pages: CityCouncil/2009-12-02.pdf, 13
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CityCouncil | 2009-12-02 | 13 | Council/Board/CIC decides that this is a good idea, changes should not be done in a vacuum. One of the items pulled from the agenda the other night was a long-term lease with WETA. The WETA lease should be analyzed in the context of whatever new policies are created, because that could very well be the template for moving forward as WETA will be a major tenant out there for a very long period of time. How the City deals with WETA could very well set the stage for how the City deals with any other industries. It is something in hand now, is not something being theoretically talked about, and is also a maritime industry. Councilmember/Board Member/Commissioner Matarrese added that WETA is trailing $20 million that they want to plant on the shoreline. His main point is that templating leases was tried before. There are some speakers that can talk specifically about some of the unique facets of the private marine industry; WETA is a public agency with a different guarantee of revenue than the private sector. The City has to diversify and look at policies not in a template, but against goals; some goals may not be revenue- participation as mentioned in 2007, but may be more investments in the land side structure to keep the bulkheads intact so that the Island does not slide into the water, or to maintain the berths, or to bring jobs, or to generate sales tax. Opening with a set of goals to attract and establish desirable businesses and industry at Alameda Point, have diversity rather than a monolithic, single sector-driven development, which could be the future of commercial development; when entitlement happens, the developer does not come back to tell the City that they have to build more houses because there is no commercial market. The City should build its own market, look at the issue comprehensively and set up a flexible policy, more goal-driven, and not narrow. Mayor/Chair Johnson clarified that there is no current leasing policy in place except for de facto policy. potential tenants go through a lengthy and delayed process and eventually give up. The Interim City Manager stated that one of the ways to tackle the issue, because it is comprehensive, rather than wait 90-120 days for a paper with a huge narrative, is to engage in dialogue. Suggested the issue be placed as an item on the ARRA meeting in February and a discussion start with a City Manager presentation of a working outline that deals with policy parameters, financial issues, users, the major big categories; then take Council's thoughts, incorporate them, have dialogue and get reactions to the working draft outline before staff starts crafting language and finds out it is going in a totally different direction than the Special Joint Meeting Alameda City Council, Alameda Reuse and Redevelopment Authority and 13 Community Improvement Commission December 2, 2009 | CityCouncil/2009-12-02.pdf |