{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 1, "text": "APPROVED MEETING MINUTES\nREGULAR MEETING OF THE\nCITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD\nMONDAY, MAY 11, 2015\n1. CONVENE:\n7:02 P.M.\n2. FLAG SALUTE:\nBoard member Tang led the flag salute.\n3. ROLL CALL:\nPresent: President Henneberry, Vice President Alvarez and\nBoard Members Burton, Knox White, K\u00f6ster (arrived 7:15\nP.M.), Tang and Zuppan (arrived 7:15 P.M.).\n4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION:\nVice President Alvarez motioned to move item 7-C before item 7-A. Board Member Burton\nseconded the motion.\nThe motion carried, 5-0.\n5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS:\nMr. Jan Sutter, resident, said that he was concerned about the result of the Shoreline\nCycle Track. He said that the results of the project were not like the proposed plans shown\nto the public.\n6. CONSENT CALENDAR: None\n7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:\n7-C. 2015-1587\nPublic Art Proposal- PLN13-0380- 1551 Buena Vista Avenue-\nApplicant: Lennar. Public Hearing to consider Native American\nThemed public art sculptures, consisting of three humanoid figures\ndressed in Ohlone ceremonial attire and three tule balsa rafts, all\nmade of recycled and corten steel, at the new Marina Shores\nresidential development at Entrance Road and Buena Vista Avenue.\nThis project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental\nQuality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the CEQA Guidelines Section 15303,\nNew Construction or Conversion of Small Structures.\nMr. Andrew Thomas, City Planner, introduced the artist, Ms. Jennifer Riley. Ms. Riley\nexplained her style of art to the Board and the project planned for the site.\nPresident Henneberry informed the public that the art would be installed at the new Marina\nShores development currently under construction.\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 1 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 2, "text": "Board Member Tang asked about how the City would maintain the sculptures. Ms. Riley\nsaid that the art was scratch resistant and easy to clean. Furthermore, she added that the\nHousing Authority agreed to maintain the art project.\nBoard Member Knox White motioned to approve the art proposal. Vice President Alvarez\nseconded the motion.\nThe motion carried, 4-1 (Board Member Burton voted against the motion).\n7-A. 2015-1658\nRecommendation to Adopt a Resolution Approving the Alameda Point\nSite A Development Plan and Desity Bonus Waiver; Adopt a\nResolution Recommending that the City Council Approve the\nDevelopment Agreement for Site A; and Provide Final Comments on\nthe Draft Transportation Demand Management Plan Compliance\nStrategy for Site A\nMr. Thomas gave a presentation. He introduced Mr. David Israel of BAR architects. Mr.\nIsrael gave a presentation. He introduced Mr. Joe Ernst, of srmERNST. Mr. Ernst thanked\nstaff, the Board and the public for their input on the project. He then gave a presentation.\nBoard Member K\u00f6ster asked Mr. Thomas about the re-routing some of the roadways in\nAlameda Point. He asked about the re-routing of Pan Am Way and the other streets in Site\nA. Mr. Thomas said that some of the street phasing will be done at a later date. He said\nthat he and the development team agreed that the realignment of the streets in Site A is\nreally important for both current and future tenants of the site.\nPresident Henneberry clarified that the plane at the entrance to Ralph Apezzato Memorial\nParkway would remain in its place.\nThe Board opened public comment.\nBoard Member Burton motioned to limit speaker time to three minutes. Board Member\nK\u00f6ster seconded the motion.\nThe motion carried, 7-0.\nMs. Lauren Isell, homeowner, said she was concerned about the increased daily\nautomobile trips that the project would create. She said that current transit options at the\nsite are great but nevertheless underused.\nMs. Kari Thompson, representing the Alameda Chamber of Commerce, spoke in favor of\nthe project. She said that the San Francisco Chronicle and Sunset Magazine recently\nfeatured Alameda in their publications. She said that the project would bring money, jobs,\nand affordable housing to the Island. Ms. Thompson praised Alameda Point Partners for\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 2 of 10\nMay 11, 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 3, "text": "their work.\nMs. Patricia Riley, resident, spoke in favor of the project. She said that there would be nice\ndining and other shops at Site A. She said that the City needed this project and thanked\nstaff for their work.\nMr. Kame Richards, of Alameda Community Sailing Center, said that the proposal is taking\ncare of the details that need to be addressed, especially regarding the interface between\nthe land and the water. He said he was very excited about the proposal and urged its\npassage.\nMr. Jerry Cervente, resident, said that the plan was long overdue for the City. He said he\nwas very excited about all of the community input into the plan. He said that traffic has\nalways been a problem in Alameda, but said that, otherwise, it was a great plan.\nMr. Tony Kuttner, speaking on behalf of the Greater Alameda Business Association, said\nthat he and his organization had no complaints about the project. The only reservation his\ngroup had was that they wanted any shuttle service mentioned in the TDM for Site A to be\naccessible for all of Alameda's residents.\nMs. Leslie Cameron, director of the Alameda Chamber of Commerce, said that she was\nencouraged that the housing was designed for renters and low-income people. In addition,\nshe said that the plans would make Alameda Point one of the most desirable places in the\nEast Bay. She said that the infrastructure boosts are badly needed for the area, added that\nthe project was overdue for the City, and urged approval.\nMr. Dean Satner, managing partner of Navigating Systems, said his business has been at\nAlameda Point since the Base closed. He said that this project would highlight the\nrevitalization of Alameda Point, and thanked staff, the Board, and the development team\nfor their work. He said that he was concerned that it would be detrimental for the area were\nthe project not approved.\nMs. Angela Hockabout, of the Alameda Renters Coalition, said that the City needs housing\nat all socioeconomic levels as soon as possible. She urged passage of the plan, and called\nit an innovative solution of putting workers and housing in the same area. She warned that\nthe failure of the project would lead to people and businesses to leave the Island. She said\nthat the proposal was awesome, and that it was important for renters that the plan pass.\nMr. David Mars, resident, said that he was a renter at Alameda Point. He asked if there\nwas a timetable to displace renters currently in the area Mr. Thomas said there was no\ntimetable or plan to displace any renters.\nMr. Casey Sparks said that he was a commuter to the area. He said that he liked how the\nplans encouraged non-traditional ways for commuters to get to and from work. He said that\nthe Site A project allowed for easy access for transportation, and urged approval.\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 3 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 4, "text": "Ms. Diane Lichenstein, representing Alameda Home Team, said that she was very excited\nabout the plan. She said that the community put the plan together in order to address their\nneeds. She said she was happy to have a balance between jobs and housing at the site,\nand called for approval of the project.\nMs. Helen Sause, resident, gave a brief history of the community's attempts to reuse the\nBase. She said that the current development plan is a dream come true for her. She said\nthat she hoped Site A will be a valuable resource for the City for decades to come, and\nthat the plan would lead to the rest of the redevelopment of the Base.\nMs. Karen Bey said that she was very encouraged by the plans. She thanked Staff and the\ndevelopment team for their work on the project. She listed the benefits that the project\nwould bring to the City, but said she was most excited that the plan would make Alameda\na tourist destination, which would bring additional revenue to the City's budget.\nMr. Doug Biggs, Executive Director of the Alameda Point Collaborative, spoke\nenthusiastically in favor of the project. He said that his group wanted to be part of the\ndevelopment, and praised the development team for their inclusion of the public in the\nprocess. He said that there is a good mix of uses and amenities at the site. He said that\nthe housing crisis is huge in Alameda, and said that this project will help alleviate this\ncrisis.\nMr. Sky Riggs said that half of his employees commute over 40 miles to their work in\nAlameda. He said that housing on the Base will help small business owners like him to\nencourage his employees to move to Alameda. He said he was in favor of this project, and\nsaid that there is an opportunity to leave a positive mark on the site and Alameda as a\nwhole.\nMr. Ron Silverstein, resident, spoke in favor of the project. He said that the plans was a big\nstep in the right direction, and claimed that many residents are in favor of the project.\nMs. Laura Thomas, representing Renewed Hope Housing Advocates, said she was in\nfavor of the 200 affordable housing units. She said that Site A plans are a good move\nforward, and added that the proposed waterfront at Site A give a delightful sense of\nexpectation for the rest of the area and the City.\nMs. Veronica Hinkley-Reck, resident, said she was in favor of the plan. She said that she\nraised her children here because of the diversity in the City. She praised Alameda Point\nPartners for their expertise and community input. She said she was also really encouraged\nthat the developers are enthusiastic about making 25% of the housing affordable, which is\nmore than required. She urged passage of the plan.\nMr. Michael McDonough, President of the Alameda Chamber of Commerce, said that he\nhas spoken to many people about Site A, and that all of them were excited about the\nproject. He said that new infrastructure for the area is crucial for the area, and that many\nbusinesses will not come to the Island without these infrastructure improvements. He\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 4 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 5, "text": "praised staff, the Board, and the development team for their hard work, and said that the\nplan was as great as it could be.\nMr. Bruce Knopf, resident, said he agreed with staff's recommendation regarding approval\nof the project. He said he believed that Mr. Ernst was capable and qualified to implement\nthe plans because he lives in the City.\nMs. Kathy Moehring, resident, thanked the Board and staff for their patience. She said that\nshe was very happy that a member of the community was bringing the plan. She said that\nshe saw the decimation of businesses in West Alameda after the Navy left. She said that\nshe understood that revitalization of the Point will take a long time, but the price of this plan\nis worth it because it will save the City money in infrastructure repair in the long run.\nMs. Ann DeBardeleben, on behalf of the Alameda Association of Realtors, said that her\ngroup voted unanimously to support Site A. She said that affordable housing is dearly\nneeded in California, and she said that she was very happy that the housing plans were\nbeing targeted at renters. She said that millennials are looking for places that are close to\nwhere they work and play, or where there is public transportation that gets them from\nwhere they need to go. She said that this plan is a huge opportunity for people who live\nhere and those who may want to move here. She urged passage of the project.\nMr. William Smith, resident, urged passage of the project. He said that most of the housing\nin the project is rental units, which compared to recent projects approved in the city, which\nwere units meant for sale on the market. He urged approval of the project.\nMs. Lucy gigli, of Bike Walk Alameda, said that she was pleased with the tangibility of the\nproject. She said that the City to provide housing options for those who work here, and if\nthey stay in Alameda, they are more likely to use public transit, bike or walk to work.\nMr. Greg Goodfellow, urban planning consultant, said that he wanted to put roots in\nAlameda with his family. He said that most of the bike and pedestrian resources in the City\nare centered at the Park Street area. He said that every effort has been made to make\nthese resources available in other parts of the City.\nMs. Alexandra Cohn, business owner, said she had to move away from Alameda because\nshe is waiting for her building at Alameda Point to be completed. She said that she would\nlike to be part of Alameda becoming a tourist destination in the Bay Area. She said that the\nSite A plan was meant for the next generation, and that this plan moves Alameda forward.\nMr. Alan Pryor, resident, praised the development team for their availability to the public.\nHe said that the crumbling infrastructure in the area is a huge issue, especially during the\ndrought. He said that traffic has always been an issue in Alameda, but now there are other\nalternative measures for residents. He urged approval of the project.\nMr. Jon Spangler, resident, praised Mr. Thomas for his work. He said he was in favor of\nthe Site A plan.\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 5 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 6, "text": "The Board closed public comment.\nBoard Member Knox White asked Mr. Thomas if the development plan and the TDM plans\nwere consistent with the plans adopted by the City. Mr. Thomas replied in the affirmative.\nBoard Member Knox White said that he advocated for a piece-by-piece approach to\ndeveloping Alameda Point, and reminded the public that voters have also supported this\napproach. He said that other projects have failed because there were no amenities, such\nas restaurants, for their workers. He said that the infrastructure at the Point is falling apart,\nand that the City will lose businesses if the infrastructure is not upgraded. He thanked Ms.\nJennifer Ott, Chief Operating Officer of Alameda Point, for her work, and praised the work\nof Alameda Point Partners for their responsiveness to the community. He said he would\nlike to include an motion to the City Council recommending approval of the TDM plan.\nBoard Member Burton thanked staff and the developer for their hard work. He asked to\ninclude at least one accessible bedroom in the first floor, and asked the percentage of\naccessible townhouse bedrooms. Mr. Thomas replied that the percentage was 10%. Board\nMember Burton asked to ensure that different architects designed different facing blocks.\nHe asked for clarifying language to improve the street elevations. He thanked the\ncommunity for their support of the project, and said that this project would mark the\nbeginning of the rebirth of the Base. He said he was a skeptic of the City's plan to be its\nown developer at first, but he was glad that staff was able to do the work that they did. He\nsaid that the project would pay for infrastructure, and include shops, amenities, and\nhousing for workers. He said that the benefits of the project far outweigh the drawbacks.\nThe housing shortage is real in Alameda and this project helps address this concern. He\nenthusiastically supported the plan and urged passage of the development plan by the City\nCouncil.\nBoard Member Tang echoed Board Member Burton's comments. He said that the plan\ntakes advantage of the land in Alameda. He was also excited that Alameda Point could\ndraw tourists for its sailing and retail opportunities. The City would benefit from all of the\ntax revenue that would come from the increased jobs. The issue of affordable housing in\nthe City is relative. He said he agreed with the speaker who said that said that the\ncomposition of the housing stock has to reflect the changing lifestyles of residents. Board\nMember Tang said that the shuttle service running to BART should be more frequent\nduring rush hour and less frequent during off-peak hours.\nBoard Member Zuppan thanked the public for their input. She said that the development\nteam has done an incredible job, and has brought together an entire community. She\nunderstood that many people had different opinions, and said the team made a sincere\neffort to address all of the concerns. She said she was privileged to serve on the Site A\nsubcommittee. She called the project attractive and one that will make the City of Alameda\nproud.\nBoard Member K\u00f6ster thanked the public for their comments, and staff for their hard work.\nHe urged approval of the project. He said that there have been five economic booms and\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 6 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 7, "text": "busts during the Bay Area in the last 20 years, and that this project will create badly-\nneeded jobs that will start to replace jobs lost when the Navy left. The ferry to and from\nSan Francisco will allow workers and businesses who want to relocate to Alameda to do\nso. He said that Alameda has very little affordable housing, and he hoped that this project\nwill help alleviate rent control and affordable housing problems in Alameda. He said that\nthe plan is not perfect, but it has the potential to make a great return on investment for the\nCity.\nVice President Alvarez said it was a privilege for her to work with her fellow Board\nmembers, city staff, and the community on the project. She said the development team did\na great job with their community outreach. There is no perfect plan, she said, but that the\nhousing plan is great.\nPresident Henneberry said he was in favor of the project. He said that the project honors\nthe past and is the right project for the future.\nBoard Member Burton motioned to approve the Development Plan and Development\nAgreement clarification with three minor conditions. Board Member K\u00f6ster seconded the\nmotion.\nThe motion carried, 7-0.\nBoard Member Knox White motioned to approve the TDM Compliance Strategy Plan. Vice\nPresident Alvarez seconded the motion.\nThe motion carried, 7-0.\nPresident Henneberry called for a 5-minute break.\n7-B 2015-1664\nRecommendation to Adopt Amendments to (1) the Alameda Municipal\nCode (AMC) Section 30-17 Density Bonus Ordinance, and (2) AMC\nSection 30-4.17G, Special Government Combining District to\nApproximately 36.36 acres located on Singleton Street on the Former\nNaval Air Station. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 no\nfurther environmental review is required.\nMr. Thomas gave a presentation.\nVice President Alvarez asked if there was a need to include Coast Guard housing at the\nsite. Mr. Thomas clarified that the numbers in the memorandum do not include the Coast\nGuard numbers.\nBoard Member K\u00f6ster asked what buildings were currently at the Coast Guard site. Mr.\nThomas said that there are currently 282 units at the site that have been vacant since\n2005.\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 7 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 8, "text": "Board Member K\u00f6ster asked if the City is trying to slow down the type of development at\nthe Boatworks site. Mr. Thomas said the City cannot prohibit housing on a parcel if it is\nzoned correctly, but the current surplus allows the City more flexibility.\nBoard Member Tang asked Mr. Thomas about the standard size for each housing unit. Mr.\nThomas said that there is no unit size criteria in Alameda, but housing sizes typically range\nbetween 1,800 and 2,800 square feet. Board Member Tang asked if affordable units are\nequal in size to market rate units. Mr. Thomas replied that zoning requirements in Alameda\nmandate affordable housing to be comparable in size to market rate housing.\nBoard Member Burton asked about how staff calculated the allotment of affordable\nhousing units at the site. Mr. Thomas explained the numbers.\nThe Board opened public comment.\nMs. Helen Sause, resident, said that she was in favor of having this amendment approved.\nThe cleanup of the Northern Waterfront will take a long time, but it is worth the effort.\nMs. Diane Lichenstein said that she understood Mr. Thomas's information very clearly.\nShe said it was reasonable to keep the zoning flexible and urged approval of the\namendment.\nMr. Jon Spangler, resident, said that he was in favor of the adjustment to the city\nordinances, but he expressed concern that the City Council seemed to be in favor of\nreducing housing capacity. He wanted to see new forms of housing proposed instead of\nthe fairly standard models being shown. He wanted to see more unconventional units,\nsuch as tiny housing, co-housing, and live-work or work-live units.\nMr. William Smith, of Renewed Hope Housing Advocates, said that the Navy would be\nauctioning the property, which will allow for single family developers to outbid the multi-\nfamily developers. He said that the State does not like housing caps, as that drives up\nhousing prices, and said he does not know if the size of the land is a big concern for him\nand his group at the moment.\nMs. Laura Thomas, also of Renewed Hope, said that, normally, her organization would\nregret the cap on housing at the site. However, the State is not making a requirement that\nAlameda allocates a certain number of housing units. Alameda needs to have more\nhousing than what the State has mandated. Rental prices have surged in the past two\nyears. She expressed hope that, when the time comes, the zoning could be revisited and\ndiscussed. She says that the community agrees that affordable housing is needed in\nAlameda.\nThe Board closed public comment.\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 8 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2015-05-11", "page": 9, "text": "Board Member Knox White asked Mr. Thomas if the City could stop development of public\nlands. Mr. Thomas clarified that the City could not stop development on a parcel if it is\nzoned appropriately. He noted that the City can shift units from one side of the Island to\nanother.\nBoard Member Burton said that the rezoning makes sense and he is willing to take the\nleap of faith on this issue.\nPresident Henneberry, Vice President Alvarez, Board Members Tang and Zuppan echoed\nBoard Member Knox White comments.\nBoard Member K\u00f6ster asked Mr. Thomas if the zoning could come back to the Board at a\nlater date. Mr. Thomas replied that, procedurally, the issue will go next to the City Council.\nBoard Member K\u00f6ster said he understood the changes and agreed with them.\nBoard Member Knox White motioned to approve the amendments. Board Member Burton\nseconded the motion.\nThe motion carried, 7-0.\n8. MINUTES: None\n9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS:\nMr. Thomas updated the Board on various Zoning Administrator and Design Review\ndecisions.\n10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS:\nThe Board acknowledged various emails in support of the Site A development project.\n11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS:\n11-A 2015-1662\nReport from the Alameda Point Site A Ad-Hoc Subcommittee\nPresident Henneberry said that the Subcommittee has not met.\n12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None\n13. ADJOURNMENT:\nPresident Henneberry adjourned the meeting at 10:50 P.M.\nApproved Regular Meeting Minutes\nPage 9 of 10\nMay 11, , 2015", "path": "PlanningBoard/2015-05-11.pdf"}