Planning Board Meeting – April 14, 2025

The Alameda Planning Board met on Monday, April 14, 2025, at 7:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The board considered two regular agenda items: a zoning ordinance amendment to update the Universal Design Ordinance and a street name amendment for the Alameda Point subdivision. Both items were recommended for approval to the City Council with board-adopted changes. The board also approved the consent calendar minutes from March 10, 2025, with one abstention.

Consent Calendar

• 4-A Draft Meeting Minutes – March 10, 2025: Approved on a motion with one abstention (Board Member Hom, who was absent at the prior meeting). The motion carried unanimously among those present.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No oral public comments were made for non-agenda items or for agenda items 5-A and 5-B during the meeting. Written public comment on Item 5-A was acknowledged by staff.

Discussion Items

• 5-A – PLN25-0155: Zoning Ordinance Amendment – Universal Design Ordinance Updates

  • Staff presented proposed amendments to Alameda Municipal Code Sections 30-18 to update references, authorize the Building Official to grant undue financial hardship waivers, allow preapproval of universal design checklists for pre‑sold units, and exempt certain townhome‑style construction from specific visitability and universal design requirements. Key changes from the prior study session included shifting the exemption threshold from a three‑acre site area to a 10‑unit count to align with inclusionary housing requirements, and reorganizing exemptions into two tiers (7A and 7B).
  • Board members raised questions and offered recommendations:
    • Clarify that the 20% cost‑threshold for building official waivers is a black‑and‑white trigger, but also allow partial waivers for flexibility.
    • Add a definition of “townhouse style construction” to the ordinance.
    • Restructure Section 7 to improve readability by explicitly separating exemptions for townhouse projects with fewer than 10 units and those with 10 or more units.
    • Remove superlative language such as “to the greatest extent possible” to make compliance measurable.
    • Clarify that “legal constraints” and “equivalent facilitation” in the building official’s waiver authority refer to recorded easements, building code alternatives, and the building code framework.
    • Update references to the California Building Code to read “as adopted by the City of Alameda” rather than “as amended from time to time.”
    • Ensure that the building official’s waiver findings are formatted similarly to the planning board’s and list discrete criteria.
  • Staff confirmed that these recommendations would be incorporated into the draft ordinance before it goes to the Commission on Persons with Disabilities and City Council.

• 5-B – PLN23-0380: Street Name Amendment for Alameda Point Vesting Tentative Map

  • Staff requested approval to rename two placeholder streets on the approved subdivision map: “Avenue B” to “Waves Avenue” (honoring the WWII women’s naval auxiliary) and “A Street” to “Valor Avenue” (chosen by the market-rate developer from a limited list of remaining naval‑themed names). No physical renaming is needed as the streets do not yet exist. The project (Reshape and West Midway) has already begun site preparation.
  • Board members asked clarifying questions about whether the “Waves” name would extend west of Pan Am Way; staff noted that area is a service alley, not a public street.
  • The board expressed support for the proposed names as consistent with the city’s Street Naming Policy.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar: Approved (4‑0‑1, Board Member Hom abstaining).
• Item 5-A (Universal Design Amendment): The board voted unanimously (5‑0) to recommend approval to the City Council, with the direction that staff incorporate all board‑discussed changes into the final draft resolution and a finding that the amendment is categorically exempt from CEQA under the common sense exemption (Section 15061(b)(3)).
• Item 5-B (Street Name Amendment): The board voted unanimously (5‑0) to recommend approval to the City Council, including a CEQA common sense exemption finding.
• Next Steps: Staff will present the revised Universal Design Ordinance to the Commission on Persons with Disabilities and then to the City Council for first reading. The street name amendment will also go to the City Council for approval.
• Staff Communications: Noted that three staff‑approved design review projects are in the appeal period, and the Pacific Fusion project will be scheduled for a future planning board hearing.