OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Port Commission Meeting - July 8, 2025

Port Commission — Tuesday, July 8, 2025
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionPort Commission
DateTuesday, July 8, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Willie Adams.

0:01

Commissioner Stephen Lee.

0:03

Here.

0:04

And Commissioner Ken McNeely.

0:06

Here.

0:07

Item two is approval of minutes for the June ten, twenty twenty-five court commission meeting.

0:12

Is there a motion?

0:12

So move.

0:13

Second.

0:15

We have a motion and a second.

0:17

All in favor.

0:20

We pass the motion unanimously.

0:22

Next item.

0:23

Item three is public comment on executive session.

0:26

Is there any public comment in the room on executive session?

0:31

Seeing none, do we have any public comment on the phone for executive session?

0:35

For colours on the line, please dial star three if you wish to make public comment.

0:39

And audio prompts will signal when your line is open.

0:41

Comments will be limited to three minutes per person.

0:44

Please style star three if you wish to make public comment.

0:48

And there are no callers at this time.

0:51

Okay, moving forward.

0:52

Next item, please.

0:53

Item four is executive session.

1:00

Okay, we have a motion and we have a second to move into executive session.

1:06

We are now in closed session.

1:02:42

Community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples.

1:02:47

Could we have the slides up, please?

1:02:50

Item seven is announcements.

1:02:52

Please be advised that the ringing of and use of cell phones and similar sound producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting.

1:03:01

A member of the public has up to three minutes to make public comments on each agenda item unless the port commission adopts a shorter period on any item.

1:03:10

Public comments must be in respect to the current agenda item.

1:03:13

The commission will take in-person and remote public comments on each item, beginning with commenters in person.

1:03:21

For remote public comment, dial one four one five six five five zero zero zero one and enter access code two six six three seven nine six zero zero seven six pound pound.

1:03:41

Then dial star three to raise your hand to comment on the item being discussed.

1:03:45

An audio prompts will signal when it is your turn to speak.

1:04:47

Okay, then public comment is closed.

1:04:50

Next item, please.

1:04:52

Item nine A is the executive director's report for callers who wish to make public comments on this item.

1:04:58

Please dial star three to raise your hand to comment.

1:05:01

Good afternoon, President Gilman, Vice President Englum, members of the Commission, members of the public and Port Staff.

1:05:07

I am Elaine Forbes, the Executive Director, and I'm excited to present this month for staff.

1:05:14

First, I would like to share our heartfelt concern and support for citizens and community in Texas.

1:05:20

It's truly a tragic event that we've been that has been unfolding.

1:05:24

And especially as we see so many young people in the room today, just to think young people experience and families experience the tragedy is truly heartbreaking, so our hearts go out to them.

1:05:35

The 4th of July.

1:05:37

We had a wonderful 4th of July at the waterfront.

1:05:40

I'm really excited to say it was completely incident-free.

1:05:43

And that doesn't happen without a lot of work.

1:05:46

A big thanks to our security, maritime and maintenance teams.

1:06:09

And so the fireworks were right in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf, which was fantastic too.

1:06:15

And now to equity.

1:06:17

If we could go to the slides soon.

1:06:22

On behalf of Port staff, I want to extend a very warm welcome.

1:06:26

We have 22 interns this year.

1:06:30

Twelve are from San Francisco high school students.

1:06:33

They're high school students here, and they are in our eight-week maritime intensive program.

1:06:39

One week is going to be spent living on the Cal Academy campus to learn about water safety and personal survival skills.

1:06:49

Then we have our college and traditional age youth interns, 10 college students and transitional age have joined seven of our eight port departments.

1:07:01

They'll be contributing to key projects, and our staff will work very closely with them to show them port work.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████29%
Public Comment█████████████████17%
Economic Development████████8%
Public Works███████7%
Transportation███████7%
Arts and Culture██████6%
Land Use█████5%
Public Art████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Port Commission Meeting - July 8, 2025

The Port Commission convened on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 10:30 AM. The meeting included approval of minutes, an executive session, a memorial tribute to former COO Byron Rhett, the Executive Director’s report, a consent calendar of five contracts and leases, two informational presentations (the Central Embarcadero Safety Project and a temporary public art proposal), and a vote on restructuring the Piers 30-32 and Seawall Lot 330 development agreements. The meeting adjourned at 6:25 PM in loving memory of Byron Rhett.

Consent Calendar

  • 10A – Engineering Services for Pier 94/96 Seismic Stability: Awarded to Moffatt & Nichol for $2,900,500 (Resolution 25-33).
  • 10B – Maintenance Dredging 2025-2030: Awarded to The Dutra Group for $31,663,500 with a 10% contingency (total not to exceed $34,829,850) (Resolution 25-34).
  • 10C – Waterfront Resilience Program Embarcadero Early Projects: Three contracts awarded: Moffatt & Nichol AGS Joint Venture ($9.9M, 7 years), COWI-RJSD Joint Venture ($9.9M, 7 years), and GHD/Structus Joint Venture ($4M, 6 years) (Resolutions 25-35, 25-36, 25-37).
  • 10D – Lease Amendment with YMCA of San Francisco: Approved (Resolution 25-38).
  • 10E – Contract Modification for WRP Wharf J9 Replacement: Retroactively authorized, extending substantial completion by 140 days (total 417 days) (Resolution 25-39).

All consent items were moved, seconded, and approved unanimously. Resolutions 25-33 through 25-39 were adopted.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • On Executive Session: No public comment.
  • On Executive Director’s Report: Monique Moyer (former Port staff) spoke remotely, offering tribute to Byron Rhett and highlighting his 41 years of public service.
  • On Central Embarcadero Safety Project (11A): Alice Rogers (President, South Beach Rincon Mission Bay Neighborhood Association) praised outreach and the palm tree solution but expressed concerns about the no-left-turn at Brannan Street and urged monitoring.
  • On Temporary Public Art Proposal (11B): Jane Connors (General Manager, Ferry Building) expressed strong support. Yanka Kung (San Francisco Giants) supported the art walk and requested coordination with construction. Greg Champo (North Beach resident) suggested expanding to a full bayfront walk.
  • On Piers 30-32 / Seawall Lot 330 (12A): Multiple speakers supported the bifurcation and housing development.
    • Alice Rogers acknowledged community outreach and urged progress on the pier project.
    • Dan Torres (Sprinkler Fitters UA Local 483) spoke in favor, noting the project’s union commitment.
    • Artuto Science (Laborers Local 261) supported housing and union labor.
    • Rudy Gonzalez (Secretary-Treasurer, SF Building Trades Council) praised developer Strata for community engagement and affordable housing commitment.
    • Chris Rosis (Operating Engineers), Emmanuel Sanchez (Iron Workers Local 377), and Cameron Robin (call-in) also urged approval.

Discussion Items

  • Executive Director’s Report (Item 9A):
    • Director Forbes reported a safe July 4th waterfront, welcomed 22 interns (12 high school, 10 college), and announced a new labor gardener intern program.
    • Crane Cove Park: Construction continues but faces a $1.54M funding gap after the San Francisco Parks Alliance dissolution; Port proposes covering it from the Southern Waterfront Beautification Fund, which will delay other improvements.
    • Memorial Tribute: Staff and commissioners shared heartfelt memories of Byron Rhett, former COO and Planning Director, who served the Port for 20 years. A celebration of life will be held at Crane Cove Park on July 31, 2025.
  • 11A – Central Embarcadero Safety Project:
    • Presented by Jay Jackson (Port planner) and Casey Hildred (SFMTA). The project proposes extending the two-way protected bikeway south to Brannan Street, narrowing center medians (removing 15 palm trees, with one-for-one replacement), adding loading zones, and a variable message sign near Washington/Broadway. Trade-offs include parking removal and no-left-turn restrictions at Folsom and Brannan. The project is fully funded (over $8M in grants) and expected to start construction in late 2026. Commissioners raised concerns about enforcement, loading for businesses, emergency vehicle access, and pedestrian safety at crossings. The item was informational; no vote taken.
  • 11B – Temporary Public Art Proposal:
    • Presented by Amy Cohen (Business Generation Manager) and Ryan Walsom (Planner) along with Meredith Winner (Building 180). The Sijbrandij Foundation (co-founded by former GitLab CEO Sid Sijbrandij) and Building 180 propose installing up to 20 temporary sculptures along the waterfront, with 12 initial sites from Pier 45 to Heron’s Head Park. The art is a gift to the city at no cost; installation is planned for October 2025. Commissioners enthusiastically supported the proposal, emphasizing QR codes for interactivity and coordination with other events. Informational only.
  • 12A – Piers 30-32 and Seawall Lot 330:
    • Presented by Wyatt Donnelly Landall (Port development) and Jesse Blout (Strata Investment Group). The Port sought approval to terminate the previous Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) and separate the two projects: advance Seawall Lot 330 (713 units, including 175 affordable) with an increased ground rent of $1.8M/year, and evaluate Piers 30-32 over 18 months (with updates at 6, 12, and 18 months). The pier project faces a $125M funding gap due to office market weakness and federal uncertainty. Separating will generate $60-70M in infrastructure funds for the pier via IFD/CFD. Commissioners questioned guarantees but accepted the developer’s commitment. The item was moved and approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes of June 10, 2025 approved unanimously.
  • Consent Calendar (Resolutions 25-33 through 25-39) adopted unanimously.
  • Resolution 25-40 (Piers 30-32 / Seawall Lot 330) adopted unanimously:
    • Terminated the existing ENA with 550 The Embarcadero Property LLC.
    • Approved a new ENA and term sheet for Seawall Lot 330 with Strata, including 713 housing units (175 affordable) and $1.8M annual ground rent.
    • Approved a new ENA for Piers 30-32 with Embarcadero Pier Property LLC for an 18-month evaluation period.
  • New Business: Commissioner McNeely raised the need to engage LBE subcontractors in large construction projects; staff will return with a plan.
  • Next Steps: Staff will present updates on Piers 30-32 evaluation at 6, 12, and 18 months. Central Embarcadero Safety Project design continues with interdepartmental review. Temporary art installations targeted for October 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Willie Adams. Commissioner Stephen Lee. Here. And Commissioner Ken McNeely. Here. Item two is approval of minutes for the June ten, twenty twenty-five court commission meeting. Is there a motion? So move. Second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor. We pass the motion unanimously. Next item. Item three is public comment on executive session. Is there any public comment in the room on executive session? Seeing none, do we have any public comment on the phone for executive session? For colours on the line, please dial star three if you wish to make public comment. And audio prompts will signal when your line is open. Comments will be limited to three minutes per person. Please style star three if you wish to make public comment. And there are no callers at this time. Okay, moving forward. Next item, please. Item four is executive session. Okay, we have a motion and we have a second to move into executive session. We are now in closed session. Community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples. Could we have the slides up, please? Item seven is announcements. Please be advised that the ringing of and use of cell phones and similar sound producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. A member of the public has up to three minutes to make public comments on each agenda item unless the port commission adopts a shorter period on any item. Public comments must be in respect to the current agenda item. The commission will take in-person and remote public comments on each item, beginning with commenters in person. For remote public comment, dial one four one five six five five zero zero zero one and enter access code two six six three seven nine six zero zero seven six pound pound. Then dial star three to raise your hand to comment on the item being discussed. An audio prompts will signal when it is your turn to speak. Okay, then public comment is closed. Next item, please. Item nine A is the executive director's report for callers who wish to make public comments on this item. Please dial star three to raise your hand to comment. Good afternoon, President Gilman, Vice President Englum, members of the Commission, members of the public and Port Staff. I am Elaine Forbes, the Executive Director, and I'm excited to present this month for staff. First, I would like to share our heartfelt concern and support for citizens and community in Texas. It's truly a tragic event that we've been that has been unfolding. And especially as we see so many young people in the room today, just to think young people experience and families experience the tragedy is truly heartbreaking, so our hearts go out to them. The 4th of July. We had a wonderful 4th of July at the waterfront. I'm really excited to say it was completely incident-free. And that doesn't happen without a lot of work. A big thanks to our security, maritime and maintenance teams.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com