Transcripts For SFGTV Special 20240705

415 6550001 and enter access. Code 266485983522, and then press pound twice to comment. You need to press star three to raise your hand, and once youve raised your hand, youll hear a prompt indicating or stating that you have raised your hand to ask a question. Please wait to speak until the host calls on you. When you hear that you are unmuted, that is your indication to begin speaking. For those joining via webex, you may log in via the link found on todays agenda and enter password cpc to fauci 23 and use the raised hand icon to raise your hand. Best practices are to call from a quiet location, and please mute the volume on your television or computer. For those attending in person, we ask that you line up on the screen side of the room or to your right. Please speak clearly and slowly and if you care to, state your name for the record. Finally ill ask that we all silence any mobile devices that may sound off during these proceedings, and at this time ill take roll, uh, for the Planning Commission. Commission president tanner here. Commission Vice President moore here, commissioner braun here. Commissioner dimond here. Commissioner. Imperial here. Commissioner. Copple here. And commissioner ruiz here. Okay. And ill take roll for the recreation and Park Commission. Commissioner anderson. Commissioner hallisey here. Commissioner Jupiter Jones here. Commissioner. Louis, here. Commissioner weintrob here. And commissioner mazzola and commissioner. Zwart have excused absences. Thank you. Commissioners uh, on your special calendar today. Okay. Um, and for the benefit of the public, please note that the Planning Commission and recreation and Park Commission will hold one joint public hearing for the public to provide testimony on all items listed below. Following the public hearing, the recreation and Park Commission will act jointly with the Planning Commission to consider raising the absolute cumulative shadow limit for Maritime Plaza and the recreation and Park Commission will consider making a recommendation to the Planning Commission regarding the possible adverse impact of shadow on Maritime Plaza. The following action on those items. The recreation and Park Commission will adjourn, and the Planning Commission will remain in session and consider action on all other items as, um items. One, a and b for case numbers 2020. Hyphen 001410 should at 545 sansom street discuss and possible joint action by the Planning Commission and recreation and Park Commission to raise the absolute cumulative limit for Maritime Plaza. Uh adoption of a resolution on um and then items two, a, b and c for case numbers 2020 hyphen 001410 should d, d and x and c o for at 545. Sansom street. Adoption of shadow findings downtown project authorization and Office Development allocation, respectively. Um uh. Good morning and happy holidays. Commissioners. Uh, Commission President tanner, Commission President anderson and all, uh, planning and rec and Park Commissioners, claire feeney, Planning Department staff. Uh, the item before you, uh, is a downtown project authorization, Office Allocation, shadow resolution and shadow findings for the proposed Office Development at 545 sansome street. Myself chris towns of rec park staff and the project sponsor will present on all items at once. And we will be available for questions as each item is discussed. The project proposes to demolish the one story commercial building at the corner. Its 501 to 505 washington street and to renovate the existing nine story Historic Building at 545 sansome street and expand it by six floors to create a single building that is 127, 602, 127,602 gross square feet and 217ft in height. The addition will add for 49,999 gross square feet of General Office use to the existing office space, and will expand the ground floor retail from about 3400ft s to about 6400ft s. The project includes four showers, 24 lockers, 22 class one and six class two bike parking spaces, and the project will also create a new approximately 1200 square foot privately owned, Public Open Space. Propose that will connect to the existing transamerica redwood park. Propose, as well as a new about 1800 square foot private open space. Uh. The project requires is a height exemption under planning code sections 309 and 260 3. 9. Because the proposed design is in the 200 s height and bulk district, but is 217ft tall, not including rooftop mechanical equipment. The proposed design is within the permissible exception limits, and the exception is necessary to allow for the roof level interior amenity space for building tenants. The project requires a propose. The privately owned Public Open Space under planning code section 138. The proposed raised about 1250 square foot, propose exceeds the minimum requirement of 1000ft s. It will be immediately adjacent to the existing transamerica redwood park. Propose and to the new private open space, which will also connect to the planned pedestrian area on mark twain alley, which is under a separate permit at 2023 005496 gr. Is that Record Number . There will be no fences between the spaces, uh, full Public Access and a feeling of one large, cohesive public park. Uh, 545 sansome was determined to be eligible under the california register of historical resources. The project has been carefully designed and reviewed by preservation staff to appropriately incorporate the building and comply with the secretary of the interior standards for the treatment of historic properties. There was also previously a legacy business sized vietnamese restaurant at 503 505 washington street. The commercial building thats proposed for demolition, uh, the c three Zoning District doesnt have any specific regulations around legacy businesses, but the project sponsor offered assistance in Financial Support to help size move to a new location on columbus street. And they are currently open and operating. Uh, the project sponsor conducted Community Outreach with neighborhood stakeholders, including local organizations and community groups, and to date, the department has received no letters in support nor opposition of the project. But in order for the project to proceed, a number of decisions are required by the planning and rec and Park Commissions. Today the first item is before both planning and the recreation and Parks Commissions, and is an adoption of a joint resolution to raise the absolute cumulative shadow limit acl on Maritime Plaza pursuant to section 295. In the 1989 memorandum titled proposition k, the sunlight ordinance. The second item is a resolution for only the recreation and Parks Commission to adopt a resolution recommending to the Planning Commission regarding whether or not the net new shadow cast by the proposed project. At 545 sansome street, will have a significant adverse impact on the use of Maritime Plaza, the rest of the items are for Planning Commission consideration only. The third item is to consider an adoption of shadow findings pursuant to section 295 that the new shadow cast by the project will not be adverse to the use of Maritime Plaza, a property under the jurisdiction of the recreation and parks department. The fourth is a downtown project authorization per planning code section two, 10. 2 and 309 to allow a vertical addition to an existing building, resulting in a total Building Height greater than 120ft. Within the c three Zoning District, with an exception for height limits within the s bulk district. Under planning code section 260 3. 9 and the fifth and final item for consideration is an Office Allocation. Pursue to planning code sections three, three, 20 through 325 to authorize up to 49,999 gross square feet of General Office use. Um overall, the Department Finds that the project is on balance, consistent with the downtown plan and the objectives and policies of the general plan. The project will develop an underutilized portion of the property with a contemporary midsize tower that is compatible with the existing building at five, four, five sansome in form and fenestration , and will create a transition between the financial district and jackson square. Due to its massing, the design of the project integrates the existing Historical Building at five, four, five sansome street. With the new addition will also differentiating the two. The additional height at the upper tower will allow, uh, the addition to be differentiated to the Historic Office building by allowing for additional setbacks and double height floors. The project site is located directly to the east of the Transamerica Pyramid building and transamerica redwood park. The entire block is under ownership by the same developer, and the street level of the whole site has been envisioned as a continuous open space for public use. The project is located at the edge of the downtown core, which does not feature many ground level publicly accessible open spaces, particularly ones with an extensive amount of greenery. The project will provide opportunities for the public to enjoy plazas and open spaces in a setting that is unique to San Francisco, the Department Also finds the project to be necessary, desirable and compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and not to be detrimental to persons or adjacent properties in the vicinity. This concludes planning staffs presentation, and i will hand it off to chris towns of recreation and parks staff, and then the project sponsors, and well all be here and ready to answer any questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you, claire, and good morning, commissioners. Uh, just give me just a moment just to load my presentation. Okay. And if i can get the powerpoint, please. Thank you. Uh, thank you. And good morning. My name is chris towns. Im a planner with the recreation and Park Department capital and planning division. Um my portion of the presentation will focus on the shadow analysis associated with the projects shadow upon Maritime Plaza. So, for shared policy and code context, um, as claire mentioned, prop k or the sunlight ordinance, um, aimed at protecting Park Properties from the negative shadow impacts of new development. Um, it was approved by voters in 1984 uh, which subsequently led to the adoption of planning code section 295 uh, which prohibits the city from issuing a Building Permit for structures over uh 40ft in height, um, that would cast a shadow upon a rec park property. Um, unless the Planning Commission, in consultation with the rec and Park Commission, finds that the shadow would not pose a significant adverse impact upon the use of the park property. Um, in 1989, the commissions jointly adopted whats commonly referred to as the 1989 memo. Um, this memo established quantitative as well as qualitative criteria, uh, for determinations of significant shadows, um, quantity. Notably, the memo established guidance for shadow load increases dependent upon the parks existing shadow load and its its park size. Um, the memo also interestingly adopted acls or absolute cumulative limits. Um, for 13 specific parks, uh, predominantly within the downtown financial district, uh, which were sort of inherently prone to higher shadow loads given the high rise massing around the area. Um qualitatively, the memo established various qualitative criteria, including time of day that the shadow was occurring, the time of year, uh, the shadows location upon the park, shadow size, um, shadow duration and the public good served by the project. Casting the shadow. Um, so for brief, uh, project overview, ill just show really just for visual, since claire already covered the project scope. Um, but here you can see the proposed project rendering in context within the city landscape. Uh, the project is denoted by the red arrow, and then the image on the bottom left is the proposed site plan. And as claire mentioned, the, uh, the purpose associated with this project is, um, along the interior block edge directly abutting the transamerica redwood park. Also propose. So for orientation purposes, uh, the image on the top left, uh, provides a planned view of where the project site is located in relation to the shadow park Maritime Plaza. Um, as you can see, the project site is one block west of Maritime Plaza along washington street. Uh, the project is zoned uh c, three o or Downtown Office and Properties Within the vicinity, uh, are very diverse, ranging from government buildings. Uh, theres a fire station office, hotel, residential and commercial Office Buildings. Um, also a variety of building types. You know, everything from one story to midrise, high rise buildings and those are depicted in the photos on the right. So Maritime Plaza itself, um, is a just under two acre sized park under the jurisdiction of rec and park. Um, its a one story above the street level, and consists of two halves that sort of mirror each other, uh, bounded by washington street to the north. Um, the landscape plaza surrounds the alcoa building, also known as one Maritime Plaza, and is connected by pedestrian bridges to the Golden Gateway condominium towers to the north and the Embarcadero Center to the south. Uh Maritime Plaza is both paved and landscaped, with lawn and pathways open to the public, and includes a variety of passive open spaces, including landscaping, seating areas and fountains, and sculptural gardens. So quantitative lee um. There is currently a 67. 88 existing shadow load upon the park. Uh, the proposed project would add a fractional 0. 0345 shadow increase for a total of 67. 91. Um qualitatively, in terms of time of year and time of day, uh, the project shadows occur midmarch to midmay and then again from midjuly to late september. In the spring and summer, um, occurring only in the Late Afternoon after 4 30 p. M. The average daily duration of shadow, when present, is about 48. 5 minutes. Uh, with the average size of about 1. 27 of the park area. Um, with regard to shadow location, um, the new shadow only falls across the western half of Maritime Plaza, not the eastern half. Um in the mid section that includes the central lawn and grassy expanse, uh, directly in front of the one Maritime Plaza Office Building entrance. Um, the image on the bottom right, uh, depicts the lawn area that is the maximum net new shadow day of the project where the shadow would fall. The maximum net new shadow day is on august 30th. And, uh, as well as april 12th at 6 15 p. M. Um, again. Again in the same area depicted in the photo, the. So in closing, um, i just want to reiterate that the agenda items before the commission are twofold. Item one a, uh, involves discussion and possible action by the joint commission, uh, to raise the acl for Maritime Plaza. Uh, whereas item one b is specific to rec and Park Commission, uh, to determine whether or not the proposed project shadow would pose a significant adverse impact on the use of the park property. Um, the 1989 memo again provides qualitative as well as quantitative criteria to inform your decision. Um, quantitatively, again, the project would increase the shadow load by 0. 0345. And qualitative the criteria to consider include all those, uh, qualitative aspects. Uh, time of day, time of year, uh, shadow size, shadow duration. And interestingly, the public goods served by the project is also a factor to consider. Um, that concludes my portion of the presentation and im available for questions. Thank you. Great thank you. Mr. Just say add one, one bit of, um, clarification, uh, for the for both commissions, actually, i mean, there are two items here. One is required which would be to raise the existing shadow budget for this to go forward. Um, if, if you make that decision then the analysis belongs to the recreation and Park Commission and its does this shadow have a Significant Impact on the park . I would just want to remind the commission, and we have some new commissioners, that even if the answer is yes, our responsibility is simply to advise the Planning Commission of that and then it is the Planning Commissions responsibility to weigh the pros and cons of the project, knowing that the rec and Park Commission thinks that theres a you know, that the shadow, uh, the extra shadow has a Significant Impact. The rec and Park Commission does not stop projects simply because of a finding that, um, a shadow causes might have a Significant Impact on a park. So i just wanted to make sure that we all understand that. Yeah. So. So if were on that topic, i was going to wait until after the project sponsors presentation. But uh, Planning Commissioners, i would i would deliberate the shadow impact and analysis first and then wait and reserve your deliberation after the rec and Park Commission adjourns on the project entitlements themselves. With that, we should hear from the project sponsor. Yeah. You have ten minutes. Morning my name is michael shvo. Im the custodian of the Transamerica Pyramid transfer, aka Pyramid Center in 2019, at the end of the year. And im going to keep it short because you really want to hear from the people that talk about the project, not from me, but when i, you know, when we purchased the building, i told my staff that while we are the owners of this amazing icon, were truly the custodian of the building. The building belongs to the people of San Francisco. Today is a really special day beside the fact that were here. When i set to buy the building and when we the idea was really to bring people to that block. So for those of you who are, you know, who live here, i live in new york. Um, and maybe i have that advantage of living in new york because i see how beautiful this is and not confused with all different peoples opinion about, you know, trying to tell me that San Francisco is in a doom loop. Um, which i disagree with, obviously. And i have 1 billion invested that thats not the case we set. I said, to create something that i thought was really important to make, to make the Transamerica Pyramid, a place where people come to. So everybody takes a picture of it. Right . Its probably the most photographed building on the west coast, together with the Golden Gate Bridge and the and the cable cars. But people never come there, which i thought was quite odd. And the reason that people dont come there is because its not really welcoming. Um, today it was a big day for us because we actually completed the lobby of the Transamerica Pyramid and for those of you who havent seen it, i welcome you to come see it. Its not open yet, but were happy to take everybody in there. And we created something amazing. We created this translucency that now connects every side of that block. And my goal was that wherever you are around that block, you see through it. It welcomes people. Well bring restaurant cafes, art program, all to that block and obviously three transamerica, um, which as we call it. 545 samson is the is the last piece that we are were proposing to do truly in order to complete to complete the block and make it attractive for people to come there. Um, youll hear from from foster and company. I think theyve done a phenomenal job. Um, on on really creating this as, as a building that, that works with the site because it really was important for us that we create something that doesnt overshadow the Transamerica Pyramid, but something that that that connects. Its the three buildings in the park together. Um, and ill finish with one quick story. And i dont know if some of you might have seen or not seen it, but i have a 40 year history with the Transamerica Pyramid, and i came to this country many years ago. The first time i was at the pyramid was in 1979. As a kid. I grew up in israel. My parents were teachers in stanford and yale for a couple of years, and we came to the pyramid, and when we celebrated the 50th anniversary, i found a drawing on if any of you saw that im going to show you a drawing from 1981. How i drew myself next to the pyramid. Now, 40 years ago, and 40 years later, i purchased a building, um, and the building for me symbolizes a lot of things, but but predominantly what i thought was the american dream. It was the one thing from. And i lived in new york and i lived on the west coast that it to me was the american dream. It symbolizes the hope. It symbolizes what for me, america stood for, which is this kind of amazing, amazing structure that is futuristic, you know, was at the time five years old or seven years old. The building, the building was ahead of its time in 1972. And our goal is to make sure that that building stays ahead of its time. Today and for the next 50 years. So with that, id like to have the foster team present the building. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Okay um, could you share the presentation. Hello everyone. Im simone martin, im a partner from foster and partners here in the San Francisco. You can use the microphone thats going to be at. Its a little challenging, but you have to speak right into the microphone for us to hear you. Okay can you hear me now . Yeah. Perfect hello, everyone. Im simone martin. Im a partner at foster and partners here in San Francisco. Office. I would like to give you a bit more insight on our thought process while designing 505 sansome three transamerica. I want to start with the main goals for this project was firstly, to respect and celebrate the heritage, to activate the steel retail frontages and to engage with the redwood park in the neighborhood and but to also to create a jewel on the skyline and to create a new general vision of Office Building in the postcovid environment. We have started working on a master plan over three years ago now, with with chavo for the entire city block. As michael just mentioned. And of course, the pyramid is the feature of the block, but we also found this precious redwood park in the center of the city block. So the aim of the master plan was to stitch the city block together with a green and activated fabric, and to create a new destination for the city with the redwood park at its heart. So the pyramid, as michael just mentioned, construction has started 5 or 5. Sansom construction has started and decide and well finish early next year. But three transamerica is really the missing piece at the moment. Its consistent out of three parcels five, seven teen, which is an empty lot. 505 washington a single storey extension and five five sansome, which is of historic significance. It was built even 40 years before the pyramid and as you can see here on this image from 1971, how its standing proud in front of the construction of the pyramid. Its featuring two art deco facades facing sansome street and mark twain alley, while the other two facades are of little historic significance. So the first step for us was to extend the building horizontally and to open up these nonhistoric facades to create an activated space on all four sides of the lot. Zooming in a little closer into the ground floor plan. Now you can see the Street Corner has the Office Entrance lobby. While theres food and beverage and retail spilling out onto mark twain alley and the redwood park. So today there is a brick wall separating the lot from the redwood park. Our design has the aim to open this up, create a lively space that engages with the redwood park. This view is about standing in the redwood park, looking back at three transamerica and this is how it will be when its integrated with the new design in the opposite side here, showing sansome street frontages. And were trying to breathe new life into the street frontages and also into mark twain alley. Mark twain alley has been used as a back of house and loading spaces for a long time. Weve managed to relocate all these back of house spaces to really open up the storefronts and to create a lively space destination for the city. I want to talk a little bit more about the vertical extension. Now you can see here the side sits right at the border between the financial district and the jackson square, which is a very much difference in scale of buildings. We are trying with the vertical extension to create a more optimal transition between the two districts. And that extension as chris already mentioned, increases the shadow when including all the entitled developer. Its only. By 0. 001. It was very important for us to respect the historic facade, and thats why we pushed all the extensions backwards and have the historic facades sitting proud of the new additions. As you can see here on that view, looking down sansome street towards the financial district and then looking down towards jackson square, how the addition is stepping back to respect the historic facade. We found a quite distinct material palette on the site and were trying to pick up that palette for the new contemporary extension by, for example, expressing the concrete slab edges by using bronze, um, window frames and also echoing the grid of the art deco facade with the grid of our extension of the window frames. Weve all been presented with quite some challenges over the last years. In the covid time, and it was very important for us to take that opportunity to create a new generation of Office Building that allows for natural ventilation, one that allows access to the outdoors on every level and also creates these beautiful outdoor spaces for collaboration and we think especially on the height of the top of the Historic Building, you get this moment of worry in the tips of the redwood parks, which is a beautiful moment, and were really looking forward to realizing this project with your support today. Thank you for getting the opportunity to present. Okay thank you. Simone. Tara sullivan from ruben junius and rose. Good morning, president tanner. And president andersen. I wanted to just wrap up our presentation with a few items to note. First, weve been contacted about ebike parking and charging on the site. I want to reassure you, miss sullivan, do you need a minute . How much time do you need . I need about a minute, a minute, 20. Okay. Can we have just two minutes on the on the clock . Thank you. Um, we were contacted about ebike charging and ebike storage at the site. I do want to reassure the commission that the project sponsor has carefully thought about the future tenants needs and transportation patterns, and that there will be ebike charging ports and stations in the bicycle room at 545 sansome. Any tenant will be able to utilize them without having to take their bikes upstairs to their office space, to charge. Next, id like to just briefly discuss the shadow from the project site. While there will be new shadow cast on Maritime Plaza, we do believe that the project benefits outweigh any impact, some of which include the creation of new outdoor space, the new pothos and the adjacent private open space will function as one and has been designed to connect with other open spaces on the block. The wall along redwood park will be removed and there will be a new continuous space between the two lots. This whole block park like experience will be a unique amenity to both the building tenants and to visitors to downtown, and it will enhance and increase accessibility to the iconic transamerica redwood park. Secondly, the activation of mark twain alley this project does correct several failings of the site by opening up direct connection to redwood from redwood park to mark twain alley, it proposes ground floor spaces that will flow directly to the alley, attracting people there. Thus activating not only the immediate site but the surrounding areas. Lastly, the rehabilitation of 545 sansome street, which is currently in a deteriorated condition. Previous alterations have obscured some of the historic detailing. The project is going to provide significant upgrades and rehabilitate the primary facades along sansome and mark twain alley. With that, i will conclude by saying that we respectfully request that both commissions approve the actions before you today and allow this unique project to proceed. The project team is here for questions, along with adam noble from fastcast, who can answer any specific shadow questions you may have. Thank you. Great thank you. So with that, commissioners, again, you should take up item one a on the absolute cumulative limit for Maritime Plaza jointly. And then the rec park should um make their consideration and adjourn on and the Planning Commission will remain in session. Well, perhaps ill just kick off by welcoming the rec Park Commission. Um, to the i guess, your normal hearing time. I understand its not our normal hearing time. And well be meeting twice today, which is an exciting last day to wrap up whats been a great year with the Planning Commission. So just happy to be here with you all. And thank you, mr. Ginsberg, for being here. Thank you, mr. Towns, for your report and to planning staff as well. Thank you, mr. Chabot, for being here in person. Uh, we have hopefully a nice sunny day for you here in San Francisco. Um, and thank you for your investment in San Francisco. Very exciting. Um, ill simply, uh, just start off by saying, i think that we can see the shadow is quite small. Thats being added. Certainly not certainly worthy of our consideration. But in my opinion, it doesnt seem to reach a level of concern for the users or the uses that are at Maritime Plaza with that, ill call on commissioner brown. I just wanted to check should we be taking Public Comment first . Commissioner brown, youre absolutely correct. Thank you. Thank you. Getting ahead of myself, if theres any member of the public that wishes to submit their testimony, this would be your opportunity to do so. Uh, again, if youre in the chambers, please come forward. If youre calling in remotely, you need to press star three or raise your hand via webex. Last call for Public Comment. Final. Final. Last call for Public Comment. Seeing no request to speak. Commissioners Public Comment is closed and this matter or these matters are now before you. Thank you for that. Commissioner brown. Are there any other comments or questions from any any commissioners . I think folks could probably go interchangeably, i do. We have everyones name cued in. Mr. Ionin will i see we do at the exception of commissioner moore, i figured she was close enough to nudge you. I could i think thats i think thats accurate. Commissioner anderson, for president anderson, i should say ill just ill defer to my Vice President , joe hallisey, first, in 2021. Um, the. 530 sansom project, uh, was passed unanimously by the rec and Park Commission, and forwarded to your commission, which you also passed, um, the effect of this shadow show at 545. Sansom as chris said, is very small. Its actually less than we had at 530. Sansom uh, there are potentially affected parks. Our department in that area uh portsmouth square sue biermann park sydney G Walton Square and the edwin and anita lee Newcomers School and none of those show no new net shadow. Now the grassy area on the west side of the alcoa building is affected and but thats a patch of grass. So bounded by benches, and it really has no effect on any recreational area, especially those that children use. So i would say quantitatively, its a its very minute and qualitatively there are no Recreational Activities affected by this shadow. Thank you. Mr. Anderson. Thank you. Greetings, everyone. And thank you so much. Owners fo, for coming out and i was really taken in by how you call yourself a custodian of, of these projects. Um, we are ready to receive your largesse. Um i made it into the paper that my eyebrows raised with excitement that an investment of this magnitude is happening at this time. Again, i agree with you. Uh, in total destruction of the doom loop, um, San Francisco is always a safe bet for investment. As far as im concerned. And, um, markets go up and markets go down. Um, thank you so much for your optimism here. And what a lovely story about being a child. And being so smitten by this structure. Um, i later in life now have become quite smitten with the idea of new parks, new open spaces. So thank you and all involved with for the new pothos and for the open space which are so dearly needed. Joe did an amazing job of talking about quantitative and qualitative. Um, im inclined to agree and go forward with this, and i hope the rest of the commission will do the same, particularly in comparison to what happened with the other property. 530 sansom right. We sort of have a happy press there. Um i also have become quite a lover of redwood trees and hope to see that area thriving and giving people an opportunity city without having to go so far up the coast to see these amazing creatures. You know, there get in. I highly recommend that you get into the life of the redwood and the sequoias. Sequoias. If you can climb to the top of one, youll see an entire new ecosystem. So thank you so much for all of this. And i dont think we have any more rec and Park Commission commenters, but we do have planning commenters, so that will be it for rec and park. Thank you. Commissioner imperial, i missed me. Oh, commissioner. Commissioner moore i was like, oh, my name. Im showing a name and im sharing a microphone with my colleague here. Uh, i would echo the thank you to staff, all presenters, staff, the architect and most the owner. This is a remarkable story because if you have lived long enough in the city, i happen to live up the block on clay street. You know this building intimately. You shows what it offers, but you also deplore of what was missing for the many years that it was sitting there. The building is iconic in its own right, and i participated in the many discussions about the pros and cons about its architectural value, which over time have disappeared. Thank god we have indeed an iconic building that we all appreciate. Uh, it was on the ground plane where things were always a little bit questionable because the park itself never really worked, because it was trapped. It was not open in a in a manner that it was a park accessible from washington, from washington street. You felt it was, can i be in there or cant i be in there and in the most cases, i decided that i cant be in there. That was exacerbated by the bollards and the heavy hardware which kept the building becoming basically chained to its site. Uh, in in response to nine over 11. And i was a heavy handed response, which made the washington site even more inaccessible than before. That particular part of the building was damaged by a, um, parking entrance that led to nowhere with the proper, uh, manner. Enforcement of parking became a barrier that made that part of the street almost unworkable. We had a different point. Looking back, when prop k, uh, came to the voters decision in 1884 for, uh, i embrace it. I was working in the alcoa building on the 21st floor, looking west at and being basically an air conditioned building all year. I felt that coming out into the sun was indeed a wonderful thing, including the protections that, uh, prop k provided for that open space. In reality, it was never really an open space in the way that we look at open spaces. It served a great purpose for the people who work in the building. Uh, because coming out of an air conditioned environment in a high rise building, you want to be some fresh air and preferably get some sun. Uh, do noon. And when you go home in the evening, that said, i think over the years, uh, that particular open space has never fully picked up the importance that was assigned to keep in shadow limits of that park. And i think we all regret that. But what i want to ask is, in as we have added open space over the years throughout the city, park and rec does not have the stewardship over any of the new open spaces. Given the facts that prop k does not extend to those spaces. And if were giving up some of the shadow budget or the sunlight budget on this particular case, can we . And im looking forward, director ginsburg, can we transfer . I know hes hearing me. Uh, he has heard me many times before. Um. Uh can we somehow have a savings account where where we take what were given away and ultimately assign that to other open spaces, non rec park, open spaces in order to preserve the idea of sun in the city, which is part of the makeup and the basic dna in an environment that were living in , were living in a temperate climate. Were living with high winds. We dont have enough sun. And if we can find a way and im putting this out as an idea to create a savings account by what were giving up in a not so important open space and preserve it for others, i. E. Protecting our new redwood park, which i think is a marvelous idea, then i would be just embracing the idea of, uh, reducing, uh, the sunlight or increasing the shadow allocation for alcoa park for anybody who does not know me, ive, ive been sitting on this Planning Commission for a number of years. Its already in the two digits. Um and mr. Ginsberg and everybody here in parks and rec knows my position on. I have been in the past on all projects unwilling to increase shadow budgets on Public Open Spaces when it comes to private buildings. If it is buildings that have a social component, i. E. Affordable housing or an institutional use, i have supported increases for private development. I have not, and i may take a slightly different stand today. I dont know that yet. Im only really hear from parks and rec. I want to find a way in, in some way to protect sunlight on open spaces, no matter who owns them. And that is my comment. Thank you, commissioner moore. Commissioner braun. Yes. Um, you know, as far as the shadow impact of, um, of the project on Maritime Plaza park, i, i do agree with those who have stated that its a very modest impact. Um, and id, i would be supportive of raising the cumulative limit on the park. I, you know, i actually find this part kind of fascinating. Its a place that ive deliberately sought out to, to look at before, because it is an interesting example of a very 1960s sort of approach of raising a lot of the street life off of the street itself, which unfortunately created this blank wall. But then you have this, this elevated park. But every time ive been there, um, you know, its a fairly underutilized park in the evening hours when the shadow impacts would be greatest. And i cant speak, you know, its not like im there all the time or anything, but, um, you know, it is a park that seems to largely function as a space that, um, has a larger daytime crowd. So that makes me feel even more comfortable with slightly the very slight increase in the shadow impact on it, coupled with the fact that, as its been pointed out, the 530 sansom project also already essentially is creating a very similar shadow and has been approved already. Um, that as far as the project itself, i am very simply just defer to the comments made by commissioner moore about, you know, the way that space could function so much more effectively and opening it up would be a really great asset for the city. I like going to that redwood park, but at the same time, on my mental map of the city, its kind of a void, a blank in that part of the city to some extent, because the park is so hidden away and the, the, the ground level of the transamerica building has been theres just not a lot going on historically there. Um, so, so it it is a very exciting project to see the whole block kind of open up and become more active. Thank you, commissioner rees. Thank you. Um, i really appreciate commissioner moores comments because i find myself torn on this particular issue. I feel like we have been put in a really difficult positions where there is a shadow casted for, for residents and tenants, and theres really nothing that we can do. But i do see that this shadow is very minuscule. Its very small, but also wanting to honor prop k, um, i frequent this area. I work in the neighborhood and i do see that theres really not much activation of the space. Its not really frequented. And in my opinion, it also has a very kind of cold esthetic because of all of the concrete heat. Um, and so i do appreciate the images that were presented today. I feel like, wow, thats so exciting. Its going to open up the space. Theres going to be more activation, um, more business, more people, more foot traffic and the benefits that that could bring to areas like chinatown and the merchants there or north beach. So i do see a lot of pros to Going Forward with this. Um, but, you know, just echoing commissioner moores concern, and i really do like the idea can we have some type of bank where we take shadow that weve lost and apply it to other areas . So i would like to hear from other commissioners from rec and park. Um, but yeah, im feeling like the pros sort of outweigh not upholding the standards that weve set in prop k. Um, but yeah, i would love to hear more from other commissioners. Great commissioner diamond. Thank you. Um, im not going to repeat all of the other, um, positives, uh, that were articulated by the other commissioners. So for those reasons, i am in favor of this. But i want to articulate a concern that i raised in conjunction with 530 sampson and that is it feels like were giving up on one Maritime Plaza. It is currently not a very welcoming spot. Um, but i spent 20 years working in this vicinity, used to explore it at lunchtime and after work, and it feels like a future opportunity. Um i look at the high line in new york, which is a spectacular raised facility. And as we think through what our downtown needs to be Going Forward, which is different than what it has been in the past, as articulated by the uli work and all the staff work, it feels like one Maritime Plaza presents an opportunity. So while i am in favor of this and will vote to support this, i am hoping that, um, the rec and Park Department and commissioner owen will take a longer and the Planning Department a longer, you know, to look at one Maritime Plaza and how it could be revised, revitalized, changed its use, work with the owners in order to, um, change the, um, dynamic around that particular space. So thank you. Thank you, commissioner ariel. Thank you. Um, i would like to comment on the maritime one Maritime Plaza as because i, as i have visited that plaza and i do agree with commissioner moore. Uh, commissioner moore and also commissioner diamond as well. Um, in terms of the one Maritime Plaza where its highly elevated , where its elevated from the, um, you know, from the street, um, it is a beautiful space. It is beautiful in a way that is connected to other buildings and also connected to other parts. The suburban part, if you try to do hiking and urban hiking in the city, its actually a nice place to do that. And i did that during the pandemic time. Um, and i can see how it can be very well utilized. And i hope that the rec and park will try to utilize the one Maritime Plaza, activate the space. Um, because the way it is, you can see that its built for the Office Spaces and you can see that the office space at this point is mainly vacant. Um, but i think theres a way to attract residents, tourists, visitors, Office Workers in that area. Because also when you look into the one embarcadero, thats also pretty deserted area too. And again, im, you know, so, um, i think weve had this kind of conversation about the downtown recovery. So its all interconnected. Um, so as of the shadow impact on the one Maritime Plaza as of now, no ones very many skilled people are benefiting from it. And i think it can be benefited more. Um, in terms of the project, the project is beautiful, and i think its an extension. It can be a possible extension of the business of whats happening on the north beach area from the chinatown. And really, when you go down to the north beach area, it stops where the where transamerica is actually, its like the financial district. Its all deserted at this point. Um, so i appreciate what the developer is trying to do to activate that area. Um, so i will support it. The shadow impact. Um, but i would suggest for the second part and also for the Planning Department as well, to make how to utilize this open spaces in the downtown area. And i would also support what commissioner moore is saying on how we, um, are city is not well , um, we have a mid temperate climate and we also need sun in and where we can put those kind of extra sunlight that we need. So yeah. Thank you. Um, i believe weve been invited as the, um, rec and Park Commission to comment on the savings account idea, which, um, i love i love this idea, and i, i see this as, lets lets be aspirational about it. I wouldnt i wouldnt seek legislation at this point. Um when im confronted with, uh shadow, first thing i say is, well, where is the sunlight going to be, you know, and where is the shadow going to fall . Well, uh, and i, i let that be my guide in a lot of instances, if not all of them, if it falls in an existing shadow or on a corner where the rubbish cans are, or in a place where no one is going to sit or play. Um i might not add that contribution to the savings account, because i feel like we sort of have to be proactive people. But yeah, if a shadow falls across a Basketball Court or on a playground or Something Like that, um, i think we should give we should not give that short shrift. We should give that a lot of deep thought. Um, and of course, aspirationally two is, you know, will there be development will builders come . What do people want to do . What can afford to happen . We have to deal with those practicalities as well. Um, but yes, keeping keeping our eyes on the goals of recreation, open space, wellbeing and health, were all for it. And thank you so much, commissioners, for reminding us to keep track, because this is a trackable goal, and i like that idea. So thank you. I hope that is a substantive comment to your lovely idea. Yeah. Let me say one thing. Uh uh, thank you for the aspirational thoughts you expressed. Ultimately, its only trying to move the ball in a different direction. And i think trying to think about that is important. I think also it would create incentive for developers to create proposals if there would be a little bit more protection on some of them, which are quite important as we look at the totality of the city , particularly the path were finding that commissioner imperial pointed to. So i think it is a win win idea, and we are not here to legislate. But i think were here to inspire. And that is what i think this whole idea is all about. And thank you for giving us a positive response. Great. I dont see any other commissioners with comments or questions, but i just want to open the floor and see if theres any other thoughts and if not, if anyone is moved to. I think, make a motion. We need one motion that each commission would consider that entire. Both commissioners. I would suggest each commission, um, make their own motion. But understanding its a joint action. Okay. Did you want to go . All right. Uh, rec and Park Commissioners, if you want to turn to its one a, i do believe and make sure that its clear in your mind that were talking about the joint motion on whether or not were going to lift the acl. The absolute cumulative limit for Maritime Plaza shadow versus sunlight on the park. Do i hear a motion in support . So moved. Do i hear a second, second . All those in favor . Lets take a roll call. Roll call. Vote, please. Ashley on the motion. Commissioner anderson, i. Commissioner. Halsey. Commissioner. Jupiter jones. I. Commissioner. Louis i. Commissioner weintraub i. Motion passes. It is unanimous. Great. Thank you. And i know commissioners are thinking i think we heard some great comments from the president of the rec and Park Commission just regarding how she evaluates the impact of the shadow on the actual open space itself. And so, while certainly respect principled stances, you may consider, uh, adopting some of her mindset in terms of evaluating the impact of the less than 1 shadow, um, addition on Maritime Plaza or whatever, uh, may help you to understand how to kind of thread the needle between our desires that we have with this project. But that said, is there any comments or questions or motions i make a motion to raise the cumulative shadow limit for the project in front of us. Second, great. We got three seconds there, lots of support. Indeed if theres no further deliberation commissioners, there is a motion that has been seconded to raise the cumulative limit on that motion. Commissioner braun, i commissioner ruiz i commissioner diamond i commissioner imperial i commissioner. Koppel. Commissioner moore and commissioner. President. Tanner i so move commissioners that motion passes unanimously 7 to 0. Uh rec park. You have one more action. Give seven commissioners more long, storied and honorable history on this commission. This is an historic vote. Thank you. Yeah it is. Thank you. So, commissioners, now youre going to consider whether or not to recommend that the net new shadow will have a significant adverse impact on this park. Do we have any comment from our commissioners . I feel like weve kind of said it all. All right. Is there a motion and a second . I i move that the shadow will not have a Significant Impact. Did i get it right . Ashley. The shadow does not have a significant adverse impact. Second. And we have a second. All those in favor roll call on the motion that the shadow does not have a significant adverse impact. Commissioner anderson. It does not. Commissioner halsey, high commissioner Jupiter Jones i commissioner lewis i and commissioner weintraub i motion passes. Thank you. We will now adjourn the rec Park Commission. Great. Maybe we should give them five minutes. Yeah, certainly. Well just take a little break and let you all adjourn and well readjust ourselves. Thank you again for joining us this morning. Thank you. Could you, um, so much for hosting us . Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, were all. Whats a reliable uniform reliability. Yeah thank you. Hands and different shoes. And dont look the same. But there you go. You would change a little variety, right. You know, be too predictable. No, no. Yeah its our Holiday Party tonight, so were bringing it good tomorrow. Yeah. A long luncheon today. Discover to come back. And it doesnt look like you ever left us. Okay welcome back to the, uh, special joint hearing after rec park has now adjourned. Commissioner is, uh, that leaves you with consideration on items two a through c. Excellent. Um, so, as the secretary advised, we talked about the shadow first. And now, if there are any comments or questions about the project itself. Um, certainly. Thats something that we can take up now. We have the adoption of the shadow findings, the downtown project authorization, and the Office Development allocation. Um, and ill just reiterate, i think my comments, but also comments from the rec Park Commission and that we all shared, which is, you know, its tremendous to see the investment thats being made in downtown and in San Francisco. Um, and also to see the quality and the care with which the, um, the proposed project was put together, the thoughtfulness behind the design, really promoting interactive connectivity and really the things that i think in this commission, we really pride ourselves on trying to find ways to fit in, trying to find ways to add more open space, trying to find ways to activate those open spaces, not just have them exist, but to be populated with folks who are enjoying them and really bringing them to life. So it is my great hope that this project will do just that. Um, and i look forward hopefully to seeing that happen soon, and its great to even hear, uh, you know, smaller, maybe not smaller , but the lobby being finished or other efforts that are underway to really start to realize the goals of this project overall, with that, i want to call on commissioner koppell. Uh, thank you, president tanner. Um, if theres nothing im more concerned with these days, its revits rising downtown. Um, weve seen a couple projects, uh, recently, uh, that have been courageous and have the wherewithal to actually make this investment in one of our most important parts of town. We obviously have, you know, iconic neighborhoods like chinatown and the castro district. But the economic driver that downtown is, is, i think, far taken for granted. And thank you very much for, uh, investing in our downtown. Im, ive always, uh, paid very close attention to the history of downtown. And, i mean, you got to remember, all those buildings didnt used to be there. They werent there. And then the alcoa building started it off, and a lot of people got to work a lot of good jobs and take care of their families because they were working these these buildings were built by people who lived here, um, by contractors who still have their businesses here who need the business and this is going to be a huge investment. Thank you very much. And super excited to see this. It seems like sometimes were actually constraining downtown with certain items we hear. And so its just a super positive and hopeful for me to see someones moving forward with our downtown. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you. Commissioner. Um, is that commissioner, is that you, commissioner . Okay. Commissioner imperial. Um thank you. Um, i do have a question. In terms of the Office Allocation and it seems like this is the first project after the pandemic that utilized the, um, that will have Office Allocation. Um, what kind of Office Spaces are are we . Is this project looking forward to look into . As we all know, there is, um, you know, vacancy rate and Office Spaces, but, you know, given the economic times, i would like to hear what kind of you know, how does the future of Office Spaces going to look like or talking to the project sponsor about their sort of project sponsor . Um, yes. Tell us what is in your crystal ball for office space in the future . Yeah. Thank you again. So the question about what type of office, um, you know, again, just just a little background. Right. So, so, so um, is really focused on elevating, um, super prime real estate. And we do that because as i have a strong belief that that for years, um, we didnt really companies didnt really focus. They needed landlords on their office environment. It was kind of an afterthought. But, um, it was cubicles. There was no real, um, no real thought process about about the employee and the wellbeing of, of employees. It was lets put everybody in little cubes and, and the more cubes we can put on a square foot, its better. And over the years, again, i know this is not necessarily, um, what youre asking, but but people had big square foot per person, and it shrunk and that was really the demise of what i called the healthy office. So what were set, what weve set to build here is kind of the office of the future, right . Um, big windows, a lot of light, a lot of air, natural air, windows that open and a lot of outdoor space giving employees and giving companies that will occupiers here. Really what i would call a healthy office. And we had a conversation earlier about the redwoods, the fascinating thing about this building, and when you see how its positioned on the site that youre sitting, youre truly have an office within the redwoods because youre sitting on the third floor, fourth floor, with these big windows, and youre breathing. Um, i was there this morning. Theres this amazing smell for those of you who smell the redwood. Its such a distinct smell. And thats thats the type of office were building. Um, which i think is very much needed. Um, theres a lot of, you know, we talk about the future of office. Theres a lot of Office Buildings that, you know, their lifespan has expired. And im sure as planners, you would agree that was asked today about that on an interview. And i said, you know, theres some office stock that just has no, no shelf life anymore. Its got to go. And if its not historic and its not contributing and theres no value to it, it has to be renewed. And thats thats my personal belief of whats going to happen with the office here. We have a unique opportunity. Were taking a Historic Building, and i think very smartly, the foster team has managed to take this building, take the bones of it, upgrade it and, and surround it with, with a new building that emphasizes the historic value of it, but then brings this building into being viable, you know, for the future. Does that answer your question, maam . Yeah i think so. I think, um, thank you for sharing your thoughts because thats what im were also you know, we had this kind of conversation about the downtown recovery and, you know, the vacant office, vacant spaces that San Francisco is in and also, you know, its a part of vision of how to plan for the downtown. And so for me, just personally would like to know about or would like to hear what Developers Like you, um, you know, thought about Office Spaces, what what kind of what are kind of the innovations are happening when it comes to the offices. So so i just want to hear your thoughts. Whats going on out there in the office world . Um, and thank you for sharing your thoughts. Yeah thank you. Great. Thank you. Uh, commissioner diamond. Oh yeah. Uh, one big picture question and one detail question. Big big picture for you. Sorry. Im here. Um, so that was, um, really interesting response as to why office could you do the flip side . Did you look at this site as a potential residential site . Um, and if you did, why did you make the decision that office was preferable to residential . Um, you know, the real estate starts when you when you look at that viability of a, of any project. Because we build, we build a lot of residential as well. So, um, so you know, i have a portfolio of, of, of, of, of Office Residential and retail and, and hotels and we looked at, we looked at every use. And you start with, with two things. Right supply and demand. Right. Wheres the demand. Um, and then you look at whats the highest and best use of the actual building here. We had a unique situation because we have an existing building. If this was a ground up building, then in essence, you could almost do anything and then youre truly subject to supply and demand right here because we have an existing building. And if youve seen the building, you walk the building, its in essence a warehouse building. Its it has the, um, it has a certain ceiling height, it has certain column widths. And theres very deep floor plates that does not work from a from a, from a design and planning perspective as a residential building. So the, you know, if that building was demolished, which its not because its historic, then we could build a residential building, but because we had to preserve this building really the only use that makes sense there is an Office Use Office and retail, right. And i think what we did is we really maximized it, um, kind of took some of the challenging aspects of the Historic Building and managed to maximize them with the addition to make them really attractive, as opposed to just these big dark spaces. So very, very helpful. Thank you very much for that clarification. So the smaller issue actually i want to start with staff, um, which is the ebike issue. Um, um, i raised this last week and i have the same question with respect to all of the big projects were seeing this this morning and this afternoon, which is how are we accounting for our ebike parking and charging Going Forward, given its rise in popularity . Um and im curious how staff thinks we should be dealing with this on a you know, global basis as opposed to a one off basis. So before i, you know, i was delighted to hear, um, from the project sponsor that theyre going to, you know, address this, but im before i get to that, im curious sort of how staff thinks about how we should be handling this Going Forward. No, absolutely. And thank you for the question. Um, and i think this really has prompted us to take a second look at bike parking. Theres obviously a lot of moving legislation right now. And so bike parking has not necessarily been front of mind. Um, but when we start looking at it, our bike parking regulations have now been in the planning code for well over ten years now. Um, we have a companion piece with the whats in the planning code in our Zoning Administrator bulletin. That really walks people through how to comply. And those regulations havent changed since they were first adopted. So they really are in the same state as they were when they were first adopted, which was very, i think, kind of cutting edge at the time for zoning controls to mandate bike parking being installed into buildings. Um, but i think as all, all of us know, bikes have come a long way in terms of how people in urban environments use them, use them with children, use them for commute. Um, in a hilly city, there have been, you know, ebikes have really changed the game. Um, and so i think it really warrants us taking a second look at what our bike parking regulations are, you know, is the way that we, um, all of our mandates do, they still work both reflecting on the sort of the nitty gritty detail and whether those are still the right kind of details to have, but also expanding them to accommodate for those sort of newer technologies within within the bike world. Um, so we are definitely its part of our work program for next year. Um, weve made some changes within the Zoning Administrators office, um, and freed up some capacity to be able to focus on that over the next year. So in terms of that policy side, well definitely be working on that over the next year. Um, that may include legislative changes. Um, it likely will need to be just the way theyre drafted now. Um, in terms of the other side of it, which is the very sort of nuts and bolts side, um, right now in the Building Code, theres not a requirement in nonhabitable rooms to have electrical outlets, but in conversations with the building department, the sort of my counterpart over at dbi is very interested in looking at amend ing the Green Building ordinance within San Francisco. So where they do talk about bike parking from a Building Code perspective and really amending in requirements around, you know, ensuring there are electrical outlets and bike parking rooms so that chargers are feasible and making sure that that infrastructure is thought through all the way, all the way through. So those two pieces, i think, are the two companion pieces that really talk to this issue at a broader level. So im delighted and reassured to hear that. And particularly pleased that its on the agenda for next year. Its a 2024 item. Um, in the meantime, um, while were waiting for that to happen, um, the project sponsor indicated that they were definitely open to and, you know, want to do bike parking. Can i request that, um, that this be handled where ebikes are located within the building and how theyre charged as part of the design refinement process that its a condition youre already subject to and that i would just ask that the ebike issue is addressed as they go through the design refinement process. Is that fine with the project sponsor . Yes. Okay. And is that makes sense from a Staff Perspective . Yep. Absolutely great. Um well, i id make a motion to approve then. Um, mr. Ryan, i dont know how many motions i was just asking him that. Right. Um its entirely up to you, commissioners, how you want to take up. There are three. There are three actions. You can take them all together in one motion. Or if there are commissioners who may vote differently on each of the individual actions, then you can take them up separately. Well, why dont i make a motion to approve all three and see if we can handle it that way . Second. Okay, we have commissioner koppell and then commissioner moore. Yeah just to put the situation a little more context, commissioner moore will remember this, but about 13 years ago there was a 40 storey residential project proposed at. 555 washington, um, approved, uh, here and shot down by the board. So um, what are we trying to do if we dont want residential in downtown, we should at least be put in office there. I mean, what i mean, are we trying to constrain downtown . Are we trying to revive it . Which one are we doing here . Thank you. Commissioner moore. You can talk. I could on that one. Um, um, regarding ebikes, we all know that there is a National Discussion about building safety because there are incidences of building, uh, ebikes being charged and creating significant fires, not the normal kind of fire. And i think the Building Code will catch up when this building moves into construction and final approval. So im not concerned about that other than designate meeting where these spaces are, which is a good idea. But i want to ask, actually, uh, uh, our applicant another question, and that is the general ability ties this project into the larger streetscape ideas of a part of downtown. But at this moment is basically totally quiet. And i want to call it dead. I hate to say that. Anyway, you own a very large project site where you can create your internal, uh, very, very, uh, very able and positive open space environment. The exterior with the bollards. I refer to earlier, have always kind of disrupted the continuity coming from north beach and going down montgomery street into downtown. Uh, are you changing anything on that . Uh, to carry on with my question before you answer, uh, just recently, there has been a remarkable effort of revitalizing leidesdorf with an outdoor summer festival which tried to really take the alleys which connect in many kind of spider web to your site. Are you responding to that . In what way is your own external streetscape environment, responding to the challenges that we all face collectively in downtown . Okay. Thank you so to answer the first question, um, well, let me start with the second question. Um, part of the when i was referring to what were doing with the park, the idea was really to have the park, um, activated, to have the whole the entire block activated. And those two questions that you asked, maam, i actually have a lot to do with each other. Um currently, or it was currently when i bought the building, the park was sitting kind of in this between these three buildings and some of you said its not really inviting, right . Its it feels like like its locked in there. Um, and not only that, i wanted to make sure that people come to the park, but the idea and together with the foster team, what we managed to do is expand the park to the entire block. I agree with you. The ballards are aimed attractive, and thats an understatement. And you know, i dont know if youve been through our our parking, the entrance of the parking, it looks like were in, you know, communist russia. Um, i was waiting for the gun. The guy with the m16 to stand there when i. When i saw it first. So obviously were changing that. That entire entrance. Its all going to be landscaped, that those kind of russian, um, uh, ballads there, um, aint going to be there, but what were also doing in order to, to make the whole site feel inviting and not feel all the ballads there is, were expanding the landscape all the way to the sidewalk. So the entire sidewalk from all four sides is going to have the park expand. So the trees are going all the way to the street. Theres tremendous theres millions of dollars worth of new landscape thats being installed there in on the sidewalk in outside the park, around the buildings, around the pyramid. Two transamerica and three transamerica. So there will be one holistic master plan of landscaping that will will make you feel wherever you are, that its one block as opposed to these choppy, uh, environments. Were also activating the park from a cultural point of view, which is really important because we own all the properties that i own are, um, trophy assets or assets that are in really key location. Um, im very keen and very focused on bringing art to the public. So we have art programs unrelated to what the city is doing and what neighbors are doing that that we promote. Um, and the park will be very much a Cultural Center for downtown if its art shows that are going to be continuous, there. If for concerts, lectures, we want to use the park beyond the day to day use of someone coming with their kid or their grandkid to have ice cream, or coming to their restaurant, or just coming to enjoy the sun and see the redwood. Um, also to have to have activation that very much brings people there and some he mentioned to me today, um, again, in an interview that i gave this morning about the fact that its a tourist attraction, almost like a, like as a degrading phrase. I said, tourist attraction is a fantastic thing. That means actually, people from outside San Francisco are coming to see something unique that we have in this city. And were very much working on creating that want the people there. And the idea is its for the people of San Francisco to have a place to come. And for tourist to come and see what the city has to offer, because its very unique to have a redwood park in the middle of the city, particularly where we will have different activations. So people dont just come once, but can come continuous. Im sorry for my lengthy answer. Um, commissioner , perfect answer because i think the energy of your commitment to what youre doing makes it very clear that you are into this. Youre not kind of reading off a sheet which somebody has told you what to do. I appreciate it, i dont i dont read. Well, you know, uh, let me say that particular the shaping of the building, how youre revealing the building to important iconic views coming, for example, from north beach, etc, cutting back that that angle, etc. Is extremely important. And i greatly appreciate your showing it. But also speaking to that. So im comfortable with your answer and please consider so i cant take i cant take credit for that. I had we hired probably the number one architect in the world. You know, lord Norman Foster and his team and i can tell you that, that weve done a few buildings with them together. The attention to detail is bar none. And i think this is really going to elevate the architecture of that entire site. And i appreciate your your comments on that. She actually knows that i already think to her. So when i speak to you, im indirectly thanking everybody, the entire team, including our own planning staff and rec and park staff. Um, uh, i just like to just leave you with the thought that when this is all done, ultimately the building in its totality, how it engages all blocks in the city around you is still the larger response ability. So your smaller neighbors on leidesdorff and how you move back to the still not fully occupied downtown, i think will be appreciated, and i hope that you will continue stewarding your presence in the city as a whole. Thank you. I appreciate and you know, im going to leave you with one thing. You guys were talking about one maritime. If you guys can get the owners to sell me the building, then, then we could do the same thing with marin maritime. Its been three years that im trying to buy that building. So if somebody here can make it happen, you know, well see each other again on one maritime and if you restore it to its original structural expression, i would greatly appreciate that. Its a masterpiece. Thank you. Thank you guys. Thank you very much. Thank you, commissioner moore, did you have any further comments . Commissioner moore . No. Okay. Thank you. Excellent. I think we have a motion for all of our approvals and that has been made and seconded. There is a motion that has been seconded on that motion. Commissioner braun, i commissioner ruiz, i commissioner diamond i commissioner imperial i commissioner couple i commissioner moore i and commissioner. President. Tanner i so move commissioners. That motion passes unanimously 7 to 0 commissioners that will give us about 30 minutes before id like to do folks mind just giving ourselves a full hour for lunch and starting the hearing at 1230 . We can do so. We can make sure we can go and come back without choking on our food. I think im trying to. Very good. We will we will start the regular hearing at 1230. Okay, great. We are adjourned. Commissioners thank you 7 and a half million renovation is part of the clean and safe Neighbors Park Fund which was on the ballot four years ago and look at how that Public Investment has transformed our neighborhood. The playground is unique in that it serves a number of age groups, unlike many of the other properties, it serves small children with the childrens play grounds and clubhouses that has Basketball Courts, it has an outdoor soccer field and so there were a lot of people that came to the table that had their wish list and we did our best to make sure that we kind of divided up spaces and made sure that we kept the old features of the playground but we were able to enhance all of those features. The playground and the soccer field and the tennis fields and it is such a key part of this neighborhood. We want kids to be here. We want families to be here and we want people to have athletic opportunities. We are given a real responsibility to insure that the publics money is used appropriately and that something really special comes of these projects. We generally have about an opportunity every 50 years to redo these spaces. And it is really, really rewarding to see children and families benefit, you know, from the change of culture, at each one of these properties and as a result of, what you see behind us, more kids are playing on our soccer fields than ever before. We have more girls playing sports than we have ever had before. [ applause ] fp and we are sending a strong message that San Francisco families are welcome and we want you to stay. This park is open. Commissioner hallisy. Jupiterjones. Here commissioner louie. Here and mazzola. Here and commissioner wintroup and zwart are excused. San francisco rec and park acknowledges we occupant unceded home land of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples the original inhappen tans. We honor the peoples for commitment to mother earth. As protectors of this land and with their traditions than i have never left nor forgotten their responsibilities as care takers and people who is reside here. The stewards of p land we honor them if