3B Public Hearing 2009 0720 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes July 7, 2009 Agenda No. 09-13 Page 6 of 11 all residents will have the option of parking a car, and almost half of them may have a second car. It is an important issue, he pointed out, because the goal is to reduce greenhouse emissions and global warming by reducing automobile use. He asked how that goal can be met with 290 parking spaces for 200 units. With two additional projects within the San Leandro Crossings development expected to come forward in the coming years for 400 additional housing units, the precedent of a parking ratio such as that in the Cornerstone would ultimately add about 600 more parking spaces. Adding that 600 to those in the Cornerstone and The Alameda, it would mean almost 1,000 additional parking spaces in a fairly confined area of the City. Furthermore, the reduced width of San Leandro Boulevard to two lanes and the BART parking garage would compound the problem. He added that the BART parking garage was not initially conceived as a 1:1 replacement of parking spaces in the current BART lots, but a reduced number of spaces. He concluded by saying that he considers the design beautiful and lauds the TOD purpose, but doubts that the rhetoric about this reducing greenhouse emissions and making a positive influence on global warming will be met as the design is proposed. Other points regarding parking came up later in the meeting: • Commissioner Collier noted that some of the stalls in the Replacement Parking Garage will not replace spaces in the BART lots but street parking that will be lost as the development proceeds. • Secretary Livermore explained that all parking spaces for the Cornerstone will be unbundled, meaning that a tenant/property owner will be able to choose a unit with no parking space, with one parking space, or with more than one space [if additional spaces are available]. This unbundling provision, she said, is part of the application but also could appear in the Conditions of Approval. • Commissioner Abero added that 226 of the Cornerstone's spaces would be allotted to residential units, with the other 64 spaces accessible for commercial purposes and/or visitors. This translates into 1.4 spaces per unit, and if one space is reserved for each unit, that would leave only 26 second parking spaces available for the 200 residential units in the development). Rev. Paul Vassar, pastor of St. Leander Church, reported on conversations that he and the St. Leander School principal have had with the developers. Be said there are concerns about the impact on students and the education process in the classes that share a property line with the project (preschool, kindergarten, first and second grades) — particularly during construction. He also expressed concern about parking but from a different angle; on weekdays, church parking already suffers from BART patrons who use church lots and parking spaces in front of the church. On weekends, churchgoers use the BART parking lots that will be replaced by the parking garage. One area yet to be resolved involves the design of the paseo. There are concerns about security and safety of children in that area because it borders on a school play yard; the church and school would appreciate an expert evaluation of the situation before the design is finalized. He said, however, that in general, they are pleased to see new housing, including the affordable housing units, come to the area. Commissioner Ponder inquired whether there are any special mitigation measures that apply when a project adjoins a school. Senior Planner Millenbah explained that while Conditions of Approval are not specific to an adjacent school, they provide sufficient mitigation to address issues such as noise and dust (hours of construction, watering the site to keep dust down and site inspections to ensure compliance, for example). Commissioner Brannan referenced the paseo fencing that was discussed earlier, asking whether it would replace the existing cyclone fence or simply cover it.