San Francisco Port Commission Meeting - October 22, 2019
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San Francisco Port Commission Meeting - October 22, 2019
The San Francisco Port Commission met on October 22, 2019, at 2:30 PM, adjourning at 5:35 PM. The meeting covered the Executive Director's report, an informational presentation on citywide resilience efforts, a request for proposals for the adaptive reuse of historic piers, and approval of a bond refunding resolution.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the September 24, 2019, meeting.
- Entered executive session and reconvened; voted not to disclose the contents of that session.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Diane Amato, a neighbor, expressed concerns about noise from loud music bouncing off the water, double-parked buses, and lack of Uber drop-off areas affecting quality of life near Piers 38 and 40.
- Alice Rogers, President of the South Beach Rincon Mission Bay Neighborhood Association, expressed support for moving forward with the RFP for the historic piers, praising the focus on values and priorities rather than specific uses.
Discussion Items
- Executive Director's Report (Item 9A): Elaine Forbes reported on successful Fleet Week (October 7–14, 2019), acknowledged staff contributions, and noted the appointment of Rick Dickerson and Alice Rogers as chair and vice chair of the SAFE Embarcadero Navigation Center Advisory Group, with Five Keys selected as the provider. She announced passage of State Senate Bill 451 (State Historic Tax Credit Program), which can be used with federal historic credits and has a $50 million cap (with $10 million set aside for smaller projects). Forbes also described a San Francisco Chamber of Commerce trip to Seattle (September 25–27) to learn from Seattle's seawall replacement and waterfront improvement efforts, including a special tax district for funding. She reported on the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) conference in Norfolk, Virginia (October 14–16), where the port received an award for the Embarcadero Seawall campaign. Finally, she announced that the Port of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Audubon Society received an award for environmental protection at Pier 94.
- Citywide Resilience Efforts (Item 11A): Brian Strong (Chief Resilience Officer) provided an update on the Hazard and Climate Resilience Plan, noting that the city is developing over 70 strategies to mitigate risks from natural hazards (earthquakes, sea level rise, heat, poor air quality, etc.). The plan is required for FEMA funding eligibility. Public engagement included workshops with 50+ community organizations and a survey with 500+ responses. The plan will be submitted to FEMA in December 2019. Adam Verrit (Planning Department) presented the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Consequences Assessment, which examined up to 108 inches of sea level rise (including storm surge). Key findings include potential impacts on transportation, shoreline open space, new development, and joint risks from coastal and pluvial flooding. The assessment identified that all port facilities are at risk. Commissioners discussed progress compared to other cities (e.g., Seattle, San Mateo, Miami Beach), private sector engagement, and the importance of FEMA approval for accessing federal hazard mitigation grants.
- Request for Proposals for Piers 38 and 40 (Item 12A): David Beaupre (Real Estate and Development) presented a request for authorization to issue an RFP for the adaptive reuse, rehabilitation, lease, and operation of the South Beach Historic Piers 38 and 40 within the Embarcadero National Register Historic District. The RFP is aligned with the Waterfront Land Use Plan, the Port's Resilience Program, and stakeholder input. Minimum qualifications include experience with a single development project of at least $40 million in committed funding. Scoring criteria allocate 100 points for written proposals (quality of design, financial strength, experience) and up to 30 additional points for oral interviews. The selection panel will include a development expert, port staff, a port advisory group member, and a citywide/regional representative. Extensive discussion by commissioners led to several amendments: revisit the 5-minute presentation time, extend the blackout period to cover panelists, and have the commission hear all proposals meeting minimum qualifications after the scoring panel completes its work (with scores public) in an informational meeting before a final recommendation. The resolution was approved with these amendments.
- Bond Refunding (Item 10A): Staff presented Resolution 19-42 to authorize the issuance of Series 2020 Refunding Revenue Bonds not to exceed $27 million (expected $23.5 million) to refund the remaining outstanding balance on the 2010 Revenue Bonds. The refunding is estimated to save the Port approximately $13 million over the life of the bonds, with a net present value of $7.9 million. The maturity dates remain unchanged. The resolution was approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 19-43 (Piers 38 and 40 RFP): Approved with amendments. Staff will incorporate commissioner feedback (extended presentation time, blackout period for panelists, scoring completed before commission presentations, and a memo to commissioners on panel composition).
- Resolution 19-42 (Bond Refunding): Approved unanimously. The transaction will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on October 29, 2019, and is expected to close by March 1, 2020.
- The informational presentations on resilience efforts were received and discussed; no formal action was taken.
Meeting Transcript
Meeting called to order at two thirty PM. Uh good afternoon. Welcome to the October twenty second meeting of the San Francisco Port Commission. My name is Leah Laquat. I am uh clerking today for Amy Casada, who is out on jury duty. Um, we'll call go with item one roll call. Com uh Vice uh President Brandon. Here Vice President Adams is absent. Commissioner Gilman. Here. Commissioner Macris. Yes. Commissioner Wuho. Here. You have quorum. Um now on to item two, approval of the minutes from the September twenty-fourth meeting. So moved. Second. All in favor? The minutes have been approved. Thank you. Uh item three, public comment on executive session. Is there any public comment on executive session? See none. Can I have a motion to go into closed session? So make a motion. All in favor? Thank you. San Francisco government television. And I have a motion to reconvene in every session. So much. Second. All in favor. Aye. Motion to not disclose what was discussed in executive session. Second. All in favor? Aye. Now on to item six, Pledge of Allegiance. My Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. For which it stands under individuality and justice for all. Item seven announcements. Please be advised that the use of cell phones, pagers, and other sound producing electronics are prohibited during this meeting. Please take a moment to silence your cell phones. And also please be aware that members of the public have up to three minutes to make pertinent public comment on each item on the agenda unless otherwise stated. Now on to item eight, public comment on items not on the not on the agenda today. Is there any public comment on items not listed on the agenda? See non-public comment disclosed. Thank you. Item 9A, Executive Director's Report.
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