pages: PlanningBoard/2012-03-12.pdf, 18
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PlanningBoard | 2012-03-12 | 18 | ensure developments to these sites. Ultimately, she looks forward to this plan, applauds the City for investing in this and she hopes the Council will quickly endorse the plan. Diane Lichtenstein, Vice President of HOMES, congratulated the staff on a well thought out plan. She was originally concerned that the plan would be developed in sections and that it would not be cohesive. However, she understood that will not happen and she urged staff to hire a development advisor who has experience with this type of endeavor in order to move the plan along. Her organization advocates for mixed-use developments and services that are accessible to everyone who lives there and she felt there was a lack of the mix-use developments in the plan. In addition, she urged staff to include amenities in each residential district such as small restaurants, cleaners, and coffee shops. Also, she urged for a mix of diverse residential types including mixing affordable and market-rate housing just as the community and Board said. Bill Smith, Vice President of Renewed Hope Housing Advocates, agreed with Board members Ezzy Ashcraft and Knox White's comments about placing a housing cap in the zoning ordinance. The Urban Land Institute just came out with a report that shows California is overbuilt in single-family housing, but not multifamily housing near transit and urban districts. So, the City could increase the residential density and still develop commercial and open space. Ultimately, believes the City is not representing the community's input and he would be interested to see what staff has to say about that. Karen Bay, Alameda resident, echoed Board member Autorino's comments about having more residential along the waterfront. She believes that is an important aspect to this project that is missing. She found that adding residential in the corner between the town center and employment parcels would be beneficial. Also, she would like to see more residential within the adaptive reuse area. She wondered how the City would finance the sewer and energy infrastructure. Regarding the Northwestern Territories, she would like to see a hotel or convention center in that area or at least zone for that type of use. Jon Spangler, Alameda resident and a League of American Cycling Instructor, agreed with some of the comments made by the previous speakers. He believes the best plan Alameda Point Plan was designed by Peter Calthorpe. However, that plan will forever have a black eye because SunCal was attached to it. Yet, the Calthorpe plan was the most diverse and greenest plan because it included 3,000 residential units and had an integrated approach. He felt that the 1,425 residential cap limits the City in many ways. Board member Köster asked about the flexibility of the zoned areas at Alameda Point. Mr. Thomas stated yes things could change and at the beginning, they were working on a policy foundation stemming from the Reuse Plan and General Plan. They anticipate that there will be certain areas where the City will want even more detail in terms of development regulations, but before they let this loose to development they may want to do a pattern explaining the shapes and sizes of new homes. Furthermore, they can prescribe a form-based policy or they may decide that is too expensive and have the developer do the design aspect as part of the entitlement process. Also, the Town Approved Meeting Minutes Page 18 of 23 March 12, 2012 | PlanningBoard/2012-03-12.pdf |