Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association

Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting

February 19, 2009

550 Davis Street, Unit 25, San Francisco, CA 94111

 

 

The meeting began at 5:45 pm and was called to order by President Bill Sauro.

 

Board members in attendance in addition to President Sauro:  Fred Allardyce, Bill Benkavitch, Jonathan Middlebrook, Carol Parlette, Lee Radner, Linda Schwartz, Diana Taylor, Joe Wyman.

 

Board members who were absent:  Morton Beebe, Felix Rodriguez.

 

Also in attendance:  Jay Folberg.

 

1.  Quorum Call.  When the meeting was called to order, there were eight Board members in attendance.

 

2.  Approval of Minutes.  The minutes of the January 29, 2009 meeting were approved as amended, by unanimous vote.

 

3.  Treasurer’s Report.  Carol Parlette distributed the Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Budget Summary Report as of 2/19/2009.  The current balance is $6,374.76, which is $15.00 more than the January report.  The Newsletter costs are shown in more detail as the Board agreed to during the last meeting.  The Board adopted the Treasurer’s Report unanimously.

 

4.  Committee Reports.

          a. Waterfront Action Committee.  Discussion was deferred.

 

          b. 8 Washington.  The Committee engaged in a lengthy discussion about this proposed development.  Two salient points emerged requiring further action.  The first is an immediate need for a BCNA position statement at the February 24, 2009 SF Port Commission Meeting, where it is expected that the Port will approve Exclusive Rights to Negotiate for San Francisco Waterfront Partners development proposal on Sea Wall Lot 351 and the Golden Gateway Tennis & Swim Club.  The second is to assess what the future of this site might be and to establish options on addressing them.  The Board agreed that a letter should be written and presented at the Port Commission meeting.  President Sauro took responsibility to draft the letter.  Carol Parlette will read the letter at the Port Commission meeting.  The Board’s future options will be developed at a subsequent meeting.

         

          c. Membership Committee.  President Sauro reported that there are currently 122 dues paying members.  He presented a list of people who have not renewed and asked the Board to follow up if they know any of these people to find out why they have not done so.

 

5.  Old Business.

          a. Community Benefit District.  President Sauro reported that the CBD concept is losing steam.  Neither the Downtown nor the Broadway CBD will be formed.  Tax issues and costs are the main factor.  Any action on a BCNA CBD is unlikely until the economy improves.

 

          b. Battery Building Height Increase.  The Committee discussed how to become more involved in this proposed height increase, as Supervisor Chiu had stated at the January meeting that he’d like help from BCNA to vet this project.  Fred Allardyce agreed to research how to get BCNA designated as a neighborhood group by the City to monitor future developments.  This is similar to what is done by North Beach Neighbors and Telegraph Hill Dwellers.

 

          c. 110 The Embarcadero Project.  President Sauro stated that SF Planning Commission approval of the rezoning for this height increase will be appealed at the March 17th Board of Supervisors meeting.  He urged Board members to attend.

 

          d. Exploratorium Update.  Linda Schwartz agreed to attend the February 23rd meeting and report back to the Board at the next meeting.  Joe Wyman stated that public comments are due on March 16th.

 

6.  New Business.

          a. Planning for Annual Meeting.  Joe Wyman stated he will check the availability of the Santa Rosa ferry boat for either May 28th or June 4th as the location for the meeting.  He also mentioned having a one hour ‘membership drive’ cruise along the waterfront with historical commentary.  President Sauro stated that he doubted Mayor Newsom would be available to be a guest speaker at the Annual meeting.

 

          b. David Chiu Town Hall Meeting.  President Sauro reminded the Board that Supervisor Chiu is having a Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, February 26th at the Francisco Middle School.  The meeting begins at 6:00 pm.  He encouraged Board members to attend.

 

          c. Public Statements by Board Members.  The Board discussed how a Board member should identify him/herself when making public statements.  There had been some confusion as to whether a Board member is speaking for the Board on a topic or speaking as an individual.  It was agreed that a Board member can identify him/herself as a Board member and then state that he/she is speaking as an individual.  Speaking on behalf of BCNA will only be done with Board approval.

 

          d. Forming a BCNA Traffic and Parking Committee.  Diana Taylor stated that she knows a former MTA employee who has expressed an interest in forming a committee to review parking and traffic in the neighborhood.  She agreed to invite him to an upcoming Board meeting.

 

7.  Next Meeting.  The next BCNA Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2009.  Meeting location and starting time is to be determined.

 

8.  Adjournment.  The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Bill Benkavitch

Secretary