Title
January 13, 2020 Public Forum to Discuss Measure A Land Use Regulations
Body
To: President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building, and Transportation Director
Date: December 9, 2019
BACKGROUND
In August, the City Council’s Charter Review subcommittee asked the City of Alameda Planning, Building, and Transportation Department and the City of Alameda Planning Board to provide the subcommittee with an evaluation of the land use regulations contained in Article 26 subsections 1, 2 and 3 of the Alameda City Charter, commonly referred to as “Measure A”.
Staff is scheduling a Planning Board public forum to consider the Article 26 land use regulations for the regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting of January 13, 2020. To provide the public and the Planning Board adequate time to consider and discuss the matter, staff will not schedule any other items for the January 13th Agenda. In addition, given the holidays, and to ensure that the Planning Board and the public has adequate time to review the staff evaluation of the land use regulations, staff will publish its evaluation for the January 13th meeting on December 9, 2019.
DISCUSSION
As the City Council’s primary advisory board on issues related to land use and development, the Planning Board routinely advises the City Council on existing and proposed land use policies, regulations, and standards. Whenever the Planning Board recommends a new land use policy or regulation or an amendment to an existing land use policy or regulation, the Planning Board frames its recommendations within the context of three findings or questions. Those three findings are: 1) Does the new or amended policy or regulation support the general welfare of the community, 2) Does the new or amended policy or regulation support the community’s goals and objectives as articulated by the General Plan, and 3) Is the new or amended policy or regulation equitable?
The staff evaluation that will be published on December 9th provides:
• A brief history of Measure A and a brief overview of ordinances adopted since Measure A to maintain consistency with State Law,
• An analysis of Measure A’s continuing impact on residential development opportunities in Alameda,
• An analysis of Measure A’s impact on the community’s ability to address current community-wide issues of concern, such as the housing crisis, the climate change emergency, traffic congestion, neighborhood preservation, and economic development, and
• Staff’s findings regarding Measure A’s impact on the general welfare of the community, the integrity of the General Plan, and inclusiveness and equity in Alameda.
At the January 13, 2020 public forum, the Planning Board may consider the staff analysis, the comments and thoughts brought forward by the community, and comments and ideas raised by respective Planning Board members.
The Board may forward its comments to the City Council in the form of a motion or in the form of seven individual comments. Staff will prepare a Planning Board transmittal in an appropriate form to be determined by the Planning Board.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Reviewing and commenting on a land use regulation is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act. No further environmental review is required for the Planning Board to hold a public forum and transmit its comments to the City Council.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public forum on January 13, 2020 to discuss Measure A’s land use regulations.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director