body,date,page,text,path
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,1,"APPROVED MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2016
1. CONVENE
President Knox White called the meeting to order at 7:01pm.
2. FLAG SALUTE
Board Member Mitchell led the flag salute.
3. ROLL CALL
Present: President Knox White, Board Members Burton, Curtis, Köster, Mitchell,
Sullivan. Board Member Zuppan arrived at 7:12pm.
4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION
President Knox White moved Items 7-A (Board Elections) and 7-B (Encinal Terminals) to
the end of the regular agenda. He moved item 7-D to the beginning of the regular
agenda.
5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
6. CONSENT CALENDAR
*None*
7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
7-D 2016-3455
Planning Board Study Session to consider Draft Universal Design
Ordinance
Staff Member Thomas gave the staff report. The report and attachments can be found
at:
https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2848685&GUID=6D020B3F-
7FF6-4195-9BD3-521DB6E20493&FullText=1
Board Member Mitchell asked what legal ramifications there might be, due to the
uniqueness of our proposed ordinance.
Staff Attorney Brown said they are still reviewing the ordinance as it comes together. She
said they will provide feedback on legal defensibility as it moves forward.
Board Member Curtis said many of the items could be ""roughed in"" during construction
with minimal cost. He said sale prices would operate somewhat independently from
construction costs.
Approved Minutes
Page 1 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,2,"President Knox White asked why townhomes only required 10% compared with 30% for
other types of construction.
Staff Member Thomas said every new unit needs to be visitable, but the ratios applied to
full living accessibility. He said townhomes presented a special challenge for full
accessibility.
President Knox White opened the public hearing.
Erick Mikiten, architect, said he is an advocate of universal design. He said the City has a
big opportunity to send a message with its ordinance. He said the ordinance should apply
to work/live units. He said universal design has many positive green building features,
largely by reducing waste. He said the ""five or more"" threshold could be lowered to three
to match up with Measure A.
President Knox White closed the public hearing.
Board Member Sullivan asked Mr. Mikiten to provide his written suggestions to Staff
Member Thomas.
Board Member Zuppan suggested that where they had a lower threshold such as with the
townhomes, they require the balance of units to be readily adaptable.
Staff Member Thomas said they are looking at such items in the ordinance, including
adaptable staircases and entrances.
Board Member Mitchell said he would like to proceed with the low cost and no cost
solutions. He said he is concerned about adding costs. He said he is comfortable with
staff's ratios.
Board Member Köster said we should consider several items that he has seen and dealt
with in other ordinances: flooring types, rocker light switches, door handles, and conduit
for assistive technologies.
Staff Member Thomas said that other cities have these options for buyers of spec houses,
but that they are not mandatory. He said we are requiring these features in 30% of all new
housing stock.
Board Member Köster asked if the new requirements that apply to 100% of units would
apply to someone rebuilding a house that burned down.
Staff Member Thomas said they would need to address that question and it raises an
interesting policy question.
Approved Minutes
Page 2 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,3,"Board Member Burton said the subcommittee with the CODI members was very
productive. He said definitions will have a large impact on how this ordinance gets applied.
He said a 100% visitability standard would practically preclude townhomes from being
built.
President Knox White said multi use buildings need to be addressed. He said lowering the
percentage requirements for townhomes is incentivizing a type of unit that has many
problematic effects. He said he is concerned with significantly adding to costs, saying we
already put a heavy cost burden on new construction.
Board Member Burton said that some requirements could cause conflicts with other goals
such as density and transit oriented design.
Board Member Curtis said some items should be required in 100% of new construction,
and another tier for the more expensive items.
Board Member Zuppan said that all senior housing should meet all universal design
requirements. She said the ready adaptability could apply to the 100% visitability standard.
She said one idea would be a fund for universal design items that is funded through the
development that residents could apply for.
Board Member Köster asked when this ordinance would take effect and whether it would
be retroactively applied to approved projects.
Staff Member Thomas said it is not retroactive. He said it would take effect 30 days after
the second City Council hearing. He said the ordinance can be crafted to identify which
projects in the planning stage would be exempt or not.
7-C 2016-3444
Safety and Noise Element Update - Public Hearing and Recommendation
for Adoption to City Council. This project is categorically exempt from the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines
Section 15061(b)(3). as the project does not have the potential to have a
significant effect on the environment.
Staff Member Thomas gave the staff report. The staff report and attachments can be found
at:  ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2848684&GUID=63A1B801
C4EA-4F9E-96F5-449E4C494C6E
Board Member Curtis asked where the city anticipates building new seawalls.
Staff Member Thomas said that all new developments must address a certain amount of
sea level rise, and be designed to accommodate adaptations for even larger amounts of
sea level rise.
Approved Minutes
Page 3 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,4,"President Knox White asked how they decided what went in the plan and what did not.
Staff Member Thomas said they combined the noise and health & safety elements. He
said they could use their discretion to decide what items belong in the element.
Board Member Mitchell asked how noise adherences for the airport would be enforced.
Staff Member Thomas said that the City's basic position is that they do not want the noise
going up. He said they want to monitor the noise and have a policy to address potential
growth in operations at the airport.
Staff Member Livermore said that there are meetings with residents that work with the Port
of Oakland to minimize noise impacts as much as possible.
Board Member Zuppan said the document is very focused on current conditions but does
not really look forward. She suggested putting physical markers in the streets to tell people
what type of inundation or liquefaction zone they are in and tell people they need to
prepare.
Board Member Sullivan asked how this element interacts with the new FEMA flood maps.
Staff Member Thomas said they continue to operate under the old maps until FEMA
finalizes their maps and puts them into effect.
There were no public speakers.
Board Member Zuppan said we might benefit from adding senior and disabled care
facilities to the section mentioning hospitals (SN3). She pointed out an item that was
placed under the wrong heading (SN3a). She pointed out a typo under flooding and sea
level rise in the reference to tide tables and said anal-retentive does indeed have a
hyphen. She said we should specifically coordinate with wider community groups and not
just government agencies.
Board Member Mitchell said we could pass the resolution tonight and plan to bring it back
for further refinement in the future.
President Knox White said that he would prefer to get it right before moving it forward
because it has been a long time since it has been updated and could get forgotten if it
moves forward now. He said SN2 is a project and should not be in the general plan. He
said having something about maintaining and updating a functioning EOC would make
sense. He said SN4 needs to be reworded to make items A & B fit nicely under it. He said
airplanes do not typically have accidents, they crash, and that word should be replaced.
He said SN5 and SN6 might be combined under one airplane related item. He said SN8
should have something prioritizing a lifeline bridge to the mainland. He said safety of
people living in buildings should take precedent and we should discuss whether we let
Approved Minutes
Page 4 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,5,"people exempt themselves from certain items. He said we should be actively participating
in regional discussions on sea level rise mitigation and work to have a permanent seat in
any bodies working on the issue. He said SN22 should mention 50 years of sea level rise
instead of referencing a specific height. He offered several other organizational
suggestions. He said the City Council encouraged the League of Cities to adopt Vision
Zero and that this would be an opportunity to adopt it as a policy of the City in our General
Plan.
Board Member Curtis said we should avoid bringing the document back too many times.
Staff Member Thomas said he would like to bring the item back in November with all the
changes.
Board Member Zuppan made a motion to continue the item to the November 14, 2016
meeting. Board Member Curtis seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0.
7-E 2016-3446
Draft City of Alameda Response to Plan Bay Area 2040 ""Preferred
Development Scenario"".
Staff Member Thomas gave the staff report. The staff report and attachments can be found
at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2848686&GUID=69CB3614
E8DB-4428-B2BB-194B865832E7
Board Member Zuppan said that the numbers in the letter to do not match up.
Board Member Köster said Alameda has done its part by increasing ferry ridership and
MTC needs to respond to that with increased funding for ferry services. He said we set up
our own unofficial car sharing and have shown resilience that is not being acknowledged.
Board Member Zuppan said showing more data with population and available land will
show real disparities in the allocations.
Board Member Sullivan said they do not seem to be taking into account public safety in
the event of an emergency.
President Knox White said the comments about access to BART stations are not the most
compelling. He said the 64% of units being outside of PDAs was the strongest point. He
said that if that is their approach, then Piedmont's 1% allocation is way off. He said
reminding them that we have been way out front trying to solve these transportation issues
would be worthwhile.
Board Member Burton said it is important for us to do our fair share but we need realistic
targets and the transportation dollars to support it.
7-A 2016-3442
Approved Minutes
Page 5 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,6,"Board Elections
President Knox White said that the newly elected chair would take over at the next
meeting.
Board Member Zuppan said the Planning Board has rotated the presidency and vice
presidency throughout the board based primarily on seniority. She said it develops the
skills and understanding of the board members.
Board Member Zuppan nominated Board Member Köster for President.
Board Member Köster accepted the nomination.
There were no other nominations. Board Member Köster was elected President 7-0.
Board Member Köster nominated Board Member Mitchell for Vice President.
Board Member Mitchell accepted the nomination.
There were no other nominations. Board Member Mitchell was elected Vice President 7-
0.
7-B 2016-3443
Planning Board Study Session Regarding Encinal Terminals Site Plan,
Public Streets and Public Parks
Board Member Burton said his firm works with Tim Lewis Communities in other locations
and recused himself from the item.
Staff Member Thomas introduced the item. The staff report and attachment can be found
at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2848683&GUID=9114FCCD-
F9-46CA-B2B9-0C6FF1278779&FullText=1
Mike O'Hara, Tim Lewis Communities, gave a presentation on the site plan.
Board Member Curtis asked if they were planning to widen Buena Vista. He asked if they
would be extending Clement Ave.
Mr. O'Hara said that Buena Vista was on the other side of the Del Monte Warehouse and
that any improvements to it are related to the Del Monte project. He said Clement would
be extended as part of the Del Monte project.
Board Member Curtis said that the elephant in the room is the traffic from this project
compounded with all the other projects. He said at 1pm today, it took seven minutes to
travel 300 yards down Park St.
Approved Minutes
Page 6 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,7,"President Knox White said that the traffic impacts would come back with the EIR. He said
tonight is to deal with the site plan.
Board Member Köster asked what the retail strategy is.
Mr. O'Hara said they anticipate tying in retail on Clement facing the retail in Del Monte. He
said they envision 50,000 square feet of retail that could be distributed a number of ways.
Board Member Köster asked for clarification on how much commercial space is planned.
Staff Member Thomas said they will have to dig into what the nature of the commercial
component is. He said he is skeptical that this site will get 50,000 square feet of retail.
Board Member Mitchell asked how adaptable the plan is based on potential downward
revisions in the number of units allowable in the forthcoming EIR.
Mr. O'Hara said this plan has the maximum allowable number of units in the EIR. He said
they would have to reconsider many items if the unit count was lowered significantly.
Staff Member Thomas said he hoped the site plan would still work with a variety of
potential unit counts.
Board Member Curtis asked if there would be families at the project. He asked what
schools the kids would go to.
Mr. O'Hara said they anticipate housing opportunities for all types of households, including
families. He said the schools question would be covered in the EIR.
Board Member Sullivan asked if there were any playfields for families included in the green
space plan.
Mr. O'Hara said they have not planned for that specific use. He said there were large
spaces that could be used for picnics and games.
Board Member Sullivan asked if there would be coordination between different projects
for retail strategies or would they all be scrambling for the same customers.
Mr. O'Hara said they are planning for neighborhood serving retail at the Del Monte project.
He said this site would be unique and attract a different type of user.
Board Member Sullivan asked how much of a problem wind would be for a waterfront
restaurant at the northwest corner of the site.
Approved Minutes
Page 7 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,8,"Staff Member Thomas said they have been trying to wrestle with the placement of that
building and how it relates to wind concerns.
Board Member Köster asked if the Fortmann Marina road would be available to use or if
there would have to be separate access roads.
Staff Member Thomas said there are public access easements on that road, but the
configuration could be problematic for tying it into the Encinal Terminals road network.
Board Member Zuppan asked how wide the promenades would be.
Mr. O'Hara said they were at least 48 feet wide.
President Knox White opened the public hearing.
Brian McGuire said he liked that cars were de-emphasized on the promenade and traffic
was moved to the Entrance Rd side of the buildings. He said it might not be bad to allow
some vehicle traffic on the shared plaza to activate the promenade. He said Bike Walk
Alameda discussed the parkway in the middle of Entrance Rd. He said putting the cars in
the middle, the green space on the sides next to the buildings, and enhancing the
sidewalks and bike lanes would be a better use of that space. He said that if Encinal
Terminals somehow moves forward before Del Monte, it should be required to complete
the Clement St extension.
President Knox White closed the public hearing.
Board Member Zuppan said the open house tour was very nice and the site is very
interesting. She said she likes the idea of the naked street along the promenade. She
suggested a low speed limit for the shared street. She said she likes how the buildings
step back from the street. She said the greenway down the middle has a lot of crossing
points and she might not feel comfortable walking down it. She said she liked the
roundabout at the end and the natural amphitheater. She said she likes the idea of using
the building at the corner as a wind block. She said she liked the mix of housing types and
sizes.
Board Member Köster said he liked the evolution of the plan. He said he agreed with staff's
recommendations to widen the sidewalks and bike lanes and reducing the lane widths to
ten feet. He said the best parkways go a long way without interruption. He said he is
worried how people come and go from any water transit options. He suggested opening
up the view corridor at the circle by removing the corner of building G. He suggested
working with Fortmann Marina to perhaps change their access point and share some of
the space to make the access points work better for both sites. He said it would be nice to
see the Bay Trail illustrated better on the plans. He said he liked the idea of a working
waterfront marina with dry boat storage and hoisting abilities.
Approved Minutes
Page 8 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,9,"Board Member Mitchell said it is a beautiful site. He said he is not a fan of the 14 story
building. He said he is worried that we might end up with too much inactive open space.
Board Member Köster said that on the boat tour it was interesting to see these taller
buildings from the water that you don't tend to notice from the streets.
Staff Member Thomas said the shadow study will be very illustrative when we address the
building heights.
Board Member Mitchell said a 3-D perspective of different building heights and massing
would be helpful.
Board Member Sullivan said she likes the entrance corridor, but is concerned with the
number of breaks in the parkway. She said she is not a fan of 14 stories.
President Knox White said the open space is not designed for people and is mostly for
pavement and cars and unusable green space. He said there is no active transportation
considerations or bike lanes. He said it feels like we are just giving up with this design. He
said we are building densely in order to support transit but not actually building the project
to support transit, biking, and walking. He said it looks nice on a map but will not be a
place that people want to be. He said everything has too much space between it. He said
the shared space needs to be designed for low speeds, not just signed. He said the fire
department would require 23 foot wide roads on both sides of the greenway. He said the
design feels like Marina Village, which has not been successful from a business or public
space point of view.
Board Member Zuppan said Marina Village was hampered by landlord issues early on and
that their business problems can not necessarily be blamed on design. She said that you
really have to get to the edge of the site to see the water, trees or no trees.
8. MINUTES
8-A 2016-3441
Draft Meeting Minutes - May 23, 2016
Board Member Sullivan made a motion to approve the minutes. Board Member Mitchell
seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0-2 (Curtis and Köster abstained).
9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
9-A 2016-2441
Zoning Administrator and Design Review Recent Actions and Decisions
Staff Member Thomas reported on recent zoning and design review decisions.
9-B 2016-2442
Approved Minutes
Page 9 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf
PlanningBoard,2016-10-10,10,"Future Public Meetings and Upcoming Community Development
Department Projects
Staff Member Thomas gave a report on upcoming agenda items.
10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
Staff Member Thomas included the White House's development toolkit. He said we are
doing many of the things that are in the toolkit.
President Knox White said the other thing it said is that if you want to fix affordability
issues, you have to start building housing.
11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS
President Knox White thanked the board for trusting him as the chair and looked forward
to serving as a board member for the next eight months.
12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
13. ADJOURNMENT
President Knox White adjourned the meeting at 10:45 pm.
Approved Minutes
Page 10 of 10
Planning Board Meeting
October 10, 2016",PlanningBoard/2016-10-10.pdf