{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 1, "text": "APPROVED MINUTES\nREGULAR MEETING OF THE\nCITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD\nMONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017\n1. CONVENE\nBoard Member Mitchell convened the meeting at 7:01pm\n2. FLAG SALUTE\nBoard Member Curtis led the flag salute.\n3. ROLL CALL\nPresent: Board Members Burton, Curtis, Knox White, Mitchell, Sullivan, Zuppan.\nPresident K\u00f6ster arrived at 7:03pm.\n4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION\n*None*\n5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS\nAlan Teague said he was researching the Planning Board's work and said he wished\nthat all of the documents referenced (i.e.- - CA building code) in the agendas were\navailable to the public.\n6. CONSENT CALENDAR\n*None*\n7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS\n7-A 2017- 4464\nPublic Hearing on Final Revisions to draft Universal Design Ordinance\nStaff Member Thomas gave the staff report. The report and attachments can be found\nat: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3082686&GUID=7B56959C-\nDA03-43D4-BOB5-0E0D8329B17F&FullText=1\nBoard Member Mitchell asked for language in the waivers section to be clarified in the\nordinance.\nBoard Member Zuppan suggested they could simply remove a portion of the wording to\nmake it easier to understand.\nBoard Member Mitchell asked how the proposed ordinance would have impacted costs\nfor previously approved units.\nApproved Minutes\nPage 1 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 2, "text": "Staff Member Thomas said that projects like Del Monte and Encinal Terminals have no\nproblem meeting the 30% requirements. He said townhome only projects like 2100\nClement would have trouble meeting the 30% requirements.\nBoard Member Curtis said that most projects in Alameda have very high site improvement\ncosts and asked if it was feasible to saddle these units with higher construction costs that\nwould drive prices higher.\nStaff Member Thomas said they have to balance the desire not to drive prices up with the\nneed to build housing that does not exclude entire segments of the population.\nBoard Member Sullivan said she was very concerned about the increased costs that the\nrequirements would add to new units. She said they do not have enough information to\ninitiate these rules.\nPresident K\u00f6ster opened the public hearing.\nAlan Teague said we should require the minimum amount of items needed to make a unit\nvisitable and not add more, in order to avoid adding unnecessary costs. He said any\nentrance, not just the front door, can be used to meet the requirements.\nAlan Pryor said the requirements for visitability seem like a good idea to help people\naccess their homes as they age.\nPresident K\u00f6ster closed the public hearing.\nBoard Member Burton said he is eager to move the ordinance forward. He said allowing\nadaptable stairs to meet the requirements would be a mistake. He said the $80,000\nnumber in the BIA letter is a scare tactic. He said we have a reasonable waiver process\navailable if there are issues.\nBoard Member Sullivan asked if the ordinance was likely to just eliminate the construction\nof townhomes in Alameda.\nStaff Member Thomas said that there are pending applications that include townhomes\nwould not be changed due to the current ordinance because they have a mix of housing\ntypes in their projects. He said they can come back and change the ordinance if they find\neach project asking for the same waivers.\nBoard Member Curtis asked why we would move forward with an ordinance that we think\nwill have problems in the future. He said the ordinance encourages vertical development\nand punishes single family development.\nApproved Minutes\nPage 2 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 3, "text": "Staff Member Thomas said this ordinance would not add additional process to projects.\nHe said the conversation about waivers would happen at the regular design review hearing\nfor their project and not cause more hearings to occur.\nBoard Member Knox White said he is prepared to support the ordinance. He said the BIA\nletter was disrespectful to Alameda. He said he looks forward to celebrating when City\nCouncil adopts the ordinance.\nBoard Member Mitchell said he will support the ordinance and is comfortable with the\nwaiver process. He said building these changes in during construction are cost effective\nand practical. He said developers want predictability, even if it adds some costs.\nPresident K\u00f6ster said he supports the ordinance.\nBoard Member Knox White thanked the Commission on Disability Issues (CDI)\nsubcommittee members for their efforts promoting visitability, and for beginning this\ndiscussion in the first place.\nBoard Member Burton thanked Ms. Lord-Hausman and Erick Mikiten for their work on the\nordinance.\nBoard Member Zuppan made a motion to approve the resolution with the clarifying\nedits provided during discussion. Board Member Mitchell seconded the motion. The\nmotion passed 7-0.\n7-B 2017-4466\nPLN17-0186 - 2001 Versailles Ave - Applicant: Clifford Mapes. A public\nhearing to consider a proposed development plan amendment and design\nreview for the first two homes on an 11-lot subdivision on a 1.29-acre\nproperty located at 2001 Versailles Avenue at the corner of Fernside\nBoulevard and Versailles Avenue. The project is categorically exempt from\nfurther review under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to\nCEQA Guidelines Section 15332 In-Fill Development Projects.\nStaff Member Sablan gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found\nat:\n https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3082688&GUID=B8EB6B20-\n7BC-4A18-9910-EAD223D8EOOC&FullText=1\nBoard Member Mitchell thanked staff for saying \"VER-sigh.' He asked for an update on\nthe retaining wall along Tilden.\nStaff Member Sablan said the applicant is proposing a basic wooden fence at this point.\nApproved Minutes\nPage 3 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 4, "text": "Board Member Zuppan said her recollection from the previous discussion was that the\nTilden fence was supposed to be of above average design and not a simple wooden fence.\nStaff Member Sablan said that it is what the applicant is proposing, but the design is up\nfor discussion.\nBoard Member Knox White asked if they can change items in the development plan\nbeyond the items requested by the applicant.\nStaff Member Thomas said they can make any changes they wish to the application.\nPresident K\u00f6ster asked if the lots had to be 5,000 square feet.\nStaff Member Thomas said the lots have been approved by City Council already.\nPresident K\u00f6ster opened the public hearing.\nAlan Teague said they should revise the agreement to match the recommended Universal\nDesign ordinance. He suggested the visitability could be accomplished by going through\nthe garage.\nEvan Schwimmer asked that lots 5, 6, and 8 be changed to be single family homes. He\nsaid the duplexes on Versailles would change the character of the neighborhood.\nPresident K\u00f6ster closed the public hearing.\nBoard Member Burton said he is okay with the setback changes for lots one and two. He\nsaid he would go with the board on the setback for the other lots on Versailles. He said\nthe visitability and accessibility requirements are not negotiable. He said he could not\nsupport the designs of the first two homes. He said the design lacked character. He said\nthey are enormous 3400 square foot homes, and that they needed more sculpting.\nBoard Member Sullivan said she does not see much character in the design. She said the\nfence along Tilden is the entrance to Alameda and needs to have more permanence than\na simple wood fence.\nBoard Member Knox agreed with the two previous board members. He asked who would\nbe responsible for the City's side of the fence.\nStaff Member Thomas said they were talking about having vines covering the fence along\nTilden to prevent graffiti from being a problem.\nApproved Minutes\nPage 4 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 5, "text": "Board Member Knox White said they should check with Public Works about maintenance\nand concerns about pedestrians' proximity to traffic if there is growth along the wall. He\nsaid the homes are out of scale for the neighborhood and we should consider setting some\nguidelines for the sizes of the homes.\nBoard Member Curtis agreed with the other board members.\nBoard Member Zuppan agreed with the previous comments about design, scale, and the\nfence on Tilden. She said the homes are near busy streets and the design needs to take\npotential accidents into consideration.\nBoard Member Mitchell said he would like to see the second stories and home sizes better\nmatch the neighborhood. He suggested reducing the number of duplexes in the project.\nHe said he would like to see the fence issue come back.\nPresident K\u00f6ster said he would like to see more variation in the architecture beyond just\ncolor and material. He said he would be fine with the ramps being in the garages. He said\nhe would like the universal design requirements to remain.\nSteve Sorenson said the builder is a good builder and wants to build good homes.\nMr. Mapes said the crawl space would be more like 30\" above grade, not 12\". He said\nthere are many duplexes along Fernside Boulevard.\nBoard Member Mitchell said using garages for accessibility is a bad idea because garages\nare often cluttered and obstructed.\nBoard Member Burton made a motion to approve the resolution amending the\ndevelopment plan, keep the visitability and accessible unit standards but allow the front\nyard setbacks on lots 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 be amended to be 12' minimum to front porch and 17'\nminimum to face of building, and have the fence along Tilden come back for design review.\nBoard Member Curtis seconded the motion.\nBoard Member Zuppan asked for clarification as to whether the design reviews for lots 1\nand 2 were part of the motion.\nStaff Member Thomas said the resolution just defines the setbacks, and staff would be\nresponsible for design review.\nBoard Member Knox White said that they should give direction on unit size now for staff\nto consider during design reviews.\nApproved Minutes\nPage 5 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 6, "text": "Board Member Burton asked what ability they have within the development plan to limit\nunit size.\nStaff Member Thomas said they can limit size via the development plan. He said staff\nis\nmore concerned with the look of the design than exactly how many square feet.\nBoard Member Burton suggested that they could ask for the designs to be much more\nsculpted when they come back. He amended his motion to ask that the designs come to\nthe board for review, rather than being approved at the staff level. Board Member Curtis\nseconded the motion.\nBoard Member Mitchell asked if it was possible to have all the designs be presented and\napproved simultaneously, while allowing the builder to proceed with only 1-2 units at a\ntime if desired.\nStaff Member Thomas said they outlined the lots, home orientation, parking locations, and\ncirculation in the development plan. He said they liked the idea of potentially getting some\nvariety by doing the designs a couple at a time.\nBoard Member Curtis said he was not looking for detailed construction drawings, but\nrather renderings of streetscapes to put the project into scale for the neighborhood.\nBoard Member Zuppan said she was concerned about how the private drive and perimeter\nfence would be maintained.\nStaff Member Thomas said he would need to review the original conditions of approval on\nthe final map from seven years ago.\nStaff Member Sablan asked if the motion intended for the universal design elements to be\ninstalled as originally approved and not just demonstrate how they could be included if the\nhomeowner desired.\nBoard Member Burton responded in the affirmative.\nBoard Member Knox White asked that when the plan for the fence came back it include\ndetails of how it would be maintained. He asked that staff bring back information on the\nsize of buildings in the neighborhood when the board considers the design of the units.\nBoard Member Curtis said he was reluctant to vote for something that would require the\ndrawings to be redone because of the cost.\nApproved Minutes\nPage 6 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 7, "text": "Board Member Burton said they need to set the rules and the applicant can decide whether\nto do slab on grade or homes with crawl spaces.\nBoard Member Burton revised and restated his motion to: revise the development\nplan to change the setbacks on lots 1-8 to 12' minimums to face of porch and 17'\nminimums to face of buildings, the fence along Tilden and all homes come back for\ndesign review, that staff will provide information on the sizes of existing buildings'\nsquare footage within one block of the site, that when the applicant comes back for\ndesign review that a maintenance plan be presented for the private drive and the\nfence along Tilden.\nBoard Member Zuppan asked if there was a plan for when the entirety of the Tilden fence\nwould be constructed, given that the homes might be designed and built in phases.\nStaff Member Thomas said the intent was to have the fence built with the first home.\nBoard Member Curtis asked the developer if the foundation plans have been designed for\nthe first two units.\nMr. Mapes said they have not, but that he knows what it will take. He said he is being\npenalized for designing a nicer home (raised floor). He said he will do a slab if that is what\nthe board wants. He said it would be cheaper that way.\nBoard Member Curtis seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0.\n8. MINUTES\n*None*\n9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS\n9-A 2017-4463\nZoning Administrator and Design Review Recent Actions and Decisions\nStaff Member Thomas said they approved four use permits and eight design reviews.\n9-B 2017-4465\nFuture Public Meetings and Upcoming Community Development\nDepartment Projects\nStaff Member Thomas said the July 10th meeting is being moved to July 17th. He said\nthere is a Shipways site tour tomorrow at 5:40pm. He listed future agenda items.\n10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS\n*None*\nApproved Minutes\nPage 7 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2017-06-26", "page": 8, "text": "11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS\n11-A 2017-4461\nSubcommittee with Commission on Disability Issues regarding Universal\nDesign Ordinance\nDid Not Meet. Staff Member Thomas said they could officially disband that subcommittee.\n11-B 2017-4462\nSubcommittee for Alameda Marina\n*None*\nBoard Member Knox White shared that the accessory dwelling unit and shared living\nordinances were passed by City Council.\n12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS\nAlan Teague asked what time the tour was and if the public was invited.\nStaff Member Thomas said it was at 530pm and open to the public.\n13. ADJOURNMENT\nPresident K\u00f6ster adjourned the meeting at 9:28pm.\nApproved Minutes\nPage 8 of 8\nJune 26, 2017\nPlanning Board Meeting", "path": "PlanningBoard/2017-06-26.pdf"}