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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes July 7, 2009 Agenda No. 09-13 Page S of 11 Council and staff. She noted that many changes have been made to the project as a result of and response to that input. The outcome, she said, reflects the TOD Strategy's vision, with a pedestrian -friendly project that simultaneously fits the TOD Strategy framework while also respecting the urban planning principles that all parties believe in. She also commended Mr. Cox for retaining his sense of humor as his designs were torn apart time after time, and for creating a four-sided design that suits the City's character, TOD Strategy guidelines and community concerns. She said that thanks to Planning Commission and City Council prior approval of The Alameda's Site Plan Review, Vesting Tentative Map and Mitigated Negative Declaration, they were able to meet the application funding deadline and submitted the application to the State for low-income housing tax credits. She said there were 21 applications from this geographic area, and perhaps only two will be funded. Regardless of whether funding comes from this application, she said filing was important because it gives us another chance the next time around. Among benefits of the Crossings project components that have come before the Planning Commission so far (The Alameda, Cornerstone, replacement parking garage and the associated infrastructure, Ms. Tan cited: • More than $110 million in total capital investments over the next several years, with the hope that it will bring many new permanent jobs into the area • Receipt of a $24.4 million State grant, of which about $10 million is earmarked for City infrastructure improvements • Additional support for downtown businesses (e.g., an estimated $4.5 million in new annual household expenditures on apparel, food, dining, entertainment, furnishings, personal care, etc.) • More than $600,000 in additional annual property taxes • About 750 construction jobs, with average project with crew sizes ranging from 20 to 80 or more workers per project • Enhanced transit ridership • Strengthening the area's connection to the downtown area • Stimulus for further development within the TOD Strategy area • 100% replacement of existing BART parking spaces Chair Dlugosh invited comments and questions from Commissioners. There being none, he invited the first of the speakers to come forward. John Johnson, President of the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce, said that the Chamber very much supports this project as a well-designed, attractive development that represents an important step in the creation of a beautiful, vibrant, pedestrian -oriented neighborhood and another catalyst for the continued revitalization of downtown San Leandro. He said the project's master plan is a model for infill community development and will serve to continue to attract additional investment in these commercial and residential properties and local business. Stephen Cassidy, San Leandro resident, read a federal government definition of transit -oriented development as "development of commercial space, housing, services and job opportunities close to public transportation, thereby reducing dependence on automobiles. TODs are typically designed to include a mix of land uses within a quarter mile walking distance of a transit stop or core commercial area." He said he lived in such an area in San Francisco at one time, in an apartment complex that bad 72 units with 6 parking spaces. He considers The Alameda as an example of transit -oriented development because the ratio of parking spaces to units there is approximately 1:1 — 100 units with 109 parking spaces. However, be questions whether the Cornerstone meets the TOD definition, with a ratio of parking to units of 1.45:1. That means that