body,date,page,text,path
PlanningBoard,2017-01-09,1,"APPROVED MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD
MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017
1. CONVENE
Board Member Mitchell convened the meeting at 7:09pm
2. FLAG SALUTE
Board Member Sullivan led the flag salute.
3. ROLL CALL
Present: Board Members Curtis, Mitchell, Sullivan. Absent: President Köster, Board
Members Burton, Knox White. Board Member Zuppan arrived at 7:15pm.
4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION
Staff Member Thomas said item 7-A has been postponed at the request of the applicant.
5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
6. CONSENT CALENDAR
*None*
7. REGULAR
AGENDA
ITEMS
7-A 2017-3726
PLN15-0232 - 1208 St. Charles Street - Applicant: Paula Mathis and Tom
Ellerbe. The Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing to consider Design
Review for a project consisting of the demolition of a two car garage and
the construction of an accessory structure that will have a three car garage
and an artist studio. The proposed accessory structure is approximately
880 square feet which is less than 40% of the required rear yard allowed
for accessory structures per Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 30-
4.1 (d).7. This project is categorically exempt from further environmental
review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Guidelines, Section 15303 - New Construction of Small Structures.
*Postponed*
7-B 2017-3731
Approved Minutes
Page 1 of 7
Planning Board Meeting
January 9, 2017",PlanningBoard/2017-01-09.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-01-09,2,"Encinal Terminals Master Plan Study Session The Planning Board will hold
a study session to review and comment on the Draft Encinal Terminals
Master Plan.
Staff Member Thomas introduced the item.
Board Member Curtis asked if the 589 unit number was fixed in stone.
Staff Member Thomas said the developer is asking for entitlements for up to 589 units. He
said the number is based on the zoning, size of the site, and the 20% state density bonus
application.
Mike O'Hara, Tim Lewis Communities, gave a presentation on their current site plan
proposal.
Board Member Zuppan asked what the concern is with the Universal Design ordinance.
Mr. O'Hara said that the ordinance is not yet passed and has gone through several
iterations. He said the product type for the site will mean most of the units will meet
universal design characteristics. He said they are trying to be affordable by design and the
uncertainty of having to comply with an ordinance that does not yet exist would be
problematic.
Board Member Zuppan asked why there is a three story minimum.
Mr. O'Hara said that the three story minimum would only apply along the Entrance Rd.
frontage. He said it helps define the boundary between the public right of way and the
buildings.
Staff Member Thomas said they have the option of not including the three story minimum.
He said the massing reflects their interpretation of the General Plan's direction to step
down building heights as you approach the water.
Board Member Zuppan asked if the planned water shuttle would be public and what
frequency it would have.
Mr. O'Hara said they believe the estuary is an underutilized transportation asset. He said
the master plan intent is to create the infrastructure for water transit. He said the TMAs
could fund operations. He said it could could have different tiers of service, depending on
funding and demand.
Board Member Zuppan asked if the affordable housing numbers pencil out. She said 79
of 589 is only 13%.
Approved Minutes
Page 2 of 7
Planning Board Meeting
January 9, 2017",PlanningBoard/2017-01-09.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-01-09,3,"Staff Member Thomas explained how the inclusionary 15% is applied to the base project
and the state density bonus gets applied outside of that number.
Board Member Sullivan asked why they have a 14 story building if the height limits are 60
feet.
Mr. O'Hara said there are buildings in Alameda higher than 60 feet. He said they feel this
is an opportunity for an iconic structure for Alameda. He said the site does not really have
any neighbors.
Board Member Curtis said he likes the preferred plan, but he said walking down the street
would feel like walking next to a wall.
Board Member Mitchell asked what more extra Alameda is getting out of the project given
that the city owns a significant portion of the land.
Staff Member Thomas said the General Plan said that it would be better to own six acres
along the perimeter than to own them in the middle of the site. He said there is more open
space in this plan than they normally would be able to require. He said some urban design
consultants told him that they were a little worried there might be too much open space in
the plan.
Board Member Mitchell said he was hoping to see some more concrete concessions in
exchange for the land swap, perhaps in numbers of affordable units. He asked what the
solar energy plans were for the project.
Mr. O'Hara said they have a lot of roof space without obstruction that would be suitable
for solar. He said they have not prescribed any specific requirements for solar at this point.
He said they also have the opportunity to harvest wind, rainwater, and greywater at the
site.
Board Member Sullivan asked if the city would be on the hook for maintenance of the
bulkhead after completing the land swap for the perimeter.
Staff Member Thomas said the only way staff would recommend the swap is if the
bulkhead is fixed up and maintenance is paid for in perpetuity by the project.
Board Member Zuppan asked if the city would be compensated in the land swap if the
acreage is not equal.
Staff Member Thomas explained that they would not be able to move forward with an
uneven swap because the state will have to approve the transaction.
Approved Minutes
Page 3 of 7
Planning Board Meeting
January 9, 2017",PlanningBoard/2017-01-09.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-01-09,4,"Mr. O'Hara continued his presentation on the street and Bay Trail cross sections.
Board Member Mitchell opened the public hearing.
Philip James said he is a native Alamedan and is excited for the project. He said using
this space for more families to take advantage of the space. He said a 14 story building
here might balance out the 30 story building(s) planned for Brooklyn Basin.
Victoria Fierce said she is a renter in Oakland who pays too much to live in an unsafe
building and this is a huge way for Alameda to make a dent in our housing needs. She
said the building height is totally appropriate for the area.
Josh Geyer, Alameda homeowner, said he liked the design. He said the site is currently
being wasted. He said the 14 story building would balance out the taller buildings across
the estuary. He said housing is a regional good and wants to live in a city that is doing its
part to prevent pricing people out of Alameda.
Doyle Saylor, Renewed Hope, said he is a part of a coalition of renters and housing
advocates that support 25% affordable housing and universal design.
Helen Sause, Alameda Home Team, said the plan is well thought out and an exciting
addition to Alameda. She said turning the estuary into a benefit instead of a barrier will be
great for Alamedans.
Karen Bey said she supports the project and is excited that we are finally developing our
waterfront. She said we are designing the waterfront and have a chance to not repeat the
mistakes of the past like was done at Southshore. She said she supports building an iconic
building and utilizing water transit opportunities for the site.
Carter Lavin, AD18 Democratic delegate, said he is excited by the project and the
opportunities it provides to make water transit viable.
Chris Perry said they were kicked out of their apartment last year and they chose to stay
in Alameda. He said we need to build more housing to solve our affordable housing issues.
Jon Spangler said the details will be important to make sure the project is successful. He
suggested a kayak-share program similar to what has been launched in Minneapolis. He
said commercial uses that use outside spaces should be used. He said cycle tracks are
dangerous unless there is no cross traffic.
Brian McGuire, Bike Walk Alameda, said they like the perimeter circulation sections. He
said Entrance Rd. is where all the residents will need to be so making sure there are
Approved Minutes
Page 4 of 7
Planning Board Meeting
January 9, 2017",PlanningBoard/2017-01-09.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-01-09,5,"adequately wide sidewalks and dedicated bike lanes is needed. He said we need the
housing badly and Alameda needs to do its part. He said dry storage and a hoist for
sailboats would be a good way to program the large, empty, open spaces at the site. He
said there should be room for day use sail boat parking. He suggested moving the
Fortmann Marina driveway onto Entrance Rd to help organize traffic flow in that corner of
the site.
Board Member Mitchell closed the public hearing.
Board Member Curtis said he is not too worried about height limits, but worries about
walking down long corridors of bulky buildings would be an issue. He suggested a few tall
buildings mixed with some shorter ones to create some variety.
Board Member Zuppan said she could be comfortable with a 14 story building at the end
of the site with a public viewing platform. She said we are not San Francisco and we do
not have to have a perfect street wall. She said she would support greater variation in
heights. She said she looks forward to seeing more about the green features. She said
she supports all efforts to incorporate our universal design standards. She said she wants
to make sure that the travel lanes are not too narrow. She requested that the parking
garage spaces are not too narrow. In light of recent trends that show that Uber and Lyft
could reduce congestion 75-80%, so the parking areas should be convertible to other uses
if parking is not needed in the future. She said she is nervous in dictating the square
footage of the workforce housing. She said active field space could be valuable in
activating the area. She said programming the spaces through phasing before all the
residential is complete.
Board Member Sullivan said she would like to see more variety down the spine. She said
the park will attract wildlife and that is the cost of doing business.
Board Member Mitchell asked for more details on the waterfront park programming.
Mr. O'Hara said they have various ideas on how to program that space. He said they plan
to use topography to create an amphitheater/performance space and some open space
for play.
Board Member Mitchell said the site presents a great opportunity. He asked if this project
would benefit from a subcommittee.
Staff Member Thomas said they could set up a subcommittee if there was interest from
the board. He said staff could use the help.
Board Member Mitchell said he would like to see the affordable housing numbers increase
in exchange for the height requested by the developer. He said he would like to see a mix
Approved Minutes
Page 5 of 7
Planning Board Meeting
January 9, 2017",PlanningBoard/2017-01-09.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-01-09,6,"of rental and for sale units. He said he supports all of the potential green building features
to be incorporated.
Board Member Curtis asked how the swap would be negotiated.
Staff Member Thomas said they would get a proposal from the applicant and discuss it
amongst a group within City Hall. He said there would be a meeting with City Council
before having a public hearing at Planning Board about the proposed swap.
Board Member Curtis applauded the audience members participation.
Board Member Zuppan said she would support a tall building at the corner if the design is
iconic.
8. MINUTES
*None*
9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
9-A 2017-3729
Zoning Administrator and Design Review Recent Actions and Decisions
Staff Member Thomas said there were three design review decisions since the last
meeting.
9-B 2017-3730
Future Public Meetings and Upcoming Community Development
Department Projects
10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS
11-A 2017-3727
Subcommittee for Alameda Marina
*None*
11-B 2017-3728
Subcommittee with Commission on Disability Issues regarding Universal
Design Ordinance
Staff Member Thomas gave an update and said they will have one more round of edits
and be back before the board.
Approved Minutes
Page 6 of 7
Planning Board Meeting
January 9, 2017",PlanningBoard/2017-01-09.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-01-09,7,"12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Brian McGuire said that the board should be mindful of using the term workforce housing
and that residents making moderate, low income, and very low income are part of the
workforce and should not be left out when describing workforce housing. He said housing
for people making 120-150% of median income is upper middle class housing.
13. ADJOURNMENT
Board Member Mitchell adjourned the meeting at 9:30pm.
Approved Minutes
Page 7 of 7
Planning Board Meeting
January 9, 2017",PlanningBoard/2017-01-09.pdf