Fairview MAC Meeting – February 4, 2026
Fairview Municipal Advisory Council Meeting – February 4, 2026
The Fairview Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) met on February 4, 2026, at 14:00. The meeting included a public safety report, approval of minutes, a major zoning ordinance update to implement the state-mandated housing element, a site development review for a single-family home addition, and an update on a proposed fireworks ordinance. The council voted 3-2 to recommend the zoning changes while reiterating its opposition to the underlying density mandates.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The minutes from the December 2, 2025 and January 2, 2026 meetings were approved as amended by unanimous vote (5-0) after brief corrections.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Housing Element Zoning Update: Kathy Langley spoke in opposition, stating the state’s mandates treat neighborhoods as assets for developers, that the project is not exempt from CEQA as claimed, and urged support for the organization Our Neighborhood Voices to stop the process.
- Fireworks Ordinance: Francis (Fran) Krug and Brenda Clark both expressed strong support for the draft ordinance, thanking the subcommittee, sheriff’s department, and county staff for years of work and urging careful review to avoid delays.
Discussion Items
- Zoning Ordinance and Design Standards Update (PLN 2024-00385): Presenters Rodrigo (planning staff) and Tom Ford (M Group) explained that the amendments to zoning chapter 1731 and residential design standards chapter 8.2 are minor modifications (setbacks, open space, landscaping) to ensure density from the already-adopted housing element can be realized without risking state penalties or builder’s remedy. The changes apply only to designated housing element sites in Fairview (mostly multi-family). Councilmembers expressed frustration with state mandates, lack of infrastructure, and loss of local control. Vice Chair Rhodes questioned the impact on Fairview’s specific plan and emergency access. The council moved to recommend the changes as specified, with an added statement reiterating the board’s opposition to the density ordinance itself. The motion passed 3-2 (Higgins, Rhodes, Anglin in favor; Farmer and Philbin opposed).
- Site Development Review (PLN 2025-00195): Michael Fleming presented a proposal to add 50% more floor area to a single-family home at 24532 Fairview Avenue and allow five-foot side yard setbacks where 15 feet are required. The lot was originally built with a five-foot setback; the same variance was granted to a nearby house in 2019. No public opposition was received. The council approved the request unanimously (5-0).
- Fireworks Ordinance Update: Vice Chair Rhodes reported that the subcommittee, sheriff’s office, and county staff have completed a draft ordinance banning all fireworks (including safe-and-sane) in unincorporated Alameda County, with social host accountability, progressive fines, and expanded enforcement (deputy training, drones, choppers). The draft will be presented at other MACs in February and March, then to the Board of Supervisors in April/May, with a target effective date of mid-June 2026. The council and public commenters praised the effort.
Key Outcomes
- Recommendation to Board of Supervisors: The council voted 3-2 to recommend adoption of the zoning and design standard amendments, with the added statement that the board does not support the underlying density ordinance. (Farmer and Philbin dissented.)
- Approval of Site Development Review: The council unanimously approved the variance and site development review for 24532 Fairview Avenue, allowing the home addition and reduced setbacks.
- Fireworks Ordinance Progress: The draft ordinance will move through the MACs and county committees as scheduled; the public is encouraged to attend and comment at upcoming meetings.
- Other: Staff announced that meeting minutes will transition to action-only format, with full video as the official record.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, welcome to the February Mac meeting. All meeting to order and start off the first time, which are allegiance. Thank you. Councilmember Farmer. Councilmember Huggins. Councilmember Philbin. Yeah. Council Vice Chair Rhodes. Yeah. Chair Angler. We have a quorum. Okay. Start off with public announcements through notes to speak. So you can do that. It's not all the nice and general. We have any speakers. Officer Paps. Hi, good evening. Not yet. How about now? How about now? Oh wow. We really approved the system. This is fantastic. Okay, good. Okay. Good evening. It's nice to see you all. We've been pretty busy in Fairview. Officer Barcini is back on patrol. He does not have training with him, so I'm sure you've seen him throughout the community on a CHP motorcycle, and hopefully it was because he was passing by you and wasn't standing off of his motorcycle chatting with you out of the window. For January, we were pretty busy. We issued 53 traffic citations. There were four non-injury crashes and one injury crash. I just want to note that those numbers are actually pretty low compared to the previous months. There were no DOI arrests. There was, however, one misdemeanor other arrest. We've been focusing on routine control and oats continues to be an issue with the stop sign there. We've spoken to public works about the stop sign in that intersection. The goal right now is just to do enforcement to make sure that people are coming to a complete stop. We are still patrolling in the school zones. We know that that's a very important issue, and we mainly focus on the school zones during drop-off and pickups. And D Street, I know that there's been a great improvement to that roadway. I think have improved people slowing down out of improved the traffic flow, making sure that people are slowing down. If you guys have any feedback, obviously I would love to hear it, or you can notify public works on uh what you can see, or telling them what they did well because I know they don't get that very often, and then also any improvements that you might have. Uh some upcoming events. Super Bowl is this weekend, uh, so just be on the lookout. A lot of people like to go to Super Bowl parties or go to the bars or events around Super Bowl, so there may be an increase of DOI drivers out on the road. Uh, if you happen to see what you believe is a DY driver, please call 911. Don't try to fall overstop them yourself, but just be careful with that.
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