the first one was an esthetic visual exterior enhancement or upgrade for the absence of doubt this is not the vex exercise to the contrary. it's attempt to bring a building that we thought was good to very good in terms of architectural design. the second reason since seven years passed since our original design we under took a significant effort in the under the hood areas of the building, primarily redesigning the structural system to be compliant with a more reason structural high rise code and practice and the third is redesigning each 348 residential units. just a small note on architecture. we conducted a national search for our architectural firm. we have a strong hire local bias but we have a strong need and desire to get the highest level of expertise available in esthetic design, in technical expertise and residential planning and the result of the search was a really good local firm who maybe known to you called handel architects. we have been working with them for a year. we are thrilled with the team work and the work that they have done and really pleased to be presentin

thank you. >> well, [speaker not understood] the resident design esthetically the structure itself, there was no -- the issue was, again, the location and the fact that it was in this infill area that had been designated as open space. you as a planning commission have the right to use your discretion if you feel that this is an appropriate infill development. staff is more inclined in this case to take a much more rigid approach to this type of proposal. >> commissioners, you have a motion and second to not take dr -- i'm sorry. >> i'm sorry. commissioner sugaya. >> thank you. in contrast to commissioner moore, i can't help but think when this was laid out that those little wedge shape pieces may not totally have been intentionally placed there, but they were there because of the way the buildings were designed and laid out and the way the streets curve. and, therefore, they were kind of left over spaces where buildings didn't naturally fit. but, on the other hand, right in a row with each other up the hill. so, maybe there was some conscious planning going on at that time. and whether o

it's simply continuing the esthetic and mass of the existing facilities. >> mr. dikers, can we just ask you about those structures? >> sure. >> are they like shopping mall type retail, or what would be the purpose of those sheds? >> there's a number of functions that are being considered, certainly a range of functions all the way from traditional coffee shops, restaurants and things that the community might be able to use, all the way to larger venues that might house entertainment related to late night activities and so forth. but also shopping, food, and other kinds of facilities. they were not large footprint. they're designed to take regular retail modules. >> okay. and then on the exterior -- building's exterior, you mentioned an open air walkway. and in earlier reports the examiner had mentioned besides the observation deck a possible roof-top terrace. what are the plans for that? >> that's under consideration very seriously at the moment. but, of course, we are still working through cost mott hethxv. but the goal is to provide that kind of open access to

animals that we study into a brand-new context, a context that really allows people to appreciate an esthetic way of the idea that we might live in the world without these sounds or sites. >> in the scientific realm it is shifting baselines. we get used to less and less, diminished expectations of what it was. >> when i came along lobsters six feet long and oysters 12 inches within they days all the oyster beds in new york, manhattan, the harbor would clean the water. so, just getting people to wake up to what was just literally there 200 years ago, 150 years ago. you see the object and say what is that. you come out and hear these intriguing sounds, sounds like i have never heard in my life. and then you step closer and you almost have a very intimate experience. >> we could link to different institutions around the globe, maybe one per continent, maybe two or three in this country, then once they are all networked, they begin to communicate with one another and share information. in 2010 the website will launch, but it will be what you would call an informational website and then we are goi

the new walk way and nice in the elements and it's going to look nice and not just functional and esthetic is the intent and then you will see -- i will point it out, from essentially item number three to item number four is a salmon colored linear figure on the graph or the picture and that is going to be a new walk way so we will bring people over across bart for free and it will be a true ada constructed or accessible constructed and new improvement for the site and gets people walking where it's not such a great area to walk so that is our intent and that is our project. we are 35% complete on the engineering design. we have an estimate and design drawings and we are coordinating with mta on this. we started small but i guess i am pleased to announce beyond the $2 million of life line money approved by this body for this project plus the programming of about $870,000 of prop k which hasn't been allocated yet bart is adding -- state share revenue money we're adding $5 million to the project because the need is that great, so that's our east side connection project in a nut shell and bro

i guess lastly would be the esthetics of it. the ada, or comfort height, as they call it -- >> let me interrupt you. hey, how're you doing? are you shopping for a toilet? walk right over here. are you in a shopping for a toilet? if you were, were your shopping for a toilet, what would you look for? >> i don't know. some banks eco-friendly. -- something eco-friendly. >> do you have a lot of people say that? >> yes. water savings, and most have rebates, so you are saving on costs. that is important today. >> let's talk for a minute about aging in place because it is such an important issue. we have a seat height to be concerned about, but a lot of other things. for example, people worry about getting into bathtubs because they are slippery. how do you deal with that? >> it all depends. the most important thing you can do is have a grab bar for the tub and shower. we think about the toilet heights. we think about having barrier- free back from -- bathrooms. if you are in a wheelchair, a shower curtain would be a barrier. thinking a

so that we would grease the engines of corporate capitalism. >> we have taun a llked an awfu of estheticsay. and a lot of people can't -- >> i'm not talking -- >> no, no no -- >> but here's the billion dollar -- >> no, here's a point in savings iffer the lowest fifth -- >> there's a substantive point here too. there are benefits to low prices for low-wage earners, agreed. i don't think they sum out net benefit. but let me say this, we are -- we have seen the share of gdp that comes from consumption in america increase and increase and increase, now at 70%, place in canada, around 50%. we're growing, and 85% of gdp growth came from consumption. at a certain point, you just hit the brick wall. where the economy cannot grow any more from consumption. and that's a question for another day because i'd like to come back to that topic about just how much the american economy and the global economy can continue to count on the american consumer. >> we learned in 2008, that's when the rubber hit the road. >> it was all fueled by cheap credit. >> and i think quoting was the sort of social political

rather, it's one of esthetics and in detroit are, you can't talk esthetics without talking ruin porn.can get touchy about the way descriptions and photographs of ruined buildings have become the favorite midwestern souvenirs of visiting reporters. still for all of the local complaints, outsiders are not alone in their fascination. the stats are so staggering when you read them, when you see them up on the screen on tv, you just wonder to your point, steve, downsizing a whole city, you know, what do we do here? >> exactly my question for mark. so what do we do, we all understand the problem. it's right there in front of us, but what do we do? >> it's tough, i didn't write a policy book. but a lot of people like to talk about something like leadership. they point to detroit's leadership. and they seem to feel if you could appoint some superaccountant he could fix the city. >> fortunately, that have a good mayor. >> hard working. >> he's hard working, he's really trying to do the right are thing, but he's a prisoner of the system. >> exactly. >> he's got the state. he's got all the restr