Title
Draft Meeting Minutes - June 25, 2018
Body
DRAFT MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD
MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018
1. CONVENE
President Mitchell convened the meeting at 7:0pm
2. FLAG SALUTE
Board Member Cavanaugh led the flag salute.
3. ROLL CALL
Present: President Mitchell, Board Members Burton, Cavanaugh, Sullivan, Teague.
Absent: Board Member Curtis.
4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION
*None*
5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
A gentleman sang a medley of songs, including the Doobie Brothers, in honor of some departed friends.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR
6-A 2018-5700
Annual Review of Alameda Landing Commercial Project Development Agreement and Alameda Landing Residential Project Development Agreement. Applicant: Catellus Alameda Development, LLC. An Annual Review of the Development Agreements between City of Alameda and Catellus Alameda Development, LLC related to the Alameda Landing Mixed Use Residential Project and the Alameda Landing Mixed Use Commercial Project.
Board Member Burton pulled the item for comments.
Board Member Teague said that it would be helpful to get ridership data for bike riders on the shuttle broken out in future reports. He said this would be helpful for the water shuttle discussions in the future.
Board Member Burton said he was pleased to see that only 63% of employees were driving along and that only 37.7% of the residential trips are drive alone. He said this is proof that these programs can make a difference.
Board Member Teague made a motion to approve the item. Board Member Burton seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0.
7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
7-A 2018-5706
Public Hearing to Consider a Waterfront Plaza and Promenade Development Plan and Design Review for Approximately 4.5 acres of the Alameda Landing waterfront. An Environmental Impact Report has been completed for the Alameda Landing Project, Including the Proposed Park.
Staff Member Dong introduced the item. The staff report and attachments can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3533335&GUID=B59D9E45-890F-4A48-B82B-4D92E47E04E9&FullText=1>
Jason Victor, project architect, gave a presentation on the park design.
Board Member Teague asked where the retail space would be in relation to the park.
Mr. Victor explained where on the diagram the retail is proposed.
Board Member Teague asked if the included lamp post example would me the downward lighting guidelines for the area.
Staff Member Tai said that there are decorative lights that meet the downward and shielded lighting requirements.
Board Member Sullivan asked if the wharf requires the large amount of hardscape.
Mr. Victor said the deck constraints do dictate a large amount of hardscape. He said maintenance costs and requirements were also strongly considered in the plan.
Board Member Sullivan raised concerns about the maintenance requirements of using decomposed granite. She encouraged choosing green plants over yellow ones. She asked about who would use the park given the relatively small number of parking spaces.
Mr. Victor said they have allocated 36 spaces for the park and retail uses.
Board Member Teague said that ACI has stopped accepting palm tree waste and we should consider whether it is appropriate to continue adding them to parks like this given the change.
Board Member Cavanaugh asked for more information about the exhibit describing a potential bike bridge alignment.
Staff Member Tai said the City is reviewing options for a potential bike and pedestrian bridge. He said the potential design for the bridge would not affect the park programming being considered tonight.
Board Member Teague said the developer agreement set aside space along Fifth St. and in the land use buffer and should be included in any discussions of alternative alignments.
Board Member Cavanaugh said it may make more sense to land the bridge into the park, rather than going through the development.
Board Member Teague asked if the plaza design would change if Fifth St. were narrowed.
Mr. Victor said the view corridor is very important and the general character would not change dramatically.
Board Member Burton asked about grade changes along Fifth St. and whether that would impact the plaza design.
Mr. Victor said they need to rise about two feet from the Mitchell intersection to the wharf and they should be able to have a gradual rise.
Board Member Burton said we may be facing a six foot sea level rise by 2100. He asked what the plans are for adaptability.
Mr. Victor said they have about three feet of clearance now and are working further with BCDC.
President Mitchell opened the public hearing.
Bob Balanda, Bohol Circle, said he would like the board to consider naming the park after Bohol Circle.
Phillip Abello said that Bohol Circle is one of the oldest Filipino organizations in the United States and supports the idea of naming a park in Alameda after Bohol Circle. He said the group has deep roots in the community and is very proud of its contributions.
Cynthia Bonta said she supports naming the park after Bohol Circle. She thanked the board for naming streets in Alameda Landing after people that reflect Alameda’s diversity. She said Filipinos contributed to the City’s agricultural and naval history. She said recognizing these contributions has a large positive effect.
John Knox White said that we have a long way to go in recognizing important segments of our community in public spaces.
Brian McGuire, Bike Walk Alameda, said that we need to plan now for our future transportation needs. He said support for the bridge is established policy and we need to plan accordingly. He said the water shuttle dock needs to be designed to accommodate roll on and roll off style boats.
Courtney Shepler said that a 60’ tall bike bridge would hurt the wonderful views that the new park could provide. She said the water taxi can fill that need. She said the bridge may not be feasible and should not chop the project up for that probability.
Mark Vis said he would like to have a water taxi soon rather than focus on an expensive bridge 15 years from now. He said he is excited about the park and does not want anything like the bike bridge to delay the project.
President Mitchell closed the public hearing.
Board Member Teague said that he confirmed that if the Bay Ship property comes back in the future, the park on that portion of the property will come back. He said he would not like to have a wall of buildings along the promenade, asking for varied setbacks. He suggested coming up with a new standard for lighting at all of our future waterfront parks.
Board Member Burton said pergolas that define the gathering space are good but that the ones along the Fifth St. extension are unnecessary. He said they could be a visual block between the retail spaces. He suggested more consideration be given to adding localized wind protection. He said he supports Bike Walk Alameda’s comments to consider the most efficient type of loading and unloading water shuttles. He said we may need segregated access to the dock for shuttle passengers and kayak launch users. He said he hopes the play structure is more imaginative than a traditional plastic play structure. He said he would like a little more seating on the west end of the park. He said he would like to see more thought given to adapting to higher levels of sea level rise. He said he would support recognizing Bohol Circle in the name of the park.
Board Member Sullivan said she would like to see some tree canopy and shade structure. She said the flower park next to Bed, Bath, and Beyond is a good example for how to activate the space. She said she learned a lot about Bohol Circle and said she thought the naming of parks was up to the Rec and Parks Board.
Staff Member Tai said the naming policy is the purview of the Rec and Parks Board, but the Planning Board could make their own recommendation to the City Council.
Board Member Cavanaugh said he agrees with the other board members’ comments. He said he would like to see some reworking of the ground coloring. He said he is not a big fan of palm trees and would like to see more native plants. He said the Coast Guard Cutters are 140’ tall.
Board Member Burton said he agrees that he does not want a solid wall, but that consistent building forms can be done as long as there are sufficient breaks for bikes and pedestrians.
President Mitchell said the street they previously named after Bohol Circle turned out to be an alleyway and not a properly prominent street to recognize them. He said the colors in the plan are not working for him. He said he is okay with the palm trees, but is concerned with the composting issue. He said he would like more detailed information on the lighting specifications. He said he would like to see options for the railing for the board to consider. He said the bike and pedestrian bridge could be a game changer for Alameda. He said we should set it up for the best chance of success.
Staff Member Tai said he captured about 20 comments for board direction. He said they will work with the applicant to refine the plan. He asked the board to continue the item to July 9th.
Board Member Teague made a motion to direct staff with the collected comments and come back with the item at the July 9th meeting. Board Member Sullivan seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0.
Board Member Mitchell declared a five minute recess.
7-B 2018-5701
PLN17-0628 - Study Session on Zoning Text Amendments - Applicant: City of Alameda. Study Session on Proposed Text Amendments to the Zoning Regulations (AMC Chapter 30) regarding: 1) adoption of new bird-safe building regulations; 2) adoption of new outdoor lighting regulations; and 3) adoption of new assisted living regulations.
Staff Member Tai gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3533331&GUID=765DD43B-664C-43DA-9392-DDD1B35092FA&FullText=1>
Board Member Sullivan asked how many homes would be affected by this ordinance.
Staff Member Tai said it would be a relatively small number, but any new window over 25 square feet would be subject.
Board Member Sullivan said that replacing a plate glass window in a home should not be subject to expensive new regulations.
Board Member Cavanaugh said his family’s auto dealership had large amounts of glass and never had a bird strike. He said we do not need to use this ordinance to go after homeowners and small businesses.
President Mitchell said the 4000 kelvin standard may still be too high and we may need to lower that threshold further.
Board Member Burton said that the exemption for security lighting could easily lead to more than one foot candle of light trespassing onto neighboring properties.
Board Member Teague asked what the difference between shared living and senior independent living facilities were.
Staff Member Tai said there really would be no significant difference.
Board Member Teague asked for clarification regarding the shared dwelling unit definition.
Staff Member Tai said they would clarify those definitions when the ordinance comes back.
President Mitchell opened the public hearing.
Linda Carloni said the Planning Department did a good job with the bird safe ordinance. She said Alameda is very important for birds.
Marjorie Powell said that bird safe buildings are important for migrating birds as well as birds that live here all year round. She asked that the ordinance apply to smaller buildings as well as large. She urged that the board recommend passage of the ordinance.
Pat Lamborn said that commercial buildings should be required to comply with the dark sky ordinance. She said the VF Outdoor saga should be looked to for guiding this policy.
President Mitchell closed the public hearing.
Board Member Teague said he does not agree with the 10,000 square foot requirement. He pointed out provisions of the ordinances that seemed redundant or needed clarification. He said that street lights should not be exempt from the dark sky ordinance.
Board Member Sullivan said she would like to consider the rationale for including these requirements for residential properties to meet these potentially costly requirements.
Board Member Teague questioned whether there really is a need for this to apply to residences in Alameda. He said interior lights can also cause inconvenience to neighbors. He said uplighting on a home can improve safety.
President Mitchell said he wanted to make sure the color temperature limits are correct, based upon what AMP had changed their lights to going forward.
No action was taken.
7-C 2018-5704
Public Hearing to Consider a Recommendation to the City Council to Rezone Vacant Land at 2350 Fifth Street from Mixed Use (MX) to Administrative Professional (AP)
Staff Member Tai introduced the item. The staff report and attachments can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3533334&GUID=32211166-A1F4-4BA6-A65E-AD12AF54326F&FullText=1>
Board Member Teage made a recommendation to approve the staff recommendation. The motion was seconded by Board Member Sullivan. The motion passed 5-0.
8. MINUTES
8-A 2018-5699
Draft Meeting Minutes - May 14, 2018
Board Member Teague said that on page 5 a comment by Board Member Cavanaugh was attributed to himself.
Board Member Sullivan made a motion to approve the minutes with the correction. Board Member Cavanaugh seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0.
9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
9-A 2018-5702
Community Development Department Recent Actions and Decisions
The staff report can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3533332&GUID=2CDACBFE-96B3-4A20-B2CD-119A24494B89&FullText=1>
Board Member Burton said the links on the website are often displaying gibberish and not the project plans.
Staff Member Tai said he would look into the issue.
9-B 2018-5703
Future Public Meetings and Upcoming Community Development Department Projects
The schedule can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3533333&GUID=75070A2A-5594-4600-AC6A-F7B2C782E4FF>
10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS
Board Member Sullivan said the marketing material using board member’s comments on the project did not seem appropriate. She said they should have asked permission.
Staff Attorney Chen said she can review the piece and report back.
12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
13. ADJOURNMENT
President Mitchell adjourned the meeting at 10:42pm.