Title
Public Hearing on the Alameda General Plan Update
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas,
Planning, Building & Transportation Director
executive summary
The purpose of the July 26, 2021 public hearing is to provide an opportunity for the public and Planning Board to review and comment on staff proposed revisions to the March 2021 draft Alameda General Plan 2040. The March 2021 Draft General Plan, draft Environmental Impact Report and existing General Plan are available for review at www.alameda2040.org <http://www.alameda2040.org>.
Exhibit 1 has been updated to reflect the comments and discussion from the Planning Board meeting on July 12, 2021. To assist review by commenters and the Planning Board, staff has highlighted text in yellow that has been changed since the June 29th version of Exhibit 1.
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 received by over 25 organizations. (Refer to Forward, page 5, for a complete list of these organizations.)
Staff 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 March 2021 Draft General Plan is available for public review and comment at www.alameda2040.org <http://www.alameda2040.org>.
The Planning Board’s role in the General Plan update process is to make a recommendation to the City Council on the General Plan update and the adequacy of the accompanying environmental review documents. On June 25, 2021, the public comment period ended on the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the General Plan. Once staff has prepared all the necessary amendments to the draft EIR and completed written responses to all the comments received on the EIR, staff will publish the Final EIR for Planning Board final consideration and recommendation to the City Council.
Concurrently with the preparation of the Final EIR for Planning Board consideration, staff is preparing the final list of revisions to the March 2021 draft General Plan. Upon completion of the Final EIR and the final list of revisions, staff plans to bring the Final EIR, the March 2021 draft General Plan, and the final list of Planning Board recommended revisions to the Planning Board for final recommendation to the City Council.
DISCUSSION
Since publication of the March 2021 draft General Plan, the Planning Board has held a joint meeting with the Transportation Commission and a joint meeting with the Historical Advisory Board to review and comment on the March 2021 draft General Plan. The Planning Board and staff have received comments from a wide variety of individuals and organizations on the draft General Plan. Based on the comments and direction received, City staff has compiled a list of recommended revisions to the March 2021 draft General Plan.
The recommend revisions are all shown in Exhibit 1. Exhibit 1 has been updated to reflect the comments and discussion from the Planning Board meeting on July 12, 2021. To assist review by commenters and the Planning Board, staff has highlighted text that has been changed since July 12, 2021.
Of particular note are the changes made to the land use classifications on page 14 and 15 of Exhibit 1. These changes ensure that all land use classifications focus on desired uses and development intensity (as measured by Floor Area Ratio). Final decisions regarding permissible residential densities and zoning changes necessary to address the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) will be addressed in the Housing Element of the General Plan.
At this time, staff is requested that the Planning Board and Alameda community review the draft amendments and provide direction as to whether any additional revisions are necessary. Based upon the comments received on July 26, 2021, staff plans to return to the Planning Board on September 12, 2021 with the a final recommended set of amendments, a final Environmental Impact Report and a final draft resolution recommending that the City Council adopt the draft General Plan will all the recommended amendments.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and comment on the draft General Plan revisions (Exhibit 1).
Respectfully Submitted by:
Andrew Thomas
Planning, Building, and Transportation Director
Exhibit:
1. Proposed Revisions to March 2021 Draft General Plan