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Record of Proceedings

Alameda Planning Board Meeting - January 10, 2022: Housing Element Workshop & Use Permit Renewal

Planning Board — Monday, January 10, 2022
BodyAlameda, California
SessionPlanning Board
DateMonday, January 10, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:00

Okay, great.

0:02

Welcome everyone to the City of Alameda Planning Board meeting for Monday, January 10th, 2022.

0:11

Happy New Year.

0:12

And we'll convene this meeting if we could get board member Hom to lead us in a flag salute.

0:20

Oh, that'd be great.

0:21

Sure, I'd be happy to.

0:24

Okay.

0:25

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and two to republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:41

Thank you.

1:00

And President Seheva present.

1:03

And we have a quorum.

1:06

Okay, great.

1:08

All right.

1:18

I can't hear you.

1:19

Did we just lose all the there?

1:21

You go.

1:22

Now you're back.

1:23

You're back.

1:23

Can you hear me?

1:24

Yes.

1:26

Sorry about that.

1:26

I don't know what happened.

1:27

I guess I gotta work with these headsets.

1:30

Um I was gonna say anyone from uh the staff or board have any agenda changes that they would like to propose?

1:41

None from the staff.

1:44

Okay.

1:45

Then let's let's move on.

1:48

Oral communications.

1:50

Uh anyone may address the board on a topic not on the agenda under this item um by raising their hand.

1:58

Has do we have any hands raised?

2:02

No one is raising the hand.

2:05

Okay.

2:05

So we'll close the oral communications section.

2:11

Uh consent calendar.

2:14

Um, does anyone want to pull this item for further discussion?

2:20

Or are we good with the one item that's listed uh under 6A?

2:25

Uh President Seeba staff is actually requesting a continuance to the next meeting of this item.

2:31

Oh, of this item.

2:33

Okay.

2:34

Correct.

2:35

Okay.

2:36

So we'll um we'll have this item to review the following meeting.

2:42

Okay.

2:43

Thanks, Alan.

2:45

All right, so let's move to our regular agenda items.

2:49

Um, so 7A, 1215 Park Street, Clubhouse Bar, Conditional Use Permit Renewal.

2:56

Uh, this is uh public hearing to consider the six-month review period on the conditional use permit for rear yard patio and lawn area by by bar patrons.

3:09

Um Brian, are you going to give a um introduction to this item?

3:16

Yes, good evening, President Sahaba and members of the planning board.

3:19

Brian McGuire, project planner for item 7A this evening.

3:22

Um, this is the Clubhouse Bar, 1215 Park Street, conditional use permit renewal, um, six-month review.

3:29

It's public hearing to consider renewal of conditional use permit for the use of the rear yard patio and lawn area by bar patrons.

3:38

On July 12th, 2021, the board approved a use permit with conditions relating to hours, noise, and lighting to ensure the outdoor patio operates harmoniously within the existing neighborhood.

3:51

Additionally, the approval required a six-month review in order to conduct the public hearing to review conformance with the approved conditions.

3:59

Over the six months since the use permit was approved.

4:02

Staff has have visited the property on multiple occasions to observe operations and verify compliance with conditions.

4:10

During this time, staff have received one email from a neighbor identifying an incident involving noise and apparent violation of the use permit noise and patio use conditions.

4:20

Staff immediately contacted the business owner to review the complaint.

4:24

No additional emails or code enforcement complaints have been received by the planning division or the code enforcement division.

4:30

Staff believes the applicant has been operating in a manner consistent with the approved use permit.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing██████████████████████████████████████38%
Zoning Code██████████████████18%
Public Comment███████████████15%
Procedural████████8%
Noise Ordinance████████8%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Urban Design██2%
Land Use Policy█1%
Traffic Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Alameda Planning Board Meeting – January 10, 2022

The Planning Board of Alameda met on Monday, January 10, 2022, at 7:00 PM via Zoom. The meeting lasted approximately 2.5 hours (adjourned at 9:41 PM). Key actions included unanimous approval of a six-month renewal for the Club House Bar's conditional use permit and a public workshop on draft zoning amendments for shopping center sites to help meet the city's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 5,353 units for 2023-2031. The board also approved minutes from three previous meetings with abstentions.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 6-A (2022-1622): 1622 West Atlantic Avenue, Site A Block 11 – Design Review Amendment. The applicant requested a continuance to the January 24, 2022 meeting. The board granted the continuance without objection.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Betsy Matheson: Expressed support for rezoning shopping centers for housing, noting existing services and walkability. Supported letters from the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society (AAPS) and West Alameda Business Association (WABA) and raised concerns about parking reliance on adjacent parcels.
  • Daniel Hoy (WABA): Clarified that WABA had no prior conversation with the owner of Neptune Plaza; the five-story proposal was new to them. Urged a form-based code approach and asked for continued dialogue on height and density.
  • Zach Bowling: Supported mixed-use, walkable communities, advocated for 60-foot height limits as economical, and suggested updating underlying zoning instead of overlays. Noted that density bonus assumptions cannot be used in housing element counts.
  • Christopher Buckley (AAPS): Generally supported the proposal, but recommended different height/density standards per shopping center, higher density for estuary sites, flexibility on ground-floor uses, and more staff analysis of development potential.
  • Drew Dar Abrams: Expressed qualified support, emphasizing the need for pedestrian-friendly design and learning from other Bay Area projects. Suggested treating each shopping center differently and praised elimination of parking minimums.

Discussion Items

  • Item 7-A (2022-1629): Club House Bar Conditional Use Permit Renewal – Staff (Brian McGuire) reported that over the six-month review period, only one noise complaint was received and immediately addressed. The board discussed the privacy fence condition (8-foot requirement vs. current 6-foot screen) and the revocation process. The board approved the renewal with a new condition to maintain a landscaping buffer.

  • Item 7-B (2022-1630): Public Workshop on Draft Housing Element Zoning Code Amendments for Shopping Centers – Director Andrew Thomas presented the draft multifamily overlay district for eight shopping centers (Alameda Landing, Marina Village, South Shore, Harbor Bay Landing, Neptune Plaza, Park Street Landing, Blanding, and Bridgeside). Key points:

    • The RHNA target is 5,353 units; proposed projects total about 2,000 units, with 1,428 from Alameda Point and 589 from NCNAL terminals pending city council decisions in January/February 2022.
    • The overlay would permit multifamily housing by right at densities of 30–100 units per acre (with density transfer), a default 60-foot height limit, and prohibition of ground-floor residential (except for active uses like lobbies, fitness, daycare).
    • Staff emphasized that the goal is to avoid triggering state density bonus law by providing adequate density upfront.
    • Board members raised questions about height limits, ground-floor flexibility, parking, traffic, and the impact of state density bonus. Ideas included work-live lofts, different standards for interior vs. street frontages, and removing Neptune Plaza to address it under Webster Street zoning.
    • Public speakers supported the concept but urged customization per site, especially for Neptune Plaza.
    • Staff noted that the next workshop on January 24 will focus on residential district zoning; the housing element policy document is targeted for March 2022 submission to the state.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 7-A: Motion to approve the Club House Bar conditional use permit renewal as recommended by staff passed unanimously (7-0, with President Saheba and all members present voting aye).
  • Item 7-B: No action taken; workshop only. Board provided direction to staff to consider:
    • Customizing density and height per shopping center.
    • Allowing non-residential ground-floor uses (e.g., work-live, fitness, lobbies) rather than only retail.
    • Removing Neptune Plaza from the overlay to be handled under Webster Street zoning.
    • Evaluating a 100-foot height limit for South Shore and Harbor Bay (already higher than 60 feet).
    • Clarifying the definition of multifamily housing (5+ units) and adjusting density calculations for residential districts.
  • Minutes: Three sets of minutes were approved with abstentions:
    • September 27, 2021: Approved (6-0-1, President Saheba abstained).
    • October 11, 2021: Approved (5-2, Cisneros and Ruiz abstained due to absence).
    • October 25, 2021: Approved (6-1, President Saheba abstained).

Next Steps

  • Staff will refine the shopping center overlay ordinance based on board and public feedback.
  • January 24, 2022: Planning Board workshop on residential district zoning changes (SB9, navigation centers, etc.).
  • January 18, 2022: City Council decision on NCNAL terminals (critical for housing element).
  • February 2, 2022: City Council decision on Alameda Point Site A re-entitlement.
  • March 2022: Target to submit housing element policy document to HCD for review.
  • Summer 2022: Finalize zoning ordinances for city council adoption.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, great. Welcome everyone to the City of Alameda Planning Board meeting for Monday, January 10th, 2022. Happy New Year. And we'll convene this meeting if we could get board member Hom to lead us in a flag salute. Oh, that'd be great. Sure, I'd be happy to. Okay. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and two to republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. And President Seheva present. And we have a quorum. Okay, great. All right. I can't hear you. Did we just lose all the there? You go. Now you're back. You're back. Can you hear me? Yes. Sorry about that. I don't know what happened. I guess I gotta work with these headsets. Um I was gonna say anyone from uh the staff or board have any agenda changes that they would like to propose? None from the staff. Okay. Then let's let's move on. Oral communications. Uh anyone may address the board on a topic not on the agenda under this item um by raising their hand. Has do we have any hands raised? No one is raising the hand. Okay. So we'll close the oral communications section. Uh consent calendar. Um, does anyone want to pull this item for further discussion? Or are we good with the one item that's listed uh under 6A? Uh President Seeba staff is actually requesting a continuance to the next meeting of this item. Oh, of this item. Okay. Correct. Okay. So we'll um we'll have this item to review the following meeting. Okay. Thanks, Alan. All right, so let's move to our regular agenda items. Um, so 7A, 1215 Park Street, Clubhouse Bar, Conditional Use Permit Renewal. Uh, this is uh public hearing to consider the six-month review period on the conditional use permit for rear yard patio and lawn area by by bar patrons. Um Brian, are you going to give a um introduction to this item? Yes, good evening, President Sahaba and members of the planning board. Brian McGuire, project planner for item 7A this evening.

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