it is a well conceived urban projects the company by plans and streetscape and park design that will create an active part rome and enhance streets that are consistent with the better streets plan. it is a challenge to walk or bike along 16th street which hundreds do every day. the notion of a gracious, welcoming edge to that site is one that will make the city more livable for everybody. the plan provides a nice array of housing types to support to the first population of current and future residents, including young professionals, families, seniors, and students. it could be a bit more family and student-friendly. perhaps by adding 3-bedroom units and we would like to see that be a cool student housing project. i am working on a mirror on that. their art to other colleges -- three other colleges in the neighborhood. it is important to keep making progress on housing. the downtown plan monitoring report that was highlighted in the column on tuesday shows how hard it is to create new housing in the city when you are trying to -- new projects of 10 units or more. even with the inclusi

development, kick off a new program which is to engage some of the artists in reinvigorating the streetscapes. organized in partnership with neighborhood based economic development organizations, the art in storefronts taps into the incredible creativity of the artist community to help improve the quality of life and the business climate in poor neighborhoods. the tenderloin, central market, they view, and the mission's 24 st.. at the launch party, the mayor released the first of 13 projects located on taylor and market street. we were there to capture the celebration and to get a closer look at the newly transformed storefront. >> we have an analyst at saying, you know what, we get it. if we close out and we put some plywood, we know it will have graffiti on it. we know that people will not respect this space. they are opening up their businesses, their buildings and they are saying, let's invite young artists in and let's have these artists go at it in great very visually stunning storefronts. >> this is a pilot project that was started by the mayor as part of his local stimulus plan in par

that are squished little spaces that are difficult to manage and rent, and what they do to the streetscape. i also think this is consistent with the wisdom of the past. it builds our beautiful area, ground floor spaces. these spaces are well ventilated. they are cool on hot days the state's much more energy efficient than people might know. i appreciate this. it will do a lot for our newly created commercial corridors. >> would you have a short 427548 retail level, wants to put an awning are other business identifying features on the outside, it decreases the presentation area you have. it is going to increase the advantage of the storefront area. commissioner clyde: it increases your air and you're like. -- your light. commissioner yee riley: last week, we learned was not very obvious to us the total footage. you might want to take another look at. president o'brien: other commissioners? we will open it up to public comment. do we have any public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. i guess we are ready for a motion. >> i will moat -- vote to approve our recommenda

streetscape, it is nice to have flower pots, but does that really replace the loss of acreage in a park when we have so little space? green connectors, that is great with paths, but it doesn't replace an open space where you get that open feel iing that commissioner borden was just talking about earlier downtown. you need that open space of green corridor, a flower pot doesn't do it. and that is one of the examples of things we want to work with sue over and hopefully we can work towards a real mitigation. president olague: thank you. >> thank you. >> good afternoon, commissioners. meredith thomas, executive director of the neighborhood parks council. first a little bit of background that m.p.c. was working closely with the mayor's office and also the planning department and the recreation and park department to convene the update of the r.o.e. through 2008 and 2009. and we believe that there was robust public dialogue and we have extensive materials that resulted from those conversations. and we're largely satisfied with the document that's before you. we think that now two years have

still a road to go down and there is a number of steps that have to be taken before any of the streetscape changes would be implemented and another series of more refined discussions about the nitty-gritty once we get to that point. we are establishing the more high level policy framework and analyzing everything from a high level and when we get down to the designing mission, there will be a whole other more detailed series of conversations. >> i hear concerns raiseded about concerns about the sidewalks. >> and with the mid block crossings and wider sidewalks because of the various issues. president olague: and sometimes the way muni interfaces with bicycles along market, at least i guess it sort of raises a lot of concerns for me. and there is obvious public transportation is necessary for a lot of us who choose not to ride our bikes to work and yet it is loik they are competing with cyclists on the bike lanes, right? and it seemses like a trepidati trepidation, daily experience and puts a lot of pressure on the driver to have to kind of manipulate and i know that is not really -- that's

it helps in the streetscape and it does make the building fit in and it does disguise the fourth floor. an alternative could be a dormer window up there, but i know that we were trying to follow the planning guidelines which was to keep the main facade of the fourth floor back 15 feet. mind you, philosophically, this building isn't supposed to be a architectural masterpiece. it is designed to be a background building. have i approached it that way. they want a simple building. they want a building that they can live in. it's not supposed to be some dramatic fantastic glass box. they are trying to do the municipal possible which they can actually afford to build and live in they don't want to sell this property as a developer would. and ultimately, we do respect the right for the d.r. applicants to file their d.r.'s, but it's clear they have not been able to come to any agreement. we understand that the building is going to change their environment, but we also know that what we needed to actually focus on is not what they're proposing, but the merits of this project, does it fit in? do