pages: CityCouncil/2021-09-07.pdf, 24
This data as json
body | date | page | text | path |
---|---|---|---|---|
CityCouncil | 2021-09-07 | 24 | meeting; meetings are not being completed due to larding up a political show and tell; he is frustrated and has worked hard to help move unsupported matters along in the agenda; expressed concern about wasting time; stated there have been 18 hearings on the project; the design for the project has not been addressed in any comments; it is time to let projects, which conceptually have had support from voters, move forward. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she would like Council to direct the City Attorney's office to work with Planning Department staff to consider limiting appeals on projects which address homelessness; Council will never accomplish what is needed as a City to address homelessness if there continues the approval process continues to be stretched for projects; expressed support for comments indicating a calculated targeting to stall the Wellness Center project again, which is morally wrong and costly; there is no other reason the other two matters were pulled from the Call for Review and not the Wellness Center; she would like City staff to look into whether the issue of design review decisions should be appealable to the City Council; design review decisions being appealable to City Council is not universal among cities; outlined a League of California Cities Statewide Policy Committee meeting tour of Corsair Flats; noted some of the veterans housed in the units had been on the street for ten years; some people live and die on the street in the same period of time; it is morally wrong to throw specious roadblocks in the way to appease a few disgruntled community members that cannot get over the fact that the project has been approved time and time again; ensuring the delay does not happen again will take some redesigning of process. Councilmember Daysog stated the core of the issue and reason for Councilmember Herrera Spencer and himself to bring the matter forth is not to target the facility, but due to a mistake in the agendizing of the matter and the wrong telephone number being listed; he does not know how many people might have called and decided not to follow through due to the incorrect number; it is imperative that projects with high stakes have City Hall to get the low hanging fruit correct; he believes that he is right to point the error out and Call for Review; expressed support for seeing the facility moving forward; stated the City must meet the minimum standards of getting information out correctly for a full discussion and for democracy to work; expressed support for the enthusiasm the project garners and for seeing the project built; stated the other items on the Planning Board agenda were time sensitive and had to be reasonably decided not to be included in the Call for Review; the matter is settled and the project will move forward. Vice Mayor Vella stated shame on Council for having many hearings on the same project and not streamlining the process; the project is in her backyard and she is proud ; all should be proud for the project which has currently withstood 18 public hearings; expressed support for Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft's comments related to looking at the City's process and whether Calls for Review should be allowed or permitted for design review; Council needs to get back to business; the project has been decided and has overcome a lot of hurdles; the project is not high stakes; Council has made the project much more difficult than it needs to be; she disagrees with her colleagues that time is not of the essence for the project; the City does not have services for the most vulnerable community members and does not have adequate housing with end of life care; said Regular Meeting Alameda City Council September 7, 2021 16 | CityCouncil/2021-09-07.pdf |