theater. i'm calling in to give a update on another planet mismanaging the castro theater. since january of 2022, when another planet took control of the castro theater, there has been 242 dark knights at the castro theater. no music, no film programming for 242 dark knights so far. looking at the calendars for another

planet at the castro theater from now to end of january, the calendar reveals 171 dark night at the castro theater from now until the end of january. hundred in of dark night in the past and in the future for the castro theater. it is very detrimental to the commercial health of the castro that there are no programmings what so ever at this historic theater. what we are stuck with at this point is a dead space in the heart of castro street, between 17th and 18th streets. we don't have a lot of foot traffic, because there is no programming. especially on the weekdays, the dead space in front of the castro

theater is filthy. another planet is not washing down their frontage. so, what are we do to do with this? the board of sups and this commission have given the stamp of approval to another planet for renovation in the future, but for right now we in the castro community and all of san francisco are suffering because there are no movies, no music, no nothing at the castro theater. if there is a way for this commission to put it on the agenda about how do we move forward to make best use of this historic movie palace, you would be doing the city a great favor, because the castro theater is not going away, another planet isn't going away, and of course neither am i going away, so

please help us figure out how to make the castro theater viable and vibrant right now. thank you. >> last call for general public comment. again if in the chambers please come forward or press star 3 if calling in remotely. seeing no additional request to speak commissioners, general public comment is closed and can move to department matters. item 1, department announcements. historic resource review application and 3555 pacific avenue. >> good afternoon. i wanted to provide a couple announcements on some what i hope is exciting news that we are having with regard to our historic resource review process. effective september 1, we are rolling out a new application called the historic resource review application, and in part it ask to basically consolidate all the various applications planning has related to historic review, so

right now a member of the public can file a historic resource assessment, historic resource determination, part 1, part 2 and all of them basically do two essential things, which is, define or try determine if something is historic, or figure out something if you have a existing historic building figure out if there are impacts to it. as part of the process improvement works through the housing element and ceqa streamlining we are consolidating all the applications into one easy application the public can hopefully file when they have a project or question about a building historic status or historic review. this application we go live on september 1 and happy to provide more information to the commission if they so choose, but we wanted to make you aware as well as the public. the second item is follow-up

towards request that the commission had earlier on the project at 3555 pacific avenue. i just want to give some more color into the department determination on the specific building. in short, this project was subject to conditional use authorization and also a project that is go tg to plan on demoing it and the building new construction. the planning department did undertake multiple levels of review for this property. we completed a historic resource accessment, one of the many historic reviews we do where we classified to a c. since the project was also proposing demolition, we had the project sponsor or consultant prepare historic resource evaluation completed by a qualified consultant brad brewster who determined it was a c. with these 2 determinations in mind planning did not find

the building rose to level of historic resource. it is example of the second bay style, it wasn't a example of their work and even within the larger of the second day region properties, we didn't see this as being outstanding relative to other examples that we had determined across the city, so happy to provide more information the commission may have and this concludes my report. >> thank you. i just had a follow-up question about the new consolidation of the report. i don't know, what is the new acronym >> hrr. >> hrr. are you going to have like templates or samples? >> correct. we are doing a larger meeting with the historic consultants on thursday august 31 to roll all

this out. we are up dating all our website and preservation bulletins to make sure they are reflective of the updates to the city process with regard to this. >> great. >> we are hoping for a smooth roll up but always happy to receive feedback for improvements. as much as i like to say, best laid plans are great. they often have things we don't anticipate so we are happy to be nimble and fix mistakes or issues that might pop up. >> can you let us know when you are having your august 31 meeting? >> i'll happily send a note to the commission. >> i think it would be good to know what the new changes are and hopefully see more applications. thank you. commissioner foley. >> i think what you are doing on the roll up is really great. i personally appreciate it. i know the community will appreciate it and wish the department of public health

could learn from you all. thank you. >> commissioner nageswaran. >> a quick question on the hrr. is that application and the result and information-i know previously there were the determination versing the full hre. is there a option for that within that application so that some property owners don't have to go through the whole process? >> correct. so, the application is basically structured so that if a private home owner wants to complete assessment or provide information on their property they are able to. alternatively, if home owner or property owner wants to hire a consultant to prepare a assessment of their property, they also are able to. so, it kind of lets you do-gives you multiple choices for basically the same kind of work so that way we are being more

flexible. i think right now we are current processes can be a little ridged in terms of what when applicants files a permit and then trat triggers one manth and then triggers another path. now we are streamlining all of it to be 1 application, 1 fee. no more fees beyond the fees you already pay, that way then at the end of the day the preservation planning staff are doing what they need to do to basically figure out if a property is historic or not or figure out if there are impact s to the building or not. we are really hoping this moves forward smoothly. i know change is often difficult, but we are really keeping in mind the public perspective on this and trying to make it simple in terms of the messaging out from the public. >> it sounds like especially

the fees-great. thank you. >> i have one other question for. -in reference to 3555 pacific, we look at other properties of various backgrounds. some may not have a known architect or builder, but may have significance in a different way, and the way that we are looking at this particular property is in comparison to the body of work of the particular significance aligned with it, which is the architect, or the group of people that constructed it. so, just to differentiate when we are looking at other properties where we may not have a person of merit that is associated with it, or a historical figure, we are still going to look at it and assess it on its own merits,

and you know, that-is that correct? yeah. >> yeah, that's correct. in the instance of all our properties and this is why also helpful to have the consultant report to help flush out any other histories that we might not have picked up on our first assessment, we do this in particular for demolition because demolition means there is is no building left so we put a little higher burden to property owners who want to demolish potential buildings to make sure we are doing appropriate due diligence to thoroughly research the history and compare to our established body of work. in this case, we did have the modernism historic context statement so that provide a great background to the architectural firm that designed the house originally to the style of the home, which was second bay tradition, which is a uniquely bay area specific architectural style and then we also look at other

properties we did call historic so we do a comparative analysis. on the architectual end we got that well covered and we rely heavily on the consultant reports and the other information provided in the reports to make the determination if there is any important figures associated with it or any kind of important event that might happened there. in all instances we didn't find the building rose to the level of being considered historic. >> and the reason i ask this question is because when we are looking at other properties on this higher point of dimilation, they may not have a associated significant figure or feature or architectural significance, but still worthy of being saved, rather then saying you only have a architect or person

involved in it that is the only way you-that the building would be saved and otherwise you can just demolish. >> yeah. >> that's why i was asking that. >> thank you. >> are you taking public comment? >> not at this time. >> on this matter? >> we should take public comment if someone would like to. >> is it okay if i move this? >> sure. >> i wrote a e-mail and want to highlight the need for second scrutiny- >> sorry, are you speaking in relation- >> 3555. have to make my introduction. so, you need better scrutiny of second bay tradition homes unique and limited in number in san francisco for many reasons described in mary

brown 2011 survey and vulnerable because they are modest homes in pricy neighborhoods where intense development pressures to create multimillion dollar mansions. the second bay house at 3555 pacific avenue should not be demolished and downgraded. 3555 pacific avenue and why i need to clarify, was actually listed as a y on the sf10 under the department 76 survey just as 3579 pacific was listed as a y. it is not totally claer to me from that survey whether it relates to 3577 pacific or 16 spruce street. 3577 still maintains the a rating even though it has two rounds of major alteration but 355 which staff acknowledge retaining high level of

integrity contains many second bay traditions, character defining features. it isn't considered innovative or full expression of the style, which i think is what vice president nageswaran was getting at. that was downgraded to the c, the one next door is an a and hrerr states there are three second bay tradition homes together at 355 pacific, 3577 pacific and 16 spruce. and but for the fact of the alterations at 3577 and 16 spruce, there could have been a historic subdistrict of these three homes that could have included 3555 pacific. it is unfortunate these two homes didn't have better scrutiny by the department to retain the characteristics. just like the two other second bay tradition homes cited in the e-mail with major alterations at 20

raycliff which is demolition by hc bowman and (indiscernible) they too retain their a rating as does 3577 pacific, but not 355 pacific. here is the page cited in the hrer, page 21 and i highlighted and on the back is the notation from the pem about 355 pacific being in the survey, which was that i found that this morning. that's it. thank you. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. have a good day. >> item 2. consideration adoption draft minutes for july 19, 2023 hearing. if in the chambers come forward. no request to speak, public comment is closed and

minutes are before you. >> motion to approve. >> second. >> on the motion to adopt the minutes. [roll call] >> so moved commissioners, motion passes 5-0. will place on item 3, commission comments and questions. >> any commission comments or questions today? i am just going to make a comment that i need to recuse myself on item 5b, because of the proximity to my residents. thank

you. any other-commissioner vergara. >> i just wanted to let the commission know that beginning with our next meeting i'll be cutting it close getting here because of my teaching schedule at school, but if i'm a little late, it is not for anything other then i'll be in class until 12 o'clock. >> great. thank you for letting us know. any other commission comments or questions? okay. moving on. >> very good. consideration of items proposed for continuance. item 4 case 2023-003458des for property 5400 geary boulevard, the alexandria theater, a land mark designation proposed for continuance to september 20, 2023. members this is your opportunity to address the commission on item 4 as it relates only to the continuance, not the project itself. >> good afternoon commissioners.

president matsuda. kelly (indiscernible) supervisor chan's office. she thanks you for continuing the item. i did want to read into the record the letter submitted to the commission. i noticed a typo so i'll correct that. dear historic preservation commissioners, thank you for hearing the legislation initiating landmark designation for alexandria theater. while it is my intent to move forward with the landmark designation and appeal of the notice of violation for the property has been filed with the board of appeals. the appeals of notice of violation is set for today august 16, 2023, therefore requesting the landmark designation ordinance for the alexandria theater continue to future historic preservation commission meeting. before the landmark designation moves forward i want to make sure the appeal process is completed and my office has sufficient information how to move forward with the landmarking legislation without imposing undo hardship of the property

owner of the theater. thank you for your consideration and understanding, sincerely, connie chan. >> thank you. >> seeing no members of the public in the chambers, let's go to our remote caller. >> hello. this is michael patrellis again, friends and allies of the castro theater. first of all, as a member of the public i think it is important to see this letter from supervisor chan. (indiscernible) the letter just read a print copy of it is not available for public inspection. regarding the request for continuance, i oppose that. i believe you should hear this

matter today, because there are many questions that need to be addressed in terms of the condition of the (indiscernible) what may be left of the blade, the lobby and other parts of the structure. they are really in a dilapidated blighted state, and i was hoping today you would provide us with answers about what exactly will be preserved and why at the alexandria theater. just a head-scratching at this point why the supervisor wants to landmark this property in the state that it's in and that she is now asking that you

continue it. and asking that you reject the request for continuance. thank you. >> last call for public comment. seeing none, public comment is closed and just for the record, supervisor chan's letter is available on our website. your continuance calendar is before you commissioners. >> motion? >> motion to continue this item for september 20, 2023. >> i second that. >> thank you commissioners. on the motion to continue item 4 as proposed-- [roll call] >> so moved, motion passes 5-0.

place us on your regular calendar for items 5a-d for 2023-006614lbr. 2023-006615lbr, 2023-00786719lbr and 2023-006781lbr for 688 san jose avenue, 22 peace plaza. 566 columbus avenue and 10 mark lane. >> this is legacy business applications. >> can i request we hear the 22 peace plaza first and i'll recuse myself and come back for the rest? >> we can do that. we'll take up item 5b first as commissioner matsuda needs to be recused. >> we need to vote on

her recusal? i didn't hear what the conflict was? oh, then no need to. if it is cut and dry like that. thank you. >> hello. elainea moore planning staff. we have legacy businesses- >> just the one right now. >> just the one, okay. we have one that will be heard first. >> good afternoon commissioners. elizabeth mow, planning staff. the first legacy business application we have is for the san francisco go club. the oldest continuously operating go club in the united states. there has three stretches back to the post gold rush wave of asian immigration in the 19 century. go was played informally until

the san francisco go club founded by japanese enthusiast in 1931. at 1881 bush street. the outbreak of world war 2 relocated most thof club japanese members to internment camps and club closed. many members continued to play go where their skills improved. after the war the club reopened and the san francisco go club became a gathering place for japanese seniors and flower children from the haight ashbury scene. they say any given day noon to 9 p.m. you find japanese (indiscernible) playing with young hippies. after several relocations, today the san francisco go club is located in the japan center mall and a place for casual play, weekly lessens and tournaments. people of all ages can be seen at the boards and members are eager

to teach and show the wonders of go to all those who pass by. the club remains a integral part of the asian community of san francisco. the san francisco go club is committed to maintaining a place to play and teach the game of go, professional go equipment and large scale calligraphy giving by japanese go player (indiscernible) staff supports this application and recommend a resolution to add the san francisco go club to the legacy business registry. my colleague maggie will present next after this item. >> we should open public comment. members of the public, this is your opportunity to address the commission on item 5b at 22 peace plaza. >> hello. i'm matthew barks and stand before the commission today as a proud representative of the san francisco go club. with respect and

appreciation honored to have this presented today and like to extend a heart felt thank you (indiscernible) assistance in navigating the process. the san francisco go club holds a distinguished place in american history as the oldest go club. the origins rooted in japanese immigrants who established it within japan town all most a century ago. as custodians of the legacy we acknowledge the challenges and trials that tested our club resilience throughout the journey. through the decades the club has persevered and severed as a bridge between cultures. generations gather to learn, play and connect. the legacy of the san francisco go club is not solely defined by longevity about the profound impact it had on lives. nurchards friendships, sharped lives and (indiscernible) game of go. as we reflect upon

the journey reminded our story (indiscernible) dedication to those who upheld the institution. as we seek legacy business status we request the commission recognition of the cultural significance of the go club. granting this will not honor our pace and pave the for future where the club continues to inspire educate and enrich the lives of all who enter the doors. thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration. >> last call for public comment. in the chamber come forward, remotely press star 3 or raise your hand. seeing no additional request to speak, commissioners, public comment is closed on item 5b and it is now before you. >> commissioner foley. >> so, i play go a long time ago. i haven't play frd a long time, which is why i now understand my mind is not sharp, so i'll go back to the go club and can get my

mind sharp so glad you are here today so thank you. >> any other comments? commissioner wright. >> i just want to say that i support this legacy business application. it sounds like it's a great organization for the community and for the cultural tradition and it has definitely a lot of history that is still there, so thank you. >> is there a motion? >> motion to approve. >> i'll second that. >> thank you. on that motion then to adopt recommendation for approval- [roll call]

>> so moved, the motion passes unanimously 4-0. now we can move on to items 5a, c and d and commission president matsuda can now return. >> commissioners, before the staff begin the prezen taiz, i want to introduce you to planner who never presented before you even though he had a long history in san francisco. edgar is join ing for the first time. edgar born and raised in san francisco noe district. parents are first generation immigrants from mexico. edgar studied city planning and geography at sf state and hired in 2005. main passion focus has been helping small business applicants and aiding them through the permit process. for the past 10 years edgar's

work is in development and consultation with the department planning information counter team and focused primarily on over the counter permit approval and consulting with applicants on the permitting process. edgar overall folks has been and continues to be equity and customer service. he is adcovt for transparency in government and love and mission is continue helping small businesses open in this wonderful city so we welcome edgar to the historic preservation commission. >> wonderful. thank you. >> hello, commissioners. maggie dong, planning staff. the second legacy business application we have is mitchell's ice cream, a 7 0 year old ice cream parler. makes their ice cream frex daily using a 10

gallon batch freezer. feature 40 flavors and use 16 percent butter fat in the ice cream. the business is owned and oprated by the mitchell family. prior to the founding of mitchell's ice cream, the mitchell family started a small dairy farm in noe valley when arriving in san francisco from new york in 1865 and the farm was run by edwin mitchell until 1890. his wife margaret leased the lands to another farmer and had a three story apartment building constructed on twin tweet and san jose in 1908 which is where the current location is locatesed. the city proposed to widen san jose avenue in 1947 and the apartment building was planned to be torn down. luckily the mitchells were able to save the building and had it lifted and turned 90 degrees. the liquor store on the ground floor had to close due to the widening of san jose avenue. the two brothers larry and jack

mitchell used the empty storefront to open mitchell's ice cream in 1952. they started with 19 flavors and added more as the store became more popular. currently mitchell's has approximately 40 employees with close to 20 being employed full time. the business is committed to safeguarding their ice cream, tropical fruit flavor and mural celebrating larry mitchell and the neighborhood. staff supports the application and recommend to add a resolution for mitchell's ice cream. this concludes my part of the presentation and i'll pass it to my colleague edgar to present the next legacy business application. >> thank you. >> good afternoon commissioners. edgar. mario bohemia cigar, a 52

year old cafe which serves sandwiches, punini, (indiscernible) made in house. mario serves loct cust marchs from the neighborhood of north beach and a common tourist destination. mario established in 1971 at 566 columbus avenue by mario and (indiscernible) who immigrated from italy to san francisco with two children in 1957. as supervisor peskin stated, it is long hang out for north beach bohemian spots. mario is one of the last two store front landmarks of north beach. marios is committed to safeguarding family owned resident featuring italian dishes, neon sign, large storefront windows of washington park and bar seating. staff supports the application and recommend the application to add

marios bohemian cigar store cafe to the legacy business registry. good morning. the legacy business application before you have for the irish bank bar and restaurant. 27 year old irish pub in alley way of the heart of downtown san francisco. the pub opened in 1996 by christopher martin and rory connolly. recognized by locals being located at the edge of the financial district china town and union square, destation for tourist and looking for specific san francisco experience. the average bar and restaurant is committed to safeguarding friendly at ms. sphere and alley way, irish food including shepherd by, beef stew, bangers and mash, fish and chips. a block party for the saint patrick day parade. the

building facade feeching white wash cottage appearance and are brass plaques, hanging flowers, 19 century water pump, including (indiscernible) rule taverns. unique interior. irish drinks including a two part guiness pour. the irish bank is not yet 30 years old, the business is eligible for the legacy business registry because it operated in san francisco more then 20 years that significantly contribute to the history and identify of union square, financial district. (indiscernible) therefore staff supports this application and recommend resolution to add the irish bank bar and restaurant to the legacy business registry. thank you. >> thank you. >> commissioners we should open public comment. this is your opportunity to address

the commission on any of these legacy business registry applications. if in the chamber, please come forward. if calling remotely, press starthry 3 or raise your hand via webex. >> good afternoon commissioners. my name is ronen o'neil the owner of the irish bank bar and restaurant. thank you for this opportunity to hopefully join the list of great legacy businesses already in san francisco and thanks to rick and edgar for all their help putting this application together. the irish bank is located in union square at the boarder of the financial district. unfortunately we are at risk of displacement due to the record low numbers of pedestians and foot traffic since covid pandemic. i moved to san francisco from ireland 27 years ago. we have seen a lot of ups and downs over those years. more ups then

downs thankfully. the years since 2020 have been the hardest. if you take a 2, 3 block radius from the irish bank, 80 to 90 businesses have shut within the last 2 to 3 years. buildings are locked and boarded up. we are trying really hard not to become one of those. we really want to be there to help rebuild the downtown area of san francisco. getting listed on the business registry would help stay in business by providing recognition, business assistance and access to the rent stabilization rent. your recommendation is very much appreciated. thank you. >> thank you. >> last call for public comment on these legacy business registry applications? seeing none, public comment is closed and they are now before you commissioners. >> great. commissioner foley. >> i say the same thing all the

time. vice president always reminds me to turn on my microphone so thank you. it really is the fabric of the community and on the ice cream store, i used to live in bernal heights. (indiscernible) store front is beautiful. and the bar, i love your bar and like bars in general and we need you to continue to operate and keep the downtown going so thank you very much. >> thank you. any other comments from the commission? i think having these legacy businesses before us gives us time to reflect and really appreciate what san francisco has to offer in terms of its uniqueness of promoting small businesses and we try to do whatever we can to keep you alive and to support you, so let's make sure that we get

these businesses on the registry and let's continue to promote them. do i hear a motion? >> motion to approve. >> second. >> commissioner vergara, did you have a comment? >> i was only going to move to approve. >> great. >> there is a motion seconded to adopt recommendation for approval. on that motion- [roll call] so moved commissioner, the motion passes unanimously 5-0 and will place us on item 6a and b for case number 2019-022126coa-06. and 2021-004293coa-02 for the spreckels temple of music at 55 hagiwara tea garden drive. the first is certificate of-both certificate of

appropriateness. >> good afternoon commissioners. rich department staff. the planner out of the office the project before you are two certificates of preoperativeness for spreckels temple of music. projects include a permanent extension of wood stage, outdoor lighting and sound system and 5 year extension through august of 2028 for the art instillation of the eliminated text called, lift every voice. previously approved the stage and sound system april 2020 and april 2022. for the art instillation the hpc previously approved this art work july 2021. relative to both approvals, the added conditions of approval to insure that all work on the spreckels temple of music was undertaken

appropriately. the preserve vacation staff conducted site visit, inspected material conditions and worked with rec and park on the construction. all work has met the prior conditions of approval. since publication of the staff report, the department is received 4 additional public cor respondence in support. copies have been sent to the hpc directly. department staff recommend approval with conditions. the project sponsor is present and can answer additional questions. i'm available for any questions and this concludes my presentation. thank you. >> thank you. >> with that, we should-- >> good afternoon commissioners, i'm (indiscernible) a planner at the rec and part department and today i bring

before you the state extension lighting and sound. just to give you background how this came about, back in 2020 the recreation and park department together with the sf park alliance worked together to celebrate golden gate park as everyone's park and celebrate 150 year anniversary of the park. one of the pgoals of the celebration was to honor the history of the spreckal temple of music and increase activation of the concourse. unfortunately at the time the stage use was limited due to a suboptimal stage and technical system and the music concourse did not have a robust music program. so, to promote increased use the department installed temporary stage improvements like the wooden stage extension of the

lighting and sound, and unfortunately the pandemic kind of delayed the public ability to enjoy these benefits, so we had requested an extension of the permits that was initially for two years and then extended for another two years so that permit expires in 2024. coming back to the temporary text, lift every voice, that approved the summer 21 and installed that fall and approved to remain in place for two years. this was installed as part of the neighboring montumental art instillation which features 350 sculptures representing first groups of africans talken from the homelands so this pays homage to african americans. today with the music program and positive public response we

request to make the stage extension, lighting and sound permanent and to extend the permits of the left every voice signage by 5 years. so, this is a image of the wooden stage extension. this provides additional performance space and also houses the sound system and some of the lights in the front of the building, stage, sorry. so it doesants impact the historic building. and this equipment has really dramatically enhanced the band shell as performance space and it is also accessible to smaller community and art groups who do not have a budget to bring in their own sound and lighting systems. these are photos of the lighting at the band shell. with these improvements, the rec and park has been able to bring back music to the band

shell and become well attraction for locals and tourists. these are additive in nature and do not obsecure or remove. the instillation of the stage-these instillations do not harm any of the historic materials or features of the building. all these new elements had been attached to the cast stone finish without directly attached to the sand stone. so, the last two years, we had over a thousand performers take the stage and reach audience over 250 thousand people. the performance is international and local representing every sf supervisor district and always diverse representing poetry, dance and every conceivable genre of music and rec and park is eager to make improvements permanent to keep the resurgence of music in

the concourse. illuminate the arts is non profit organization that secured permits from us and they run a series of free open to the public performances and have facilitated over 300 shows. in addition, rec and park gives permits to other performers such as golden gate park which performs weekly, youth groups and fundraising events. this is the text we wanted to request a 5 year extension of. it is attached to the frieze of the band shell and lift every voice referred to as the black national anthem by many black americans. this song first performed in 1900, the same year of the spreckels temple opened. and we ask to request extension of 5

years. is my time up? >> that's your time. >> alright. >> commissioners may have follow-up questions. members of the public, this is your opportunity to address the commission on these matters. if you care to, please come forward or raise your hand via webex or press star 3. seeing no one in the chambers coming forward, let's go to remote callers. >> greetings commissioner. my name is stefen burn, the past chair and long time member of (indiscernible) and current president of (indiscernible) i have been in the music industry about 40 years now. produced hundreds of events in san francisco and i like to express my support for this extension and sound and system at the spreckal temple music. it was a dream when i performed there back in 1995 that someone put a sound and

lighting system at this event. i heard stories of so many bands that played there and amazed every single one needed to bring in sound and lighting and power. fast forward to 2021 when live music returned at the band shell, now without the barrier of entry to having to spend thousands on rental commitment, can focus more about activation of this special place (indiscernible) hundreds if not thousands local and established development artists to perform at this world class venue every year. over the 300 performances later the stage improvement, sound, lighting add so much to the experience both for artists and also for the audience that gets to enjoy free music 3 or 4 days a week march to november. this would not be possible without the sound and light

system. this is where the city renaissance is happening. every day there is a performance, the music (indiscernible) museums and jfk promenade. every week we see more and more families with picnics, dinner, snacks, while listening to fun free family frndly music. i don't need to tell you the city is always place to hear and discover music and the sound of our city in 2023 is passing right through golden gate park. (indiscernible) the band shell is a endicator. the combination of outdoor music that doesn't charge admission and welcomes local and national talent sets the city apart from others. by the way, the sound is amazing. once you hear the sound system you are transported. i close with saying having a venue with in place sound system is a game changer and creates the ability to present music and

performances you can't- (indiscernible) this will allow for many more activations and more music to more people. please support making the wood stage extension and sound and light system permanent. thank you. >> thank you. >> i suppose i can speak now? >> yes, sir. >> my name is pete, singer song writer with produced albums and tour nationally and internationally. (indiscernible) board member for a music industry climate group, (indiscernible) since august of 21,b i performed at the band shell a few times. i helped (indiscernible) who just spoke recruit performers for those shows and one show we recruited local

grass root groups to support the show. also lead on the promotion for the san francisco free (indiscernible) last decade. this was a 47 year for the festival and this year i helped negotiate the presence at the band shell and it was spectacular. it was a huge success because it was a (indiscernible) the first time at the band shell and besides perfect weather, there was wind and few hundred bees our (indiscernible) and punt is intended with positive feedback about the event. possibly for the first time in existence the area around the band shell (indiscernible) [difficulty hearing speaker] all the artists who performed that day played for the first time. one performer, phil lawrence said it had been a dream of his to play the band shell 41 years after mubing to san francisco. another one under trio thanks the

festival for fulfilling a dream. this historical stage is a treasure. having a large number of performers create culture, positivity and community is what is needed. artists also need to have the (indiscernible) with lights and funding. this is san francisco we all want to live in, so please do everything in your power to keep it going. thank you. >> hi. can you hear me? >> we can. >> okay, great. my name is dana king and i'm the (indiscernible) who created monumental reckoning and calling in full support of 6a and 6b. the golden gate park is a public park and the beauty of the music concourse is just that. it is to provide

musical performances and i would ask if all of the commissioners have been to a performance there and if not, please visit it. if you have been to the concourse and enjoyed a performance there, be it spoken words, musical performance, dance whatever the engagement, you would know that this gift of the enhancement of the band shell is for everyone. obviously the artists benefit from it, but so does the audience, and it makes for incredible entertainment, family entertainment, diversity of entertainment, and it is a shining star in san francisco. i also want to support the 5 year continuation of

the words on the band course or shell. facade. lift every voice. as you have heard and know, this iconic song is a beautiful song and means so much to african descendants and there is so much going on in this country right now that those simple words, lift every voice invites everyone to raise their voice in a beautiful way on behalf of being here in this country, and to take those words down would leave a void i think that would be missed terrible so i encourage you to continue to expand consciousness in san francisco with those words, lift every voice and

to allow musicians and artists to express their best sevls at the band shell. thank you very much for this opportunity to speak to you. >> hi. is it my turn? >> it is. >> thank you. my name is mark allen davis a associate professor at san francisco state university and college of ethnic studies. i enthusiastically support the extension that illuminates the art lift every voice which crowns the spreckels temple of music and stands at the top of the music concourse. in my letter of support to you back in 2021, i addressed the relevance of (indiscernible) so nice to hear from

her and illuminate every voice. i wrote in response to the appropriateness for the light instillation to be included. is it not appropriate to welcome the people [difficulty hearing speakers due to audio quality] see the words lift every voice? how many conditions would these words elevate inspire instruct encourage and embolden? (indiscernible) will come to know more othf past and the present which is as mentioned (indiscernible) i'm not normally in the habit of quoting myself, but in doing so i hope i'm able to make clear something so simple of three words placed in light (indiscernible) for over a hundred years can now in the next 5 achieve the same and much more by

decaulineizing and recalibrating (indiscernible) you may not words following lift every voice they are till earth and heaven ring. i feel you all as (indiscernible) will do something beautiful by granting the extension of 5 years to illuminate lift every voice. you will (indiscernible) hope and determination and what could be better then that? thank you so much. >> mr. (indiscernible) >> yes. i wasn't sure-can you hear me now? >> yes. >> great. i live next to the park for about 50 years. i was also one of the creators of the

original landmarking document, which i think made it all the way to the federal level. i watched the band shell sit languished there unoccupied and unused until recently. the amount of music that has come in because of the speakers has been incredible. i believe i sent you all a brief you tube showing some of the performers and how it activates that. i think need to go forward maintaining the sound system and the lights and the mural is great. the sound system made it possible for performers all over the west coast to come and share their music with the rest of us. i really encourage you to make (indiscernible) make sound particularly and the lighting permanent. thank you very much for your time. >> last call for public comment? seeing no

additional request to speak commissioners, public comment is closed and this matter is now before you. >> thank you. commissioner foley. >> i don't know where to start. (indiscernible) it is actually stunning. i know in the beginning when you came unfront of the commission there was worries about what would happen and instead of having a structure that will continue to be dilapidated and unused and no activity we have a incredible structure designed and rebuilt and amazing. i go there all the time, i see the people out all the time. we actually need to figure a way to support people like illuminate, activate the city, get people out there and open up the doors so i'm wholeheartedly behind everything here. i don't know what to say how great it and i think that planning staff park and rec and what you do to get

this going is stunning versus what department of health does is stop everything so thank you very much. >> commissioner nageswaran. j >> i was out sunday looking at the structure and looks like it is in good shape and the lighting looks good. i think with the stage i believe i read that there is a continuing maintenance associated with it, so that's helpful because that would over time start to degrade a little bit, so we want to keep that looking good. and then the other thing i wanted to mention with the lift every voice, i'm in favor of continuing that lighting scheme, but i also wanted to suggest that maybe park and rec could consider doing a

permanent monument with you know, background on that anthem and you know, maybe working with the community to do something like that. that way you know, that aspect of history is continued and i find it compelling that the band shell was there at the same time that was first sung. anyway, that was just a suggestion, but thank you. >> commissioner wright. >> yeah, i have a question that -about the flooring instillation and-i think when we discussed this a couple years ago, there was question about you know, the ability to continue to do survey and assessment and just to confirm

that the instillation was not causing any damage to the historic band shell materials and i just wonder knows if staff knows if that happened or anybody is able to get in the space under the stage and just make sure that the instillation is still kind of working in that way? >> happy to address that. yes, our staff did undertake a site visit with rec and park who opened up the stage for us so we could inspect the stone underneath and we didn't see evidence of pooling or deterioration. the program referred-rec and park included to basically insure ongoing we can routinely monitor what's going on with the stage knowing that the wood is there, might deteriorate over time and to insure that if there's any weather events or

other issues that might happen due to natural deterioration, rec and park has the ability to fix it without having to go through more administrative process. >> that's great. i just wanted to make sure that was happening and sounds all is well with that. i do also remember and think to describe in the package, but that there was supposed to be a repair campaign following the removal when this instillation sunsetted in two years and i am curious if the repairs have already been done or if the repairs are now supposed to happen or if that pushed out another 5 years. do we know? >> is this in regard to the lift every voice, the sign? >> i believe-i think the language was general, so what's the amount of repair

that has been done relative to the amount of repair that needs to be done? >> i can speak to that. according to the conditions of approval, rec and park did do a condition assessment and maintenance plan. we worked with qualified consultant and we have contracted with a trades person that is experienced in working on restoration and the conditions assessment show the band shell was in relatively good shape, but just needs miner repair and restoration work, so we are getting that process started in november of this year and it should take about three months for the facade of the building is- >> there is going to be a full rehab of the-stonework? >> yeah. >> starting in november? >> and it should last

three months. >> i'm not sure i characterize capital and planning director rec and park, as a full rehab. directing the structural analysis that arg did to identify if there were glaring needs of the building to keep it in good working order, so we are doing work on the rooftop and then some of the facade work as well. but it isn't a full rehab because it isn't needed. >> that makes sense. any kind of stone repair that needs to happen repointing work of the mortar joints, that is happening as part of this and not pushed out further? >> that's right. we planned doing it during the 150 year and that didn't work out so now we have been able to identify funding and have-went out to bid earlier this year so they are ready to go in november. >> this is addressing any known issues that have come

out of the condition assessment? >> yes. >> great. thank you. i have another question while i'm going here. about the signage. it was installed with intent of being a temporary instillation. my initial thoughts were that prior to today or this week were that we should respect the initial timeline. the comments that have come in have kind of swayed my thoughts on that, but i do have some reservation about extending for a

full 5 years. maybe another year or two and reassessment, since it was intended to be temporary. it seems appropriate, rather then tripling the amount of time of the initial approved timeline, but i open to hear what others think. >> maybe we'll table that and let commissioner vergara make his comments. >> i was actually going to suggest some additional language to the certificate of appropriateness. i don't know if commissioner foley wants to go first or should i go right ahead? >> i don't think we are ready for a motion if we are going to discuss the particular timeline of the signage. >> okay. go ahead. >> again, i think that the 5 years is actually too

short. i think we have to stop stopping people from creating exciting places in san francisco. we have to stop it. we have to let these people create places where people can get excited, communicate their life and have events there. how many people have been there in the past couple years? 250 thousand. 300 evechblts that is bringing life back to the city. go downtown. it is dead. we have to stop kay osand help people. i think we have to go for 5 years. >> commissioner vergara. >> yes. first i like to associate myself with all these positive comments about this proposal and i have two part proposal and it is based on the recommendation that was sent to us by professor churny a long time history teacher at sf state and member of

the commission that went before this commission and the first is, to add language to the certificate of appropriateness, the draft motion under findings on the second page, findings part 2, project description. following the first sentence that ends with the words through august 2028, add language saying, these words are shortened version of the title, lift every voice and sing, a hymn written as a poem in 1900 by james waulden johnson. the naacp called lift every voice and sing the negro national anthem. i propose the commission recommend the rec and park department install appropriate signage on or near the temple of music

containing wording similar to what i just said. i was very much impressed by the argument professor churny made when he pointed out if you are at the music concourse there are monuments to the various people of ethnisties and nationalities who built san francisco and lift every voice and sing is completely in keeping with that particularly highlighting the black americans who helped build san francisco, particularly since the migration during world war 2 and so that's my two part proposal. >> i think commissioner nageswaran had recommended that we go maybe even movement forward, more toward a actual creation of a new monument, either near this particular area or i would say somewhere in the park, because i

agree with professor churny's comments and i support your motion about the first part, but i also believe as he states that, yeah, there are a lot of monuments in golden gate park, but i see very few dedicated to people of color, and to i think have more information about communities of color in the park, because we are a city where there are many people of various ethnisties and various backgrounds that we try to do as much as we can to support that part of history, and that's part of what our priority of racial and social equity is about. i kind of support what commissioner nageswaran was getting at and dont know if you want to go even further, but i think that that can capture i think what we want to do in terms of really promoting what history is about in the city. >> how about if i second commissioner vergara's motion, but with the addition

that we actually ask park and rec and planning department to investigate how we can put up a monument- >> i was going to talking with rec and park now and they might be able to have additional color of the conversation. they have been working towards this to certain degree, so i'll invite rec and park up to the podium. >> yes, as the city is working through the monuments and memorial advisory committee to make recommendations on what is already within golden gate park and city arts commission, the portfolio and make recommendations to keep shift, add so we want to be respectful of that process happening and be able to adjust, so we would prefer to be as open and flexible as possible

so that we can let that process move forward and then implement the recommendations. we dont know what those are yet, but we would plan to-should it be within the music concourse or recommendation we would come back and share with all of you what was recommended. >> go ahead. >> just to hit upon some of what professor churny might have been suggesting, it sounds like bob was suggesting to maybe encourage rec and park to introduce an panel or something that helps better define the artwork that was installed and talking with rec and park it seems it is something that is doable so if we want to add a condition of approval, i might suggest the commission adds something that states, planning department preservation staff would work with sf rec and park to provide some type

of interpretative panel or exhibit to the lift every voice artwork somewhere within the music concourse and then that give us enough flexibility to insure both the panel isn't interrupting important historic features there and sited and size and location that both is kind of maximizes view, but also minimizes impact if that makes sense. >> i think people would maybe be agreeable to that, but i think we should also encourage that the department of rec and park go beyond that and really look to finding ways in which all communities of color are represented in the park history. >> if you were inclined you can potentially amend your motion with a finding that basically encourages that for

rec and park and then staff would help draft that as part of the certificate of appropriateness. >> great. >> i'll amend that. my last second to the motion to highly recommend park and rec they work on this. >> is there a second? >> second. >> thank you, commissioners. there is a motion seconded to approve both certificates of appropriateness, adding findings as submitted by commissioner vergara and including a finding encouraging rec park to include monuments representing all ethnisties. would that be

sufficient? and adding condition of approval for preservation staff to work with rec and park to install an interpret ative panel somewhere within the music concourse. on that motion- [roll call] so moved, commissioners. motion passes 5-0 and concludes your hearing today. >> great. thank you. we are adjourned. [meeting adjourned]

>> growing up in san francisco has been way safer than growing up other places we we have that bubble, and it's still that bubble that it's okay to be whatever you want to. you can let your free flag fry -- fly here. as an adult with autism, i'm here to challenge people's idea of what autism is. my journey is not everyone's journey because every autistic child is different, but there's hope. my background has heavy roots

in the bay area. i was born in san diego and adopted out to san francisco when i was about 17 years old. i bounced around a little bit here in high school, but i've always been here in the bay. we are an inclusive preschool, which means that we cater to emp. we don't turn anyone away. we take every child regardless of race, creed, religious or ability. the most common thing i hear in my adult life is oh, you don't seem like you have autism. you seem so normal. yeah. that's 26 years of really, really, really hard work and i think thises that i still do. i was one of the first open adoptions for an lgbt couple. they split up when i was about four. one of them is partnered, and one of them is not, and then my biological mother, who is also a lesbian. very queer family.

growing up in the 90's with a queer family was odd, i had the bubble to protect me, and here, i felt safe. i was bullied relatively infrequently. but i never really felt isolated or alone. i have known for virtually my entire life i was not suspended, but kindly asked to not ever bring it up again in first grade, my desire to have a sex change. the school that i went to really had no idea how to handle one. one of my parents is a little bit gender nonconforming, so they know what it's about, but my parents wanted my life to be safe. when i have all the neurological issues to manage, that was just one more to add to it. i was a weird kid. i had my core group of, like, very tight, like, three

friends. when we look at autism, we characterize it by, like, lack of eye contact, what i do now is when i'm looking away from the camera, it's for my own comfort. faces are confusing. it's a lack of mirror neurons in your brain working properly to allow you to experience empathy, to realize where somebody is coming from, or to realize that body language means that. at its core, autism is a social disorder, it's a neurological disorder that people are born with, and it's a big, big spectrum. it wasn't until i was a teenager that i heard autism in relation to myself, and i rejected it. i was very loud, i took up a lot of space, and it was because mostly taking up space let everybody else know where i existed in the world. i didn't like to talk to people

really, and then, when i did, i overshared. i was very difficult to be around. but the friends that i have are very close. i click with our atypical kiddos than other people do. in experience, i remember when i was five years old and not wanting people to touch me because it hurt. i remember throwing chairs because i could not regulate my own emotions, and it did not mean that i was a bad kid, it meant that i couldn't cope. i grew up in a family of behavioral psychologists, and i got development cal -- developmental psychology from all sides. i recognize that my experience is just a very small picture of that, and not everybody's in a position to have a family that's as supportive, but there's also a community that's incredible helpful and wonderful and open and there

for you in your moments of need. it was like two or three years of conversations before i was like you know what? i'm just going to do this, and i went out and got my prescription for hormones and started transitioning medically, even though i had already been living as a male. i have a two-year-old. the person who i'm now married to is my husband for about two years, and then started gaining weight and wasn't sure, so i went and talked with the doctor at my clinic, and he said well, testosterone is basically birth control, so there's no way you can be pregnant. i found out i was pregnant at 6.5 months. my whole mission is to kind of normalize adults like me. i think i've finally found my calling in early intervention, which is here, kind of what we do. i think the access to

care for parents is intentionally confusing. when i did the prospective search for autism for my own child, it was confusing. we have a place where children can be children, but it's very confusing. i always out myself as an adult with autism. i think it's helpful when you know where can your child go. how i'm choosing to help is to give children that would normally not be allowed to have children in the same respect, kids that have three times as much work to do as their peers or kids who do odd things, like, beach therapy. how do -- speech therapy. how do you explain that to the rest of their class? i want that to be a normal experience. i was working on a certificate and kind of getting think early

childhood credits before i started working here, and we did a section on transgender inclusion, inclusion, which is a big issue here in san francisco because we attract lots of queer families, and the teacher approached me and said i don't really feel comfortable or qualified to talk about this from, like, a cisgendered straight person's perspective, would you mind talking a little bit with your own experience, and i'm like absolutely. so i'm now one of the guest speakers in that particular class at city college. i love growing up here. i love what san francisco represents. the idea of leaving has never occurred to me. but it's a place that i need to fight for to bring it back to what it used to be, to allow all of those little kids that come from really unsafe environments to move somewhere safe. what i've done with my life is work to make all of those situations better, to bring a little bit of light to all those kind of issues that we're

still having, hoping to expand into a little bit more of a resource center, and this resource center would be more those new parents who have gotten that diagnosis, and we want to be this one centralized place that allows parents to breathe for a second. i would love to empower from the bottom up, from the kid level, and from the top down, from the teacher level. so many things that i would love to do that are all about changing people's minds about certain chunts, like the transgender community or the autistic community. i would like my daughter to know there's no wrong way to go through life. everybody experiences pain and grief and sadness, and that all of those things are temporary..

everyone. glad to be back. i hope you are summer is going well. and as much got to take time off. during our break. okay. i'm going to call this meeting to order. call the roll. >> president ajami >> here. >> vice president maxwell. >> here >> commissioner paulson >> here >> commissioner rivera. >> here >> commissioner stacy. >> here. >> members of the public make up to 2 minutes of remote public comment on item by dialing 415-655-0001 two