Title
A Public Workshop to Review and Comment on the Draft Housing Element Update Zoning Code Amendments for Shopping Center Sites to Accommodate the Regional Housing Needs Allocation for the Period 2023-2031 in Compliance with State Law
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Housing Element workshop provides an opportunity for the Planning Board and the public to review and comment on a proposed zoning code amendment to permit, facilitate and encourage development of housing on shopping center sites in Alameda to accommodate the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the 2023-2031 Housing Element cycle.
No final action is required at this time. Staff is requesting Planning Board and community comments on the draft zoning code amendment described in this report. Based upon the comments received at the workshop, staff will prepare a final draft zoning code amendment for Planning Board consideration and recommendation to the City Council at a future Planning Board meeting.
BACKGROUND
As described in prior reports, the City of Alameda (City) must identify lands that can be feasibly developed for housing during the 2023-2031 period to accommodate over 5,353 units. Per State requirements, the City will need to accommodate buffer units for a total of 6,156 units.As shown in Table 1 below, the City draft inventory depends upon actions by the City to up-zone the City’s shopping center sites (see Line 14 in Table 1 below), Park Street and Webster Street (Lines 15 and 16) and the residential districts (Line 17). Due to the small sites and limited capacity on Park Street and Webster Street and limited capacity in residential districts, , the draft Housing Element relies heavily on the ability to construct a large portion of the RHNA on the shopping center sites.
Table 1: Housing Opportunity Sites Inventory - Summary
DISCUSSION
The draft inventory shown above relies on constructing 1,200 housing units in eight years on the City’s seven (7) shopping centers. The seven shopping centers comprise over 100 acres of land that is occupied by low density, single story commercial and service buildings. Approximately 50% of the land is devoted to surface parking lots. To date, staff has received a positive response from South Shore shopping center, Alameda Landing shopping center and Neptune Plaza shopping center. Staff is hoping to be able to demonstrate to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) that with the up-zoning of the seven sites, at least some of the sites will develop housing during the eight year period that will cumulatively result in 1,200 units.
To facilitate housing development on the shopping center sites, staff is recommending a new zoning district for shopping centers that would be applied to:
• Alameda Landing Shopping Center,
• Marina Village Shopping Center,
• South Shore Shopping Center and adjacent McDonalds, Court House and Post Office,
• Harbor Bay Landing Shopping Center,
• Neptune Plaza (end of Webster Street on Central Avenue)
• Park Street Plaza (on Blanding Avenue), and
• The Blanding Shopping Center (near Fruitvale Bridge).
See Exhibit 1 for proposed specific boundaries for each site.
Due largely to local Alameda zoning constraints, no housing has ever been built on these properties. City of Alameda zoning regulations adopted in 1973 to prohibit multifamily housing on these sites and zoning regulations adopted in 1991 to prohibit residential densities over one unit per 2,000 square feet of land (21 units per acre) effectively prevent owners of these centers from adding multifamily housing at these sites.
Staff proposes adoption of a new “overlay district” for each shopping center site. Although each site would still be governed by its current zoning, the new “Community Mixed Use Multi-family Residential Combining District” would override or supersede specific provisions of the current zoning provisions to encourage and facilitate housing construction. The new district would:
• Permit multifamily housing by right, including shared housing, transitional housing, supportive housing, senior assisted living, and low barrier navigation centers;
• Require that all new residential and mixed use buildings be at least 30 units per acre (net) and permit up to 100 units per net acre, with the ability to transfer density between adjacent parcels;
• Prohibit ground floor residential use to ensure a commercial mixed use environment;
• Respect the current height limits in the base zoning, unless those limits are less than 60 feet, in which 60 feet becomes the maximum height limit. (60 feet allows for a five story building with ground floor commercial or service uses.)
The proposed Zoning Ordinance would read as follows:
30-4.26 Community Mixed Use Multi-family Residential Combining District.
a. Purpose. The Community Mixed Use Multi-family residential combining district (C-MF District) is intended to facilitate and support the construction of multifamily housing for all income levels and needs to accommodate Alameda’s regional housing need as required by California Government Code sections 65580 and 65583 on shopping center sites designated for residential mixed use development in the General Plan.
b. Applicability. The development and use of land within C-MF district shall comply with the provisions of the C-MF District, the provisions of the underlying zoning district and all other provisions of the Alameda Municipal Code. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of the C-MF District and the provisions of the underlying district or the Alameda Municipal Code or Alameda City Charter Article 26, the provisions of the CMF District shall govern.
c. Permitted Uses. The following residential uses shall be permitted by right, in addition to those uses permitted in the underlying zoning district:
i. Dwellings, multiple family;
ii. Shared living;
iii. Transitional housing;
iv. Supportive housing;
v. Residential Care Large;
vi. Residential Care Senior; and
vii. Low Barrier Navigation Centers.
d. Ground floor Uses and Orientation. No dwelling unit or portion of a dwelling unit shall occupy ground floor space within the district. Ground floor space may be occupied by commercial uses, service uses, and parking. Buildings adjacent to the publicly owned right-of-way shall be oriented toward the public right-of-way with a main entry facing the public right of way. The building elevation fronting onto a publicly owned right of way shall provide ground floor retail, commercial, and/or main entry and lobby space at least thirty (30) feet deep along the elevation fronting onto the public right-of-way.
e. Maximum and Minimum Permitted Residential Densities. The maximum permitted residential density for a new building with residential uses shall be one hundred (100) units per acre, and the minimum density shall be thirty (30) units per acre. Permissible maximum density may be increased by transferring density between adjacent parcels, provided that 1) the increase in density does not require a variance from the maximum permitted height limit or other applicable development standards for the property, 2) the remaining available density on the adjacent parcel is not less than 30 units per acre, and 3) a deed restriction is placed on the adjacent property limiting its residential capacity to the remaining available density. Rehabilitation of a building constructed before 2020 for residential use shall be exempt from maximum residential density standards. For the purposes of this section, residential density shall be calculated by dividing the size of the existing or proposed parcel by the number of dwelling units in the proposed building.
f. Maximum Height Limit. The maximum height limits shall be determined by the underlying zoning district for the property, unless that height limit is less than 60 feet, in which case the maximum height limit shall be 60 feet.
g. Development Review Requirements. The review of development proposals that include residential development consistent with the C-MF District provisions shall be limited to findings for approval contained in Section 30-37.5, Design Review. No other discretionary action shall be required for residential development projects consistent with the C-MF provisions, unless the applicant requests a variance from the requirements of the C-MF District or other applicable section of the Alameda Municipal Code. Proposed uses of buildings that require a conditional use permit pursuant to the underlying site zoning shall continue to require a conditional use permit, unless the use is permitted by right by the C-MF District. Proposals to subdivide land shall be processed consistent with the Subdivision Map Act. Findings for approval, conditional approval or denial of a residential use based on design review or application for a variance shall be consistent with Government Code Section 65589.5.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Reviewing and commenting on a draft Zoning Ordinance amendment is not a project under Public Resources Code section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines section 15378. Final adoption of the ordinance will be subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Accommodating the RHNA supports the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A decision by the City to not meet the RHNA would likely have a negative impact on the region’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
RECOMMENDATION
That the Planning Board review and comment on draft Community Mixed Use Multi-Family Residential Combining District text provided in the staff report and site locations shown in Exhibit 1.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
Exhibits:
1. Proposed locations for New Overlay District