SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION 
MEETING OF THE CIVIC DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE 

Monday, March 21, 2022  
2:00 p.m.  
Remote Meeting via video and teleconferencing 

Draft Minutes 

 
Commissioner Stryker called the meeting to order at 2:01pm. 

Kimberlee Stryker, Chair 
Yakuh Askew (absent) 

Yiying Lu  

Abby Schnair  

Paul Woolford 

Staff Present 

Joanne Lee, Deputy Director of Programs 

Alyssa Ventre, Commission Secretary 

Paris Cotz, CDR Program Associate 

(9:23) 

Located at 733 Kearny Street, the project team presented the proposed improvements at Portsmouth Square, which features a large space subdivided into a small sequences of ‘moments’ or ‘jewels.’ This design approach is supported by the community and was vetted through and extensive public outreach phase.  

The project team stated that they made a few refinements to the previously presented plan. The project team shared that these refinements include an updated landscape interface on Clay Street, new entry treatments on Kearny Street, porous fencing, an integrated trash enclosure, emergency egress gates on Walter U Lum and Kearny Streets, additional street trees and expanded sidewalks, and added new fenestration to the clubhouse.  

The project team showed various locations for potential art installations, which was presented at the February 2022 Visual Arts Committee meeting. The project team focused on increasing access throughout the park, with graded ramps that are ADA accessible, and all ramps are located in addition to sets of stairs for the two levels of the park. 

Commissioners commended the project team for taking their previous comments into account and incorporating these suggestions into the new design.  

Commissioners had a question about access to the community center for nighttime meetings. The project team responded that all fenced parks in San Francisco are open from 6:00am to 10:00pm, and if a community event were to run beyond 10:00pm, then it is still possible for the gates and fencing to be closed (locked) with the ability to safely exit, aided by the addition of egress points on Washington Street, as well as two other locations within the park.   

There was no public comment. 

Commissioner Schnair, second by Commissioner Woolford moved to approve Phase 3 of the Portsmouth Square Improvement Project. 

Cinda Gilliland, Principal, ReedGilliland Landscape Architects 

Jordan Canayan, Associate, Dilworth Eliot [DE+] 

The project team presented the gate to provide security at lower level of new subway station. The team said that based on previous comments, they added a person door emergency access at the lower level that would allow people to exit in the event of an emergency.  

The team proposed a rolling gate, as previously preferred by the commissioners. They said that based on cost, maintenance and aesthetics, the project team decided upon a bamboo pattern scheme for the rolling gate. The team described how the gate provides a good counterbalance to the rest of the design at the subway station, and the design refers to the existing bamboo at the upper level, and offers the least competition to the public art that is also located on the upper level.  

Commissioners had questions about the color of the protective mesh behind the gate. The project team wants to highlight the bamboo pieces and less the security screen; . The project team already has a color palette selected to complement the bamboo. Commissioners appreciated the bamboo scheme and hope that the screening behind the gate will be subtle and integrate into the existing colors of the on-site public artwork and the architecture of Chinatown. 

Commissioners expressed concerns about the bamboo design becoming monolithic, and that it be important that they can withstand street abuse.  

There was no public comment. 

Commissioner Woolford, seconded by Commissioner Schnair moved to approve Small Project Review of Chinatown – Rose Pak Central Subway Gate 

The motion unanimously carried by the following vote: 
Ayes: Stryker, Schnair, Woolford, Lu 

Commissioner Schnair shared updates about the new artwork installation at the Harvey Milk Terminal at San Francisco International Airport. She noted that five paintings will be installed by Cornelia Schulz.  

She also noted that a large-scale textile artwork by Ranu Mukherjee was installed at International Terminal G at San Francisco International Airport. 

Deputy Director of Programs Joanne Lee stated that staff conducted two administrative reviews during the past month. She said the first review was for SFPUC Administrative Building for HVAC Upgrades on 1000 El Camino Real. She shared that the HVAC equipment had to be placed at the back of the building and is not accessible to the public nor is the HVAC visible from the street. She added that the project team ensured that the design was simplified and screened with mesh fencing and vines. 

She noted the other administrative review was the Mariposa Pump Station on Terry Francois Boulevard. This project had been previously approved by the CDR committee in (insert date).   She said the team added four removable bollards to prevent non-authorized parking in the vehicle driveway.  

 
PC posted 4/4/2022 at 9:10am 
 
 

Archives Available 

A recording of this meeting will be available online after the meeting at the following address: https://sfgov.org/arts/civic-design-review-committee-audio-archive 

Language Access 

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Paris Cotz, paris.cotz@sfgov.org. 

我們將為閣下提供免費的書面翻譯資料和口譯服務。如需協助 Paris Cotz, paris.cotz@sfgov.org. 

Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Paris Cotz, paris.cotz@sfgov.org.