pages: PlanningBoard/2015-01-26.pdf, 4
This data as json
body | date | page | text | path |
---|---|---|---|---|
PlanningBoard | 2015-01-26 | 4 | Mr. William Smith, on behalf of Renewed Hope Housing Advocates, said he was also in favor of the plan. He acknowledged that the plan is in its early stages. He liked the increased park space, but wanted to know where the active parks would be located. He suggested that some parks be on the rooftops of some buildings, as in other cities. The Board closed public comment. Board Member Knox White commented that he could not imagine that families would send their children to parks located in between two major streets. He suggested that the proposed linear park follow the model of Jackson Park, which is surrounded by one-way couplets. Board Member Knox White also said that the concept of a town square is great, but he would like to see how it is implemented. He liked the idea of making a shared space in the center, and that the area could be shared by drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. Board Member Knox White liked the idea of a reconfigured plaza center, and thought that it would be a nice entrance to the public space on the waterfront. Board Member Burton said he also met with Mr. Ernst and his team last week. He said he appreciated all the presentations, and said that the plan is off to a good start. He agreed with many of Board Member Knox White's comments. He wanted to make sure that the developers integrate the existing buildings with the rest of the buildings at the site. He liked the idea to get through-traffic off of Ralph Appezzato Parkway and onto Orion Street. The edge of Seaplane Lagoon should only be used for local traffic. He noted that the Cross-Alameda Trail would be passing through the area. Board Member Burton worried that the new buildings might make the existing buildings seem out of scale, and said that the team needs to make sure that the new buildings are not out of scale with the existing ones. He said that block sizes in Site A should be consistent with block sizes in the rest of the City as much as possible. Board Member Tang said that he appreciated the team's efforts to keep the historical buildings and build infrastructure that accounts for existing issues at the site. He suggested that the buildings that will be constructed should emulate the existing buildings in size and material to prevent unnecessary cost. Board Member Tang added that there are many office buildings in the Harbor Bay business park, but there is little business conducted in the area on weekends and no restaurants and coffee shops there. He said that there should be some restaurants and coffee shops in between the residential and commercial spaces. Board Member Köster agreed, and that public access to the waterfront is important in Alameda. He wants to make the waterfront a place where sailors around the Bay Area could visit for a couple of hours and use the amenities at the site. He said he would like to see a sketch-up model of the building height differences. He wanted to know what the heights of the new buildings would be in order to not affect the view corridors. Building on the Base's history will add to a sense of place on the site, and that it would help define the character of the City. However, Board Member Köster noted that they need to think of the spaces as not Approved Regular Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 6 January 26, 2015 | PlanningBoard/2015-01-26.pdf |