{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 1, "text": "APPROVED MINUTES\nREGULAR MEETING OF THE\nCITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD\nMONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018\n1. CONVENE\nPresident Mitchell convened the meeting at 7:00pm\n2. FLAG SALUTE\nBoard Member Curtis led the flag salute.\n3. ROLL CALL\nPresent: President Mitchell, Board Members Burton, Cavanaugh, Curtis, Sullivan,\nTeague.\nAbsent: Board Member Koster.\n4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION\n*None*\n5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS\n*None*\n6. CONSENT CALENDAR\n2018-5113\n2018 Planning Board Regular Meeting Schedule\nThe schedule can be found at:\ntps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3309855&GUID=564A7F70-\nE6F4-483E-9D04-65171CDB4D32\nBoard Member Teague asked for confirmation that Columbus Day is not an Alameda\nholiday.\nStaff Member Thomas confirmed.\nBoard Member Teague made a motion to approve the 2018 calendar. Board\nMember Sullivan seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0.\n7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS\n7-A 2018-5112\nStaff Presentation on Repairing Alameda's Aging Infrastructure and\nRelated Survey\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 1 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 2, "text": "Staff Member Garland gave a presentation. The staff report report and attachment can\nbe found at:\nhttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3309854&GUID=E443FF5F-\nAEBC-4EOD-A443-3EB61D3D7312&FullText=1\nBoard Member Sullivan asked why the City does not keep funds in reserve accounts to\ndeal with infrastructure needs when they are needed.\nStaff Member Garland said they do keep some funds separate for operating and capital\nexpenses. He said the stormwater fee has been flat since 2000 due to litigation issues.\nBoard Member Sullivan asked why they aren't getting the money they need from the City\nbudget?\nStaff Member Garland said there is no place to get money for the stormwater system other\nthan the general fund which would mean taking funds from essential City services.\nBoard Member Sullivan asked if the purpose of this was in anticipation of a bond.\nStaff Member Garland said that a bond would require City Council and then voter approval\nand this process is a way of getting as much engagement on the issue as possible.\nBoard Member Sullivan asked what they were doing to make this statistically valid and not\njust the opinion of a random group.\nStaff Member Garland said the community survey over the summer was scientifically valid.\nHe said they are on track to get about 3000 responses to this survey.\nBoard Member Curtis asked if the City has explored federal grants and funding to\nsupplement these items.\nStaff Member Garland said that they do pursue other funding and have had some success\naround transportation and at Alameda Point. He said things like stormwater improvements\nhave less funding available and a greater need.\nStaff Member Thomas said that our ability to be successful in obtaining grants is greatly\ntied to our ability to provide a local match.\nBoard Member Burton said that online outreach does not reach large portions of residents.\nHe asked what the City is doing to reach a broad swath of the community.\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 2 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 3, "text": "Staff Member Garland said that they did a mail survey to all Alameda addresses. He said\nthey have also done a lot of outreach to community groups, all boards and commissions,\nhomeowner groups, and business associations.\nBoard Member Burton said that more than 50% of our residents are renters and asked if\nthe mailer went to them or only the building owners.\nStaff Member Garland said that it would have gone out to each unit.\nBoard Member Burton asked if the survey was provided in different languages.\nStaff Member Garland said he would have to find out the answer to that question.\nStaff Member Barrera said that she helped translate the survey into another language and\nit was provided in several languages.\nPresident Mitchell said the street cleaning schedule does not match the student drop off\nschedule which creates a ripple effect throughout the neighborhood. He said it seems like\nthere is not enough coordination between the City and the school district.\nStaff Member Garland said the routes are complicated and built over years, which creates\nsome inertia. He suggested having the principal of the particular school contact Public\nWorks to troubleshoot the issue.\nPresident Mitchell pointed out that many parents ignore the signs anyway, which would\nprevent the street sweeping from being effective.\nBoard Member Cavanaugh asked if the City was looking at the new gasoline tax as a\nsource of funding for transportation or pothole repair.\nStaff Member Garland said they have already programmed those funds into their capital\nbudget.\nBoard Member Cavanaugh asked if the money would be broken into clear pots of money\nto help voters know how the money would be spent specifically.\nStaff member Garland said he thought that was a good idea and should be put down on\nthe input form. He also mentioned that some cities have broken down the repair budget\ninto percentages to let the potential voters know where the money will be spent.\n7-B 2018-5122\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 3 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 4, "text": "PLN17-0380 - 2350 Harbor Bay Parkway - Applicant: Ram Hotels. Public\nhearing to consider a Zoning Amendment to allow construction of a hotel\nat 2350 Harbor Bay Parkway\nStaff Member Thomas gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found\nat:\nttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3309859&GUID=98AF5AD4-\nF4F0-4437-9A1F-6728F23474D9&FullText=1\nBoard Member Curtis said the minutes of the BCDC meeting raised major issues with the\nhotel proposal that are missing from the staff report. He said this item is a waste of time\nbecause it has been made clear in the BCDC minutes that the parcel does not fit a hotel.\nStaff Member Thomas said he disagrees. He said the question was not what BCDC thinks,\nbut what Alameda thinks is appropriate for the site. He said the BCDC meeting in question\nonly had seven of something like 30 board members were present. He said more board\nmembers of BCDC voted for the motion than against by a large margin, but that there\nwere many members not present and they did not reach their required threshold. He said\nonly seven members voted against. He said that the findings in the subsequent BCDC\nstaff report are based on only the seven (of thirty total) board members that voted no. He\nsaid those findings would preclude any building on this site.\nBoard Member Curtis said that maybe the site does not work then. He said the\nresponsibility of the council and board are to find the greatest and best use of the land for\nthe public. He said he thinks the findings are valid.\nBoard Member Sullivan asked if the hotel would have to have a setback from its property\nline.\nStaff Member Thomas said that any building would have to be confined to its own parcel.\nBoard Member Sullivan asked if the HBIA proposal would be included in this discussion.\nStaff Member Thomas explained the strip of land still owned by HBIA was never conveyed\nto the City because they wanted to wait until the land was fully improved. He said there is\na Council referral looking at conveying the parcel now.\nBoard Member Burton asked to confirm that we are just evaluating the generic idea of a\nhotel use and not any specific project.\nStaff Member Thomas said that currently an office building or an office building with a\nhotel would be permitted and that the board is considering whether to add hotel as an\naccepted use.\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 4 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 5, "text": "Board Member Teague asked for clarification about the proposed zoning ordinance and\nwhether the third amendment with BCDC did or did not apply.\nStaff Member Thomas explained that it is an agreement that the City is not a party to. He\nalso stated that BCDC has made it clear that the requirements under the settlement\nagreement with HIBA travel with the land.\nPresident Mitchell opened the public hearing.\nMarcy Marks, Harbor Bay Business Park Association, said they review the architectural\nplans and responded positively. She read a letter from their architectural review committee\nendorsing the changes in the design from a previous version.\nDaniel Reidy, attorney for Harbor Bay Isle Associates, gave some background on the\nzoning process for the site and how the shoreline park developed. He recommended the\nboard adopt the draft zoning.\nLinda Carloni said she and Golden Gate Audubon oppose rezoning of the site because it\nwould impact wildlife.\nIrene Dieter asked that the board not recommend rezoning this parcel because we have\nlearned much from the BCDC proceedings. She said the board should do what is best for\nthe citizens of Alameda and not change the zoning.\nRichard Bangert said that looking at who on BCDC voted in favor and against the hotel\nproposal is instructive. He said those voting in favor were all political appointees or agency\nrepresentatives. He said the elected representatives voted against the project. He said\nWilma Chan, Jane Kim, and even Tom Butt were against the plan.\nPat Lamborn asked that the Planning Board vote no on the proposed zoning change. She\nsaid the previous Planning Board was missing important information. She said the current\ndesign is not included for the board's review. She said the setbacks would not work once\nthe shoreline parcel is transferred to the City. She said the airport safety zone would\nprevent building higher. She said there is not enough information to hold a proper public\nhearing and abstaining would be a reasonable position tonight.\nChad Otten said the land is not zoned for a hotel, for good reason. He said rezoning would\nopen a Pandora's Box. He said this hotel is not compatible and does not fit.\nTom Krysiak said he wants to protect this very unique parcel of land. He urged the board\nto not support rezoning the parcel.\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 5 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 6, "text": "President Mitchell closed the public hearing.\nBoard Member Teague said the requirement to have the shoreline improvement\ncompleted before the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy is crucial. He also said that\nparking will be a big concern and will impact what can be built on the site. The architectural\ndesign, due to the unusual configuration of the parcel will need special review to ensure\nthe aesthetics of the area are preserved. He believes that making the zoning only C-M will\nopen the site up to any use allowed in the C-M district. He believes that the existing design\nand parking conditions should remain and a hotel that fits the constraints of the site might\nbe an asset to the community.\nBoard Member Curtis said the site is too small for any economically viable project to move\nforward. He said moving forward with the rezoning would cause the developer to waste a\nlot of money.\nBoard Member Sullivan said the site is too small and that a hotel does not make sense.\nShe said she does not support changing the zoning.\nBoard Member Cavanaugh said he agreed that the parcel is too small for a hotel.\nBoard Member Burton said it is a tricky site. He said that, generically speaking, a hotel\ncould be appropriate for the site. He said we are not here to discuss a specific proposal.\nHe said he is in favor of the rezoning.\nPresident Mitchell asked if the really are considering a generic hotel, or a specific proposal.\nStaff Member Thomas said that there is an application for a specific hotel. He said staff\ndecided to deal with the zoning question first, before deciding whether to bring the hotel\napplication forward.\nPresident Mitchell said the four story, 100 unit hotel would not fit in the space. He said he\nis not compelled to change the zoning with the hotel that is on the table.\nBoard Member Curtis made a motion to recommend that City Council not change\nthe zoning. Board Member Sullivan seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-2.\n(Burton and Teague opposed)\n8. MINUTES\n8-A 2018-5111\nDraft Meeting Minutes - October 23th, 2017\nPresident Mitchell opened the public hearing.\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 6 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 7, "text": "Barbara Walker asked that the minutes not be approved because there are discrepancies\nthat are not in their (residents concerned with a remodel on Bay St.) favor. She said that\nBoard Member Teague's comments regarding the roofline were not in the minutes and not\nreflected in the approved plan. She said the final plans do not reflect the direction to use\nvegetation to provide screening around the entire back portion of the property. She said\nthe neighbors believed that there would be a staff level review of the roofline that would\nbe re-noticed. She said that final plan was posted on December 11th, but postmarked for\nthe October 23rd meeting, which would prevent them from appealing that decision. She\nsaid the process was not transparent. She said her point that this is a non-conforming still\nstands.\nTom Mills said the neighbors always thought that they would be re-notified when there\nwere new plans. He said the developer is doing demolition work that are not code\ncompliant. He said he does not want to live next to 100 people and that the project is not\ngood for the neighborhood.\nStaff Member Thomas said that this hearing is over and we are just reviewing the minutes.\nHe said staff has explained multiple times that all apartments in Alameda that are vacant\nfor over a year would be shut down. He said when Measure A was passed Council passed\nan ordinance explaining that existing apartment buildings are not addressed by Measure\nA.\nBoard Member Curtis said that once the plans are approved that it is the Building\nDepartment's job to ensure the plans are executed accurately and proper procedures are\nfollowed with respect to asbestos cleanup. He said it is now beyond the purview of the\nPlanning Board.\nPresident Mitchell agreed and said that this would need to be taken up with the Building\nDepartment.\nBoard Member Sullivan made a motion to approve the minutes. Board Member\nTeague seconded the motion.\nBoard Member Curtis said he wanted to add that the video be reviewed to make sure the\ncomments on the motion in question were captured accurately.\nStaff Member Thomas said they could have the speaker note where they felt there were\nerrors and review those sections. He said if there were changes needed, he will bring them\nback for approval.\nBoard Members Sullivan and Teague accepted staff's suggested change to the\nmotion. The motion passed 6-0.\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 7 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}
{"body": "PlanningBoard", "date": "2018-01-22", "page": 8, "text": "8-B 2018-5120\nDraft Meeting Minutes-November 13, 2017\nBoard Member Sullivan corrected a typo on page 5. She said the name of the Assistant\nCity Attorney's name was not given on page 8.\nStaff Member Thomas said that it was John Lay.\nBoard Member Curtis amended his comments on page 5.\nBoard Member Sullivan made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Board\nMember Teague seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0.\n9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS\n9-A 2018-5115\nZoning Administrator and Design Review Recent Actions and Decisions\nStaff Member Thomas gave a brief update. The staff report can be found at:\nttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3309856&GUID=6F4252B8-\n1863-4FB2-9160-B5E0C4C4AAA2&FullText=1\n9-B 2018-5119\nFuture Public Meetings and Upcoming Community Development\nDepartment Projects\nStaff Member Thomas gave a preview of upcoming meetings. The staff report can be\nfound at:\nittps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3309857&GUID=57BFOD53-\n2CFC-4F4E-AFE6-373CBC7E5E86\nStaff Member Thomas reminded the board to let staff know if they want to attend the\nplanning conference in Monterey in April.\n10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS\n*None*\n11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS\nBoard Member Teague thanks the Housing Authority for hosting a presentation on recently\npassed housing legislation.\n12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS\n*None*\n13. ADJOURNMENT\nPresident Mitchell adjourned the meeting at 7:55pm.\nApproved Planning Board Minutes\nPage 8 of 8\nJanuary 22, 2018", "path": "PlanningBoard/2018-01-22.pdf"}