CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
OF THE SURPLUS CITY PROPERTY PROGRAM
CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
___________________________________________________________
Meeting Minutes
for
Monday, August 15, 2005 at 4:00 PM
city hall
1 dr. carlton b. goodlett place, room 408
Present: Chair richard lee, Vice Chair James Reilly, Mr. Jay bradshaw, Mr. Bruce Engle, Ms. lori bammerger (sitting in for Mr. Matthew O. Franklin), Ms. Ana B. Gutierrez, Mr. tomas lee, Mr. leroy moore, Jr.
Absent: Ms. Jamie Armstrong, Mr. Scott clark, Ms. Jill Fox, Sister bernie galvin, and Mr. Ben Rosenfield
Staff: Ms. Teresa Yanga, Ms. Joan McNamara and Ms. Lynn Hua
Chair Lee called the meeting to order at 4:15 PM. Roll call was conducted and a quorum was recognized, with five members absent. Mr. Tomas Lee left the meeting at 4:50 P.M.
2. Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting
A motion to approve the July 18, 2005 meeting minutes was made by Mr. Bradshaw and seconded by Mr. Reilly. The committee unanimously approved the motion.
3. Director’s Report
Ms. Teresa Yanga, Senior Project Manager at the Mayor’s Office of Housing, informed the committee that on August 2, Supervisor Bevan Dufty introduced an ordinance to transfer the jurisdiction of the property at Roosevelt Way and Henry Street from the Mayor’s Office of Housing to the Recreation and Park Department. The ordinance would be presented at the Land Use Committee in early September. Ms. Susan Cleveland-Knowles, Deputy City Attorney, added that if the Board of Supervisors approves the ordinance and the property is transferred to the Recreation and Park Department, the Mayor’s Office of Housing would no longer have any jurisdiction over the parcel.
4. Consideration of Main Menu
(a) Roosevelt/Henry (Block 2612/Lot 050)
Ms. Joan McNamara, Senior Project Manager at the Mayor’s Office of Housing, presented data pertaining to the development potential of the site for priority uses under the Surplus City Property Ordinance. The site is located in the Corona Heights neighborhood, measures approximately 14,623 sq. ft and is very steep. A public right of way runs across one end of the site, from Henry Street to Roosevelt. The property is thickly vegetated, overgrown and slightly landscaped.
Supervisor Bevan Dufty commented that while he supported the goals of the Surplus Property Ordinance, he did not believe that it was intended to transfer properties that were designated as open space. The neighbors of the Henry/Roosevelt Steps did extensive research and discovered that the parcel has been designated as open space for 25 years under the City’s Height and Bulk Districts Map. Supervisor Dufty felt that he was not adequately advised by the City Attorney’s Office that the property was designated as open space when the Surplus Property Ordinance was passed. Supervisor Dufty added that he intends to work closely with the Recreation and Park Department to develop a plan that would ensure that neighbors continue to provide the care and maintenance for the property so that it would not be a financial burden to the City.
Mr. Thomas Lee inquired if there are any other properties in the vicinity that could be traded with the Roosevelt parcel to use for affordable housing purposes. Supervisor Dufty responded that he has made a commitment to Supervisor Chris Daly that he would explore for potential properties within the vicinity.
Mr. Richard Crawford, from the Department of City Planning, explained that the site is currently zoned P (public) under the Land Use Map and OS (open space) under the Height and Bulk Map. Under the P designation, the property is limited to Public Uses or other uses that serve the public. In order for a private individual to develop housing on the parcel, the zoning designation must be changed to either RH-2 or RM-1. The OS designation must also be changed to some other Height and Bulk designation, which would require the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors’ approval. If the property was changed to a RH-2 zoning, it would be possible to develop five lots, with 2 units on each lot, totaling 10 units. If it was changed to a RM-1 zoning, it would be possible to develop 3 units on each lot, totaling 15 units.
Mr. Harry Wong, Principal Architect from Asian Neighborhood Design, presented a conceptual plan for 16 units in a cluster setting.
Mr. Jerry Romani, from the Department of Real Estate, informed the committee that the property has an appraised value of $2.5 million. The appraisal was based on the assumption that the property would be rezoned from a P zoned to a RH-2 zone and a fee deduction of $200,000 for the relocation of the right-of-way easement.
Ms. McNamara commented that the total development cost for the 16-studio units scenario would be approximately $3.5 million. The $298 cost per sq. ft. is expensive compared to three other chronically homeless projects in the Mayor’s Office of Housing pipeline, which have an average construction cost of $209 per sq. ft. Faced with limited funds and an existing pipeline of chronically homeless units that are more cost effective, Staff recommended that the Roosevelt site be sold and the proceeds generated from the sale be used to fund the 650 Eddy Street project.
Public Comment
Ms. Adah Bakalinsky, author of Stairway Walks in San Francisco, commented that she takes visitors on walks throughout the city and one of the sites on her walks is the Roosevelt/Henry stairway. She felt that the site is a park for the public to enjoy and should not be developed. Ms. Bakalinsky added that the children from the McKinley Elementary School, which is located adjacent to the site, also use the space.
Ms. Janet Engelbrecht commented that she uses the stairway a few times a week to access public transportation. She is a native San Franciscan and understands the need for affordable housing in the city, but did not believe that the site is suitable for housing development. She has worked with the neighbors to clean up and planted vegetations on the site.
Mr. Doug Ehrlich commented that the site currently serves as an urban forest for the neighborhood. There are a wealth of vegetations and native plants on the site. He explained that as an urban forest, the site provides enormous benefits to the city, such as clean air, health benefits and the reduction of air pollution. Mr. Ehrlich added that in a neighborhood survey, the respondents ranked open space as the most important use for the site.
Ms. Kathy Trewin commented that Roosevelt Way has a beautiful panoramic view of downtown San Francisco and the bay. It’s on the 49-Mile Scenic Drive and many people stop at the spot to take photographs of the view. Ms Trewin felt that it was very important to preserve the site as open space so that all can enjoy the view.
Mr. Curt Holzinger commented that the previous appraisal might not have taken into consideration the existing culvert and would need to be readjusted if it didn’t. Mr. Holzinger commented that in the San Francisco General Plan, under the Recreation and Open Space section, it stated very clear that in case where the land that is declared surplus is designated as open space, open space uses should take priority over other public uses.
Mr. Peter Fitzpatrick asked the committee to hold off on making a decision until the Board of Supervisors has time to act on Supervisor Dufty’s legislation.
Mr. Herbert Donaldson commented that he has lived in the neighborhood for 40 years. He has been involved in the homeless and housing issues throughout his career and understands the need for affordable housing in the City. He did not believe that the site is appropriate for housing development and should be kept open space. Mr. Donaldson asked the committee to defer taking any action until the Board of Supervisors has act on Supervisor Dufty’s ordinance.
Public Comment Closed
Mr. Bradshaw and Mr. Engle expressed that they would like to delay making any recommendation until the Board of Supervisors has time to act on Supervisor Dufty’s legislation. They felt that the neighborhood has taken great care in landscaping the site and keeping it well maintain.
Mr. Reilly pointed out that if the committee made a recommendation, the Board of Supervisors would still have the power to make the final decision. Mr. Reilly made a motion that in the event that the Board of Supervisors does not pass the ordinance introduced by Supervisor Bevan Dufty to transfer the jurisdiction of the property at Roosevelt Way and Henry Street from the Mayor’s Office of Housing to the Recreation and Park Department, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee of the Surplus City Property Program recommended that the property be sold for the highest and best value, with the exception of maintaining a public right-of-way easement equal to or better than the existing one. Mr. Moore amended the motion to include that the proceeds from the sale of the property be used for the 650 Eddy Street development. The following amended motion was seconded by Mr. Bradshaw and unanimously approved.
In the event that the Board of Supervisors does not pass the ordinance introduced by Supervisor Bevan Dufty to transfer the jurisdiction of the property at Roosevelt Way and Henry Street from the Mayor’s Office of Housing to the Recreation and Park Department, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee of the Surplus City Property Program recommended that the city sell the property for the highest and best value, with the exception of maintaining a public right-of-way easement equal to or better than the existing one, and to use proceeds from the sale of the property for the 650 Eddy Street development.
5. Committee Members’ Questions and Matters
None
6. Public Comment
None
Public Comment Closed
7. The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM.