Alameda Planning Board Meeting July 12, 2021: Clubhouse Bar Permit, Webster Street Events, General Plan Update
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Alameda Planning Board Meeting - July 12, 2021
The Alameda Planning Board held a regular meeting on July 12, 2021, via Zoom. The board considered a use permit for an outdoor patio at Club House Bar (7A), held a study session on a use permit for outdoor events on Webster Street (7B, re-noticed due to an address error), and conducted a public hearing on the General Plan Update (7C). The board also approved minutes from May 24, 2021, and received staff updates on the RHNA appeal and upcoming projects.
Consent Calendar
- None.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 7A – Club House Bar Outdoor Patio: Multiple neighbors expressed strong opposition, citing noise, sexual harassment, and inappropriate behavior from patrons in the backyard. They provided video evidence and described negative impacts on their quality of life. Supporters, including customers and local business advocates, praised the owner's efforts to improve the bar and urged approval with conditions. The owner stated they had installed signs, surveillance, and reduced access to the grassy area to mitigate issues.
- Item 7B – Webster Street Outdoor Events (Study Session): Residents and business owners overwhelmingly supported the Healing Garden and summer concert series, describing it as a community asset that revitalized the West End, supported local artists, and provided safe outdoor gatherings. Some acknowledged noise and parking concerns but praised the organizers' mitigation efforts. No opposition was voiced during the meeting.
- Item 7C – General Plan Update: Public comments addressed a range of issues: the Harbor Bay Club's proposed land use change (community mixed use), concerns about density and lot sizes, preservation of the Alameda Wildlife Reserve name, and the importance of maintaining recreational amenities. The Alameda Architectural Preservation Society recommended deferring density decisions to the housing element process.
Discussion Items
- Item 7A – Club House Bar: Staff recommended approval with conditions (e.g., limited hours, noise mitigation). The board discussed hours of operation for the lawn area (11am-6pm vs. 11am-3pm). Board members emphasized the need for a good neighbor policy, clarified lighting and camera placement, and added a six-month review requirement. After an amendment to keep the 6pm closing time passed 4-1, the motion for approval (including additional conditions) passed 5-0.
- Item 7B – Webster Street Events: As a study session, no action was taken. Board members expressed general support but raised questions about event frequency, sound mitigation, and communication with neighbors. Staff will re-notice and bring the item back for formal action on July 26, 2021.
- Item 7C – General Plan Update: The board discussed proposed amendments, particularly regarding residential densities and land use classifications. There was agreement to avoid predetermining densities in the land use element and instead address them in the upcoming housing element process. Board members offered specific suggestions on policies related to electrification of buildings (favoring incentives over mandates), historic preservation, and the definition of character. Staff will prepare revised amendments for the next meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Item 7A: Approved (5-0) the use permit for Club House Bar's outdoor rear patio and yard with conditions: hours of operation for lawn area 11am-6pm (or dusk if earlier); development of a good neighbor policy; clarification of amplified sound prohibition to include live performances; lighting directed below neighboring window lines; surveillance cameras not mounted above fence line; and a mandatory review in six months. Appeal deadline: 10 days.
- Item 7B: Study session concluded; the item will be re-noticed to the correct address and return for action on July 26, 2021.
- Item 7C: No action taken. Staff will incorporate board feedback and present updated amendments at the July 26, 2021 meeting. The board aims to finalize the general plan in September 2021 to allow focus on the housing element.
- Minutes: Approved (4-0-1, President Teague abstaining) with a correction to replace "carb" with "CARP" (California Air Resources Board).
- Staff Communications: The City Council voted 3-2 to appeal the RHNA allocation, requesting a 50% reduction (to 2,650 units). The appeal was filed July 9, 2021; response expected by November 2021. Staff will continue working on both scenario plans.
Meeting Transcript
Also and you guys are now live. Thank you. I'd like to welcome everybody to the Monday, July 12th, 2021 regular meeting of the planning board. As it is, we could rotate through the flag salute. This time it's my turn. So if everyone would please carry forward with me on the flag sleep. I pledge a lead to the flag of the United States. And to the Republic for who which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. May I have a roll call, please? Yes, good evening. Board member Cisneros. Here. Curtis. Here. Han here. Rothenberg. Here. Teague. Present. And let the record uh document that board members and Ruiz have excused absences. And we have a quorum. Thank you. Thank you. Do we have agenda changes? Yes. I'd like to make a note that item 7B, we would like staff would like to uh request that that be converted to a study session. There was an issue with the public noticing where the wrong address was published. So since there are likely um folks in the audience who would like to speak on the item, um staff would recommend the board uh take the public testimony um and give staff direction and what we will do is re-notice and come back with this item for formal action at the next meeting. Okay, thank you very much. Next section is oral communications. Anyone may address the board on a topic not on the agenda by clicking the raise hand button. Limited to three minutes. If you would like to speak on an item not on the agenda, please click the raise hand button and you will get to speak. Last call. Seeing no raised hands, I am going to close uh oral communications. We have no items on the consent calendar, so we'll be moving on to the first regular agenda item 7A, 1215 Park Street, use permit for use of an outdoor rear patio and yard. I believe staff has a short presentation. Yes, um, President Teague. Uh, my name is Andrew Thomas. I'm the planning director for City of Alameda. I'll just be introducing this item. Um, the item, as you said, tonight is a request for conditional use permit. This is a request for a permit to use the rear patio and yard behind the clubhouse bar for the use by their customers. So it would be part of the commercial operation in uh Alameda. The use of outdoor spaces for commercial use associated with a permitted use is requires a conditional use permit. Um the the planning board's options tonight with a conditional use permit could go anywhere from denying the use permit, essentially saying, and what that would mean is the bar can operate indoors, as it has for almost, I believe a hundred years in that location, but it cannot use the rear yard to serve for customers or the rear patio. To the other extreme would be yes, you can have a use permit um for that rear patio and that rear yard with no conditions at all. You whenever the bar is open, it can be open. What city staff is recommending is that the planning board approve a use permit with that allows for the use of the rear patio and the rear yard with conditions, and the conditions that we have proposed are in the staff report and in the resolution of recommending approval. And what they are essentially designed to do is to mitigate the potential noise impacts of that use, the use of the rear patio and the rear yard to mitig to mitigate and reduce the potential noise impacts of that use to the surrounding neighbors.
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