Alameda Planning Board Meeting: July 13, 2026

The Alameda Planning Board held a meeting on July 13, 2026, to discuss proposed short-term rental (STR) zoning ordinance amendments and a workshop on commercial zoning updates for Park and Webster Streets. The board received public comments, deliberated, and recommended the STR ordinance to the city council with several amendments. The commercial zoning workshop was informational, with board feedback to inform future amendments.

Consent Calendar

• The draft meeting minutes from June 22 were tabled due to insufficient members present to vote (only 3 of 5 members present).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Warren Wong (longtime resident, real estate appraiser): Urged caution, emphasizing property rights and potential impacts on property values. Supported the ordinance generally but requested safeguards against speculative rentals.
• Athena Mog Haddam (STR operator): Expressed dependence on STR income; questioned the complete prohibition of ADUs from STRs, noting state law does not exclude all ADUs and requested reconsideration.
• Steve Bassi (property owner with a cottage): Noted his property has a cottage with a different address on the same parcel; asked for clarification to ensure eligibility. Also concerned about the 60-day phase-in period for non-compliant units.
• Zidim (West End resident): Described nuisance from a non-owner-occupied STR across the street; advocated for a local host requirement with distance-based proximity, not just 60-minute response.
• Juliana Conell (five-star super host, third-generation Alamedan): Argued that responsible STRs support local economy and families; requested continued support for well-regulated STRs.
• Philip Cocky (real estate agent, STR operator): Opposed excluding single-family homes from STRs, arguing speculators are not an issue; supported good policies but warned against over-restriction.
• Catherine Chang (manages family unit, lives next door): Described smooth operation with local management; questioned treatment of mixed long-term/short-term rentals.

Discussion Items

• Agenda Item 5A: Short-Term Rental Ordinance Amendments

  • Staff Presentation (Steve Buckley, Planning Services Manager): Presented ordinance modeled on Santa Monica, focusing on primary residence requirement, allowed properties, safety standards, enforcement (warning, suspension, revocation), and amnesty period. Key provisions: only one STR per property, owner or tenant must be primary resident, prohibition on ADUs and SB9 lot splits for STRs.
  • Board Deliberation:
    • Board Member Hom: Noted primary residence definition lacks explicit time requirement; suggested adding six months or more. Discussed tenants as hosts could lead to multiple STRs per owner. Supported grandfathering legacy ADUs not under state law.
    • Board Member Sue: Clarified that only one primary residence per person, limiting STRs. Questioned enforcement of primary residence requirement. Supported grandfathering pre-2017 ADUs.
    • Board Member Wang: Raised concerns about enforcement process for noise complaints vs. primary residence violations (binary). Suggested clearer enforcement ladder. Supported requiring local host to reside in Alameda and providing an affidavit for primary residence. Proposed that false primary residence claims should result in property bar from STR for 180 days.
    • Board Member Han: Praised balance of ordinance. Supported allowing legacy ADUs; recommended local contact reside in Alameda; suggested clarifying "only one STR per property" to avoid confusion with multiple hosts. Suggested primary residence time limit (six months) and requiring long-term lease for tenant hosts.
    • Board President Cisneros: Supported with similar amendments. Agreed on lenient enforcement for legacy operators with good history.
  • Consensus: Support for ordinance with amendments: (1) clarify primary residence with time/factors, (2) allow legacy ADUs (pre-2017 or not under state law), (3) require local host to be able to respond on site within 60 minutes (not necessarily reside in Alameda), (4) strengthen enforcement for false primary residence (single warning, property barred for 180 days), (5) address different address on same parcel.

• Agenda Item 5B: Commercial Zoning Workshop

  • Staff Presentation (Caesar, Economic Dev.; Henry Dong, Planning): Presented proposed updates to streamline zoning for Park and Webster Streets: consolidate uses into "general retail sales" and "general personal services", remove use permits for certain uses (e.g., thrift stores, salons, massage, tattoo, gyms, small offices <4,000 sq ft), update definitions, and propose window transparency policy and extended business hours. Vacancy rates: 12% on Webster Street, 7% on Park Street.
  • Board Feedback:
    • Board Member Wang: Supported consolidation; questioned handling of hotels, artist studios, and offices. Suggested offices might be better on side streets. Asked about enforcement of CUP for a church (assembly use) approved earlier.
    • Board Member Hom: Supported proposed changes, especially removing outdated restrictions like billiards and tattoo. Agreed with using square footage for office use permit threshold. Supported window transparency.
    • Board Member Sue: Supported overall approach; noted concern about offices on main floor but acknowledged some use better than vacancy. Liked window transparency.
    • Board President Cisneros: Supported with emphasis on street-level activation and window transparency. Raised question about assembly uses and need to revisit definitions.
  • No vote; workshop feedback to be incorporated into draft amendments for September.

Key Outcomes

• Short-Term Rental Ordinance: The board voted unanimously (3-0, with two members absent) to recommend the ordinance to the city council with the following amendments:
  • Define primary residence with a minimum occupancy period (e.g., six months per year).
  • Allow legacy ADUs (those not created under state ADU law, e.g., pre-2017 or historically existing) to be used as STRs.
  • Require local contact to be able to respond on site within 60 minutes (not necessarily reside in Alameda).
  • Strengthen enforcement for primary residence violations: false claims result in immediate revocation and property bar from STRs for 180 days.
  • Clarify that only one STR is allowed per property regardless of number of hosts (e.g., owner and tenant cannot both host).
  • Clarify that a different address on the same parcel does not disqualify a property if it is on the same parcel.
  • Extend the amnesty/phase-in period for existing operators with no complaints.
• Commercial Zoning Workshop: No formal vote; staff will incorporate board feedback and return with draft amendments in September. Board expressed general support for consolidation, window transparency, and extending business hours.
• Administrative: The July 27 meeting was canceled; a special meeting is scheduled for August 24 to discuss a soccer team's outdoor performance space permit.