body,date,page,text,path
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,1,"APPROVED MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016
1. CONVENE
President Knox White called the meeting to order at 7:01pm
2. FLAG SALUTE
Board Member Zuppan led the flag salute.
3. ROLL CALL
Present: President Knox White, Board Members Henneberry, Köster, Sullivan, Zuppan.
Board Member Mitchell arrived at 7:05pm. Absent: Board Member Burton.
4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION
President Knox White moved Staff Communications to the beginning of the meeting.
5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Gretchen Lipow asked why there appeared to be no Community Facilities District in the
Encinal Terminals plan to pay for public safety.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR
*None*
***9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
9-A 2016-3038
Appointment of a Planning Board member to sit on Ad Hoc Committee for
Preparation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan
Staff Member Fonstein introduced the item and gave an update on the formation of the
new committee.
Board Member Zuppan volunteered and was appointed to the Ad Hoc Committee.
7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
7-A 2016-3033
PLN16-0165 - Westmont of Harbor Bay Assisted Living. Applicant: Chris
Garwood for Pacific Union Land Investors LLC. Public hearing to consider
a
revision to the previously approved Final Development Plan PLN15-0092
(Esplanade site) to allow construction of an approximately 105,500-square-
foot, two-story senior assisted living facility on the remainder of the
undeveloped portion of the property at 2900 Harbor Bay Parkway. The site
is located within a CM-PD Commercial Manufacturing Planned
Development Zoning District in the Harbor Bay Business Park. Pursuant to
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 1 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,2,"CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, there have been no significant changes
in circumstances that require revisions to the previously certified
Environmental Impact Report. The proposed project is not likely to cause
substantial environmental damage or substantially and avoidably injure
endangered, rare, or threatened fish or wildlife or their habitat.
Staff Member Thomas introduced the item. The staff report and attachments can be found
at:
https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2751057&GUID=767B8261-
-279-47BB-AOC3-8B37255A44FD&FullText=1
Ms. Bishop, biologist with Monk & Associates, gave a report on her wildlife survey.
Chris Garwood, project applicant, spoke about why they think the site is a good spot for
seniors.
Michael O'Rourke, project applicant, explained how the operation would work and the
growing need for this type of facility.
Board Member Zuppan asked if a one day wildlife survey was adequate.
Ms. Bishop explained the process she used to survey the site from a distance prior to a
thorough examination of the site.
Board Member Sullivan asked if May 6th was the right time to look for nesting birds.
Ms. Bishop said it was and that nesting season begins in February.
Board Member Mitchell asked for more information on the level of care for the residents
and demands on emergency services.
The applicant explained that they are an assisted living facility, but do not provide more
acute levels of care such as feeding tubes, open wounds, etc. He said EMS is called
periodically but not often.
Board Member Henneberry asked if the zoning and licensing requirements are the same
as for Cardinal Point.
Staff Member Thomas said they were, but Cardinal Point was in a manufacturing area and
this area allows more uses in the commercial area.
Board Member Köster confirmed that the units do not have kitchens.
President Knox White opened the public hearing.
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 2 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,3,"Audrey Lord-Hausman expressed support for the project and said there is a dire need for
this type of project.
Patricia Reilly said she supports the project. She said we do not have a lot of assisted
living facilities and she hopes not to leave the island when she has to move into an
assisted living facility.
Carol Gottstein said the site is very far from available hospitals. She said she does not
feel this type of facility meets the zoning for the site.
Ron Kamangar said the location is directly under the flight path for the airport and not
suitable for this type of facility. He said burrowing owls use the site but the construction
next door was the reason she did not find anything.
Patricia Gannon said the building is too big. She said the location is not appropriate for
assisted living.
George Humphries said he is opposed to the project as envisioned. He said he is
concerned with view corridors and wildlife habitat.
Tim Neilson said he is concerned about the ferry. He said the ferry needs the land adjacent
to the ferry parking lot to continue to thrive. He suggested a downsized facility with parking
for the ferry as a compromise.
Bob Osterman said Alameda has an abundance of open space and parkland. He said he
supports the project and that it would generate tax revenue for the city.
Reyla Graber said, that in 2008, 1200 people signed a petition to keep the area as open
space. She showed a video on the jack rabbits that live on the site.
Art Lenhardt said he supports the development. He said Alameda needs this type of
facility. He said he hopes that as a senior he is at least as important as a jack rabbit.
Honora Murphy, Juelle Ann Beyer, Jon Burkhard, Rosemary Reilly, Luann Dewitt, and
Diane Lichtenstein submitted video comments expressing support for the project.
Laura Ramirez Gonzalez said she does not support this project at this location. She said
the wildlife has decreased greatly as the area has been developed. She said the cost of
this project would be very high.
Cathy Leong said there are many animals that use the site that you won't see in one day.
She said that whatever is built needs to be small enough to preserve habitat and allow
people to enjoy the area.
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 3 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,4,"Steven Gortler said the project is too large. He said this is a luxury retirement facility not
a medical facility. He said it does not meet the zoning and the City would open itself to a
lawsuit if it approved the project.
Pat Lamborn said the applicant does not have a good reputation. She said this operator
should not be approved.
Daniel Reidy, Harbor Bay Business Park Association, said the design of the project is
attractive and workable. He said the project would add variety to the business park.
Brock Grunt said he is in favor of the project. He said the city has a need for this type of
facility. He said this is the type of place kids would want to come visit their grandparents.
He said he loves nature but the rabbits are incredibly adaptable.
Larry William said he supports the project and would want to live there, soon. He said he
has had difficulty finding a quality facility in the area that has space.
Bruce Myers read a letter from WETA that supports the project.
Tom Krysiak said he opposes the project because of the size, loss of views and wildlife
concerns.
Joe Van Winkle said the EIR is out of date. He said the building is too big for the site.
Robert Dowd said he supports the project.
Peter Brand suggested establishing a habitat mitigation program for the developer to
contribute too. He suggested the Doolittle landfill site as an ideal location for spending
mitigation dollars.
Kari Thompson, Chamber of Commerce, said the project is transit friendly and has lower
impacts than alternative uses. She said this land was created for development purposes
and not open space.
Geoffrey Burnaford said people value wildlife more than humans. He said he supports the
project.
Irene Dieter said everyone supports assisted living. She asked if the developer considered
a smaller footprint and adding a story. She asked if they could include an affordability
requirement.
Dorothy Freeman said the facility is the right idea in the wrong location. She said the
location is too isolated and would not offer a variety of services for residents and their
families.
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 4 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,5,"Kevin Hester said the site was zoned for development, not open space. He says the
proposal eliminates much of the asphalt in the previous plans and will be aesthetically
pleasing.
President Knox White closed the public hearing.
President Knox White asked how the airport noise is addressed.
Staff Member Thomas said the project was reviewed and approved by the airport land use
commission.
President Knox White asked when the property was planned. He asked what discretion
they have over the plan.
Staff Member Thomas said the development plans date back to 1979. He said they
updated the areas of the EIR that have changed. He said the City has discretion to deny
the use and keep the office use for the site.
Board Member Henneberry asked what would have to happen to make the site remain
open space.
Staff Member Thomas said the City would have to buy the property or use eminent domain
to purchase the land for public use. He said you would have to also pay for programming
and maintaining the park.
Staff Attorney Brown said the City also has a vested contractual relationship and the owner
has a right to develop the property.
Board Member Zuppan said she met with the developer as well as community members
on both sides of the issue. She said she supports assisted living but has concerns about
this site. She said she is concerned with site coverage, lack of use flexibility from limited
parking, job types and tax base, and view corridors. She said the class of job is completely
different from this use compared to office use. She said she would like a view corridor in
the middle if the project goes forward. She said the project could be smaller. She says a
smaller footprint would allow landscaped space to be converted to parking if the use
changed in the future. She said she is not ready to approve the project tonight.
Board Member Henneberry said he supports Board Member Zuppan's comments. He said
he liked the comment to increase the height to reduce the footprint. He said some of the
issues could be addressed through design review. He said he is in favor of the use and
thinks it could work at the site.
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 5 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,6,"Board Member Mitchell said he met twice with the developer. He said we need assisted
living in this community. He said he is concerned with the scale and scope compared to
the previously approved use. He said he is torn. He said he would like to send it back,
reduce the footprint, and increase the view corridors.
Board Member Köster said he is concerned with the loss of the view corridors. He said the
use is good and the parking and traffic impacts are less with this project. He suggested a
more compact design and maybe to increase the height.
Board Member Sullivan said she supports assisted living in Alameda. She said the scale
of this building is too large. She said she is concerned with safety and that she thinks the
location is not appropriate for this facility. She said she is concerned with the quality of
jobs the project would bring in.
President Knox White said he would like to see the shuttle and WETA bike parking
contributions spelled out in anything that is approved. He said we need all types of jobs.
He said there is still a large amount of land available for commercial development in the
Harbor Bay Business Park. He said this is a good transitional use from the office park to
the residential neighborhoods.
Board Member Henneberry made a motion to approve the resolution allowing the assisted
living use for the site and to continue working with staff on the footprint and size of the
facility. Board Member Köster seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-1 (Sullivan).
The resolution can be found at: https://alamedaca.gov/sites/default/files/document-
files/department-files/Planning/2016 planning board resos june-july 2016 reduced.pd
President Knox White announced a five minute recess.
Board Member Henneberry made a motion to continue the meeting past 11pm in order to
hear Item 7-C and continue item 7-B to a future meeting. Board Member Mitchell
seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0.
7-B 2016-3034
Public Hearing to Introduce an Ordinance Amending Chapter 30 of the
Alameda Municipal Code (Zoning Ordinance) to Remove Barriers and Add
Incentives for Second Units. The proposed amendments regarding Second
Units are Statutorily Exempt pursuant to Section 15282(h), for the adoption
of ordinances implementing AB 1866 - Second Unit Law (Government
Code Section 65852.2).
CONTINUED
7-C 2016-3035
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 6 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,7,"Planning Board Study Session: Encinal Terminals Master Plan Sub Area
Land Uses and Building Heights.
Staff Member Thomas introduced the item. The staff report and attachments can be found
at https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2751059&GUID=C9C81E47-
EBA-477A-9C1E-B9699781F621&FullText=1
Mike O'Hara, Tim Lewis Communities, gave a presentation on the site and their thoughts
on trading off between building heights and the amount of open space.
Board Member Zuppan asked if the increased open space would require additional units
to pay for those benefits.
Staff Member Thomas said that they should not make that assumption and just provide
input on how they would like the site organized and what their thoughts are on the height
question.
President Knox White opened the public hearing.
Dorothy Freeman said less open space is better than a 250 foot skyscraper. She said it
would set a precedent that all future developers would try and follow. She said there is
abundant open space near the site.
Alison Greene said that you can't separate the land swap considerations from the height
discussions. She said she does not want to lose sight of the benefits earned from the Del
Monte process.
Karen Bey said we should use Alameda Point as a model for the Northern Waterfront. She
said she is okay with the heights. She said it is important to make sure we get benefits
from the site. She said she would like restaurants to be a permitted use, not a conditional
one.
Wesley Bexton said they have seen a dramatic reduction in their views from the Lennar
development. He said effects on landscapes and wind should be considered.
Brian McGuire said the site is remote and having some tall buildings out toward the edge
of the site makes sense. He said high story units can earn a premium and pay for public
amenities. He said there is too much emphasis on space for cars along Alaska Basin and
they should be moved to the other side of the buildings.
Anita Longoria said she wants to keep the buildings shorter.
President Knox White closed the public hearing.
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 7 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,8,"Board Member Sullivan said a 25 story building is too big and out of context. She said she
would prefer to see smaller buildings.
Board Member Köster said he was intrigued by the idea of the taller building with more
open space. He said he agrees with the idea of increasing heights as they go toward the
water. He said he would like to see Entrance Rd extended and a view corridor preserved.
He said the 250 foot height limit is probably too tall for Alameda.
Board Member Zuppan said she has a problem with the idea of a 250 foot building trying
to fit into the neighborhood. She said she would like to see the heights lower on the
Fortmann Marina side to prevent shadow impacts on the boats. She said she was
concerned that the road layout would create hard wind corridors. She said she is
supportive of having the taller buildings out towards the end as long as they are set back
far enough. She said she would lean towards lower buildings with less open space.
Board Member Mitchell said he did not think a 250 foot building is in character for Alameda.
He said he could support stepping the heights up as they go out on the project. He said
putting the large road between the buildings and the boardwalk would be a lost
opportunity.
Board Member Henneberry said the 250 foot tower is probably a non-starter. He said he
was otherwise in favor of shrinking the building footprints to get more open space.
President Knox White said he would like to see some bike infrastructure in the plan the
next time the project comes forward. He said he does not see a 250 foot building getting
approved. He said he is concerned with connecting the project with the neighborhood. He
said there are too many roads on the site and would not like to see townhomes because
they conflict with the City's transportation and universal design goals.
8. MINUTES
8-A 2016-3036
Draft Meeting Minutes - March 28, 2016
Board Member Zuppan made a motion to approve the minutes. Board Member Sullivan
seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0 (Henneberry recused, not in attendance).
9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
*Moved to beginning of meeting*
10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 8 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-06-22,9,"12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
13. ADJOURNMENT
President Knox White adjourned the meeting at 11:34pm.
Approved Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2016
Page 9 of 9",PlanningBoard/2016-06-22.pdf