pages: CityCouncil/2013-09-25.pdf, 14
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CityCouncil | 2013-09-25 | 14 | been discussion since starting the EIR and zoning; no one has a crystal ball to know what opportunities are going to be presented; discussions should set the outer limit of the envelope; different things can fit within the envelope; staff would present proposal to Council, which best fit the City's priorities, visions, and needs. In response to Councilmember Tam inquiry regarding where projects would go, the City Manager stated the City is either going to have flexibility or not have flexibility; zoning determines what goes where; general areas are known; every project will go to the Planning Board and City Council; that he does not understand what the intermediate criteria could be which would not be covered by zoning and yet would be flexible and not prescriptive or predictive; staff will not bring anything that does not meet zoning and the EIR. Councilmember Tam stated the zoning and EIR are flexible, which is different than the priority areas. The City Manager stated the zoning and EIR are not totally flexible. Vice Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the zoning would be form based; stated there are certain categories, such as the maritime zone; the form based code outlines the types of uses which would be appropriate for an area; painting should be with a broad brush to allow for an opportunity that is not on the criteria list. The City Manager responded form based zoning would be done for the Town Center; stated there needs to be a sense of place; something progressive would be done at the Town Center; staff knows a building cannot be more than 10 stories unless it is a signature building; questioned what the intermediate step would be; stated Board Member Knox White and Councilmember Tam want a sieve which would indicate whether staff should bring projects to a specific area; that he does not understand the intermediate step because the zoning is not meaningless; the Planning Board has done a lot of work; saying anything can go anywhere does not conform with the maps and strategy put forward; no one can predict what is going to happen; staff cannot predict where the market will be in 5 to 8 years and the City does not have money to subsidize projects; requested clarification of the intermediate step. Mayor Gilmore stated that she was just going to ask Councilmember Tam or Board Member Knox White to explain. Board Member Knox White stated as part of the disposition strategy, the Council should indicate places the City wants to focus efforts and create priority zones; information would be provided on fiscal neutrality and traffic impacts before anything is presented; information should be provided about how staff feels the proposal will impact the land; the criteria is not a next step, rather it is information the Council would use to judge whether or not to a project meets the goals. Joint Meeting Alameda City Council and 14 Planning Board September 25, 2013 | CityCouncil/2013-09-25.pdf |