Title
Public Hearing on the Alameda General Plan Update
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
Chairperson Soules and
Members of the Transportation Commission
From: Andrew Thomas,
Planning, Building & Transportation Director
executive summary
The purpose of the May 10, 2021 public hearing is to provide an opportunity for public, the Planning Board and the Transportation Commission to review, discuss, and comment on the recently released March 2021 draft Alameda General Plan 2040.
The joint meeting also provides an opportunity for the Planning Board and the Transportation Commission members to discuss the relationship between land use and transportation in Alameda and how the two advisory boards can work together to address the environmental, equity, mobility, and affordable housing challenges facing Alameda over the next 20 years.
No final actions on the draft General Plan are being requested at this time. The meeting will inform future actions and recommendations by the Transportation Commission and the Planning Board to the City Council on the General Plan and related policy issues and plans.
background
State law requires the City of Alameda to maintain a General Plan that is an “integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies for the adopting agency.” (Government Code section 65300.5.) The General Plan establishes the local development and conservation policies necessary to guide physical development and protect the general health, safety and welfare of the community and the environment. The last comprehensive update of the current General Plan occurred almost 30 years ago and was designed to serve the City for 20 years or until 2010.
In August of 2020, staff completed the August 2020 (initial) draft Alameda General Plan 2040 for public review and comment, and set up a website (<https://www.alameda2040.org/>) where updates, documents, and surveys could be accessed by the public. In the Fall of 2020, the Alameda Planning Board held four public forums that each focused discussion and review of the four themes of the General Plan, that of Equity, Access, Environment and Character (refer to Page 19 of Chapter 1, General Plan Organization and Themes). Approximately 75-80 people attended each of these forums. Over 1,500 individuals provided written comments and suggestions for improvements to the draft Plan through the General Plan update website, meetings and surveys. In addition, City staff met with a wide variety of organizations and groups, and benefited from recommendations from over 25 organizations. (Refer to Forward, page 5, for a complete list of these organizations.)
Staff continued to collect comments on the initial draft General Plan until January 1, 2021 through online surveys (refer to Exhibit 1- Alameda General Plan Survey Summary) and through continued group meetings. Staff then compiled the feedback and prepared the March 2021 draft General Plan, which synthesizes comments received from the Planning Board, the public, and other boards, community groups and commissions. Staff published the March 2021 draft General Plan on March 1, 2021.
The City received extensive, thoughtful, and robust feedback on the August 2020 draft General Plan, which informed a comprehensive revision of the August 2020 draft. The March 2021 draft benefited from the input from the four Planning Board Forums, the four online surveys, over 25 meetings with community organizations, and written comments from over 1,500 individuals who commented on the initial draft.
Staff also received substantial and specific suggestions for text improvements to the Mobility Element provided by a Transportation Commission subcommittee comprised of Transportation Commission Chair Soules and Commission Members Kohlstrand and Weitze.
Staff is currently working on the update of the Housing Element, which will be reviewed and approved separately in 2022, per State Law. (The Housing Element cannot be completed until the City receives its final Regional Housing Needs Allocation.)
Since release of the March 2021 draft, staff has distributed a citywide mailer and issued press releases to inform the public of the updated draft General Plan and encourage the public to review and comment on the draft Plan by May 17, 2021.
The March 2021 Draft General Plan is attached as Exhibit 1 and is available for public review and comment at www.alameda2040.org <http://www.alameda2040.org>.
DISCUSSION
Transportation, Land Use and the Environment. No single policy issue raises more public discussion, debate and disagreement in Alameda than the debate about the relationship of transportation, land use, and the environment. For over 40 years, and at least since 1973 and the passage of Measure A (Article 26 of the City Charter), many Alamedans have argued that land use decisions to permit housing, and specifically new multifamily housing, has a negative effect on the City’s transportation system, and therefore, the environment, and therefore the quality of life in Alameda.
The March 2021 Draft General Plan takes a different approach to the relationship of land use, transportation and the environment. Alameda General Plan 2040 identifies climate change as the single biggest challenge facing the City of Alameda over the next 20 years. To address the threat of climate change, the City must work with its regional and national partners to address the impacts of sea level rise and ground water rise, but also to reduce greenhouse gas emissions locally and regionally. Reducing greenhouse gases regionally requires that each city work cooperatively to implement the regional sustainable communities’ strategy, Plan Bay Area. Complying with Plan Bay Area and State Housing Law requires that the City of Alameda provide for its fair share of the housing need, referred to as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Reducing greenhouse gas emissions locally requires that Alameda recognize that over 70% of Alameda’s greenhouse gas emissions are generated by our transportation systems and vehicles.
For these reasons, Alameda General Plan 2040 policies focus on the following policy directives in an effort to manage change in the next 20 years in a manner that 1) promotes a healthy, equitable and inclusive city, 2) protects the environment, responds to the climate crisis, and meets regional responsibilities, 3) enhances mobility and accessibility, and 3) preserves and enhances Alameda’s distinctive character:
• Build new housing and affordable housing in transit oriented, transit supported locations in Alameda (such as Park Street, Webster Street, and Alameda Point with its two regional ferry terminals) to reduce reliance on the single occupancy vehicle, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet our regional housing responsibilities.
• Focus on higher density multifamily housing, which generates less greenhouse gases per unit than low density, Measure A compliant, single family detached housing, which generates more greenhouse gas emissions and automobile trips than multifamily housing.
• Transform Alameda’s physical transportation infrastructure to better support climate-friendly modes of transportation, such as walking, bicycling and transit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To make Alameda’s streets and roads better for active modes of transportation requires that Alameda work to make those streets safer for those modes (i.e. “Vision Zero”).
• Continue to work with our regional transit partners (AC Transit, WETA, BART, and others) to expand the transit system and the frequency of service to create better commute alternatives for Alameda residents leaving the City each day for work and workers entering the City each day for work.
These policies and themes are distributed throughout Alameda General Plan 2040’s six chapters or “elements”:
1. General Plan Organization and Themes
2. Land Use and City Design Element
3. Conservation and Climate Action Element
4. Mobility Element
5. Parks and Open Space Element
6. Health and Safety Element
Overview of Changes to the Draft General Plan.
Since publication of the first draft of the General Plan in August 2020, the text in almost every policy in the August 2020 draft was revised in some way. The major global improvements to the Draft Plan include:
• Removal of redundant language, which meant in some cases combining policies, and/or deleting policies to streamline the document. (Exhibit 3 includes a policy index, which provides a key to the August 2020 draft policy numbers, and their associated revised policy numbers in the March 2021 draft.)
• Sharpening policy language to reduce conflicting interpretations or clarify intent.
• Inclusion of cross-references to related policies in the plan to help the reader identify other policies in other elements that address similar issues and/or themes.
• The addition of alphanumeric numbering system for the actions under each policy for easy reference.
• Inclusion of bolder, more specific language in multiple elements to address community comments on issues such as equity, affordable housing, the COVID-19 pandemic, and accessibility for all.
• Inclusion of bolder, more specific language in multiple elements on the importance of addressing climate change and its various impacts, such as rising ground water, as well as rising seas.
• Addition of spotlights where needed to provide more clarity or background information on a particular policy or set of policies.
• Adding definitions where needed or requested, such as the definition of “equity” and “persons with disabilities”.
• Updating and replacing photos to be more representative of the diversity of Alameda’s population, architecture, character, island settings, and open spaces.
Chapter 1. General Plan Organization and Themes. The major changes to this chapter included honing the four themes in Section 1.4, which are:
• Equity: Promote a healthy, equitable and inclusive city.
• Environment: Protect the environment, respond to the climate crisis and meet regional responsibilities.
• Access: Enhance mobility and accessibility.
• Character: Preserve and enhance Alameda’s distinctive character.
The themes were clarified and simplified to be more succinct and impactful. Language was added to the Equity theme recognizing and acknowledging past inequities in local policy and decision making processes.
Section 1.5: Implementation and Priority Setting was added to describe the annual review and priority setting process which is critical to the implementation of the General Plan policies over the 20 year planning term. (This section responds to suggestions from Planning Board Member Curtis related to the need to explain how the General Plan’s aggressive goals and 100+ policies can be prioritized and funded over time by the City and community of Alameda.)
Section 1.3: Looking Ahead was sharpened to clarify the population growth, housing needs, and employment growth.
Spotlights were added related to the definition of “Equity” and the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Alameda and the General Plan. The chapter also now includes an index of spotlights in each element.
Chapter 2. Land Use Element. The Land Use Element was improved significantly by inclusion of a variety of new policies and spotlights. The Land Use Classifications were also significantly revised to provide greater clarity regarding the recommended changes to density, floor area ratio, and/or height limits to implement General Plan objectives and policies and support the upcoming Housing Element update.
New policies include:
● LU-1: Inclusive and Equitable Land Use and City Design
● LU-7: Joint Use
● LU-8: Arts and Culture
● LU-17: Adaptive Reuse and Restoration
● LU-24: Universal Design
● LU-29: Shopping Center Redevelopment
● LU-33: Alameda Rail Station Design
New spotlights include:
● Alameda’s Relationship with the Water
● State Law, the City Charter, and the General Plan
● What is Affordable Housing?
● Where are the “Transit Rich” locations in Alameda?
● Alameda’s “Front Doors”: Park & Webster Streets
● The Importance of Promoting Sustainable Growth Solutions
Other important changes include:
• Clarification regarding “barriers” in Policy LU-3.
● Increased emphasis on Webster Street and Park Streets as the City’s two iconic “main streets” (see Policy LU-10 as well as added Spotlight, Alameda’s “Front Doors”: Park & Webster Streets).
● Increased emphasis on the importance of building reuse and rehabilitation and incentives for preservation, such as the Mills Act Action (refer to Action LU-25.e).
Chapter 3. Conservation and Climate Action Element. Examples of the major improvement to this element include:
• Strengthened Policy CC-1: Community Action to include new actions that address community capacity building and the opportunity to create a Climate Solutions Academy at Alameda Point for emerging climate-solution technologies, see Actions CC-1.c and CC-1.d. Added emphasis on empowerment and partnerships within the community (see added actions to Policy CC-1 and new Policy CC-15).
• Strengthened policies related to the reuse and renovation of existing buildings (Policy CC-18).
● Added policies related to Neighborhood Resilience Coordination (CC-15) and improved policies related to Sea Level Rise Protection (CC-19).
● Improved policies related to conservation of natural resources including a new policy in support of the establishment of an Alameda Point Marine Conservation, Wildlife and Recreation Area (Policy CC-29) and land development mitigations (see CC-20 and CC-34.a).
● Improved policies related to tree canopy enhancement and the importance of quantitative data around health needs and cost/benefits (see Action CC-26.d), as well as identification of funding (Action CC-26.g).
● Strengthened policies around littering and waste disposal in response to comments from the Youth Forum (see Actions CC-17.b, CC-27.i, CC-29.b-c).
● Improved policies related to home occupations, telecommuting and climate-friendly commute behavior (see CC-11).
● Revised policy related to congestion pricing to ensure that any future pricing is equitable and recognizes the needs of all income groups in Alameda (see Action CC-12.a).
● Added a Building Electrification Spotlight.
Chapter 4. Parks + Open Space Element. This element includes updated photos to emphasize the connection to the water and the new improvements at Alameda Point (Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal, Bay Trail connection) as well as included a new Policy OS-22 addressing the proposed Alameda Point Marine Conservation, Wildlife and Recreation Area. A new spotlight was added regarding the endangered Monarch Butterfly and endangered Least Tern.
Chapter 5. Mobility Element. The Mobility Element was significantly improved with the help of a Transportation Commission subcommittee comprised of Transportation Commission Chair Soules and Commission Members Kohlstrand and Weitze. With the help of the subcommittee, staff revised the element to reinforce and clarify that the transportation system must work for all Alamedans and accommodate all modes to reduce the impacts of the transportation system on the environment and climate change and improve safety for all users, including those most vulnerable.
Examples of the changes include new policies:
● ME-4: Public Annual Review
● ME-8: Roadway Diets
● ME-12: School Traffic
● ME-13: Alameda Street Grid
● ME-16: Transit
● ME-17: Shared Mobility
● ME-18: New Mobility and New Technology Infrastructure
● ME-19: Active Management and Monitoring
● ME-20: New Development
New spotlights include:
● The 25 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit: Why Does It Matter?
● Roundabouts
● What is a High Injury Corridor?
● West Alameda Bicycle + Pedestrian Bridge
Health and Safety Element. The Health and Safety Element was improved by an increased emphasis on wildfire smoke health risks, air quality, pandemics, and how the City can develop informed long range plans to respond and recover from these economic and health crises (see Policy HS-8). In addition, see Policy HS-4 - Public Communication that promotes engagement with the most vulnerable Alamedans who are least likely to know about or be able to adapt to various threats (see Action HS-4.c).
New policies include:
● HS-6: Crime, Policing and Safety
● HS-7: Infectious Disease Preparedness
● HS-8: Resilience and Recovery
● HS-62: Wildfire Smoke
Next Steps in the General Plan Update Process: Staff is planning the following steps for the General Plan update process. All dates are subject to change depending on public comments and Planning Board direction.
May 17, 2021 Close of initial 45 day public review period for General Plan
May 24, 2021 Opportunity for Planning Board Public Hearing on Draft General Plan
June 14, 2021 Planning Board Public Hearing on Draft EIR and Draft General Plan
June 25, 2021 (Estimated Date) Close of 45 day public review period for Draft EIR
June 28, 2021 Opportunity for Planning Board Public Hearing on Draft General Plan
July 20, 2021 (Estimated Date) Circulate Final EIR
July 26, 2021 Opportunity for Planning Board Public Hearing on Draft General Plan
August 2021 Prepare Planning Board amendments to Draft General Plan, as necessary
September 2021 Planning Board final Public Hearings on Draft General Plan and amendments
October 2021 City Council Public Hearings and Action on Draft General Plan.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and comment on the draft General Plan.
Respectfully Submitted by:
Andrew Thomas
Planning, Building, and Transportation Director
Exhibits:
1. March 2021 Draft General Plan
2. Policy Index: August 2020 Draft to March 2021 Draft