Alameda Planning Board Meeting – June 23, 2025

The Alameda Planning Board held a public hearing on June 23, 2025, to consider Design Review and Use Permit application PLN24-0614 for a new 32,450-square-foot, all-electric aquatic center at 800 Atlantic Avenue, located at the northwest corner of the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park. After extensive public comment and deliberation, the board approved the project with conditions, including reducing on-site parking from 71 to 67 spaces.

Consent Calendar

• Item 4A – Approval of draft meeting minutes from May 27, 2025: The board could not approve the minutes due to abstentions and a lack of quorum. The item will be brought back at a future meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Cindy Johnson (Bike Walk Alameda): Expressed support for the project but urged a stronger Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program with mode split targets, paid parking from day one, and joining the Alameda Transportation Management Association. She noted that current parking demand assumptions (90–95% auto trips) were inconsistent with the site’s transit- and trail-rich location.
• Shayla (resident of 9th Street): Requested that the community garden originally envisioned for Jean Sweeney Park be fully included in the final plans, emphasizing its environmental, social, and food security benefits.
• Marla Koss (Alameda Backyard Growers): Recounted the history of the community garden planning and noted that gardeners need parking to carry heavy materials (e.g., 50-pound bags of mulch). She supported the aquatic center but stressed that the garden should not be diminished.
• John Waldman (resident of 8th Street): Expressed concern about increased on-street parking and traffic in his neighborhood, and requested that construction trucks avoid using 8th Street.
• Emily Anderson (new resident): Asked whether the facility would be 100% solar powered (staff clarified that AMP provides green energy but on-site solar is not part of this project) and about seating capacity for large events.
• Unnamed speaker (bike commuter): Supported paid parking to discourage driving and argued that free parking amounts to a subsidy for wealthier users, urging the board to prioritize land use efficiency over parking supply.

Discussion Items

• Project Presentation: Planning staff (Henry Dong) introduced the project, noting that the aquatic center is part of the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park, which had a mitigated negative declaration adopted in 2014. The project includes a 30-meter lap pool, activity pool, L-shaped building, 110 bicycle spaces, and 71 on-site vehicle spaces (later reduced to 67). A 125-space overflow parking agreement with the adjacent College of Alameda was described as a revocable license. Recreation and Parks Director Justin Long and architect Clarence Mayak (ELS Architecture) presented design revisions, including regrading to save oak trees, off-site traffic improvements, a drop-off zone, additional EV and bike parking, and a solid metal fence along Atlantic Avenue to attenuate noise.
• Parking and Transportation Analysis: Board members questioned the parking demand memo, which assumed 90–95% auto mode share for daily use and 100% for large events. Board Member Wang noted the analysis did not account for the planned community garden or the site’s proximity to transit and trails, and that the parking supply appeared oversized for most hours of the year. Staff clarified that the zoning code does not have a parking standard for public aquatic centers, and the 71-space figure was derived from consultant recommendations and the shared-use context. Board Member Sahiba raised design concerns about the solid metal panel termination at the western end of the building and suggested material simplification.
• Community Garden Integration: Staff confirmed that the community garden has been relocated to the southeast corner of the park and is not part of this project, but the aquatic center’s infrastructure (electricity, water) will support it. Additional funding has been committed for the garden.

Key Outcomes

• Motion to Approve: Board Member Ruiz moved to approve the CEQA addendum and design review/use permit with conditions, including updating the transportation memorandum to reflect multi-use parking demands and working with staff to refine design hierarchy and materials. After further discussion, the motion was amended to reduce on-site parking from 71 to 67 spaces (Board Member Sahiba suggested eliminating four stalls to improve arrival experience). The amended motion passed 5-0.
• Conditions of Approval: (1) Reduce on-site parking to 67 spaces; (2) Update the transportation demand analysis to account for shared uses (community garden, park); (3) Work with staff to improve design hierarchy in wayfinding, signage, and material transitions, including resolving the two-dimensional appearance of the solid fence panel.
• Next Steps: The project will proceed to building permits; the overflow parking agreement with College of Alameda remains in place but is revocable. The board also noted that parking will be monitored post-construction to assess actual demand.