Title
Draft Meeting Minutes - June 10, 2019
Body
DRAFT MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA PLANNING BOARD
MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2019
1. CONVENE
President Sullivan convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
2. FLAG SALUTE
Board Member Cavanaugh led the flag salute.
3. ROLL CALL
Present: President Sullivan, Board Members Cavanaugh, Rothenberg, Teague.
Absent: Board Members Curtis, Mitchell, and Saheba.
4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DISCUSSION
*None*
5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
6. CONSENT CALENDAR
*None*
7. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
7-A 2019-6983
PLN18-0562 - Planned Development Amendment, Final Development Plan, Design Review, and Zoning Text Amendment - 2331 North Loop Road - Applicant: John Lipp on behalf of the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS). Public hearing to consider a Planned Development Amendment, Final Development Plan, Design Review, and Zoning Text Amendment for a new approximately 12,000 square foot two-story facility for FAAS that would have indoor boarding for up to 37 animals, adoption and veterinary services, administrative offices, and community events. The project is located in the C-M-PD (Commercial Manufacturing, Planned Development) Zoning District. The City previously certified/adopted a Final Environmental Impact Report for Harbor Bay Isle (EIR) and Addendum to the EIR (collectively, Previous CEQA Documents) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). None of the circumstances necessitating further CEQA review are present, thus the City can rely on the Previous CEQA Documents.
David Sablan, Planner II with the Planning, Building, and Transportation Department, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at:
<https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3970959&GUID=3F1268BE-1A0A-4BD5-ADC5-9099783AC6F2&FullText=1>
Board Member Teague said the planned development amendment is not included as a separate resolution and asked if that would require City Council action.
Andrew Thomas, Acting Director of Planning, Building, and Transportation, said they are approving the project with a site specific amendment and are not changing the rules for the broader development agreement. He said approving the final development plan for the project would be sufficient to give force to the amendment.
Board Member Teague asked the applicant if a restriction on free running animals in the run area at night would pose a problem.
John Lipp, Executive Director of FAAS, said that the animals would all be completely inside at night and only be outside with staff and volunteers during the daytime.
President Sullivan asked whether the shade structure on the roof was included in the listed height.
Staff Member Sablan said the parapet height was 30 feet and the pavilion was an additional ten feet. He said it was open on one side.
Marisa Tye, project architect, said the pavilion encloses the stairs and a storage area. She said there are areas open to the shade, and some covered areas for uses like handwashing and garbage.
President Sullivan asked what type of outreach was conducted with the immediate neighbors.
Mr. Lipp said they sent letters to the homeowners and knocked on doors. He said they spoke with three of the five immediate neighbors and had good conversations.
Board Member Teague asked the applicant whether the project would be untenable if the City Council did not approve the zoning change allowing the outdoor run.
Mr. Lipp said they would like to be able to socialize the dogs in groups using the run, but could possibly use the same model as their other facility where they have to take the dogs off of the property for exercise.
Board Member Rothenberg asked if the applicant considered using any type of sound wall along the property lines.
Mr. Lipp said they want to be a good neighbor and said they are engineering the facility to modern best practices for noise mitigation. He said this is good for the neighbors and for the animals.
Ms. Tye said the landscape plan will provide screening along the northern property line and they will also have further sound evaluations at the next phase.
There were no public speakers.
Staff Member Thomas added that the neighborhood was noticed for the hearing, in addition to the applicants’ outreach efforts.
Board Member Teague said he is in favor of the project, but wants to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s.” He said that condition number 27 should be changed from one to two curb cuts. He said there are always potential unintended consequences to zoning changes. He said he thinks the changes are over broad. He said we are eliminating the idea of allowing kennels, which he does not believe was the intent. He expressed concerns about this use being immediately adjacent to residential use and wanted to limit unleashed outdoor play to daylight hours, such as 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and otherwise leashed outdoor access would be available. He said he would specify how to narrow down the use permit to specifically address animal shelters and not make other changes to the by right areas of the use permit. He said he is looking forward to this project being completed.
Board Member Teague moved approval of the project, and recommend approval to the City Council, with the following changes: to allow two curb cuts; in use permit section ii that we do not drop the word “kennels;” in use permit number three that it read “Veterinary clinics and/or veterinary hospitals and animal shelters within two hundred feet of any R District only upon a finding by the Planning Director that sufficient air conditioning and soundproofing will be provided to effectively confine odors and noise so as not to interfere with the public health, safety, and welfare. No outside pens or unsupervised runs shall be permitted. Supervised, unleashed outdoor runs shall be permitted during the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., otherwise leashed access of the outdoor run is allowed. Board Member Rothenberg seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.
7-B 2019-6984
Public hearing to consider Design Review for the public right-of-way extension along Fifth Street from the northern intersection of Mitchell Avenue to the Alameda Landing Waterfront Park. The project is located within the M-X (Mixed-Use) Zoning District. A Supplemental Environmental Impact Report has been certified for the Alameda Landing Mixed Use Development in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, no new significant impacts have been identified and no additional CEQA review is required.
Henry Dong, Planner III with the Planning, Building, and Transportation Department, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3971005&GUID=BC403564-9E08-4DD2-AB5E-8E4B7B9FE9FA&FullText=1>
President Sullivan asked how many parking spaces the planting beds (bulb outs) would take away.
Staff Member Thomas said that the midblock bulb outs would result in the loss of four parking spaces.
Jason Victor, landscape architect, said the bulb outs are included to be consistent with the rest of Fifth Street for traffic calming purposes. He said the midblock treatments could be considered optional, but they would like to keep the bulb outs at the intersections.
President Sullivan said she would prefer to remove the midblock bulb outs.
There were no public speakers.
Board Member Teague said that he anticipates parking being important with the project and would support removing the bulb outs at the midblock crossing.
Board Member Teague moved approval with the change to remove the midblock bulb outs in favor of additional parking spaces. Board Member Cavanaugh seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.
President Sullivan asked whether we anticipate a problem with the Chinese Elm trees being susceptible to Dutch Elm disease.
Mr. Victor said he has been monitoring the Chinese Elm trees already in use in the previous phase at Alameda Landing and said they have been faring extremely well. He said all of the trees have been doing quite well considering the soil conditions they were dealing with.
7-C 2019-6985
Planning Board Study Session to consider preliminary initial development concepts for the 356 dwelling units on the Alameda Landing Waterfront north of the intersection of Fifth Street and Mitchell Avenue. The project is located within the M-X (Mixed-Use) Zoning District.
Staff Member Dong introduced the item. The staff report and attachments can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3971106&GUID=EC26285E-8D4E-4842-99FB-4D2AAB2E3A69&FullText=1>
President Sullivan asked about the plans to potentially run a bridge through the housing development, and asked what that would mean for the project.
Staff Member Thomas said the City is working to design a new bicycle and pedestrian crossing. He said that this project site presents the fewest limitations for a potential alignment, so they are preserving the ability to add a bridge in the future. He said they want to design the neighborhood so that it is attractive whether or not the bridge is ever constructed.
Scott Hilke, Pulte Homes, and the applicant team gave a presentation.
President Sullivan asked if the reliance on the Chinese Elm would be a problem given the potential for disease.
Mr. Abed said that anytime you have a monoculture that disease is a concern. He said there is a mix of other species in the plan and that so far the tree is doing well in the area.
Board Member Rothenberg asked the developer to explain the thinking behind the different building heights and their placement within site.
Staff Member Thomas said the Master Plan permits five stories.
Mr. Hilke said most of the product they intend to build is three stories, and the flats would be in four story buildings.
Board Member Rothenberg said the design needs some refinement. She said the vernaculars of the different products are very different and asked how the products would work together and how the stucco would hold up in the marine environment.
Mr. Hilke said they were attempting to show a range of possible designs for consideration. He said that they could stick with a more consistent style, or even try to match the Tri Pointe style of the previous phase of development.
Cindy Ma, project architect, said that three of the four products are more contemporary. She said the compact townhomes happen to have a pitched roof and they were just trying to show that there can be different approaches taken with the different typologies.
Board Member Rothenberg suggested that there be a unified vision when they bring the design back. She added that a 3D simulation may be helpful. She asked if a market rate development this large (356 units) would be consistent with proposed changes in the General Plan regarding support for a range of affordable housing options.
Staff Member Thomas said the site is subject to a development agreement from 2006 and any proposed changes to code would not apply.
Board Member Teague asked if the EVA on the west side of the project will be exclusive to emergency vehicles.
Mr. Hilke said that the western edge of the site would have a walking and biking path and a grass-crete emergency access not open to private automobiles.
Board Member Teague said he understood that some of the units may be run by the Housing Authority and not be for sale market rate.
Mr. Hilke said they are in discussions with the Housing Authority about how best to fulfill the affordable housing requirements for the project. He said one option would be to sell a finished building to the Housing Authority that they would then manage.
Board Member Teague said the retail section was glossed over and asked for more information.
Mr. Hilke said they currently envision a single story retail only building with frontage onto the Waterfront Plaza and the east-west roadway.
Board Member Teague asked if the potential pedestrian and bike bridge has caused them to reduce the number of housing units.
Mr. Hilke said the placement of the bridge within the view corridor means it is not a problem unless the location changed.
Board Member Teague asked if the change in the AMP access on the east side of the project side would be a problem.
Staff Member Thomas said that they will work with AMP and make sure there is sufficient access.
Board Member Teague asked why the bike connection to the Tri Pointe property is listed only as potential.
Mr. Hilke said that they could build a connection, but that they do not control access to the Tri Pointe property.
Board Member Cavanaugh asked why the project is being built before a bridge is constructed.
Staff Member Thomas said that the bridge planning is a complicated long term project. He said they do not want to stop all housing development while they work on a bridge solution.
Board Member Cavanaugh asked what the plan would be for noise abatement with all of the marine services happening to the west of the project site.
Mr. Hilke said that they will have to do sound studies and mitigation, but that they will absolutely have to also do disclosure to potential residents about impacts of noise at the site.
Staff Member Thomas said that the Master Plan required the 50 foot buffer on the western edge of the property. He said the biggest noise concerns of the adjacent maritime commercial project will be from trucks.
Board Member Cavanaugh said that the contrasting building styles along the Fifth Street corridor with the flat roofs across from the pitched would create a weird feeling that needs to be addressed. He said the imagery could have been a better quality. He added that Fifth Street should be a grand entrance to the waterfront.
President Sullivan asked if any of the townhomes have any patios or backyards.
Ms. Ma said that the townhomes would have private decks or balconies, but no backyards.
President Sullivan asked who the typical customer would be, saying that families would want to have a yard for small children to play unsupervised.
Mr. Hilke said they are trying to provide a large number of homes and the design is not conducive to private yards, except for the single family homes which comprise ten percent of the project. He said the waterfront park is the amenity for the project. He said they are appealing to a first time buyer looking for a smaller home, noting that they have products as small as 900 square feet.
President Sullivan opened the public hearing.
Raymond Hsu said he lives in the adjacent Tri Pointe development and is looking forward to the waterfront park being built. He said the four story flats would not fit with their neighborhood and would loom over their balconies and yards. He suggested having a bike path along the eastern edge of the project site to create a buffer and connect to the waterfront park. He said the flats with roof decks could be situated closer to the waterfront where they could take advantage of the views.
Ashle Baxter said he also lives in the adjacent Symmetry by Tri Pointe community. He said the existing community should be considered when determining where to site the four story buildings. He said that any rooftop decks should have rules that account for potential noise late into the night.
Mike Kraft said he is a resident of Mariner Square marina. He said traffic has become much worse in the last twelve years. He said we are squishing a lot of people into a little space and 700 more cars is going to cause problems. He said the previous phases of the project have resulted in constant dust and dirt being deposited on his and neighboring boats. He said he wants the City Council to consider the impacts before moving forward.
There were no more speakers. President Sullivan closed the public hearing.
Board Member Rothenberg asked how the dust mitigation would be handled.
Staff Member Thomas said there are basic conditions that apply to the project. He said the prevailing westerly winds make it difficult to prevent dust from impacting the marina. He said they work on conditions to deal with the dust, including mitigations and even boat cleaning services for residents.
Board Member Rothenberg said she would be happy to participate in drafting enforceable conditions for the general contractor to follow to incentivize compliance.
Board Member Teague said he agreed with Board Member Cavanaugh about the design of the small townhomes being very out of place along the Fifth Street frontage. He said there is little variance in roof lines. He said the micro townhouses have potential. He added that the condo designs were bland. He said the six unit flat example in the presentation was much more appealing than what was in the plan, which lacked character or variation. He said the pocket parks need real definition when the plan comes back. He said the connection to the promenade is vital. He said he would not have a problem averaging the two traffic calculations for townhomes and flats to apply to the micro townhomes. He said we need more housing. He said the developer could build more units in taller buildings. He said the design guidelines indicate taller buildings should be further away from the water’s edge. He said the pedestrian access from the development to the shuttle at Target needs to be safe. He added that he appreciated the additional view corridors in the plan.
President Sullivan said she is concerned that we are not focusing on families and children. She said it affects the long term health and viability of the community. She said the massing of so many units in each building is not attractive to her.
Board Member Cavanaugh asked if we can make the connection to the ferry terminal easier for people without depending on cars.
Staff Member Thomas said the North Housing project will open up connections through the Estuary Park that will dramatically shorten the distance to get to the ferry terminal. He said the water shuttle issue will continue to evolve as the project comes online as well.
8. MINUTES
8-A 2019-6982
Draft Meeting Minutes - May 13, 2019
Board Member Teague pointed out corrections to the minutes and provided written suggestions and notes to Staff Member Thomas.
President Sullivan suggested that the minutes come back at a future meeting.
9. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
9-A 2019-6980
Planning, Building and Transportation Department Recent Actions and Decisions
The staff report can be found at: <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3970897&GUID=9657280C-5ED6-4670-A37C-6429C86D5855&FullText=1>
9-B 2019-6941
Oral Report - Future Public Meetings and Upcoming Planning, Building and Transportation Department Projects
Staff Member Thomas said the Planning Board Tour has been rescheduled to June 20, 2019.
President Sullivan said she would like the bus to visit Ballena Bay before returning back to City Hall.
Staff Member Thomas said the June 24th meeting would have the Alameda Marina Tentative Map, South Loop Road project, and some Zoning Text Amendments for consideration.
Board Member Teague asked that the topic of rooming houses and shared living be revisited and addressed with the proposed changes. He said they left a hole in the zoning ordinance when the previous changes were made.
Staff Member Thomas said that the boatyard RFQ period is complete and there were two responses. He said the City may have to rethink how they go about finding a boatyard operator and that they are not giving up on the idea of a boatyard.
Board Member Cavanaugh suggested a subtenant approach to providing marine services.
Board Member Rothenberg suggested finding a model from another jurisdiction and emulating a successful approach. She said the motivation needs to be there for the City’s business partner.
10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
11. BOARD COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
12. President Sullivan said she would be moving on from the board when the new members are seated.
13. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
*None*
14. ADJOURNMENT
President Sullivan adjourned the meeting at 9:18 p.m.