OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Planning Board Annual Report Review Meeting - February 8, 2021

Planning BoardMonday, February 8, 2021
BodyAlameda, California
SessionPlanning Board
DateMonday, February 8, 2021
StatusFILED
Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

And we are live.

0:03

I'd like to call the Monday, February 8th meeting of the planning board to order.

0:08

If board member would lead us in the flag salute.

0:13

Sure.

0:14

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:21

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:26

Thank you.

0:28

I have a roll call, please.

0:31

Good evening.

0:32

President T present.

0:34

Board member Cisneros.

0:37

Board Member Curtis here.

0:58

Not from staff.

1:00

Okay.

1:01

Um bring up the chat window so I can see anybody's actually attending.

1:10

Um now is oral communication.

1:12

Anyone may address the board on a topic not on the agenda.

1:16

Uh, if you would like to, please raise your hand.

1:18

There's a three-minute limit.

1:21

It looks like there is one possible person.

1:29

That doesn't look like anyone's resume.

1:31

A hand, I'm going to close oral communication.

1:34

The consent calendar is empty, so we're going to go into the first regular agenda item.

1:39

Review and comment on the annual report of the general plan, climate action resiliency plan, and the transportation choices plan.

1:48

And with the record, please uh note that board members of Sonaros is present.

1:58

Are you ready for the staff report?

2:00

Yes.

2:01

Uh good evening.

2:02

This is Andrew Thomas, Planning Building and Transportation Director.

2:05

And I'm going to be kicking off the staff presentation of our three annual reports that we're have provided for your review and comment tonight.

2:13

These annual reports address it's the annual report on the general plan, the annual report on the city's transportation choices plan, and the uh annual report on the climate action and resiliency plan.

2:26

Um, all three uh plans from the city of Alameda.

2:29

The purpose of an annual review is to evaluate what we've accomplished as a city in the past year and set priorities for the upcoming years.

2:39

Um this and we try to do this every year in um the early part of the spring, uh, so that it can those so that the various boards and commissions um can um provide advice to the city council during the annual budgeting process, which occurs um late spring, early summer.

2:57

Um so uh setting priorities for the upcoming year for all three of these plans is is important and helps ensure that budget priorities, staffing priorities match community um priorities.

3:10

Um tonight um I'll uh give a quick overview of the annual report of the general plan and the transportation choices plan, which are primarily um managed by the planning building and transportation department.

3:24

And then um we have tonight uh with us uh Jerry Bowden, Assistant City Manager, Danielle uh Myler, uh our first sustainability and resiliency manager.

3:36

So we're thrilled to have her with us tonight.

3:38

And we may have Patrick Pellary O'Day, who's um I don't see him, but if he joined, he might join us late.

3:45

He uh has been assisting us with the climate action resiliency plan.

3:49

Andrew, Andrew, he's in the attendees.

3:52

Yeah, we're trying to get him transferred over as a presenter, but we'll we'll work on that while you're presenting.

3:57

Fantastic.

3:58

Um welcome, Patrick.

4:00

Um, so just uh real briefly on the general plan.

4:04

Um, as the planning board is well aware, uh 2020 was a busy year for the general plan.

4:09

Um we're doing a major update of our 30-year-old general plan for the next 20 years.

4:15

So um the priorities for 2021 and 2022, of course, are to complete the general plan update in 2021 uh and get that to council for their consideration.

4:26

Uh hopefully uh fall of 2021.

4:30

And then um, as we discussed at the last meeting, the update of the housing element um needs to be completed by uh 2022.

4:39

So from a general plan perspective, those are the priorities.

4:43

Um the transportation choices plan, the next two years.

4:47

Um obviously the last year was not what we expected a year ago when we did our annual report on the transportation choices plan.

4:54

We certainly didn't think we'd be um restriping park street and establishing miles of slow streets around the city.

5:02

So it's been an unusual year 2020.

5:05

Looking ahead, 2021 through 2022, the transportation priorities will be number one, our partnerships with AC Transit and WEDA.

5:15

Those two agencies and those transit services are sort of on their knees right now.

5:20

So rebuilding transit use over the next two years will be a priority with our partners, the transit agencies.

5:28

Obviously, we will continue our work on Central Avenue, the bike pedestrian safety improvements, the Clement Cross Alameda Trail, two major projects well underway in the design process and will be Clement's already under construction.

5:44

We also received 1.5 million in funds from ACTC for the next phase of the bicycle pedestrian bridge.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing█████████████████████21%
Transportation Safety█████████████13%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Transit█████████9%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Climate Action██████6%
Accessory Dwelling Units██████6%
EV Charging Infrastructure█████5%
Inclusionary Housing█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Planning Board Annual Report Review Meeting - February 8, 2021

The Alameda Planning Board convened on Monday, February 8, 2021, at 7:00 PM via Zoom to review and comment on the annual reports for the General Plan, Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP), and Transportation Choices Plan. Board members provided feedback on housing, transportation, and climate initiatives, which will be transmitted to the City Council for its March 3, 2021 meeting. No public comments were received on the agenda item.

Consent Calendar

The consent calendar was empty.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public addressed the board on this item.

Discussion Items

  • Staff presentations: Andrew Thomas (Planning Director) provided an overview of the General Plan update (target completion fall 2021) and Transportation Choices Plan priorities, including rebuilding transit use, Central Avenue improvements, and the permanent restriping of Park and Webster Streets. Jerry Bowden (Assistant City Manager), Danielle Mueller (Sustainability & Resiliency Manager), and Patrick Pellegri O'Day presented the CARP annual report, highlighting successes (e.g., Alameda Municipal Power's 100% renewable, used EV rebate program, tree planting, Master Infrastructure Plan update at Alameda Point, emergent groundwater study) and upcoming priorities (all-electric building ordinance, citywide master tree plan, local hazard mitigation plan).
  • Board member comments:
    • Board Member Ruiz: Requested more emphasis on homelessness and proactive planning; noted that only 30 ADU building permits were issued in 2020 due to high construction costs; urged monitoring and accountability for transportation projects.
    • Board Member Rothenberg: Suggested adding live-work statistics, highlighting the Measure A-funded health center at Crab Cove, clarifying EV infrastructure investments, adding accessibility projects, and referencing the county's hazard mitigation plan.
    • Board Member Cisneros: Expressed interest in ADU financing for lower-income units, noted that 15% inclusionary of zero is zero, urged flexibility in inclusionary options, questioned grant denials, and requested more context on electrification costs for affordable housing.
    • Board Member Hom: Supported stronger affordability requirements within state density bonus law, urged addressing homelessness, noted lack of clarity on senior housing and assisted living, and endorsed all-electric requirements for new buildings.
    • Board Member Curtis: Emphasized the need for phased electrification to avoid disrupting construction; called for prioritizing transportation projects with dollar amounts and timelines; highlighted unintended consequences of road diets on traffic.
    • Vice President Saheba: Asked about the prevalence of small-scale inclusionary projects; stressed interconnectedness of housing types (senior, ADU, homeless) and the need for zoning flexibility.
    • President Teague: Inquired about pandemic energy usage changes; called for reports on electrification feasibility; urged use of substantial rehabilitation funds for ADUs; advocated for adopting an efficiency unit ordinance (AB 325) to bypass Article 26 constraints.
  • Staff responses: Andrew Thomas and Alan Tai responded to questions, noting that many housing issues will be addressed in the upcoming Housing Element update over the next 18 months. They confirmed that the board's comments will be transmitted to the City Council on March 3, 2021, and will inform the budget workshop in May.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken; the item was for review and comment only.
  • Board comments and priorities will be forwarded to the City Council for its March 3, 2021 meeting.
  • The draft minutes from December 14, 2020 (Item 8-A) were approved unanimously by roll call vote (all members voting "aye").
  • Staff announced upcoming agenda items: economic recovery strategy, objective design review standards, residential open space ordinance amendments, and a parking ordinance update at the March 8, 2021 meeting.

Meeting Transcript

And we are live. I'd like to call the Monday, February 8th meeting of the planning board to order. If board member would lead us in the flag salute. Sure. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. I have a roll call, please. Good evening. President T present. Board member Cisneros. Board Member Curtis here. Not from staff. Okay. Um bring up the chat window so I can see anybody's actually attending. Um now is oral communication. Anyone may address the board on a topic not on the agenda. Uh, if you would like to, please raise your hand. There's a three-minute limit. It looks like there is one possible person. That doesn't look like anyone's resume. A hand, I'm going to close oral communication. The consent calendar is empty, so we're going to go into the first regular agenda item. Review and comment on the annual report of the general plan, climate action resiliency plan, and the transportation choices plan. And with the record, please uh note that board members of Sonaros is present. Are you ready for the staff report? Yes. Uh good evening. This is Andrew Thomas, Planning Building and Transportation Director. And I'm going to be kicking off the staff presentation of our three annual reports that we're have provided for your review and comment tonight. These annual reports address it's the annual report on the general plan, the annual report on the city's transportation choices plan, and the uh annual report on the climate action and resiliency plan. Um, all three uh plans from the city of Alameda. The purpose of an annual review is to evaluate what we've accomplished as a city in the past year and set priorities for the upcoming years. Um this and we try to do this every year in um the early part of the spring, uh, so that it can those so that the various boards and commissions um can um provide advice to the city council during the annual budgeting process, which occurs um late spring, early summer. Um so uh setting priorities for the upcoming year for all three of these plans is is important and helps ensure that budget priorities, staffing priorities match community um priorities. Um tonight um I'll uh give a quick overview of the annual report of the general plan and the transportation choices plan, which are primarily um managed by the planning building and transportation department. And then um we have tonight uh with us uh Jerry Bowden, Assistant City Manager, Danielle uh Myler, uh our first sustainability and resiliency manager. So we're thrilled to have her with us tonight. And we may have Patrick Pellary O'Day, who's um I don't see him, but if he joined, he might join us late. He uh has been assisting us with the climate action resiliency plan. Andrew, Andrew, he's in the attendees. Yeah, we're trying to get him transferred over as a presenter, but we'll we'll work on that while you're presenting. Fantastic. Um welcome, Patrick. Um, so just uh real briefly on the general plan. Um, as the planning board is well aware, uh 2020 was a busy year for the general plan. Um we're doing a major update of our 30-year-old general plan for the next 20 years. So um the priorities for 2021 and 2022, of course, are to complete the general plan update in 2021 uh and get that to council for their consideration. Uh hopefully uh fall of 2021. And then um, as we discussed at the last meeting, the update of the housing element um needs to be completed by uh 2022.

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