pages: PlanningBoard/2007-12-10.pdf, 9
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PlanningBoard | 2007-12-10 | 9 | Mr. Fonstein noted that at the last several conferences, the City has specifically promoted Webster Street and Park Street with marketing materials and demographic information. Mr. Thomas noted that Bay Street in Emeryville was not a mall, but had the same acres of parking, although they were stacked up and generated as many car trips per square foot as Alameda Landing. He believed they did a better job of hiding the parking from a design standpoint. Vice President Kohlstrand noted that housing had been added to the top of some retail uses on Bay Street. Mr. Thomas added that retail tenants demand parking. Vice President Kohlstrand believed the parking requirements were changing the face of the urban area. Board member Ezzy Ashcraft would like to see the bar set higher in Alameda, and noted that a laudable job had been done on Park Street; she would like to see further progress on Webster Street. She noted that older districts such as Burlingame and Monterey were viable. She took exception to the theme of tenant mix including "larger format chain restaurants, such as those oriented to the shopper so as to avoid diluting the main street business district's emphasis on entertainment, and independent and fine dining restaurants.' She believed that even in the retail centers, Alameda could do better than large-format chain restaurants, and that quality dining in a shopping center would not detract from quality dining on Webster Street. President Cook cited that the new Comerica building, which seemed to be ideal for a restaurant, but did not have the required parking. She believed it was important to include the Board's desire to reduce parking in business districts. She did not want to lose the pedestrian orientation in Alameda Landing. Strategy 3 - Business Travel, Market and Limited Impact Tourist Attractions President Cook noted that it would be important to go further than marketing existing meeting spaces in Alameda, and believed that Alameda needed new meeting spaces. She was concerned that the large civic events like the annual fundraiser for the boys and girls club have to meet in Oakland because there were not large enough facilities to accommodate them in Alameda. Strategy 4 - Create Recreational Entertainment Facilities President Cook reflected the Planning Board's stated desire to have better public access and commercial and recreational uses on the water so that the waterfront is active and safe. She would like to go further and discuss the need for waterfront design and access plans in Alameda, which had been supported by the Planning Board and City Council. Page 9 of 12 | PlanningBoard/2007-12-10.pdf |