Alameda Planning Board Meeting - April 8, 2024: Del Monte Townhomes Approval
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Alameda Planning Board Meeting - April 8, 2024
The Alameda Planning Board met on Monday, April 8, 2024, at 7:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order with a pledge of allegiance and roll call. Board members Ruiz and Cisneros were excused. A quorum of five members was present. The board considered a single regular agenda item: a public hearing for the Del Monte Townhomes project, a 10-unit townhome development on Sherman Street and Clement Avenue. The meeting adjourned at 8:16 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Draft Meeting Minutes - February 12, 2024: Approved by a vote of 4-0-1 (one abstention from a board member not present at that meeting).
- Draft Meeting Minutes - February 26, 2024: Deferred to the next meeting due to insufficient attendance of members who were present at that meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during non-agenda public comment or during the public hearing for the Del Monte Townhomes.
Discussion Items
- PLN23-0328 - Sherman Street and Clement Avenue - Del Monte Townhomes:
- Project Description: A Development Plan, Design Review, and Tentative Map (Tract 8674) for 10 for-sale townhome units (with potential for up to 20 dwelling units via junior ADUs) in sub-area C of the Del Monte Warehouse Master Plan. The site is approximately half an acre, with no new driveways or streets, and connects to existing parking. Two buildings will front Sherman Street, with a paseo along a storm drain easement. Design elements include brick veneer referencing the historic Del Monte Warehouse, fiber cement siding, and optional rooftop decks.
- Staff Presentation: David Sablan presented the staff report, noting the project is exempt from CEQA (Infill Development) and that the development agreement from 2014 governs parking and inclusionary housing requirements (55 affordable units provided in earlier phases, so none required for this project). He corrected the staff report regarding roof materials: the towers use vertical fiber cement siding, not corrugated metal.
- Applicant Presentation: Mike O’Hara (Tim Lewis Communities) presented the project, highlighting completion of the master plan, anchoring the corner near Gene Sweeney Park and the Cross Alameda Trail, and the opportunity for junior ADUs. He noted the site’s history and the acquisition of a triangular remainder parcel.
- Board Questions and Comments:
- Board member Sahiba inquired about rooftop deck optionality, HOA vs. maintenance agreement, and noted discrepancies between tentative map and architectural drawings regarding encroachments on the storm drain easement. The applicant confirmed minor upper-level overhangs are permitted per the easement language and approved by Public Works.
- Board member Wang expressed support for the project, noting it fills an important corner.
- Board member Sal asked about the HOA/maintenance agreement, specifically how common areas (parcel A and B) would be maintained and accessed without an HOA. He suggested conditions to clarify this.
- Board member Risa raised concerns about the long driveway and buffering from the adjacent parking lot, noting the city’s design review manual encourages garage doors not to face primary streets. She suggested using different paving materials to soften the driveway.
- Board member Sahiba provided detailed architectural critique: he recommended staggering the building footprints to respond to the curved street, maintaining a consistent brick datum (as seen on the rear elevation), simplifying the facade materials, and ensuring color continuity. He also questioned large windows on the front elevation that may conflict with kitchen cabinets (applicant clarified spandrel glass may be used).
- Board member Haum (President) commented that the site plan seems tight, especially for building two, and suggested stepping unit 10 back to match the curve. He also recommended simplifying architecture to make front and rear elevations more consistent and maximizing landscaping as a buffer.
Key Outcomes
- Development Plan and Design Review (Resolution): Approved unanimously (5-0) with the direction that staff and the applicant work to incorporate board comments on site plan, landscaping, and architectural refinements.
- Tentative Map (Recommendation to City Council): Approved unanimously (5-0) with a condition requiring that if an HOA is not used, a maintenance agreement and access rights for common areas (parcel A and B) be approved by the City Engineer prior to recording the final map.
Staff Communications
- Recent staff decisions (three design review approvals) are within the appeal period.
- Staff is working on an inclusionary housing ordinance update and requested board volunteers for a subcommittee; decision deferred to next meeting when full board is present.
- Subdivision ordinance amendments are advancing to City Council.
Board Communications
- No announcements were made.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:16 PM.
Meeting Transcript
April the 8th 2024, obviously. So let's start off with pledge allegiance, and board member is going to lead us. Thank you. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the remote forward. Which is individual. Okay, thank you. And uh staff uh roll call. I know we have a couple excused absences tonight. Yes, uh good evening. Um first we have excused absences uh from board member Ruiz and Cisneros. Um and then I'll call the roll uh board member Sue. Here Saheba Present Hariza Present. Wang here and uh President Haum. Here we have a quorum. Okay, thank you. Maybe just because we have two members absent for the benefit of the audience staff. Can you refresh memory of what it takes for affirmative action? Is it majority of the board members present or them or the majority of the seven? Uh I believe it's a majority of those present. Okay, so we can pass an item on three votes. Yeah. Okay. Um I would also just like to note um we have uh city attorney joining us remotely. Um Michael Roush uh will be on Zoom if we need him. And uh I would just note that David Sablan is our clerk and will also be presenting tonight. Welcome, Michael. We've crossed paths before many years ago. So good to have you join us. So item two, any agenda changes, staff or board members. We have a relatively short agenda. Okay, no changes. Now the opportunity for non-agenda public comments. So any member of the audience or online that would like to speak on an item that's not on the agenda. This is the time. Um anyone from the audience? If not, anyone from nobody from online. Okay, no speakers. Okay. Move on to the next item, which is the consent calendar. So we have two uh set of minutes, the February 12th and February 26th meeting, but I think we may not have enough board members to approve those minute meetings, at least me, maybe one of them. I don't know. Yeah, go going through the role from who is in attendance, unless you've reviewed the video and feel that you can affirmatively vote for the minutes. Um we could defer the second set because we don't have uh all of we don't have a quorum of members who were at that meeting who are also at this meeting. Okay. Um we could vote for the first one for A. Okay, okay. Um is it okay for the board that we vote on the first one and we for the February 12th meeting, and then we defer the February 26th meeting minutes until the the next following meeting. Um do we have a motion or any amendments to the minutes at all? Okay, no amendment. Yeah, I'll I'll motion for approval of the February 12th, 2024 meeting minutes.
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