Title
Public Hearing on the Scope of the Encinal Terminals Focused Supplemental Environmental Impact Report.
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Assistant Community Development Director
background
On February 29, 2016, the City of Alameda received an application from North Waterfront Cove, LLC requesting review and approval of a draft Master Plan for the 23-acre Encinal Terminals site located at 1521 Buena Vista Avenue.
The draft Master Plan (Exhibit 1) is currently under review by the City. It proposes construction of a new mixed use waterfront community on both land and water. The proposed project would construct up to 589 housing units, a marina with up to 160 boat slips and a harbormaster’s office, between 30,000 and 50,000 square feet of commercial/office and restaurant uses, and over three acres of waterfront-related public open space and parks. Three existing wooden wharves and two concrete wharves on the site would be improved as part of development of the proposed waterfront open space uses, through a combination of demolition, rehabilitation, modification, and/or retrofit activities. The residential unit types proposed include condominiums, townhomes, lofts, stacked flats, live-work units, and high-rise view residences. Other proposed improvements include establishing locations for launching kayaks and other small watercraft launches, provisions for future public water taxi/water shuttle or ferry terminal facilities, a new internal roadway system and utility infrastructure, and parking throughout the site.
On April 27, 2013, the City of Alameda released a Notice of Preparation (NOP) and Initial Study (Exhibit 2) notifying the public and other public agencies that the City of Alameda has determined that the proposal requires preparation of a Focused Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
DISCUSSION
Environmental Review Scoping Session:
The purpose of the May 23, 2016 public hearing is to provide an opportunity for the public to submit comments on the scope of a Focused Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (FSEIR) that will be prepared to examine the environmental impacts of the proposal. The FSEIR should fully inform the community and City decision-makers about the potential environmental impacts of the proposal and enable a well-informed decision at a future date on the project.
As described in the NOP prepared for this project, the City is proposing to prepare a FSEIR. The FSEIR will build on, and supplement, the work completed in the 2008 EIR for the Northern Waterfront. All of the mitigation measures required by the 2008 EIR must be imposed on any future project at Encinal Terminals. In addition, the 2016 FS EIR will include a new analysis of the following critical environmental issues that are of particular concern to the Alameda community and that should be re-evaluated because of changes in local environmental conditions or differences between the project assumed for Encinal Terminals in 2008 and the project being proposed by North Waterfront Cove, LLC in 2016.
Specifically, the 2016 FSEIR will provide a new and updated analysis of:
• Transportation and Traffic
• Air Quality
• Biological Resources
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Noise
• Alternatives to the Project, including a No-Project Alternative
The Initial Study indicates that the following issues would not need to be addressed in the FSEIR because the analysis and mitigation measure provided by the 2008 EIR are adequate to insure protection of the environment if the new Master Plan is adopted:
• Aesthetics
• Cultural Resources
• Hazardous Materials
• Population/Housing
• Land Use, Plans, and Zoning
• Agriculture/Forestry Resources
• Utilities and Service Systems
• Mineral Resources
• Public Services
• Geology/Soils
At the hearing on May 23, 2016, staff will receive public comment on the scope of the FSEIR and make any necessary adjustments to the work plan. Once the draft FSEIR is completed (three to six months), staff will circulate the document for public review. During the subsequent 45-day review period, the Planning Board will hold another public hearing to provide an opportunity for the community to comment on the adequacy of the analysis included in the draft FSEIR.
Staff will then prepare a Final FSEIR for public circulation. (This work typically takes about 30 days after the close of the 45-day review period.) The Final FSEIR will include any and all revisions needed to provide a complete analysis of the potential environmental impacts of the proposal.
Once the Final EIR is completed, the Planning Board will hold another public hearing at which it will make a recommendation to the City Council on the proposal. Once the Planning Board makes its recommendation, the City Council will hold a public hearing (typically about 30 days after the Planning Board public hearing) to make a decision on the proposal.
Project Design and Building Height Issues:
The May 23, 2016 hearing may also provide an opportunity for the Planning Board and community to begin the evaluation and discussion about the draft Master Plan and/or identify issues or questions that will need to be addressed or answered before a final decision can be made on the proposed plan.
The applicant’s draft Master Plan is generally consistent with the General Plan, with a few notable exceptions. The Master Plan proposes to construct a single tall building of up to 250 feet (approximately 24 stories) on the northwest corner of the site. This proposal is not consistent with four General Plan policies specifically related to the development of the Encinal Terminals site:
To ensure design compatibility with adjacent developments and neighborhoods; limit new building heights to 60 feet.
Require building heights to “step down” as they approach the water.
Require that new development provide a pedestrian-friendly scale with building sizes consistent with adjacent and historic land uses in the area.
Given that Encinal Terminals is surrounded by water on three sites, taller buildings should be located at the southern end of the site.
The draft Master Plan’s proposal for a taller building that exceeds 60 feet, the does not “step down” to the water, and that is located at the northwest corner and not the southern end of the site, will require a public re-evaluation of the relative merits of fewer taller buildings with more open space and wider view corridors versus shorter buildings and narrower view corridors and less open space. The discussion will also need to address whether it is not in fact better to place taller buildings at the northern end of the site rather than the southern end. At the northern end, a taller building is going to have less of a view impact on the public rights-of-way and the adjacent neighborhoods than a tall building at the southern end of the site.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing to accept public comments on the scope of the FSEIR. No action on the proposed project is being requested of the Planning Board at this time.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:
ANDREW THOMAS
Assistant Community Development Director
Exhibits:
1. Draft Master Plan
2. Notice of Preparation and Initial Study