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PlanningBoard,2014-09-22,1,"DRAFT MEETING MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014
1 CONVENE
7:03 p.m.
2 FLAG SALUTE
Board Member Knox White led the flag salute.
3 ROLL CALL
Present: President Burton, Vice President Henneberry (arrived
at 7:30 p.m.) Board Members Alvarez-Morroni, Knox White,
and Köster
Absent: Board Members Tang and Zuppan
4 AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION
Mr. Andrew Thomas, City Planner, requested that Item 9, Staff Communications, be
moved to the beginning of the agenda after the Consent Calendar.
5 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Ms. Laura Ramirez-Gonzalez, from Harbor Bay Neighbors, expressed her opposition to
the proposal to build a new Harbor Bay Club in the businesses park. She said she fears
increased traffic on Island Drive.
6 CONSENT CALENDAR
6-A
Alameda Landing Residential Street Names
Mr. Thomas reported that the developer of the Alameda Landing residential, Tri Pointe
Homes, has requested the inclusion of two street names for their project. The names they
are requesting are Manning Lane and Bohol Circle Lane. Originally the name was
reported as Bohol Lane and it should be Bohol Circle Lane to pay tribute to the Bohol
Circle of the Philippines. Item was pulled from consent calendar.
The board opened public comment.
Ms. Crystal Faith Cajilog, secretary of Bohol Circle Inc., spoke in favor of the street name
requests.
Bob Balandra, vice president of Bohol Circle, gave a brief history of the Bohol Circle and
thanked the Planning Board and developer for using the name for a street.
The board closed public comment.
Board member Knox White motion to approve the street names.
Regular Meeting Minutes
Page 1 of 7
September 22, 2014",PlanningBoard/2014-09-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2014-09-22,2,"President Burton thanked Board Member Knox White for instigating the expanded list of
names for consideration.
Board member Alvarez-Morroni seconded the motion. The motion carried, 4-0.
7 REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
Ms. Debbie Potter, Community Development Director, reported on current and upcoming
events in the City of Alameda. She reported that the 2014 Housing Element has been
certified by the State of California. The City Council has voted that instead of having a City
sponsored task force it would be citizen-run. She also reported that there will be a Job
Fair in conjunction with the College of Alameda on October 15, 2014 to help fill jobs at new
Alameda Landing businesses. She also previewed the new Restaurant Guide compiled
by the Economic Development Department and mentioned that there will be an open
house on September 29, 2014 at the Library to meet the potential developers at Alameda
Point sites A & B.
7-A Public Hearing to consider the Master Plan, Density Bonus application,
Development Plan, Design Review, Development Agreement, and Transportation
Demand Management Program for the adaptive reuse and redevelopment of the
Del Monte Warehouse located at 1501 Buena Vista Avenue and two vacant areas
between the building and Sherman Street. The properties are zoned MX (Mixed
Use) and MF (Multifamily Residential). A Subsequent Mitigated Negative
Declaration has been prepared for the project pursuant to California Environmental
Quality Act.
Mr. Thomas gave a presentation on the project. He stated that there are five documents
to be considered at this hearing: the Subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration and draft
Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (SMMRP) environmental document, the
Master Plan for the project, the Development Agreement for the project, the Transportation
Plan for the project, and the Development plan and Design Review for sub area ""A"". He
stated that this is not the final hearing on the project and expects the project to be a five to
ten year development. Future decisions for the project will include the Sub Division Map,
Affordable Housing Agreement, and the Design Review for sub areas ""B"" and ""C"".
Mr. Brian Kanapa, from Nelson Nygaard, informed the board of the TDM plan at the Del
Monte, and offered to answer questions.
Mr. Mike O'Hara, applicant, thanked staff for putting the staff report and presentation
together, and the community for their input. He invited Mr. William Duncanson, architect, to
make a presentation.
Mr. Duncanson gave a presentation.
The Board opened public comment.
Regular Meeting Minutes
Page 2 of 7
September 22, 2014",PlanningBoard/2014-09-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2014-09-22,3,"Vice President Henneberry motioned to limit speaker time to three minutes to
accommodate all speakers. Board Member Alvarez-Morroni seconded. The motion carried
5-0.
Mr. Domenick Weaver, Alameda Firefighter, gave a brief history of Alameda. He spoke in
favor of the Del Monte project, and said that it would help preserve the City's history.
Mr. Kevin Jordan, neighbor, said he was concerned about the increased development. He
was skeptical that adding more development would alleviate density issue.
Ms. Debra Arbuckle, neighbor, opposed the project and criticized the results found by the
Advisory Committee.
Ms. Alison Greene of Plan! Alameda, had comments and questions about the staff
recommendations. She praised staff and developers for their dialogue, even if there are
some major issues. She expressed concern about the traffic increase when residents
move in.
Mr. Nicklous Cabral, neighbor, was in favor of the project. He said the area has been
blighted for a very long time, and that it is time to move forward with the project.
Ms. Ariane Paul, neighbor, says that the density of the project is too high. She said she is
worried about the project's effects on City's infrastructure and asks the Planning Board to
table the project.
Ms. Astrid Keene, neighbor, noted that her street has seen an increase in traffic accidents.
She said she is concerned about the safety of the streets and the people who use them.
She asked the Board how they would mitigate traffic issues in the area.
Mr. Bill Smith, of Renewed Hope, had some concerns about the affordable housing in the
development. He wanted the developer to be responsible for the affordable housing and
agreed that too many parking slots would lead to increased driving in the development.
Ms. Karen Bey, neighbor, said she is excited for the project and asked that it be approved.
Mr. John Macy, neighbor, said he was concerned of the dynamics of the parking on the
streets. Almost every resident who can drive brings their car, and there are more vehicles
than stated in the report.
Mr. Lester Cabral, neighbor, said he provides two parking spaces per unit for his tenants.
He said he is concerned that there will not be adequate parking for the new residents.
Ms. Trish Spencer, School Board Member, said there was no money allocated for schools
in the new development. She agreed with prior speakers that more housing would bring
more cars. She is very concerned that the cars would be parked off-site, and wanted to
see initiatives to increase bus use.
Regular Meeting Minutes
Page 3 of 7
September 22, 2014",PlanningBoard/2014-09-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2014-09-22,4,"Mr. Rion Cassidy, neighbor, said he wanted to know where the loading zones, employee
parking and dumpsters would be located in the new development. He said he met with the
developer privately and said that low-income housing is in separate buildings instead of
integrated into the general project. He said he attended the Historical Advisory Board's
meeting and said that the head of the board, Dennis Owens, was the only one that made
an objective assessment of the project.
Mr. Tom Mills, neighbor, said that the exit to Eagle Avenue would lead to more parking
issues there. He said trucks had the right to enter the City.
Ms. Lucy Gigli, with BikeWalk Alameda, said her group is impressed with the project. She
was concerned of the lack of bicycle parking in the development.
Ms. Kari Thompson, from the City Chamber of Commerce, agreed with previous speakers.
She said the team has been very inclusive of the community's input. She said that
affordable housing is very important for traffic flow.
Ms. Becca Homa, from AC Transit, said she was excited to increase bus service to the
area.
Mr. Doug Linney, from the EBMUD Board, said that the City is in a drought, and that his
organization has to supply water to it. He said the project is an environmentally-friendly
development, and said it was consistent with the City's general plan.
Ms. Laura Thomas, of Renewed Hope Housing Advocates, said the Del Monte Project is a
great project. She said there was a major lack of affordable housing.
Ms. Helen Sause, of the Alameda Home Team, urged approval and thanked the staff for
their work on the development. She said she was confident that the development would
revitalize the Northern Waterfront. She expressed hope of a vibrant neighborhood and
hoped that the issues concerning affordable housing would be resolved.
Ms. Janet Hammond, neighbor, had a question about revenue projections. She wanted to
know the definition of ""existing residents"" as described in the TDM.
Ms. Carol Gottsein, neighbor, said that anyone who wants to live in the development
should be able to. She said that the development would exceed the number of required
disabled parking spaces, but she wanted to see a diagram of the parking spaces. She also
wanted to know if bicycle parking would also accommodate tricycle parking.
Ms. Lois Pryor, resident, agreed with Ms. Thomas and Mr. Smith. She said she was
concerned about the timing of the low-income units.
Mr. Jay Ingram, neighbor, opposed the speed of the development. He wants something
done with the project, but said that the project was still too dense. He compared it
Regular Meeting Minutes
Page 4 of 7
September 22, 2014",PlanningBoard/2014-09-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2014-09-22,5,"negatively to the development on Bay Street in Emeryville and said that parking was a
major issue.
The Board closed public comment.
President Burton thanked the community for their input. He said that there were a lot of
pieces in the development, and that all of them merited equal attention.
Board Member Köster asked why the traffic lights were added. He also wanted clarification
on the use of bus passes.
Mr. Thomas replied that the traffic study was done first, and that the traffic lights would
improve traffic flow. The project also pays school impact fees.
Vice President Henneberry asked Mr. Thomas about Clement Avenue's extension.
Mr. Thomas said that Clement Avenue would ultimately be fully extended in accordance to
the General Plan. He refuted claims that the plans violated the requirements of the
Department of the Interior.
Board Member Alvarez-Morroni said she hears most about traffic flow. She said she
understood that many drivers speed through the area, and that drivers need to change
their habits. She had some questions about bus services in Alameda. She said that it is
unfair for the developer to be involved in neighborhood issues.
Board Member Knox White said he has suggested amendments related to affordable
housing and other issues. He said he is not ready to approve the TDM. He also clarified
differences between car share and firms like Lyft and Über. Transportation mitigation
should be available to all residents.
Board Member Köster said that the project is a very successful one for the City. He said he
was shocked about the height of the building, but was more comfortable about the
setbacks and said it would go well with future developments. He also liked how it would be
LEED certified and the new funding for Jean Sweeney Park. He wanted to remove all
unnecessary traffic signals.
Vice President Henneberry said his opinion of the project has not changed. The positives
far outweigh the negatives. It's time that the president moves forward.
President Burton thanked everyone who came out this evening, and staff for their hard
work. He asked Mr. Thomas how the projects would come together with each other. He
agreed with Board Member Knox White on the wording of the TDM and stated he is
uncomfortable with simply selling off the parking spaces. Either people buy the spaces and
then sell them when they sell the unit, or they return the spaces back. He said that spaces
needed to be unbundled over the long term.
Regular Meeting Minutes
Page 5 of 7
September 22, 2014",PlanningBoard/2014-09-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2014-09-22,6,"Board Member Knox White motioned to approve that staff's mitigated negative declaration
with the staff's additional recommendations. Vice President Henneberry seconded the
motion. The motion carried, 5-0.
Board Member Knox White said that he was concerned that there was no requirement for
funding and tightening the rules of mitigation. He motioned that a requirement be included
to address low income housing, Vice President Henneberry seconded. The motion carried,
5-0.
Board Member Knox White motioned for the City Council approve the development
agreement. Vice President Henneberry seconded. The motion carried, 5-0.
Board Member Knox White motioned to continue discussion of the TDM. Vice President
Henneberry seconded. The motion carried, 5-0.
Board Member Knox White motioned to adopt the Del Monte design review plan. Vice
President Henneberry seconded. The motion carried, 5-0.
7-B Housing Cost and Rents Task Force
Item discontinued due to the City Council decision to have the task force citizen run and
not City sponsored.
7-C
Board Elections-Continued due to a lack of full board compliment.
8 MINUTES
8-A
Draft Meeting Minutes - May 12, 2014
Vice President Hennebery motioned to approve the minutes with edits.
Board member Knox White seconded.
Motioned carried 4-0 (Board Member Alvarez-Marroni abstained)
8-B
Draft Meeting Minutes - July 14, 2014-continued due to a lack of quorum.
Vice President Hennebery motioned to approve the minutes with edits.
Board member Knox White seconded.
Motioned carried 4-0 (Board Member Köster abstained
9 STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
9-A Zoning Administrator and Design Review Recent Actions and Decisions- Mr.
Thomas stated the public counter has been very busy, and he provided a list of projects.
He also reported on upcoming agenda items.
10 WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS: None
11 BOARD COMMUNICATIONS:
None
Regular Meeting Minutes
Page 6 of 7
September 22, 2014",PlanningBoard/2014-09-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2014-09-22,7,"12 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: Mr. Thomas said that the study of Del Monte would be
ready by the Board meeting on October 27th
.
13 ADJOURNMENT: President Burton adjourned the meeting at 10:43 P.M.
Regular Meeting Minutes
Page 7 of 7
September 22, 2014",PlanningBoard/2014-09-22.pdf