Addressing Neighbors Concerns

All loading and unloading for catering will take place through the Pine Street entrance. Use of this dock for performance and event loading operations is infeasible. The Pine Street driveway is too short to accommodate the larger trucks required to carry equipment used for such events, there is no freight elevator to the Auditorium, and the back-in is too dangerous and would disrupt traffic.

Live Nation will provide fixed sound and lighting systems in the Auditorium. These systems will be used for most performances. The use of these in-house sound and lighting systems will reduce the amount and frequency of loading this equipment into and out of the building from California Street compared to previous operations.

To minimze the noise from buses and trucks idling in front of the Center, electric shore power will be available on the southern side of California Street. Event buses will be required to connect to that power source in order to ensure the quiet and clean powering of these vehicles while parked on the street. No engine idling will be permitted for any purpose, including during loading and unloading operations.

A resilient surface material, such as rubber or vinyl, will be placed on truck ramps, pavement, sidewalk and the ramp to ensure that the path from the truck to building and back will be equipped to provide sound absorption from the street into the building.

Noise from the transition to different surfaces (e.g., between a bumpy ramp and concrete sidewalk) will incorporate transition strips. Such strips will reduce noise generation from equipment casters and/or wheels due to the abrupt change in surface conditions.

Live Nation employees involved in loading and unloading will control their behavior and volume of conversation during loading operations. Non-Live Nation personnel will be directed to control their voice and behavior during these operations

Amplified music or sound outside the building will be prohibited.

Pre-paid parking will be offered to those who purchase it in advance of shows. Pre-paid parking passes will specify the location of the garage for which the ticket has been paid (either the Masonic Center garage or any other nearby garage that enters into a cooperating agreement with the Masonic Center. A portion of pre-paid parking pass holders and monthly parkers will access the Masonic Center garage through the Pine Street loading dock prior to large events at the Center to reduce queuing on California Street. Traffic staffing inside the garage will be enhanced to more quickly direct cars to open parking spaces and reduce queuing on California Street.

There will be SFPD personnel on the street that will control and direct traffic. SFPD personnel will also be trained to direct patrons to other garages and/or review the pre-paid parking tickets and direct drivers to the garage for which they have pre-paid parking (if arrangement with nearby garages can be negotiated).

The incoming ticket collection process will be altered to minimize queuing. One possible measure under consideration is to convert the center lane of the garage ramp to a second inbound lane. This could potentially double the rate of cars entering the garage from California Street at any time.

In conjunction with the sale of pre-paid parking online, the Center and Live Nation will work closely with nearby garages to facilitate notifying patrons that spaces in those garages can be used in the event that the Center's garage is full.

Credit card transactions for parking are required by San Francisco ordinance. To minimize the impact on queuing from these transactions, the Center will explore the use of credit card readers. This will speed up the confirmation of credit card transactions by roughly 25%.

Live Nation will offer incentives, such as free water or soda, to its patrons to encourage them to take public transit to the event.

Spaces available for monthly parking will decrease once construction starts. This will make available more garage spaces for events.

Trucks and buses used by performers will be directed to park as far east as possible on California Street to minimize conflicts with the Gramercy driveway, with cross traffic onto California Street and pedestrians along California Street.

To minimize cars parking for longer than it takes to drop off passengers, the Center is exploring obtaining City approval to paint a passenger (white) curb on a portion of California Street between the garage and the loading ramp. This will provide an extended queuing lane during events.

A parking lane will be reserved in front of the Center as well as Grace Cathedral for any event that requires more than 3 busses and/or trucks. Such space would not conflict with the possible passenger drop-off zone.

Live Nation and the Masonic Center will have a security plan to ensure neighborhood safety before, during and after performances. This multi-pronged approach will be used to quietly move patrons from the sidewalk and plaza entrances into the building. These same personnel will monitor the crowd after the event has ended to ensure that all patrons have left the building and are not loitering in and around the Masonic Center.

Live Nation will set up a published, direct-dial phone line that will be staffed during operating hours to ensure neighbors have a person to contact if they have any question or concerns.

Live Nation's Masonic general manager and security director will be in close communication with the Center's residential and business neighbors to make certain residents and businesses are not inconvenienced by events at the Auditorium.

High quality air scrubbers will be installed to ensure that exhause from the kitchen is cleaned before being released into the air.

The Center and Live Nation will institute a trash pick up program after each event.

An outdoor smoking plaza (accessible only from within the building) has been designated on the northeast side of the building, near Taylor Street and away from the Gramercy and 1200 California. It will be monitored and enforced by Live Nation staff before and during performances. The smoking area will be closed when the event concludes.

All of the seating is being removed from the floor of the Auditorium to create a more flexible gathering space. That newly available floor area will be converted to multiple terraced floors to allow for seated and standing viewing as well as cabaret and table seating. Maximum occupancy in the Auditorium will never exceed 3,500. The Exhibition Hall, which is on the lower level and used for meetings and banquets, will be reduced in area. Because of the reduction in floor area to the Exhibition Hall, there is no change to the building's overall occupancy as a result of the renovations.