pages: PlanningBoard/2017-03-27.pdf, 6
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PlanningBoard | 2017-03-27 | 6 | Staff Member Thomas explained that the site is not optimal for retail and they believe there might be more general commercial uses than retail. President Köster said the level of service designation for Grand and Buena Vista did not seem realistic due to the delay caused by people turning left onto Grand. Board Member Curtis asked why the multifamily units are said to produce so many fewer vehicle trips than the townhomes. Staff Member Thomas explained the standards the Institute of Transportation Engineers use to project trips from different types of units. Board Member Zuppan asked if those projections are regionally adjusted. Staff Member Thomas said they are not. He said there are studies that show ITE rates over estimate the number of trips generated in urban areas with good transit. President Köster opened the public hearing. Philip James said the EIR comments from CalTrans saying they do not expect a significant impact were telling. He said the high rise would be far from the street and surrounded, visually, by the neighboring Brooklyn Basin project. Charles Olsen said the project is very large and will have a major impact on the neighborhood. Angela Hockabout said we are a city with a vulnerable population living in substandard housing. She said we need every bit of housing we can get. She said when we refuse to build housing, we create homelessness. Jim Smallman said this proposal has more than double the number of units called for in the housing element. He said we do not have fire equipment that could reach a building of that size. He asked what percentage of the units would be affordable. Karen Bey said she strongly believes that construction of the infrastructure for water transit should be a condition of approval for the project. She said there would be a lot of new people here and they could support more retail and we need to amenitize our new developments. Paul Anzel said they have seen their rents rise dramatically and lost neighbors to increasing rents. He said this housing is essential. Michael Goff said he is concerned about his ability to stay here due to the shortage of housing. He suggested studying the environmental impact of not building the project and pushing the residents out to far flung cities with long commutes. Planning Board Minutes Page 6 of 8 March 27, 2017 | PlanningBoard/2017-03-27.pdf |