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<br />Planning Commission Meeting Minutes <br />Agenda No. 07-16 <br /> <br />August 23,2007 <br />Page 5 of 19 <br /> <br />without exposing residents to unacceptable risks. In relation to emISSIOns, as <br />explained in Chapter 4.2, several policies will be adopted as part of the TOD <br />Strategy that will ensure that the City examines the spatial relationship of <br />sensitive receptors (e.g., residential uses) to potential sources of air contaminants. <br />As explained on page 4.2-18 and 4.2-19 of the DEIR, the City is aware of health <br />concerns related to this use and has accounted for the need to identify and <br />mitigate potentially adverse effects as projects are proposed under the strategy. <br />. Safety at railroad crossings - The level of pedestrian and bicycle activity in <br />relation to the rail lines would increase under the TOD Strategy, as the comments <br />submitted by the California Public Utilities Commission indicated. The City will <br />partake in coordination with the PUC to ensure that safety is analyzed at rail <br />crossings and that appropriate mitigation is identified to address potential <br />conflicts between pedestrians and bicyclists and the rail activity. This <br />coordination would take place through General Plan policy 20.06, which calls for <br />working with Union Pacific and Amtrak to minimize the impacts of their facilities <br />on the City and to better educate the public about railroad crossing safety. <br />Furthermore, either City staff or project sponsors would conduct additional <br />coordination with PUC as needed in the event that a project would modify an <br />existing crossing or require a new crossing within the TOD Strategy area. The <br />City recognizes that legal authority from the PUC is required before a crossing <br />can be modified or constructed. <br />. Reduced BART parking - According to the TOD Strategy's transportation <br />consultant (Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.), the TOD Strategy includes a <br />comprehensive parking strategy that provides more parking overall than is <br />available under existing conditions. While only 89% of the BART parking in the <br />surface lot on the east side of San Leandro Boulevard will be replaced with <br />development of the BART property, the TOD Strategy includes policies to <br />increase the overall supply of parking within the study area. These strategies <br />include the construction of a shared parking facility south of the BART station <br />(approximately 500 spaces), an increase in on-street parking spaces, and <br />expansion of public parking facilities in the downtown. <br />The FEIR has been circulated by the City to interested parties, and there is a hearing set <br />up for City Council certification of this document on September 4. Once it is certified, <br />the City would send a Notice of Determination to the State Clearinghouse identifying its <br />findings on the document to make it a legally adequate EIR at the state level. <br /> <br />Secretary Livermore noted that implementation of the TOD Strategy amounts to <br />translating the information from the strategy into the San Leandro Zoning Code and the <br />City's Zoning Map. The Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustments <br />(BZA) held a joint work session on August 9 to begin this discussion. They considered <br />proposed text amendments to Articles 6, 17 and 25, including identification of six new <br />Downtown Area districts. The proposed new DA zoning districts break down as follows: <br />DA-l Retail Mixed-Use (East 14th Street between Davis and Castro Streets); <br />essentially, the old Commercial Downtown district. <br />DA-2 Multi-Use Infill (periphery of downtown core); lowest level of residential <br />density. <br />DA-3 TOD - Transition Mixed-Use (immediately adjacent to retail core). <br />