Title
Adoption of Objective Design Review Standards. The Objective Design Review Standards (Objective Standards) consist of a checklist of architectural and site design standards that will apply to housing development projects under State law. Adoption of the Objective Standards is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3), the common sense exception that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment and 15183, projects consistent with a community plan, general plan or zoning
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Allen Tai, City Planner
Heather Coleman, Consultant
Date: February 10, 2020
BACKGROUND
On September 23, 2019, the Planning Board held a public hearing to consider a draft of the Objective Design Review Standards (Objective Standards). The Objective Standards were prepared in response to a growing number of provisions in State law that limit local jurisdictions' review of housing projects to "objective standards." The Housing Accountability Act restricts the City of Alameda's ability to deny or reduce the density of all housing development projects that are consistent with objective development standards, and SB 35 provides that multi-family residential projects meeting affordability and other criteria can only be subject to "objective" planning standards. The staff report for the September 23, 2019 Planning Board study session contains background information on this effort and is available online at:
https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4134326&GUID=60800532-E1D6-4287-9C21-2D080937440A&Options=&Search.
At the September 2019 hearing, the Planning Board directed staff to revise the Objective Standards to address public comments from the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society (AAPS) and the development community. This staff report summarizes the revisions made in response to this di...
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