Good afternoon.

This is the July 16th, 2025 City of Oakland Planning Commission meeting, and we do not have our chair or vice chair today.

And so I will the first thing that we will do is take roll.

And after we take roll, we will ask the commission to elect a chair pro tem for today.

So with that, Hanifa, if you could please take roll.

Commissioner Alex Randolph.

Here.

Commissioner Maurice Rob.

Here.

Commissioner Zorsey Aaron's here.

Commissioner Owen Lee.

Here.

We have a quorum.

And so with that, we leave it to this commission to put forward a chair pro tem a recommendation or a motion.

Sorry, a motion.

Let's just go straight to a motion for a chair pro tem if you like.

If you if there's a motion on the floor, we'll take a vote on that.

Thank you.

And anyone can make that motion.

Any any planning commissioner.

Right.

So if you'd like to make a motion, it would be a motion for a chair pro tem for this meeting.

Okay.

Um like to make a motion for a chair pro tem for this meeting.

Um, Commissioner Josie Aaron.

All right, there's a motion for uh to elect uh Commissioner Aaron's as chair pro tem for the July 16th meeting.

Is there a second?

Second.

And there's a second by Randolph.

So motion by Rob, second by Randolph, vote, please.

All right, so Commissioner Alex Randolph?

Yes.

Commissioner Maurice Robb.

Yes.

Commissioner Owen Lee.

Yes.

Each chair Pro Tim Josie Aaron's.

Yes.

I believe that was a unanimous vote, and it cannot be challenged.

Therefore, congratulations to Chair Pro Tem Aaron's.

And with that, I will hand over uh management of the meeting to you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So moving on to commission business, our first item under that topic is agenda discussion.

And from the secretary, we have had a request from the applicant for the public hearing.

That is item number two, twelve oh five Franklin Street.

For a continuance, the request came after the agenda was published.

So we ask the applicant to um become available or their representative to make that request in person.

Since we can't change the agenda at this point, so a representative of that applicant is here to make that request if you are willing to consider that.

And once you are ready, I can offer if you know if you have any questions about what options are available to you, we are here to assist.

Thank you.

So apologies.

Would you like to hear from the representative of the applicant?

Yes.

Thank you.

And if you can state your name when you introduce yourself.

Always do that, yes.

Thank you, Commissioners John Kevin here with Ruben Junison Rose, uh land use attorney for the project sponsor uh Tidewater.

Um we had been looking forward to presenting here today.

Unfortunately, um the project representative from Tidewater has had some personal issues, wasn't able to make it today.

So we're uh not in the best place to make the presentation.

I'll also mention that the city attorney that has been assigned to this project uh and we've been working with on some of the legal finding issues also is uh uh sick this afternoon.

So another reason that uh this is not an ideal time to have this hearing.

So uh I do on behalf of the project sponsor request that the commission uh continue this hearing.

I think the next uh hearing date is September 10th, uh, and that would work for the project team.

Thank you.

I'm here for any questions.

Thank you.

I'll open it up to questions from commission members.

We can also move on to discussion about this request.

I'm happy to make a motion to continue this item to the call of the chair.

Is that what you say or would you like you'd like to make a motion to continue the item to a date certain?

Oh, is it is the date certain?

Is it September?

Are we sure it's gonna be September?

September, we could you you tell me, but I will pull up the give me one moment and I will pull up the schedule.

I'm going to guess that what you were told by the applicant is correct.

The applicant's representative.

New website, so give me one moment to get over there.

So the next meeting is September 10th, and we could you could uh continue this item to the date certain of September 10th if you so choose.

Is uh staff okay with scheduling it that day?

And the case planner is here.

Heather Klein with the Bureau of Planning um staff is fine, scheduling it for September 10th.

Uh as the secretary looked at the items that are scheduled for the agenda.

Do we have room on that meeting?

Uh the secretary has not.

The secretary will now.

I don't think we have sign the either.

I believe there's two items that were proposed, to be agendized, but I'm unsure.

I just looked in the wrong place.

Again, one moment, please.

In the interim, I'll I'll take a moment to say, you know, of course, things come up that are unexpected and things you know need to get rescheduled, but um we are all here today already after the meeting was noticed, and staff have put in the time and energy to also be here and do all the paperwork.

Um it is, you know, a little frustrating that Tidewater, the applicant was not able to get another representative who could adequately give the presentation.

Um, you know, we are here to hear that item today.

I know we also have an information item, but um I am open to hearing the item today, but you know, this is a decision to be made by um all of us together, and so uh I my only concern is that if there are already a lot of items and long items scheduled for the September 10th meeting, you know, it could take a while to find a new date to review this item.

So would you like information about?

So on uh September 10th, we have three items.

One of those is tentatively scheduled.

Uh one would likely go on consent.

Uh, but it's uh, you know, it's it's a busier schedule than typical for this, the current planning commission.

So three items, and then on September 17th, we currently have one item scheduled.

I mean, does it have to be moved to a specific date or could it be moved to a future commission meeting and that's up to the chair and secretary to determine which meeting is the best to be scheduled at?

Right, that's a great question.

Uh the difference is really uh for the most part for the applicant.

If you continue the item to a date certain, the applicant doesn't need to renotice.

If you continue to a date uncertain, the applicant will need to re-notice this item.

And so you might want to ask the applicant if I they're nodding their head if they're willing to re-notice.

Are you willing to renew notice if there's no availability on September 10th is sounds like so uh because he wasn't speaking into the mic, I'll just note for the tape that the applicant's representative is saying in summary either.

They'd prefer uh date certain, but they'll take a date uncertain.

Can I note as well?

There are two meetings in September, and I'm not sure what the anomaly is that causes us through this holidays or something, but they're they're back to back weeks.

So there's a meeting on the 10th and the 17th of September.

Could we just say the 17th?

If there's only one item on the 17th, right, if that's the motion that anyone chooses to make.

I make a motion to continue this item to the September 17th meeting with a date certain on the September 17th.

Is that is that the right wording?

Yes.

So we have a motion on the floor by Commissioner Randolph to continue item number two on the July 16th agenda to a date certain of September 17th.

Is there a second?

Second, second by Commissioner Rob and a vote, please.

All right, Commissioner uh Randolph.

Aye.

Commissioner Rob.

Yes.

Commissioner Lee.

Yes.

ECHARPOTAM ARIENS.

Yes.

And motion is approved.

The item is continued to a date certain of September 17th.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, moving on to our uh next item under commission business, which is the director's report.

No director's report today.

Um I will take just an opportunity to ask a question of staff, which is uh, you know, I think often the planning director comes to the planning commission once or twice a year to give an update.

And I know that we haven't had a director's report in many, many months.

Um, and that the director was not present for the APR report, which uh he was present for last year.

So I don't have a request on any items um at this time for the director's report, but just wanted to uh ask uh do you know if the director is planning on reporting on any items to the planning commission in the next six months?

I don't, and I would be happy to forward that question to the director and to the deputy and provide a response back to the planning commission.

Thank you.

Yes, yeah, I second that question request.

It would be great to hear from the planning director.

Thank you.

Okay, moving on to our informational report item, which is um SB 35 project at 7954 MacArthur Boulevard.

And the planner is Heather Klein.

I don't know, Heather, if you want to make an introduction before the applicant uh makes their brief presentation.

Uh um Heather Klein with the Bureau of Planning.

Um, this is an informational report regarding an SB 35 project, 100% affordable project.

This was actually approved by staff in 2022, I believe, and they have um submitted a request for a revision to increase the number of units and the number of stories.

Um previously the project did not come before this body, as that's not what the state law required.

And so now with this revision, we wanted to provide the public and you with an opportunity to sort of see the project consistent with that new law.

And with that, I will let Timothy Moreau give the presentation, unless you have any questions for me.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Commission members.

As I said, my name is Timothy Moreau.

I'm a senior project manager with a community housing development corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing um organization.

Um today, uh, so 7954 and McLaughlin Boulevard.

This is going to be uh 100% 50 units of 100% senior housing, um, a total of uh six stories.

That's how they said this was previously approved, and we are just asking to increase the density from 40 units to 50 units.

This is uh projects that's in conjunction between CHDC and um the East Oakland Community Development Corporation and the Kingdom Builders Christian Fellowship Church with LJ Jennings.

Um, part of our um uh our housing initiative with um churches and using their um additional land to develop affordable housing.

So, yes, uh as I said it's gonna be a total of 50 units of um senior housing with eight AMI levels from 20 to 60 percent AMI.

Uh 25% of the units, just uh 13 units will be set aside for uh homeless uh individuals.

Um it's gonna be all one bedrooms with just one two-bedroom manager's unit.

Uh the ground floor will be will how house all the office spaces, so a community room, um, a kitchen, the manager's office, resident services office, parking, um, also uh some other staff offices for like the our services company that we choose, which most likely will be about services.

Uh the additional floors will house all the um residential units.

Um there is a rooftop garden, and also on the back, there's small little terraces on the second floor.

Um, oh sorry.

Sorry about that.

So we will have a lot of sustainability sustainability highlights.

Uh we will exceed um the um Tile 24 requirements.

There will be um uh PVs on the top.

Um, of course, all electric um height um appliances, that sort of stuff.

Um uh MERV-13 filters, just shorts very well done.

Uh on-site services that I said as I said before.

Uh we'll have ROPROM services for all residents.

Um, um alcohol, drug treatment, um help uh with transportation, medical appointments, um, mental needs, uh activities for the residents.

They will be a resident console.

Usually when the services company comes in, they start talking to the residents of what activities they like to do, and they'll help coordinate that get them to all their appointments or help with transportation to wherever they need to be uh go.

Um that most likely will be provided by a boat services, uh job training, dental services, and whatever is needed.

Uh the site location is not too far away from the East Mont Transit Center, but also the East Mont Center that houses a lot of uh um close by s um services for the tenants, and that's an Oakland police station, substation, Alameda County um social services building, um, uh CBS Pharmacy, United Seniors of Oakland, uh Alameda County Wicked Social Services, Independent Living Center, uh, that type of uh things close by.

Also it's on a bus ride about five minutes from that site to the transit center, and there's a bus stop that'll be right outside the building, and another one about I think fifty feet away that goes to the transit center and from the transit center, you can take other buses wherever need to be, or to the Oakland Coliseum Bark Station, um for transportation.

So um what else?

Uh it's also close by to another bunch of other upcoming housing developments that's gonna help you know make the area pop.

One is the uh black cultural zone, um at 7200 McArthur, is it McArthur or Foothill, I think that's the actual address.

They that's in partnership with Eden, but there's also another one at 77th on Bancroft with the BCZ and even that one is senior citizens also.

And it's also close by to the sort of newly renovated, I think a couple years ago, EC Reams apartments, the gardens out front.

So I just think this will this is definitely gonna add to the area being built up and making it much more uh hospitable to the to the area and to help take people off uh house people, especially senior citizens, which is the one of the most impact impacted uh homeless population in the county as a whole.

Um next up I just have a couple of sides.

It's a bird eye view from McArthur looking southbound.

Um that's on Ricci, looking sort of southwest, at the top, and this just have a couple of slides with the floor layout.

I said my name is Tim Moreau, and I do have the architect Steve Kadama with Kadama De Sanyo.

Also additional questions you might have for me or the design.

Thank you so much for your presentation.

Uh question for the secretary.

Do we take public comment on this item?

Yes, you take public comment, but there's no decision to be made.

So this is an SB 35, and and Heather's gonna help me out here if I say anything incorrect or my attorney to the right.

Uh for these SB 35 projects, this is the public meeting that's required through state law.

Uh, but there's no decision by the planning commission.

So this is simply the venue for that um community meeting or public meeting.

And so you do take public comment.

Thank you.

Great.

Thank you.

Um before getting to public comment, I'll open it up to the commissioners.

Does anyone have any clarifying or general questions?

Commissioner Rob.

All right, thanks for your presentation.

Um, I guess the things that stood out to me, I was just curious about the um unimix.

I noticed that there were um mostly all one bedrooms in the with with the exception of the two bedroom for the manager of the building.

So I was just curious as to why the unimix was just literally one bedrooms for this many units, because knowing that people need different have different needs for housing.

So I was just curious about that.

Yeah, that's it's uh well, it's so with senior housing.

We usually do mostly um one bedrooms.

Sometimes you do combination of studios, rarely do hire two bedrooms or more just for the population uh sizing.

Okay.

Um yeah, I uh yeah, once again, I've I mean I actually do affordable housing as an architect, so yeah, I was just curious with senior housing.

Like I say, sometimes I know it varies depending on a person's specific needs.

I was just curious about that um specific thing.

So yeah, I think I have some comments, but we'll we'll talk about that later so you can ask questions.

Thank you, Commissioner Randolph.

I just had a maybe clarifying question to you or or staff, um, since it hasn't come to before when you did the original project.

How many additional units?

So you add an extra floor?

So it used to be just five floors, and now it's six floors?

And how many extra units was we're at?

Was it extra ten units?

Yes.

Okay.

And what what was the reasoning to to extend or the height or the extra units?

Was it additional funding you received or just need assessment?

Uh we're in more units, but also it does help it um just funding and making it the project pencil out.

It's just with the lower butt with the lower units operation wise, it's it's it's kinda hard.

Uh but with recent changes in the state law, we are able to add additional additional density.

Okay, and then staff that was approved by the planning department, or does it not have to be approved?

It's just administrative.

Is it a by right approval?

Or what is the was the change approved?

Uh it hasn't been approved yet.

There has not been action.

This is the first step uh prior to uh any action taken by staff.

So the next step for staff is just to review the the proposal to increase the unit?

So th they're still in a pre-application process right now.

Um so we had to have this informational meeting.

We had to again reach out to interested tribes um that had previously commented on the project.

So once this meeting is over, we're gonna close the pre-op and they can submit um formally with any new concessions they need or um waivers that they want, and we're gonna have to go through back through the eligibility process.

So it is a ministerial process, but there's still a process to go through.

Um and then we change the con you know, assuming that they're eligible, which they were found eligible before, um, then we'll change the conditions to reflect the new unit count and changes to the project.

And then our comments that the planning commissioners make today at the public hearing part of the application or or comment period that is being considered or they can consider the comments that um you make at the hearing, yeah.

Okay, okay.

Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

Thank you.

Any other yes, Commissioner Lee?

Um, can you tell more about the the funding for this project?

And I'm especially curious if there's impact fee funding that was used.

Uh so we just started applying.

Uh, we weren't successful in the first last year's Oakland NOFRA, uh, but we are in the pipeline.

Uh so that it eventually hopefully would include uh city of Oakland's funds, um, some form of either project based vouchers or other uh funding from the Oakland House Authority uh to subsidize some of the units.

It'll probably include one one or two or more of the state H C D programs and eventually tax credits.

Thank you.

Any further questions?

Yes.

Um the parking, I know that they're there were just a limited amount of parking there.

How does that how does that get assigned to the units?

Do certain units come with parking or is the parking more for staff and visitors and the manager or there'd be one or two for staff, but the rest will be for the residents.

Um, we're gonna how uh property management does it.

I believe it's like a first come, first serve or doing a lease up.

Um that's how it is.

But yeah, it's it's a lot less the number of great, thank you.

And then I'm sorry, what what qualifies as senior houses?

Sixty sixty five and above.

This is gonna be sixty two and above.

Sixty-two and above.

Yes.

Have you considered an I don't know that might be an weird question, but have you considered ever like bike station?

Because I know a lot of seniors on site.

There's gonna be bike storage okay.

Yeah, great.

Thanks.

I think on site um Steve, is it gonna be outside also?

Thank you.

I will now open this for public comment.

Have we received any speaker cards?

No, we did not.

Would anyone in the room like to give public comment?

Seeing none, I will close public comment.

And now I'll move us on to discussion on the item.

Thank you, Commissioners.

Thank you.

We still are going to discuss if anyone has additional comments.

Commissioner Rob.

Um yeah well once again thanks for the presentation.

Um there's just a couple of things that I would like to see um or I would be curious about saying um I could tell you all are in a very early stages so I mean I get that process.

Um I would like to know more about like the landscape plans.

I mean I know you all will have to go through that with the planners um also I noticed that you all are showing materials here.

So like for instance I see the stucco um is this gonna be like one color or is it what you j you all just haven't gotten to that point yet as far as the the design of like what the stucco would look like just curious.

We're the architects with the project uh currently we're just uh looking at one color active uh but as we get into more design and well beyond this schematic thing we'll probably be studying how we work with it on the interior but uh right now uh we're at just one color and a material change in the front portion of the project and also if you look in the rear I'll see the rear.

Yes I noticed the material changes I just know that from doing design with stucco it can be a bit brutal as one color.

So I yeah I was just curious about that but um yeah you all have a ways to go so but thanks for answering that I appreciate it.

I'm done.

Thank you.

Commissioner Randolph thank you uh yeah thank you so much for the presentation I don't um and and for answering our questions and and it's very exciting to to see these type of projects and I'm also very happy and excited to see that you are increasing the number of units and the um increasing the the height I think it's it's a good use of of of buildings to be in that kind of height and and floor numbers specifically if you can it add additional units um you know there's a large need of housing as you said for for seniors specifically here in Alamina County and in Oakland um and near transit um routes so I think this is a great location I've been I've been around there uh I think just um two weeks ago um and there's definitely a need for these type of housings in the in that community in Oakland so I'm very happy that you are considering increasing it.

I hope those conversations with the community and stakeholders are um are positive and and fruitful and uh appreciate all the work to to provide additional housing here in in Oakland so that we can meet our goals.

Thank you.

Thank you Commissioner Lee.

Um yeah thanks for the presentation um you know I think uh this just illustrates that you know there's a lot of demand for housing there's a lot of projects that need funding more than there is funding available and um you know when policies are made we need to make sure that um we try to have as much funding as possible whether that's you know impact fee policies um or other policies to to make sure that we maximize the amount of funding available for projects like this.

Thank you.

And I'll just add one additional comment echoing Commissioner Rob's comment about the uh the exterior of the building um it looks very stark in the drawings right now and uh you know MacArthur is a really busy street and a lot of people are gonna have eyes on this building and I'm it looks beautiful and my one suggestion would maybe be to see if um there's a way to do a mural or just break up a little bit more of the facade uh so it's not quite so stark but I it's not a formal request it's an idea and um again echoing other commissioner's comments very excited for this project definitely is meeting a need and you know hopefully it can be built tomorrow um so with that I think I will move us on um if there are no other questions or comments so thank you so much for your time and thank you to staff thank you.

All right so the next item under commission business is committee reports.

Yes and before we do that I might know that the uh director uh is now in the room and you'd ask questions about the director's report so if you would like to hear from the director you are welcome to do so at any point during this meeting uh and he is here present so wherever you'd like to fit that in if you'd like to great thank you uh we we can do that now um director if you uh would like to come to the podium thank you so much afternoon commission and may it please you all I was actually on my way over here before I got Catherine's message that you were talking about me so here I am um one thing I did want to make it a statue and full name for the record oh thank you there you go that's thank you I'm a stickler about that and no you see that okay William Gilchrist director of planning and building department city of Oakland thank you very much on the case um I did want to mention that uh I had had a schedule um obligation that also coincides with the time of the commission meeting when I first arrived at Oakland you all actually are meeting at a different time and I understand that this is the standing time now since we went through the pandemic and it's working for the commissioners.

So uh fortunately my other obligation is now moved to an alternate week cycle.

So what I would like to do is to plan on attending this meeting monthly.

I don't know whether or not there will always be a replete report to give to the commission.

It really is driven by what business we're doing you all manage your business very well and staff supports you quite commendably and uh what I have done in the past in other cities where I've held this position uh of um planning director or principal administrator in supporting the commission is just make sure that you all are aware of things that are going on in the city or the region that might not necessarily fall under your jurisdiction to have an app a rule have a ruling on it may not be a case that in a code comes before you but it is still important in a city given the breadth of things that go on that you need to be aware of them.

So we have a lot of institutions here in the city we have the housing authority we have public agencies and institutions we have uh AC transit we have BART we have um the port we have any number of agencies um where the uh delegation of authority may reside with them under state statute but because they're doing work in the city or there may be a major program it's good for you all to be aware of that even as other considerations come forward.

So we'll be be bringing the general plan update to you all in uh short measure phase two and thank you again for your commendable support uh with phase one um and given just the multitude of things going on with that and the number of agencies impacted by its adoption that's also something it's good to to frame for you all occasionally as we're moving forward um often uh where the state is passing legislation especially these days as it relates to our local delegation of authority including yours around the re review and approval of different projects what is discretionary versus what is ministerial focusing on housing this has come up in the conversations today.

These are also um things we want you to be aware of and we have the great benefit of our city attorney present as well to help frame you know those conversations as well so you understand the prerogatives that you have to work under but um you know it's it's everything's a moving target these days it seems and um just as a matter of point I think many of you have been appointed since I uh first came but I have always felt anywhere I've worked that um along with the city council, um cities that have zoning boards of adjustment, uh that Planning commission is really one of the most important deliberative and policy bodies that you have in a city.

So work you all do is very, very important.

A lot of what gets built out there, practically all that gets built out there is a reflection of how you know you dispatch your your duty and your authority.

And it's important to really help bolt uh buttress that with as much situational awareness as possible.

So that'll be a lot of what we do cover.

There'll be some times we don't have reports, you know, it's just not that much going on in terms of moving the mark for you.

But um do want to keep you all informed a little bit more of the context of the the environment we're working in now so it can help you with your deliberations and decisions more effectively.

So again, thank you for your service and um you know it's uh it is it is a challenging and uh very consequential role that you all play and um again appreciate your openness and engagement of our community and our residents and their pursuit of the built environment and your good stewardship in helping us build a better place.

So thank you for your good work and I hope to see more of you.

All right, that's it.

Wonderful.

Likewise, thank you so much for coming today.

Looking forward to having you on a more frequent basis.

All right, and so and I will always introduce myself when I come to this proposal.

You mm I'm good with that.

Oh, yes.

All right, thank you, Director Gilchrist.

All right, so now I will move us on to committee reports.

Oh, yes.

Yeah, thank you so much for coming.

I didn't I didn't want to make you rush all the way over here um after after mentioning that we would like to see you more because I actually have been here almost three years and I always appreciated you and the deputy director's comments and insights that you shared with the commission.

So that's definitely uh a lot of knowledge that I appreciate always hearing and getting to know.

But I just wanted to make a comment while you're here is just wanted to thank you and your staff.

I know it's very hard sometimes to do projects or things in Oakland and um there's a lot going on and and I know that you are short staffed and a lot of projects come sometimes your way, but um I've worked with a lot of different planning departments around the Bay Area in San Francisco specifically, and um your your team is one of the best, if not the best in the Bay Area.

So I really appreciate all the work that all of you are doing um to move Oakland forward.

I know you you thank the commission, but you know, we can only do so much, but it's actually the staff that pushes a lot of the projects forward, especially now that more and more projects no longer come to the commission, which is I think a good thing because we want to make sure that some of these barriers are removed and we actually building housing and specifically in the affordable portable area, but um it's your your team that actually makes everything work and happen in Oakland.

So I just wanted to to hear directly from from me and the uh commissioners that we appreciate all the work that you do.

Thank you very much for your for your kind words and your partnership.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And thank you, Commissioner Randolph, for your comments.

Um all right, now now I will move us on to committee reports.

So yes, I believe that there was one committee that met, and I can provide the update um for the ZUC.

So the zoning update committee met on June 25th, and we um discussed the annual progress report.

Um we did make a motion that was approved uh requesting data uh for the next annual progress report next year.

And that motion requested staff to provide data if available on rents and vacancies by income level information on the implementation of uh the S 13 and the S 14 zones, and more information on how staff are meeting goals around affirmatively furthering fair housing.

So that was the motion made um for the at the ZUC.

It we didn't have to approve the report, but that was a motion taken by the committee.

I'm not sure if any other committees have met since we last convened as a whole body.

No, only the ZUC is met.

And uh just to move out to the future a little bit.

Uh we may be scheduling a DRC meeting in the fall.

So just to let you know, uh, we'll keep you apprised of that, but DRC members be alert to that secretary's email should they be requesting your presence and please let him know if you're available or not.

So he can schedule that meeting when the time is right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I will now move us on to commission matters.

Right in commission matters, this is a time when commissioners can raise any questions or issues uh to discuss amongst yourselves or with the Bureau of Planning or further abroad to the city.

Do we have any discussion on commission matters?

I have some thoughts, but I don't know if anyone else would like to begin.

Um, now that we have a little time today since the other one was continued, but maybe I mean I think one of the one of the main questions I always get is why are there so many vacant lots in the city and why is nothing get that why doesn't that anything get billed?

Which I think is not necessarily true, but you know, we as a commission have approved a fair number of projects um specifically around the you know West Oakland station um that are kind of in limbo and not being billed and people are feeling like nothing is getting done, although a lot of things are happening behind the scenes.

So I don't know if it's part of maybe a future um director's report or informational report, just providing maybe an over overview of kind of here.

I know we get this part of the annual housing report, but maybe more in in-depth conversation around here are the projects that actually have been approved and and permitted, but they're not necessarily moving forward for XY and Z reasons and kind of having a discussion how can Oakland as a city meet its goal of actually building housing when things are being approved, but they're kind of stuck, and then it's not the fault of the city, but um there's a lot of people out there who are kind of saying we're not necessarily moving ahead with with all of our goals of providing and actually building housing.

So I don't know if I know there's kind of a free flow of my brain coming out right now, but if there's a way, I don't know what where that would fit in, but maybe having a conversation and informational item about kind of where we actually are with once projects are approved, but they're not being billed, and what maybe the commissioner city could do to help push those along.

Thank you.

Um since I have the floor, I I will uh share some thoughts.

So this did come up at our last planning commission meeting as well as at the ZUC, a number of different requests for data around deed restricted units and some larger data requests around the annual progress report.

So one item that I would like to officially request staff to investigate and bring back during our director's report is um exploring the feasibility of counting um non-deed restricted units for our arena numbers.

Um, as discussed previously, there are some cities that are able to do this.

Um, and I know that the city is the city of Oakland is interested in doing this specifically for ADUs, being able to count those for arena numbers.

Um, and so I know that you all have a lot on your plate, but I would like to request a report back at at some point exploring the feasibility of this, looking at how other cities are handling this.

As I understand reporting to the state, there there are places in the form to designate whether the unit is deed restricted or not, and they may have some uh more information about how to calculate the income level for non-deed restricted units.

And just to oh, just to piggyback on that, I think um, you know, at the last commission meeting, um, uh Commissioner Randolph had brought up that Berkeley does this, but the other cities are um Antioch, Brentwood, and Oakley, are counting non-deed restricted modern income units towards the arena goals.

So I think those would be other um places to look at what their methodology is and how it might be applied here.

So if I can just repeat back to the group, I don't know if there are other items that you'd like to discuss under planning commission matters, but you are asking for the future to report back on basically what happens after entitlement.

So what's the rate of build from entitled projects and maybe a little bit of that over time as well?

Uh so is it you know, a fifth of the cases go to from entitlement to actually being constructed?

Has that changed over time?

I think that's your your question.

Yeah, absolutely.

And I think it's just there's just a lot of confusion when I know that's not necessarily the fault of the city because the developers and financing and cost of construction.

There's a lot of reasons why something doesn't get billed, but I know we discussed this earlier.

Is that you know if there's something that the city can do around funding, or do we need to provide additional funding or grants?

So yes, so all that is well summarized.

Thank you.

And the second item is uh request for more consideration of and more understanding about non-deed restricted units and how they might be included in uh the arena in the future, as other communities do.

And you mentioned Berkeley, Oakley, I believe, Antioch, a few other communities.

Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Secretary.

Uh, before I close this item, any other commission matters?

All right, and I will move us on to the city attorney's report.

Uh this is Deputy City Attorney Michael Branson.

This is more of a a comment than a report.

I guess I'm just dovetailing on the themes.

If the commissioners ever have questions about SP 35, SP 423, the SMAP process or other housing bills or new state legislation related to land use.

Um, we're here as resource for you as well.

So please don't hesitate to reach out to me, my colleagues on any questions you have on those issues.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Much appreciated.

Uh so I will move us to open forum.

Did we receive any speaker cards for open form?

No, we did not.

All right.

I will now close open forum.

And I believe we have no no consent calendar items and the public hearing has been rescheduled to a date certain of September 17th.

Right in just for the sake of the recording, that's item number two, address 1205 Franklin.

That item has been rescheduled to a date certain of September 17th, 2025.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And do we have any appeals?

I think we do not.

No appeals today.

And moving us on to commission business, uh, we have the approval of the minutes from the June 18th, 2025 meeting.

Do we have a motion to approve the minutes from the our last meeting?

I'm making motion to approve.

A motion by Commissioner Lee.

Second.

And a second by Commissioner Rob.

And a vote, please.

All right.

I would also like to note that uh Vice Chair Natalie Sanaval is absent today.

Okay.

So Commissioner Alex Randolph?

Yes.

Commissioner Maurice Robb.

Yes.

Commissioner Lee?

Yes.

E Chair Pro Temp Erns.

Yes.

Motion passes, and those minutes will be posted as approved to our website.

Thank you.

Moving us on to correspondence.

Do we have any correspondence?

No correspondence to the secretary.

And city council actions.

There are a number of city council actions, and I probably won't uh I'll need some help from my city attorney to my right here to speak to all of them, but I believe the AD and these relate to planning code uh amendments that you considered here over the last three months or or so.

Uh the ADU regulations that you recommended approval for are now not only approved by city council, but they're now effective, I believe, as of yesterday.

Is that correct?

That is correct on the ADU package.

And then help me out here, attorney, the omnibus regulation.

The other one that came to this body was the omnibus planning code package with the focus on uh design review.

Um so with those changes, they have a 45-day uh delay on effective date, but upon effective date uh that will essentially take the objective design standards package that came through this body as well and incorporate those much more broadly as well as the design review chapter changes that were included in the legislative package.

And my understanding is there were no substantive changes by the city council from the planning commission's recommendation.

There was a very minor clarification related to which uh historic properties are not eligible for ministerial design review for interior changes.

That was the only uh strike-through replacement change that occurred at City Council, I will just note there were a number of other items that planning staff were shepherding along ahead of the deadline for the city council recess that were also on agenda yesterday.

Right, but those haven't made it fully through.

Several did there was you know, there's small things like a memorandum of agreement with the city of Piedmont on a single family home lot that just items that don't come to the planning commission, or maybe the order is in a uh inverse uh because of the legislative item that's associated with it.

Thank you.

Okay, with that, I will adjourn our meeting at 3.49 p.m.

Thank you.