OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Alameda Planning Board Study Session on Objective Design Standards and Estuary Bridge Update – April 10, 2023

Planning Board — Monday, April 10, 2023
BodyAlameda, California
SessionPlanning Board
DateMonday, April 10, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:19

Board members Ilmara.

0:21

Um sorry, boardman Mrs.

0:23

Narrows.

0:24

Would you would you mind leading as a pledge of allegiance, please?

0:33

Pledge of allegiance to the flag, the United States of America and to public standards of liberty and justice law.

0:45

Thank you.

0:49

Um staff member Dong, do we have any agenda changes?

0:55

Um no, we don't have any agenda changes.

0:58

Thank you.

0:58

Now that's move on to public comments.

1:01

Um anyone may say, President Reese, sorry, um, we need to do roll call.

1:05

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that.

1:06

And I can take the roll.

1:08

Okay, roll call, please.

1:09

Sure.

1:09

President Ruiz.

1:10

Here.

1:11

Vice President Hum?

1:12

Here.

1:13

Board Member Arisa.

1:14

Here.

1:15

Board Member Cisneros.

1:16

Here.

1:17

Curtis.

1:17

Here.

1:18

And we have excuse absences from uh board members Teague and Sahaba.

1:23

And we have a quorum.

1:24

Thank you.

1:26

There are no agenda changes.

1:27

And do we have any public comments regarding matters not on the agenda?

1:32

Any speaker.

1:35

I do not see anybody raising their hand.

1:39

Thank you.

1:41

Now that's a move on to consent calendar.

1:44

Item number four eight draft meeting minutes.

1:48

Do we have comments or motions?

1:56

I move that the minutes be approved.

1:59

Thank you for the motion.

2:00

Do we have a second?

2:02

Second.

2:03

All in favor?

2:04

Aye.

2:05

Aye.

2:06

Aye.

2:07

The motion passes.

2:09

Now that's to move on to item number five, regular agenda items.

2:14

Here before us, item number five eight is the objective design review standards study session.

2:21

This was um this agenda was requested by the planning board.

2:26

And um this staff have prepared a presentation and also would like to go over some of the recommendations that the staff has been working with the HAB and other community members, unless if other board members have other um ideas of how they would like to proceed with this design review, I would like to just open it for staff to lead this discussion if you're amicable to that.

2:56

Sounds good?

2:58

Okay, with that said, staff member Tai, please.

3:02

Great.

3:03

Thank you, President uh Ruiz and members of the planning board.

3:05

Um, as President Rhees had mentioned, this is an item that is requested by the planning board that staff bring the objective standards back to you for review.

3:13

Um these objective standards were adopted um in 2020 and then also revised in 2021.

3:20

Um and we've had experience uh reviewing three development projects under them.

3:26

Um I'd like to introduce uh Henry Dong and David Sablon with a uh who's prepared a presentation for you.

3:33

Uh last Thursday, uh staff also at the historical advisory board meeting uh reviewed the objective standards and um gotten some comments.

3:41

Um otherwise, as stated in the staff report, we would like to walk the board through uh short list of items that um staff is proposing that we make revisions to and would like your input.

3:52

So with that, I'd like to turn it over to uh David and Henry.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Design Review█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Historic Preservation█████████████████18%
Active Transportation██████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Affordable Housing████4%
Procedural███3%
Transportation Safety███3%
Climate Change██2%
Land Use Policy██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Alameda Planning Board Study Session on Objective Design Standards and Estuary Bridge Update – April 10, 2023

The Alameda Planning Board met on April 10, 2023, at 7:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included a study session on the City’s Objective Design Review Standards (ODRS) and an informational update on the proposed Oakland-Alameda Estuary bicycle/pedestrian bridge. No formal actions were taken on these agenda items.

Consent Calendar

  • The board unanimously approved the draft meeting minutes from February 13, 2023.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dolores Kelleher, a longtime Alameda homeowner and Alameda Architectural Preservation Society (AAPS) board member, supported expanding the Traditional Design Area (TDA) to include all of Webster Street and North Park Street, using context areas for historic business districts, and allowing relaxed standards for 100% affordable housing projects to reduce costs.
  • Christopher Buckley (AAPS) recommended including North Park Street in the TDA, suggested alternative context approaches for historic business districts, and proposed flexibility for window standards on non–street-facing elevations. He also urged that for one- and two-unit construction on vacant lots, context provisions should apply rather than using the existing building as reference.

Discussion Items

  • Objective Design Review Standards Study Session (Item 5-A)
    Staff (David Sablon, Henry Dong) presented proposed refinements to the ODRS based on experience with three development projects. Topics included: eliminating trellises with landscaping as an option for avoiding blank walls (due to maintenance); addressing exterior stairway entries; allowing alternative primary entrances for sensitive uses (e.g., senior housing); expanding the definition of “theme” for equivalent facade treatment; screening requirements for electrification equipment; the “golden mean” proportion rule for raised houses in light of sea level rise and groundwater; and the need for more illustrations.
    The Historical Advisory Board (HAB) had recommended: supplementing trellises with ground planters, enclosing stairways on street-facing facades, providing equal facade treatment on all four sides, and including Webster Street and North Park Street in the TDA.
    Board members debated the TDA boundary: most supported adding North Park Street but not Webster Street, citing lack of historic architecture on Webster. They discussed allowing flexibility for special-needs housing entrances, adding “four-sided” architecture requirements, and allowing exceptions to the golden mean for houses on high groundwater maps.
    Staff will incorporate comments and return with track-change edits and illustrations at a future meeting.

  • Oakland-Alameda Estuary Bridge Project Informational Update (Item 5-B)
    Senior Transportation Coordinator Rochelle Wheeler presented an update on the proposed bike/pedestrian bridge connecting Alameda and Oakland across the Oakland Estuary. The project is in the Project Initiation Document (PID) phase, funded by Alameda CTC. It aims to address the lack of safe bike/ped connections (only deficient pathways in Posey and Webster tubes). The study area is about 0.75 miles wide around the tubes. Six alternatives in three corridors (west, central, east) are being studied. Key variables: bridge height, type, opening schedule, ramping. Higher bridges require long ramps affecting urban context; lower bridges impact recreational boating. The project is included in 12 regional plans, including Plan Bay Area 2050. Ownership and lead agency are undetermined. Construction could begin by 2030 if all goes well. A water shuttle pilot is also being explored for summer 2023. Wheeler answered board questions about potential lead agencies (Alameda CTC, Caltrans) and BCDC jurisdiction.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes or decisions were taken on the ODRS; the board provided direction to staff to prepare revised standards with track changes.
  • The Estuary Bridge update was informational; no action required.
  • The consent calendar minutes were unanimously approved.

Meeting Transcript

Board members Ilmara. Um sorry, boardman Mrs. Narrows. Would you would you mind leading as a pledge of allegiance, please? Pledge of allegiance to the flag, the United States of America and to public standards of liberty and justice law. Thank you. Um staff member Dong, do we have any agenda changes? Um no, we don't have any agenda changes. Thank you. Now that's move on to public comments. Um anyone may say, President Reese, sorry, um, we need to do roll call. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that. And I can take the roll. Okay, roll call, please. Sure. President Ruiz. Here. Vice President Hum? Here. Board Member Arisa. Here. Board Member Cisneros. Here. Curtis. Here. And we have excuse absences from uh board members Teague and Sahaba. And we have a quorum. Thank you. There are no agenda changes. And do we have any public comments regarding matters not on the agenda? Any speaker. I do not see anybody raising their hand. Thank you. Now that's a move on to consent calendar. Item number four eight draft meeting minutes. Do we have comments or motions? I move that the minutes be approved. Thank you for the motion. Do we have a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. The motion passes. Now that's to move on to item number five, regular agenda items. Here before us, item number five eight is the objective design review standards study session. This was um this agenda was requested by the planning board. And um this staff have prepared a presentation and also would like to go over some of the recommendations that the staff has been working with the HAB and other community members, unless if other board members have other um ideas of how they would like to proceed with this design review, I would like to just open it for staff to lead this discussion if you're amicable to that. Sounds good?

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com