body,date,page,text,path
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,1,"APPROVED MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD
MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017
1. CONVENE
Board Member Mitchell convened the meeting at 7:01pm
2. FLAG SALUTE
Board Member Curtis led the flag salute.
3. ROLL CALL
Present: Board Members Burton, Curtis, Knox White, Mitchell, Sullivan, Zuppan.
President Köster arrived at 7:03pm.
4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION
*None*
5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Alan Teague said he was researching the Planning Board's work and said he wished
that all of the documents referenced (i.e.- - CA building code) in the agendas were
available to the public.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR
*None*
7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
7-A 2017- 4464
Public Hearing on Final Revisions to 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=3082686&GUID=7B56959C-
DA03-43D4-BOB5-0E0D8329B17F&FullText=1
Board Member Mitchell asked for language in the waivers section to be clarified in the
ordinance.
Board Member Zuppan suggested they could simply remove a portion of the wording to
make it easier to understand.
Board Member Mitchell asked how the proposed ordinance would have impacted costs
for previously approved units.
Approved Minutes
Page 1 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,2,"Staff Member Thomas said that projects like Del Monte and Encinal Terminals have no
problem meeting the 30% requirements. He said townhome only projects like 2100
Clement would have trouble meeting the 30% requirements.
Board Member Curtis said that most projects in Alameda have very high site improvement
costs and asked if it was feasible to saddle these units with higher construction costs that
would drive prices higher.
Staff Member Thomas said they have to balance the desire not to drive prices up with the
need to build housing that does not exclude entire segments of the population.
Board Member Sullivan said she was very concerned about the increased costs that the
requirements would add to new units. She said they do not have enough information to
initiate these rules.
President Köster opened the public hearing.
Alan Teague said we should require the minimum amount of items needed to make a unit
visitable and not add more, in order to avoid adding unnecessary costs. He said any
entrance, not just the front door, can be used to meet the requirements.
Alan Pryor said the requirements for visitability seem like a good idea to help people
access their homes as they age.
President Köster closed the public hearing.
Board Member Burton said he is eager to move the ordinance forward. He said allowing
adaptable stairs to meet the requirements would be a mistake. He said the $80,000
number in the BIA letter is a scare tactic. He said we have a reasonable waiver process
available if there are issues.
Board Member Sullivan asked if the ordinance was likely to just eliminate the construction
of townhomes in Alameda.
Staff Member Thomas said that there are pending applications that include townhomes
would not be changed due to the current ordinance because they have a mix of housing
types in their projects. He said they can come back and change the ordinance if they find
each project asking for the same waivers.
Board Member Curtis asked why we would move forward with an ordinance that we think
will have problems in the future. He said the ordinance encourages vertical development
and punishes single family development.
Approved Minutes
Page 2 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,3,"Staff Member Thomas said this ordinance would not add additional process to projects.
He said the conversation about waivers would happen at the regular design review hearing
for their project and not cause more hearings to occur.
Board Member Knox White said he is prepared to support the ordinance. He said the BIA
letter was disrespectful to Alameda. He said he looks forward to celebrating when City
Council adopts the ordinance.
Board Member Mitchell said he will support the ordinance and is comfortable with the
waiver process. He said building these changes in during construction are cost effective
and practical. He said developers want predictability, even if it adds some costs.
President Köster said he supports the ordinance.
Board Member Knox White thanked the Commission on Disability Issues (CDI)
subcommittee members for their efforts promoting visitability, and for beginning this
discussion in the first place.
Board Member Burton thanked Ms. Lord-Hausman and Erick Mikiten for their work on the
ordinance.
Board Member Zuppan made a motion to approve the resolution with the clarifying
edits provided during discussion. Board Member Mitchell seconded the motion. The
motion passed 7-0.
7-B 2017-4466
PLN17-0186 - 2001 Versailles Ave - Applicant: Clifford Mapes. A public
hearing to consider a proposed development plan amendment and design
review for the first two homes on an 11-lot subdivision on a 1.29-acre
property located at 2001 Versailles Avenue at the corner of Fernside
Boulevard and Versailles Avenue. The project is categorically exempt from
further review under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to
CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 In-Fill Development Projects.
Staff Member Sablan gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found
at:
 https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3082688&GUID=B8EB6B20-
7BC-4A18-9910-EAD223D8EOOC&FullText=1
Board Member Mitchell thanked staff for saying ""VER-sigh.' He asked for an update on
the retaining wall along Tilden.
Staff Member Sablan said the applicant is proposing a basic wooden fence at this point.
Approved Minutes
Page 3 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,4,"Board Member Zuppan said her recollection from the previous discussion was that the
Tilden fence was supposed to be of above average design and not a simple wooden fence.
Staff Member Sablan said that it is what the applicant is proposing, but the design is up
for discussion.
Board Member Knox White asked if they can change items in the development plan
beyond the items requested by the applicant.
Staff Member Thomas said they can make any changes they wish to the application.
President Köster asked if the lots had to be 5,000 square feet.
Staff Member Thomas said the lots have been approved by City Council already.
President Köster opened the public hearing.
Alan Teague said they should revise the agreement to match the recommended Universal
Design ordinance. He suggested the visitability could be accomplished by going through
the garage.
Evan Schwimmer asked that lots 5, 6, and 8 be changed to be single family homes. He
said the duplexes on Versailles would change the character of the neighborhood.
President Köster closed the public hearing.
Board Member Burton said he is okay with the setback changes for lots one and two. He
said he would go with the board on the setback for the other lots on Versailles. He said
the visitability and accessibility requirements are not negotiable. He said he could not
support the designs of the first two homes. He said the design lacked character. He said
they are enormous 3400 square foot homes, and that they needed more sculpting.
Board Member Sullivan said she does not see much character in the design. She said the
fence along Tilden is the entrance to Alameda and needs to have more permanence than
a simple wood fence.
Board Member Knox agreed with the two previous board members. He asked who would
be responsible for the City's side of the fence.
Staff Member Thomas said they were talking about having vines covering the fence along
Tilden to prevent graffiti from being a problem.
Approved Minutes
Page 4 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,5,"Board Member Knox White said they should check with Public Works about maintenance
and concerns about pedestrians' proximity to traffic if there is growth along the wall. He
said the homes are out of scale for the neighborhood and we should consider setting some
guidelines for the sizes of the homes.
Board Member Curtis agreed with the other board members.
Board Member Zuppan agreed with the previous comments about design, scale, and the
fence on Tilden. She said the homes are near busy streets and the design needs to take
potential accidents into consideration.
Board Member Mitchell said he would like to see the second stories and home sizes better
match the neighborhood. He suggested reducing the number of duplexes in the project.
He said he would like to see the fence issue come back.
President Köster said he would like to see more variation in the architecture beyond just
color and material. He said he would be fine with the ramps being in the garages. He said
he would like the universal design requirements to remain.
Steve Sorenson said the builder is a good builder and wants to build good homes.
Mr. Mapes said the crawl space would be more like 30"" above grade, not 12"". He said
there are many duplexes along Fernside Boulevard.
Board Member Mitchell said using garages for accessibility is a bad idea because garages
are often cluttered and obstructed.
Board Member Burton made a motion to approve the resolution amending the
development plan, keep the visitability and accessible unit standards but allow the front
yard setbacks on lots 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 be amended to be 12' minimum to front porch and 17'
minimum to face of building, and have the fence along Tilden come back for design review.
Board Member Curtis seconded the motion.
Board Member Zuppan asked for clarification as to whether the design reviews for lots 1
and 2 were part of the motion.
Staff Member Thomas said the resolution just defines the setbacks, and staff would be
responsible for design review.
Board Member Knox White said that they should give direction on unit size now for staff
to consider during design reviews.
Approved Minutes
Page 5 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,6,"Board Member Burton asked what ability they have within the development plan to limit
unit size.
Staff Member Thomas said they can limit size via the development plan. He said staff
is
more concerned with the look of the design than exactly how many square feet.
Board Member Burton suggested that they could ask for the designs to be much more
sculpted when they come back. He amended his motion to ask that the designs come to
the board for review, rather than being approved at the staff level. Board Member Curtis
seconded the motion.
Board Member Mitchell asked if it was possible to have all the designs be presented and
approved simultaneously, while allowing the builder to proceed with only 1-2 units at a
time if desired.
Staff Member Thomas said they outlined the lots, home orientation, parking locations, and
circulation in the development plan. He said they liked the idea of potentially getting some
variety by doing the designs a couple at a time.
Board Member Curtis said he was not looking for detailed construction drawings, but
rather renderings of streetscapes to put the project into scale for the neighborhood.
Board Member Zuppan said she was concerned about how the private drive and perimeter
fence would be maintained.
Staff Member Thomas said he would need to review the original conditions of approval on
the final map from seven years ago.
Staff Member Sablan asked if the motion intended for the universal design elements to be
installed as originally approved and not just demonstrate how they could be included if the
homeowner desired.
Board Member Burton responded in the affirmative.
Board Member Knox White asked that when the plan for the fence came back it include
details of how it would be maintained. He asked that staff bring back information on the
size of buildings in the neighborhood when the board considers the design of the units.
Board Member Curtis said he was reluctant to vote for something that would require the
drawings to be redone because of the cost.
Approved Minutes
Page 6 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,7,"Board Member Burton said they need to set the rules and the applicant can decide whether
to do slab on grade or homes with crawl spaces.
Board Member Burton revised and restated his motion to: revise the development
plan to change the setbacks on lots 1-8 to 12' minimums to face of porch and 17'
minimums to face of buildings, the fence along Tilden and all homes come back for
design review, that staff will provide information on the sizes of existing buildings'
square footage within one block of the site, that when the applicant comes back for
design review that a maintenance plan be presented for the private drive and the
fence along Tilden.
Board Member Zuppan asked if there was a plan for when the entirety of the Tilden fence
would be constructed, given that the homes might be designed and built in phases.
Staff Member Thomas said the intent was to have the fence built with the first home.
Board Member Curtis asked the developer if the foundation plans have been designed for
the first two units.
Mr. Mapes said they have not, but that he knows what it will take. He said he is being
penalized for designing a nicer home (raised floor). He said he will do a slab if that is what
the board wants. He said it would be cheaper that way.
Board Member Curtis seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0.
8. MINUTES
*None*
9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
9-A 2017-4463
Zoning Administrator and Design Review Recent Actions and Decisions
Staff Member Thomas said they approved four use permits and eight design reviews.
9-B 2017-4465
Future Public Meetings and Upcoming Community Development
Department Projects
Staff Member Thomas said the July 10th meeting is being moved to July 17th. He said
there is a Shipways site tour tomorrow at 5:40pm. He listed future agenda items.
10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
Approved Minutes
Page 7 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf
PlanningBoard,2017-06-26,8,"11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS
11-A 2017-4461
Subcommittee with Commission on Disability Issues regarding Universal
Design Ordinance
Did Not Meet. Staff Member Thomas said they could officially disband that subcommittee.
11-B 2017-4462
Subcommittee for Alameda Marina
*None*
Board Member Knox White shared that the accessory dwelling unit and shared living
ordinances were passed by City Council.
12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Alan Teague asked what time the tour was and if the public was invited.
Staff Member Thomas said it was at 530pm and open to the public.
13. ADJOURNMENT
President Köster adjourned the meeting at 9:28pm.
Approved Minutes
Page 8 of 8
June 26, 2017
Planning Board Meeting",PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf