Title
Public Hearing to Consider Introduction of an Ordinance Amending Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-25 Appeals or Calls for Review. (Community Development 209)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Public Hearing to Consider Introduction of an Ordinance Amending Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-25 Appeals or Calls for Review
BACKGROUND
On March 7, 2016, the City Council directed staff to prepare a Zoning Amendment to increase the threshold for a "call for review" by the City Council from one member to two members. The City Council-approved referral is attached as Exhibit 1.
On September 11, 2017, the Planning Board reviewed the draft Zoning Amendment prepared by staff and unanimously recommended the proposed amendments with a few modifications to improve the public process and avoid potential Brown Act conflicts. The recommended amendments and the Planning Board's modifications are described below and included in the draft ordinance.
In addition to reviewing the draft amendments with the Planning Board, staff contacted a variety of other similarly sized East Bay cities to understand whether other cities have similar "call for review" provisions. As shown in Exhibit 2, there are a variety of different approaches taken the cities contacted by staff.
DISCUSSION
Currently, Section 30-25 of the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) establishes the procedures for:
* An individual community member to appeal a decision by the Planning Director, Zoning Administrator, the Planning Board, or the Historical Advisory Board;
* A member of the Planning Board or Historical Advisory Board to call for review a decision of the Planning Director or the Zoning Administrator; and
* A City Council member to call for review a decision by the Planning Director, Zoning Administrator, the Planning Board, or the Historical Advisory Board.
Section 30-25 has five (5) subsections. Each subsection is described below with...
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