pages: PlanningBoard/2012-03-12.pdf, 16
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PlanningBoard | 2012-03-12 | 16 | Town Center District. However, he would like staff to include more waterfront orientation in the residential areas because right now the residential areas are pushed away from the waterfront on one side. He believes there has to be a mixed-use area and he is concerned with the juxtaposition of the commercial and residential area. Since you have to go through the residential districts to get to the commercial center, there will be issues with the residents. Also, since this plan has a wide range of commercial uses, staff must consider how the commercial use type will affect the residential areas. Additionally, he envisions that residents and visitors will heavily use the open space area and the way the plan is structured would prohibit residents from directly accessing the open space since they have to go through the commercial district. Thus, he would like the open space area to be easily accessible to all residents. He believes the adaptive re-use employment area is concerning and he doubts that the City will be able to find a use for a lot of the buildings. What makes the adaptive-reuse area more difficult is that staff is saying that anything can go in there. So, when you look at this juxtaposition of residential and commercial and it's very difficult to plan and understand the impacts. Ultimately, this should be addressed with more residential and less adaptive reuse. Lastly, he would like the public to access the entire area and experience the whole waterfront. Board member Ezzy Ashcraft agreed with Board member Autorino's comments. She doesn't like the fact that staff is capping the amount of residential units at Alameda Point especially when the City is updating the Housing Element. On page 2 and throughout the staff report they emphasized the need to include the community's input and involvement. Yet, there is a throw away line on page 2, that acknowledged the major area of disagreement with the community was the total number housing units planned for Alameda Point. The outcome of the disagreement states that it is no longer relevant because the City has committed to the Reuse Plan's vision as the basis for conveyance and development. She feels it is premature to cap the number of housing units and staff is tying developers' hands. She remembers over the years that the Board and the public discussed the need to have Alameda Point to coincide with the rest of Alameda. So, she wants to know why staff is treating the parcel differently from the rest of the City. She would also like to know if there are any other zoning ordinances that cap the number of housing units that can be built on the site. Ms. Ott agreed that the theme was brought up and the reality is the agreement entered with the City and Navy requires them to use Re-use Plan as the basis to receiving the parcel. If they entitle the parcel for a lot more they will jeopardize the conveyance of the entire property. So, the City Council decided to move forward with the Re-use Plan. The plan allows 1,425 units and that is a good 5-10 years of residential development, which staff feels is a very good start. The entitlements can change over time, but for now staff and the City Council feel that it's important to acquire the property at no cost using the existing plan. Board member Ezzy Ashcraft explained that having a housing cap or focusing housing throughout the site are two different questions and staff can have one without the other. Ms. Ott replied staff would look at that and they contemplated the ability to transfer units. Thus, staff could have a process that would allow them to transfer units from the Approved Meeting Minutes Page 16 of 23 March 12, 2012 | PlanningBoard/2012-03-12.pdf |