Title
PLN22-0246 - 300 Mosley Avenue - Development Plan, Design Review, and Density Bonus - Applicant: Greg Pasquali on behalf of Carmel Partners. Public hearing to consider a Development Plan, Design Review, and Density Bonus application to construct a seven-story, 227-unit multi-family building within a 2.6 acre area of the existing Admiral’s Cove development, which currently has 150 existing townhome units. The project will require the demolition of one existing fourplex. CEQA Determination: The Alameda General Plan 2040 Final Environmental Impact Report, State Clearinghouse #2021030563, was certified by the City Council on November 30, 2021. None of the circumstances requiring further CEQA review are present
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
BACKGROUND
The North Housing site comprises approximately 37.36 acres of former U.S. Navy properties encircled by Mosley Avenue and Singleton Avenue. In 2017 the federal General Services Administration (GSA) began the process of selling off this surplus land. Approximately 15.13 acres were sold to Carmel Partners, 12.83 acres were conveyed to the Alameda Housing Authority (AHA) and 2 acres to Habitat for Humanity (HH). Carmel Partners renovated 150 townhome units on the project site and constructed extensions of Mosley Avenue and Singleton Avenue. In August 2020 the Planning Board approved the North Housing Development Plan for the AHA and HH parcels, which approved up to 586 units.
On May 5, 2022 the applicant submitted a preliminary application to the City for review under the California Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330). Under SB 330 a developer can submit a preliminary application that freezes the existing regulations and development fees in place to those in effect when the preliminary application was submitted if the developer submits a final application within 180 days. The applicant submitted a final application on July 25, 2022, seeking to construct a new 7-story multi-family building with 227 units within an existing open area at the center of the property. The project will also require the demolition of one four-plex. Under SB 330 design review is limited to review under objective development standards, such as the development standards of the underlying zoning district (R-4, Neighborhood Residential) and the City’s Objective Design Review Standards for Multi-Family and Mixed-Use Buildings. The project also requires approval of a Development Plan and Density Bonus.
In September 2022 the Planning Board recommended the City Council adopt the City’s draft 6th cycle Housing Element, which provides the City’s plan for meeting its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 5,353 residential units for the years 2023 through 2031. The project’s 227 units are listed within the draft Housing Element as helping the City meet its RHNA.
The Admiral’s Cove property is encircled by Mosley Avenue to the west and north, Singleton Avenue to the south, and Lakehurst Circle to the east. Annapolis Circle and Monterey Circle are streets interior to the development. The City’s Estuary Park is directly north and west of the project site, the undeveloped AHA and HH parcels are directly east of the site, and a closed elementary school currently owned by the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) is to the south.
DISCUSSION
The proposal is to construct a new 7-story multi-family building with 227 units within an approximately 2.6 acre open area in the center of the property. The entire Admiral’s Cove property is approximately 15.13 acres spread across 2 individual parcels. The applicant intends to complete a ministerial Lot Line Adjustment prior to beginning construction to readjust existing property lines so that the proposed building is entirely within its own parcel. As part of the project the applicant will need to demolish one existing 4-plex, located at 300 Mosley Avenue. Therefore the project will result in a net increase of 223 units. In total the 15.13 acre site will have 373 residential units upon project completion.
Development Plan/Site and Building Layout
The proposed building footprint has an upside down “T” shape, consisting of one long wing (approximately 337’ by 90’6”) oriented north-south fronting onto Mosley Avenue capped at the southern end by a shorter perpendicular wing (approximately 250’ by 75’) oriented east-west. The approximate footprint of the proposed building is 44,315 square feet and total floor area is about 297,493 square feet. The project proposes a new driveway curb cut onto Mosley Avenue just to the east of the building with a new surface parking lot between the proposed building and the existing townhomes to the east that front onto Lakehurst Circle. The surface parking lot will have a two-way drive aisle running north-south that will terminate at the south end of the building with an emergency vehicle access lane connecting the new surface parking with Annapolis Circle to the south, which will be blocked off from regular traffic by bollards. The area between the western side of the building and existing townhomes fronting onto Monterey Circle will have common open space amenities such as patios, BBQs and a small pool deck.
The majority of the ground floor and approximately two-thirds of the second floor will be a parking garage. Along with the new surface parking area the project proposes a total of 230 new off-street parking spaces. Approximately 4,000 square feet of the first floor along the Mosley Avenue street frontage will have a lobby, leasing office, and coworking space. There will also be a first floor community lounge and fitness room at the southwesterly corner of the first floor adjacent to the outdoor pool. The second floor of the parking garage will only occupy approximately 27,315 square feet at the southern end of the building. The remaining northern 17,000 square feet of the second floor will be dedicated to 15 residential units. Floors 3 through 7 will be entirely residential, however the 7th floor will have an approximately 3,000 square foot outdoor terrace and lounge at the northern end of the building for common use.
Design Review
As a project filed under SB330, Design Review consists of ministerial review according to adopted objective standards, rather than discretionary review against design guidelines. Staff has reviewed the application against the ODRS and has deemed the project consistent (Exhibit 2). The Planning Board first approved the City’s Objective Design Review Standards for Multi-Family and Mixed Use Buildings (ODRS) in February 2020, and adopted revisions in February 2021. The project is only subject to sections 1 through 4 of the ODRS; section 5 only applies to mixed use buildings and section 6 only applies to properties within the Traditional Design Area which does not include the project site. The Planning Board and staff created the ODRS by using standards found in the Citywide Design Manual and other specific plans so that projects that are consistent with the ODRS will also be consistent with the Citywide Design Manual.
The building’s frontage along Mosley Avenue is the primary elevation, however due to the size of the building most of the building will be visible from the public right of way and surrounding areas. The main pedestrian entrance to the building is located along the primary elevation and enters directly into the lobby/leasing/coworking space. The ground floor along Mosley Avenue is approximately 92’ wide and twelve feet (12’) tall. Approximately 54’ of the ground floor frontage is recessed two feet (‘2) from the upper floors and features floor to ceiling storefront windows that wrap around the west end of the building and continues approximately twenty-five feet (25’) along the ground floor of the west elevation. The remainder of the front elevation will be clad in stone veneer that wraps around the east end of the building.
For the remainder of the building the exterior elevations around the parking garage act as a base for the building to delineate from the residential portions on the upper floors, as called for in the objective design standards for multi-story buildings. While the upper floors have more recesses and articulation, the base still employs windows, garage doors and permanent vertical trellises to limit the presence of blank walls. Since the second floor is only partially part of the indoor garage this base treatment varies in height around the building. Additionally, the first floor lounge and fitness room at the southwest corner of the building are clad in tall windows that occupy two stories, approximately twenty feet (20’) tall. The remaining floors use a combination of changes in siding materials, recesses and projections, and glazing to provide articulation and avoid large blank surfaces. The use of primarily stucco and shiplap siding is complementary with the existing townhome buildings, which were remodeled starting in 2018. On the south and west elevations the proposed building’s recesses and projections are of roughly equal width, approximately twenty-feet (20’) wide, which creates a consistent and cohesive rhythm. The east elevation features a different pattern of recesses and projections with two large vertical bands of projecting living space with recessed balconies at the center of the elevation and buffeted by spaces of projecting balconies and window boxes. The use of projections, recesses and their patterns results in a visually interesting building that is able to maintain order and hierarchy among its design elements.
TDM Measures
The project proposes the following TDM measures (Exhibit 3) consistent with other major residential developments approved by the Planning Board:
• Join Alameda Transportation Management Association (ATMA) - Like other development projects in Alameda this project will be joining the ATMA and purchasing transit passes for residents
• Unbundled Parking - Residents are required to pay for a park space separate from their monthly rent.
• Designated Parking Spaces for Carshare
• Bicycle Parking Facilities - The project includes 202 parking spaces required by the AMC and this includes 30 short term and 172 long term. Long term spaces are located to maximize convenience for residents.
Density Bonus Waivers
The applicant provided a sample project designed to be consistent with the development standards of the project’s underlying R-4-PD-M-F, Neighborhood Residential Zoning District with Planned Development and Multi-Family Special Combining Districts (Exhibit 4), herein referred to as the “base plan.” The base plan shows that the applicant can develop a four-story multi-family building with up to 189 units under the current zoning. The applicant proposes to provide 32 units as affordable units with 5% (10 units) at very low income, 4% (8 units) at low income and 7% (14 units) at moderate income. The applicant proposes that the affordable units be distributed proportionally between 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units as described in the density bonus application. By providing 5% of the total base units to very low income households, the project qualifies for a 20% density bonus (for a total of 227 residential units) as well as one (1) incentive or concession and unlimited waivers of development standards that have the effect of physically precluding the construction of the project at the permitted density. The applicant has submitted a request for five waivers from City development standards as described in the applicant’s density bonus application (Exhibit 5):
1. Required Front Yard Setback Waiver
The project’s base zoning is R-4, Neighborhood Residential District, which has a minimum required front yard of twenty feet (20’), as measured from the front property line. The proposed building is setback approximately five feet (5’) from the front property line at its closest point. In order to meet the front yard requirement the project would need to be moved fifteen feet (15’) further south. However, since this is an infill project the proposed building is encircled by existing buildings, and to meet the 20’ setback requirement would require the demolition of even more existing units. Therefore the applicant is requesting a density bonus waiver from AMC Section 30-4.4.d.5 to allow a front yard of less than twenty feet (20’). Staff supports approval of a front yard waiver in order to preserve more existing residential units, as required by State law. Additionally, the building will be setback approximately thirty feet (30’) from the face of curb due to the large right of way along Mosley Avenue.
2. Building Height Waiver
The project site has a M-F, Multifamily overlay, which per AMC Section 30-4.23(k) allows a maximum overall building height of four (4) stories but not more than forty-five feet (45’). The applicant’s base plan features a four (4) story building with an underground parking garage and 189 units. To accommodate 227 units the building requires more rentable floor area. The maximum allowed building height limit of the M-F overlay means that increasing the square footage of the building can only be achieved through the horizontal expansion of the footprint. However, due to site constraints it is not possible to expand the building horizontally, so the only means to add rentable square footage is to expand the building vertically. The applicant states in its density bonus application that strict adherence to the City’s height requirement would physically preclude the construction of the project at the permitted density. For these reasons the applicant requests a waiver from the four-story, 45-foot height limit in AMC Section 30-4.23(k) to allow a seven (7) story building with an overall building height of seventy-four feet (74’).
The applicant provided a shadow study (Exhibit 1, Sheet AP0.30) to verify there would be no significant shading impacts. A significant shading impact occurs when a building creates shadows that substantially impairs the beneficial use of any public park or open space. The shadow study shows the proposed building will cast large shadows primarily during the winter months, when the sun is at a lower angle. Even still, the shadow cast onto Estuary Park moves across the park throughout the day, and there are no areas of the park that will be significantly shaded by the building for extended lengths of time where it would impair beneficial use of the park. Therefore, staff supports approval of the building height waiver to accommodate the needed increase in rentable square footage to accommodate the affordable units, as required by State law.
3. Private Open Space Waiver
Per AMC Section 30-4.4.d.10, the project is required to provide a minimum of 60 square feet of private open space for each non-ground floor unit, which includes all proposed units. In total 221 of the 227 units have a balcony to provide private open space. However, only 169 of these balconies meet the minimum required size of 60 square feet. The substandard balconies range between 45 and 59 square feet. As previously discussed the building’s orientation and layout is driven by the existing site constraints while the building’s orientation and layout results in 6 units without balconies and 52 undersized balconies. The only means for the building to provide compliant private open space for each individual unit would be to consolidate units without compliant balconies into units with compliant balconies, which would reduce the number of units in the building to 169 and preclude the project from providing 32 affordable units. For these reasons the applicant is requesting a waiver from usable open space requirements in AMC Section 30-4.4.d.10 so that 169 units have compliant 60-square-foot balconies, 52 units have slightly smaller balconies, and 6 units without balconies. It is important to note that Estuary Park is located directly across the street from this building and within walking distance to other public open space (Alameda Landing Waterfront Park, recently named Bohol Circle Immigrant Park by the City Council). For these reasons staff supports approval of the private open space waiver so that the project can accommodate the proposed affordable units, as required by State law.
4. Bicycle Parking Waiver
Per AMC Section 30-7.6 the project is required to provide one (1) long-term bicycle parking space per dwelling unit (i.e. 227 long-term bicycle parking spaces) and two (2) short-term bicycle parking spaces per 10 dwelling units (i.e. 46 short-term bicycle parking spaces). The applicant has dedicated two separate rooms in the ground floor of the parking garage to secure long-term bicycle parking, however the rooms combined only provide for 172 long-term bicycle parking spaces. It is possible to expand the ground floor long-term bicycle parking rooms to increase capacity by removing automobile parking spaces. However, the applicant has stated that the amount of proposed automobile parking spaces are needed as amenities to make the project financially feasible (Underwriters funding large development projects do not approve financing when they believe the automobile parking is insufficient). Additionally, the applicant has only provided 30 short term bicycle parking spaces around the project. Due to the location of ground floor amenities such as the pool deck, patios, and surface parking, there of no locations adjacent to the building. For these reasons the applicant is requesting a waiver from AMC Section 30-7.6 by waiving the minimum required off-street bicycle parking spaces.
Staff believes it is possible to develop the project consistent with the bicycle parking requirements of AMC 30-7.6 without reducing the number of automobile parking spaces. Specifically, it is possible to utilize some of the area designated for resident storage on the second floor of the parking garage for long-term bicycle parking, which would not reduce the amount of automobile parking spaces. In regards to short-term bicycle parking, while there is not much space immediately adjacent to the proposed building to site more bike racks for short-term bicycle parking, it is possible place bike racks throughout the existing Admiral’s Cove development so that the short-term bicycle parking requirement can be met. Otherwise, the plans lack sufficient evidence to demonstrate the bicycle parking is necessary. Therefore, staff recommends the Planning Board deny the bicycle parking waiver because the requirements could be met. The draft resolution includes a condition of approval requiring final plans comply with the bicycle parking requirement.
5. Waive the cap on Compact Parking Spaces
Per AMC Section 30-7.8.m, a minimum of fifty (50%) percent of provided parking spaces shall be standard size, measuring not less than eight and one-half feet (8.5’) by eighteen feet (18’). The project proposes a total of 230 parking spaces, however only 113 spaces, or 49%, meet the standard parking space size requirements. The applicant has determined that the proposed 230 total parking spaces provided, which is consistent with AMC Section 30-7.6.d, are amenities that are required to make the project financially feasible. As previously discussed the site constraints dictate the site and building layout, in particular the layout of surface parking and the parking garage, so that it is not physically possible to add more standard size parking spaces or to expand proposed compact spaces. The applicant states in its density bonus application that strict adherence to the City’s parking space size requirements would physically preclude the construction of the project at the proposed density. For these reasons the applicant is requesting a waiver from AMC Section 30-7.8.m by providing less than 50% of parking in a standard size parking stall. Staff supports the granting of this waiver.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, staff believes the Design Review and Development Plan application is consistent with the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance and the Objective Design Review Standards. Staff supports granting Density Bonus waivers for front yard setback, building height, private open space, and compact parking space size requirements to accommodate the development of 32 affordable units. Staff does not recommend approval of the bicycle parking waiver due to lack of evidence that it is necessary. The proposed design uses changes in materials and projections and recesses to create visually interesting yet orderly appearance and is consistent with the ODRS. The units in this project were inventoried in the draft Housing Element as helping the City meet its 5,353 unit RHNA. Staff recommends the Planning Board approve Design Review and Development Plan and grant the requested Density Bonus waivers as discussed.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
Property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project’s boundaries were notified of the public hearing and given the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal.
CLIMATE ACTION
The project is located within a Plan Bay Area 2050 Priority Development Area, which are areas identified as most suitable for effective transit oriented development. The project is in close proximity to public transit, shopping, and public parks, which reduces car use and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, in accordance with Alameda’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, the proposed building will be all-electric.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On November 30, 2021, by Resolution No. 15841, the City Council certified a Final Environmental Impact Report (State Clearinghouse No. 2021030563) under CEQA, and adopted written findings, a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and a MMRP for the General Plan Amendment to update the Alameda General Plan (General Plan EIR), which evaluated the environmental impacts of 12,000 additional housing units in Alameda over 20 years, including 5,353 housing units to accommodate the RHNA between 2023 through 2031. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15162 and 15163, none of the circumstances necessitating further CEQA review are present with respect to the General Plan EIR. This project would not require major revisions to the General Plan EIR due to new significant environmental impacts or due to a substantial increase in the severity of the previously identified significant environmental effects. There have been no substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which the project would be undertaken that would require major revisions of the General Plan EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. The Alameda General Plan 2040 would result in average household VMT per capita or commute VMT per worker that exceeds 15 percent below the average baseline rate for the Bay Area region. The EIR finds that the VMT impact is significant unavoidable, and findings of overriding consideration have been adopted by the City. The EIR further finds no feasible mitigation measures are available, but the project has incorporated TDM program measures that would reduce VMT. Further, there has been no discovery of new information of substantial importance that would trigger or require major revisions to the General Plan EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. For these reasons, no further environmental review is required.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing and approve the project based on findings contained in the draft resolution (Exhibit 6).
Prepared By:
David Sablan, Planner II
Reviewed By,
Allen Tai, City Planner
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans
2. Completed Objective Design Review Standards Checklist
3. TDM Program
4. Density Bonus Base Plan
5. Density Bonus Request from Applicant
6. Draft Resolution