3B Public Hearing 2007 0507 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Draft Excerpt of Minutes April]2, 2007 Planning Commission Meeting Page 4 of9 Doolittle, Merced, Wickes, Manor, Lewelling, Marina and the freeways. The issue is whether access to the proposed site is adequate, and he said that arterial access to the CatalinalFarallon property is superb. The second criterion involves the site being in the West San Leandro General Plan Focus Area, the SoMar (South of Marina) area. The driving force, Mr. MacDonald indicated, is the need to preserve high quality light industrial locations, and churches have a long history of coexisting successfully with quality flex office/warehouse developments typical of the SoMar area. He cited examples of churches in light industrial districts in Pleasanton, Concord, Dublin, Livermore and Fremont, all with no serious problems to report. Among the reasons is that the church and industrial activities tend to be symbiotic, with industrial activity peaking weekdays and church activities peaking on weekends and evenings. He likened a church in an industrial area to having a night watchman, with eyes on the street when weekday uses are not present. Also, the church would give industrial users overflow parking during the weekdays when they need it, and churchgoers would have additional nearby parking at the industrial locations evenings and weekends. Jane Jacobs, the great advocate of mixed uses, would support this mix, Mr. MacDonald added. Another potential concern he cited is that churches might preempt too much industrial space, thus constraining the supply of job-creating businesses. But that has not been a problem in other communities. A related concern is the permanent loss of job- creating structures. The General Plan addresses the danger of having retail and residential uses encroaching on industrial areas. But churches only need interior tenant improvements, and can readily convert back to flex office uses, and Mr. MacDonald said he has seen this happen numerous times in Valley Business Park in Pleasanton. As for the safety hazards cited near the property, he said that planners can change an imaginary problem into a real one by prohibiting churches near any businesses that have hazmat plans. That would exclude nearly every area recently approved for AU Overlay if that is the criteria. There would be nowhere for large congregations to go in San Leandro. This application for a rezone, he contended, is consistent with the General Plan because churches and light industrial uses are both harmonious and complementary. Commissioner Nardine did not think the traffic issue had yet been completely addressed. She inquired about the future plans for the property where the church is currently located. Pastor Mortara said they plan to sell, and the initial thought is to sell to a church that is nine times smaller. However, at this time, the church is not on the market. He said they also talked to the City about offering the property to a developer to convert to housing to create revenue for the City. He said they are willing to do with it whatever they need to and the City wants them to, but the idea is to put it on the market immediately. Commissioner Nardine suggested that if another assembly goes in, it doesn't solve the traffic problem. Pastor Mortara indicated that the average-size church - in the City as well as the country - it's 150 people or fewer. He said Faith Fellowship is an anomaly, somewhat like St. Felicitas, so the odds against that happening again are great. Of the 41 churches in San Leandro, only two have congregations of over 1,000. Commissioner Nardine said there are three churches on Manor Boulevard - Faith Fellowship, St. Fe1icitas, and Hope Lutheran. If Faith Fellowship goes to Farallon and Catalina, the nearest exit besides 880 would be the 238 exit off Beatrice, going into Washington Manor. Thus, she