LANDMARK TREE COMMITTEE

 

 Meeting Notice and Agenda

 

Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 4:00 PM

City Hall, Room 421

One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

San Francisco, CA

 

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:  Mike Boss (Chair), Carolyn Blair, Steve Griswold, David Habert, and Mark Sustarich

                                                                  

Urban Forestry Council Associate:  Grace Ma

 

Council Secretary:  Monica Fish

 

Order of Business

 

Public Comment will be heard before the Committee takes action on any item.

 

1.      CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

 

2. ACTION: Adoption of minutes of the October 10, 2006 Urban Forestry Council Landmark Tree Committee Regular Meeting.  (Explanatory Document: Draft Minutes of the October 10, 2006 Regular Meeting.)

 

3. DISCUSSION and ACTION: Hearing on Nominations for Landmark Tree Status. The Landmark Tree Committee will hold a hearing to determine whether the tree nominated at the following address meets the criteria for designation as landmark trees:

 

Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), 455 Chenery Street

 

At the conclusion of the hearing, the Landmark Tree Committee will vote on whether to approve or reject the nomination and shall adopt written findings to support its decision to forward to the Urban Forestry Council.  The Council will forward approved nominations to the Board of Supervisors for further consideration. (Explanatory Documents: Landmark Tree Nomination Form, pictures, explanatory documents)

 PRESENTER: Grace Ma, Urban Forestry Council Associate

 

4. DISCUSSION and ACTION:  Nomination, Hearing, and Paperwork Instructions.  The Landmark Tree Committee will create written instructions to advise the public about the nomination, hearing, and paperwork requirements.

 

5. DISCUSSION and ACTION:  City Agency Instructions.  The Landmark Tree Committee will create a recommended process to submit to City agencies/department heads/officials on the Landmark Hearing process and submission requirements. 

 

6. DISCUSSION and ACTION:  The Landmark Tree Committee will discuss and vote to adopt the Meeting/Documentation Due Dates Schedule. (Explanatory Document:  Schedule)

 SPONSOR:  Committee Member Mike Boss

SPEAKER:  Grace Ma, Council Associate

 

7. DISCUSSION:  The Landmark Tree Committee will discuss creation of an outreach brochure advocating landmarking of trees.

 

8. DISCUSSION: New Business

 

9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

 

10. PUBLIC COMMENT:  Members of the public may address the Committee on matters that are within the Committee’s jurisdiction and are not on today’s agenda.

 

11. ADJOURNMENT

 

Landmark Tree Hearing Recommended Guidelines

The Committee Chair has the discretion to change speaker order or length of time for each speaker if the Chair determines the request to be reasonable.

 

1) Sponsor for nomination (10 min)

2) Staff analysis (10 min)

3) Property owner’s presentation, including outside professional staff (10 min)

4) Public comment (up to 3 min/per person)

5) Staff Rebuttal (3-5 min)

6) Property Owner Rebuttal (3-5 min)

7) Discussion and Action by Committee

 

Public Comment

 

At this time, members of the public may address the Committee on items of interest that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Committee but are not on today’s agenda.  Public comment will be taken following each agendized item.  Each member of the public may address the Committee for up to three minutes, unless otherwise announced by the Chair. If it is demonstrated that the comments by the public will exceed 15 minutes, the Chair may continue Public Comment to another time during the meeting.

 

The Brown Act forbids the Committee from taking action or discussing any item or issue not appearing on the posted agenda.  This rule applies to issues raised in public comment as well.   In response to public comment, not on an agendized item, the Council is limited to:

 

1.         Briefly responding to statements made or questions posed by members of the public, or

2.         Request staff to report back on a matter at a subsequent meeting, or

3.         Directing staff to place the item or issue on a future agenda  (Government Code Section 54954.2(a).)

 

Disability Access

 

The Urban Forestry Council Landmark Tree Committee meetings will be held in Room 421, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA.  The Committee meeting room is wheelchair accessible.  The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center Station at United Nations Plaza and Market Street.  Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: #42 Downtown Loop, and #71 Haight/Noriega and the F Line to Market and Van Ness and the Metro Stations at Van Ness and Market and at Civic Center.  For information about MUNI accessible services call (415) 923-6142.  There is accessible curbside parking adjacent to City Hall on Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue and in the vicinity of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue adjacent to Davies Hall and the War Memorial Complex.

 

The following services are available on request 48 hours prior to the meeting; except for Monday meetings, for which the deadline shall be 4:00 p.m. of the last business day of the preceding week:  For American sign language interpreters or the use of a reader during a meeting, a sound enhancement system, and/or alternative formats of the agenda and minutes, please contact Monica Fish at (415) 355-3709 to make arrangements for the accommodation.  Late requests will be honored, if possible.

 

In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products.  Please help the City accommodate these individuals.  Individuals with chemical sensitivity or related disabilities should call the Mayor’s Office on Disability accessibility hotline at (415) 554-6060.

 

Know your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance

(Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)

 

Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public.  Commissions, boards, councils, and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business.  This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review.  For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, Frank Darby, Sunshine Task Force Administrator, City Hall, Room 409, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA  94102-4683 at Phone No.: (415) 554-7724; Fax No.: (415) 554-7854; E-mail:  [email protected].  Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Public Library and on the City’s website at www.sfgov.org.

 

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code §2.100, et. seq] to register and report lobbying activity.  For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at: 30 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 581-2300, fax (415) 581-2317; web site at www.sfgov.org/ethics.

Other Important Information

The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting.  Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.

 

Copies of explanatory documents are available to the public at Department of Environment, 11 Grove Street, San Francisco, California between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or when possible, on the Landmark Tree Committee meeting website or upon request to the Council Secretary, at the above address or telephone number 415-355-3709, or via e-mail at [email protected] within three business days of a meeting.

 

When bringing handouts to meetings, please photocopy on both sides of the paper and try to use post-consumer recycled or tree-free paper.  Also, please bring sufficient copies of handouts for both the Commission and the public.