Speaker 4: There are approximately four, four, six unit use zones designated along our northern waterfront. And one of them in particular is the Alameda Marina complex, which is kind of an example, and I'd like consideration within this direction to look at. Job retention and business retention within those mixed use zones that have active commercial concerns. That we have guidance on how to accommodate the adjacent state. Tidelands and shoreline uses because a number of at least three of these parcels have state tidelands components. So establish some guidance or some proportion of commercial use to residential use. And retain or increasing jobs in these zones, particularly in zones that were commercial and active before. As well as those zones, that maybe commercial activity has ceased so that we get a balance when the residential development occurs. I think the justifications are quite simple. A business retention is essential to the city's economic stability. It offers jobs and generally well-paying jobs occur in in some of these zones. And then maintaining or increasing jobs in Alameda and particularly these zones has the potential to reduce traffic congestion because the person working in that job will either be following a work reverse commute, which we have capacity for or not leaving the island during the rush hour in the morning on the bridges or the tubes and returning in the same way.
Speaker 0: All right, staff, did you want to respond to this at this point? And we have at this point 23 speakers.
Speaker 9: Matt Cameron suggested go to the speakers. And then we do have, you know, sort of an outline of how we'd like to address this.
Speaker 1: The speakers in a meeting a long time are right.
Speaker 0: And the speakers are you. You can have up to 3 minutes. Hopefully you can do it shorter. All right. I appreciate it. But we kept you here just like Peter Brand. Dorothy Freeman and then Joseph Watford. And you can line up here and then Bill Cox.
Speaker 5: Right. Thank you. Council members. I am Peter Brand and I'm.
Speaker 8: Speaking on behalf of the existing working waterfront.
Speaker 5: Out there, an enhancement of that.
Speaker 8: And your job tonight is is in some ways easier. Instead of having to correct an awful situation. What your job is, is to preserve and enhance an existing, vital, healthy working waterfront. All right. I have sent you a letter and and I'm not going to read all of those nine policies that I've listed in there. However, I want to. For your benefit and the people in the audience to let them know that state policies give high priority over residential to recreational and commercial boating use of our shorelines and to reservation of adjoining uplands for boating support facilities. This is an enlightened and progressive model that's existed for 50 years unchanged. It works for California and it can work for the city of Alameda. And when regulating the coast and Bay Shore, the state of California codes are very clear. They say they're unequivocal regarding these shoreline dependent uses. They say these uses shall be encouraged, shall be protected, shall not be reduced, shall be preserved, shall have priority, not should, shall have priority, and shall be permitted long term growth. Now there has been some mention of requirements of the lease that proposed $1.7 million worth of improvements that have to be completed over the 15 year period of that lease. You're only in the fourth year of that, and already about two thirds of that has been completed and paid for. So that should not be a concern of yours that the the during the course of that lease up to the year 2027, that those improvements to the shoreline can and will be completed. I'd like now to read and I believe.
Speaker 5: Somebody is ready to, you know, give me their time.
Speaker 8: Brought to lap the former harbormaster is asked me to read a letter to you that he has written. I'm in abbreviated slightly. He refers to the Bay West development proposal in November 2015 for high density housing with examples including 3 to 5 story buildings. Mr. Abbott says the community should consider what is at risk. Time is short to engage and make your preferences known.
Speaker 5: Closure of Swenson's Hall out facility. And I'm sorry, I'm just.
Speaker 0: So you know, Patsy there is seating her time to you.
Speaker 8: Okay, great. Thank you. Would be a truly immense loss to the.
Speaker 5: Recreational boating community of San Francisco Bay.
Speaker 8: Swenson's is one of the few remaining boat yards in the bay and allows owners to work on their own boat when hauled out.
Speaker 5: Is also one of the top 25% sales tax generators for the city.
Speaker 8: Of Alameda. The marina elevator at Swenson's is absolutely essential.
Speaker 5: To the maintenance of.
Speaker 8: Houseboats docked at Barnhill Marina No viable alternative. The Boatyard and maritime related companies are part of what makes Alameda a unique and vibrant waterfront community. There are numerous marine related businesses on the marina property, many of which have been there for decades. These companies contribute to the fall services aspect of the marina and are dependent on a watershed side location. Tenants who store their boats on trailers and use the shoreside hoists have no viable alternative location in the East Bay. No alternative location. What becomes of their ability.
Speaker 5: To recreate on the bay and the value of their vessels? The Island Yacht Club is very active recreational facility along the estuary, the clubhouse, the Friday evening races, the annual Women's Sailing Seminar.
Speaker 8: Programs for Bay D.
Speaker 5: And Sailor Sailors and is home to the Alameda Sea Scouts. Aside from the above impacts, there is the.
Speaker 8: Reality of ever increasing population.
Speaker 5: Density.
Speaker 8: At what point.
Speaker 5: Does the impact of development.
Speaker 8: Become more important than the value of additional housing.
Speaker 5: On the island? So that's the end of Mr. De Laps, the.
Speaker 8: Former Harbor Master's letter. Thank you very much, Counsel. And I'm impressed by your public service and you're willing.
Speaker 5: To stay so late to consider this matter. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Freeman. Dorothy Freeman.
Speaker 4: And Jim is going to be holding us both up.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 5: Good evening. I'm Joseph Woodard and I speak also for Dorothy Freeman. We live one block from the Alameda Marina. I'm not going to talk about the traffic problems that more homes on Clement Avenue will cause. And I'm not going to talk about building more homes. No one in Alameda will be able to afford, nor am I going to talk about the need for low income housing and that this development will only make a very small dent in what is needed in Alameda. What I will talk about is what we will lose if the marina is developed into condos. First, the marina is not vacant and underutilized, nor was it in 2012. As the housing element falsely states. The marina is a vibrant business district, mostly maritime related, but other business types are located there as well. The marina is home to the very businesses we are told Alameda needs to bring here. There are about 60 plus active businesses at the marina. The marina is home to the very jobs, we're told, that we need to bring here quality, high paying jobs. There are about 290 high paying middle class jobs at the marina. We're told we need to have employment opportunities that will allow the workers to be able to afford to live in Alameda. Many of the business owners and employees at the marina already live in Alameda. The Alameda marina serves activities at the very core of our island water based services. We do have a sailboat on our flag. Alameda is famous in the Bay Area for our marinas. But the commercial and pleasure boats that makes their make their homes and our marinas are here because of the services that are provided to them. Our marine services are known throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Unfortunately, these services don't seem to be well known to those in our own city. The services at the marina are all that is left of these facilities. Alameda once had. If the marina services go away, maritime in Alameda will eventually go away. Also, because water is not enough to sustain an active maritime life, services are needed to maintain the commercial and recreational activities. If the marina jobs go away, we are not protecting what we already have. We will replace them with the usual retail businesses that are not unique and have wages below what will be needed to live in Alameda. Eventually, our famous marinas will have empty slips or non reparable and unsaleable boats that will be abandoned in our in the estuary. And an important part of our history and identity will be gone forever. We're going to have to take the boat off our flag.
Speaker 0: Wilcox. Wilcox and then George Lefcourt. Then Grant Hayes.
Speaker 5: I'll be brief. I have a petition, and you're welcome to copies of it. I know it's late. It's not good reading material. I'm an 18 year resident at Barnhill Marina, and our neighbors who sign this petition are worried that the service facilities that provide the ability to haul our houses out and work on them will go away if Svensson goes away. Specifically the Marine elevator and the people who know how to use it. We have. I believe for houses that need that service right now, but don't have the ability to get in line to use it. So it's a vital thing. The value of our houses, our ability to live in them and stay dry are at stake and there is no place else. We're researching vigorously, but there's no place else in the East Bay that we can take them to to haul them out. So please do what you can to keep that service available.
Speaker 0: Thanks. Thank you. George Lakoff. Grant Hays and then Nancy Hurd.
Speaker 8: Madam Chair, vice chair and council members.
Speaker 5: My name is George Lithgow.
Speaker 8: I'm a sailor. I've been sailing out of.
Speaker 5: Alameda Marina for 32 years. I won't go into.
Speaker 8: Details that when my maternal grandfather, grandmother emigrated from the Cape Verde Islands.
Speaker 5: In 1907. My mother was born on this island. I have been I worked on this island at the Naval Air Station. I say a lot of this island. I teach blind sailors out of this island. The what happened. One of the things you have when you have an island, you're surrounded by water. Your coast is your asset. The minute you lose that coastline to housing and there there are access to a coastline is a path, a ten foot wide path that you can walk along with.
Speaker 8: A concrete wall or maybe rip wrap to keep you from falling in the water.
Speaker 5: But you don't have access to water like you have. If you have a boat and you can put your boat in the water and you take people sailing, you come back from sailing. We have looe. If we lose this asset, we have lost part of the heritage and you know the heritage and history of Alameda in the maritime world that the Kaisers ship docks fishermen years ago Neptune Beach. It's this almost to me as silly as a developer coming up to you and saying, we want to we want to pave Crown Beach, but houses on it. And you'd say, why do that? Alameda Marina is used every day by people. It's a different community. And you may not be sailors, but we have a sailing community. And to destroy that would be destroying, I think, part of the essence of what Alameda is. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Grant Hays.
Speaker 5: Mayor Spencer, Honorable Council Members. I've been a resident of Alameda now for 20 years. I'm a boat owner and I'm a father of a very active junior sailor in Alameda. As a longtime resident, I've seen many changes in Alameda. A lot of it has been very progressive. I'm not opposed to the progress that we've made, but.
Speaker 4: I am getting clearly concerned regarding the scale of change happening in Alameda.
Speaker 5: With regard to the aluminum arena and the change to mixed use permitting or housing. I basically have three serious concerns. One is the density of 400 houses in Alameda is only going to contribute to an already severe traffic problem getting on and off the island. The other is the planned rezoning. It effectively eliminates the boat.
Speaker 4: Yard and all the maritime and.
Speaker 5: Commercial jobs in that area for mixed use jobs. And I would like to just say mixed use versus a skilled machinist. There's a big.
Speaker 4: Difference in terms of income.
Speaker 5: There. And then the third is basically as a concerned voter, I, too, am a boater.
Speaker 4: I know Jorge. I know everybody within that Alameda Marina community.
Speaker 5: I worry about the long term outlook of the boat slips. I know under the current.
Speaker 4: Plan they're going to.
Speaker 5: Be accommodated for now. But I also very much worry about the dry storage boats. While I completely understand the need for more housing, there's obviously a housing crisis. I believe 400.
Speaker 4: Units is simply too much. And that is going to contribute to the once again, the very serious traffic problem that we have to think that there won't be an additional 400 to 500 cars on Clement every morning and afternoon. I think is.
Speaker 5: It's.
Speaker 4: Just unrealistic. And the other thing, of course, is the.
Speaker 5: Loss of the boatyard. Those are.
Speaker 4: High paying, good jobs within the boatyard, in the commercial commercial community.
Speaker 5: In that area. Those are sustainable. The Alameda. And then finally, as an avid boat boat owner, I really am.
Speaker 4: Concerned about the long term boating community here in Alameda with the.
Speaker 5: Loss of another boat yard. It really will become inaccessible in the bay area. Don't on a boat.
Speaker 4: Right now we if we lose suspensions, we only have one major boat yard in all of the Bay Area.
Speaker 5: Otherwise, it's just small boat yards. Finally, I'll just close with saying Alameda with its many yacht clubs.
Speaker 4: We have the Sea Scouts, we have two junior sailing programs.
Speaker 5: We have a long maritime.
Speaker 4: History that I think we should.
Speaker 5: Really, really defend here. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you.
Speaker 10: Nancy Hurd and then Tom Mueller.
Speaker 1: I asked for.
Speaker 9: Can you put in my map? Oh. There. Okay. I have. I've provided a map for you of the Alameda Marina, and I wish it was turned the other way, but unfortunately it's not. But you can see, what I want to point out is the area that's in green at the bottom of this is the one area of the marina that does not have boats on it. Everything else has boats. And the developer recently had an in the in the Alameda Sun I think also in the journal. Thank you. That's great. The developer had said, oh, he would give 75,000 square feet to to the boating community and we could still have, you know, a marina and we could still have some maritime services, 75,000 square feet. That would be a very small amount in this total whole scheme.
Speaker 0: Where everywhere you look with the red.
Speaker 9: Lines is currently boats. The city right now has suggested that, well, maybe it's just part of it, the central.
Speaker 0: Part where you.
Speaker 9: See the black hash lines that's crossed by.
Speaker 0: My red grass line lines.
Speaker 9: Those. That's the area that the planning department has suggested might be what the compromise would be. Look at all the other areas around there that would not have there wouldn't be space for all those boats. The dry storage is really important and all these boats are dry storage. The buildings that I have outlined in blue are the ones that are the marina maritime oriented buildings. There's a little small building that half of it you'll see towards at the, I think, Chestnut Street. And there's a little pink mark that actually has an apartment in it. So there's housing in this in here already. So, sir, I want you really to think about the magnitude of how many boats we have in Alameda Marina. And going down to 75,000 square feet is not even feasible to meet the.
Speaker 0: Needs.
Speaker 9: Of the sailors in their community. As far as the the the businesses. You know, we do have these maritime businesses, which many other people have talked about. But the other businesses in here are just as important. We've got businesses that work together. There's a printer in there. They take the printer, takes care of the printing for all the other businesses there. There's a golf shop that's a that's a recreational thing. There's a there's a hot rod shop. There's lots of businesses where people are earning money there. You know, most of them are aluminum's. They're making good, good pay because they're skilled. There's also a lot of professional jobs in these buildings and they also are people.
Speaker 0: Michaelle said that she would cede her time to you.
Speaker 9: Oh, thank you.
Speaker 0: So let me.
Speaker 9: Thank you, Amy. So what you know, what we would like to propose is there's not a contraction, but more of an expansion of the commercial, possibly some retail. This is very close to the freeways it would bring. People could come and we can make this a destination. There's there's lots of opportunities, maybe in the green area where you could put more commercial enterprises that would bring shoppers and make it a unique shopping area. You could make some of these areas, recreational areas. There could be some sort of a museum that gives heart, gives people information about our Marine, our maritime past and our history . This this the shipyard goes back to the 1880s. It originally started with when they were building ships in the marshes, and they were building ships for the South Sea trades. The during World War Two, they made parts for the boats and then they put them in the parts that they made in the in the boats that then went off. And the ships, rather, they went off and sailed to to win World War Two. So there's a lot of history here. And another thing that may not be very well known to people is because of the in the amount of buildings in this space that are intact, this is eligible for then the national lists of historic places. And if we start taking out these buildings, then we start taking away what could be another honor in almeida's already wonderful historical resource. So all these things combined for for for anybody to take to take away any of these buildings is just like it's really going to do a big disservice to our community. And as other people said, you know, if we lose this maritime operation here, we've lost a big, big part of Alameda. Thank you.
Speaker 10: Thank you. Paul Miller.
Speaker 0: Paul Miller and then Andy McKinley.
Speaker 5: I sort of abided by the term dry storage. It sort of implies like the boats are there to be stored. They're not. Some are. I mean, next to my boat for a while, there was one boat that was stored on a freighter. It could never be moved, could never float. I have no idea why the guy had it, but that's rare. If you look at the boats and go through the marina, I've done that for 25, 30 years and walk all around.
Speaker 8: You're going to find most of them are used, not most of them, but a good half of them are used avidly.
Speaker 5: The boats in the water.
Speaker 8: Don't do any better. Half of them sit there and nobody uses them. But then there's a bunch that are used avidly. You want to see the boats that are used avidly just come down Sunday.
Speaker 5: Today.
Speaker 8: This Sunday there's a be a can race at the Alameda Marina. And you can see.
Speaker 5: The key Korean boats lined up to go in and go out. It's sort of a great pleasure to do that. And putting boats in, it's easy. Boats for the last hundred years have been designed. There's been a group of middle class, modest sized boats that have been designed not to sit in the water, but to sit on trailers. That's I see a picture in the Anthony Yacht Club of the old club back in 1900 as 1920, maybe it was. And you still see them hauling boats out. These are 22 foot style sailboats and dropping them. You see in the pictures the old people looking like it's like the 19th century and they're dropping the boats onto trailers, which they probably ran off the pier to, to, to, to park them. Parked boats are not stored. It's just another way of having a boat. It's not. It's something. And it's I've had a pocket boat like this for years. I love it. It's nice. Small boats that were built to put on trailers at a rate in the Alameda in the estuary. They they're the most fun to sail in the estuary. I mean, if you if we can't have them any more because there's no room on land, you're going to have to get a giant boat to a big boat. For me, a big boats, 35 foot or 30 foot, a bigger I have an 18 foot boat that's on the trailer. And you know, your tack, you're talking about destroying what is not a specific niche of sailing because they're going to leave the boats in the water. That's the plan. They're not getting rid of them. That's the niche. The group that's going to be meshed is us with the dry sailboats and we say dry sailing. We don't say dry storage. And when we said these drinks, the dry sailboats go, you're going to have much less sailing for a middle class, working class people I mean in sailing will be just looking at the American Cups from were from big yachts. That's nonsense. This is would be a terrible mistake to lose that sprawling mess of sailboats you're going to see when you take it to it they're making.
Speaker 0: Andrew McKinley. Andy McKinley and then Dan Goldfield.
Speaker 8: Not used to speaking in front of people. So just pretend I'm in my underwear. We're kind of getting off track here. The before the council tonight, you have a revision suggestion and we wanted to provide guidance for accommodating state tidelands and shorelines shorelines as a geological feature. It's something that doesn't. You can't pick it up and move it somewhere else. You're not going to build an elementary school next to a. Active volcano. You're not going to build a marina next to. The pyramids in Egypt. It just doesn't work that way. We have the very fortunate. Position of having this marina in our whole northern waterfront is on a channel that is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers historically pleasure, craft, pleasure, marinas, where the areas were dredged out, especially the bay is particularly bad about infill or silting in. The Corps of Engineers used to dredge places like St Landrum Marina, which I'm sure you're familiar with, is about to close down because boats can't get in and out of Marina, unfortunately. And Alameda has depths ranging from eight to. Five feet to get out of the marina into the bay for hundreds of yards that will no longer be dredged by four of engineers. However, this estuary is a commercial channel used by the Coast Guard. In the foreseeable future, this is not going to change. The Corps of Engineers will always maintain that channel as long as that commercial usability remains. And I don't see the Coast Guard base going away anytime soon. We're talking about ships out there and ships that draw, which means that they are underwater. Submerge Think of an iceberg somewhere between 25 to 35 or 40 feet. I believe the dredged channel is maintained between 40 and 50 feet, 40 and 53 feet. That if you look at a chart, unfortunately, I don't have a picture for you that I can show you. The dredge line. The channel. Goes right up to the end of the docks in Alameda Marina. They're right on that channel marker. So that is always the same with Grand Marina and to some degree, Fortman Arena. That channel comes right up. It's actually closer to Grant to Alameda Marina than it is to the Coast Guard base. So that channel is going to stay open. We have this unique area that we can bring boats in as they get larger and larger and have greater drafts, which means that they're deeper in the water. Mega-Yacht There's the opportunity for building a marina in a place by Wind River that could be used for those. But that deep water is important. It's something that is given to us that we just we can't let that go. It needs to be. Kept for boating and waterfront use. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Thank you. And Maggie's next.
Speaker 5: Honorable Mayor Spencer and esteemed Council members. Thank you for.
Speaker 4: Staying here so late.
Speaker 5: I come to you today against the development on the Command Street property that we're talking about. I come not only as a student of Aikido, but also as a parent of students of Aikido and as an Alameda math teacher. I teach at Island High School. Among the many businesses nestled at this place, Alameda Ikigai has an established dojo. Aikido is a noncompetitive martial art and is the only such dojo on the island. For the last 15 years, Alameda Ikigai has trained hundreds of children and adults. The training focuses on developing the mind, body and spirit. The emphasis on awareness and engagement helps students young and old, with becoming more grounded and responsible community members. In the years I've been involved with Alameda Psychic, I've seen many young children start and develop self-control and confidence. Our students are not bullied, nor do they become bullies. There are kido mind and body helps them improve their schoolwork and athletics, as many of the parents have noted over the years. We have students from Anson, Ojai, Alameda High Schools, as well as nearly every junior high and elementary school on the island. As a student of Aikido, I feel empowered with the confidence to intervene in a nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts. As I know, I can both defend myself while keeping others safe. As a parent, I've seen dramatic improvements for both of my daughters in their behavior and in their schoolwork. As a math teacher, I use Aikido daily in inspiring my students to do their best by redirecting their negative energy into productive energy. This dojo is a locate. The Dojo location in space on comment is an important not just for Aikido practitioners but for Alameda. In the rush to increase density and create locations to put people. I urge you to consider what will those people do? People need to do more than just eat, sleep and shop. Aikido is an essential service to Alameda. Moreover, Alameda has been recognized as a northern elite school and as a premier dojo in North America. Sponsoring seminars periodically. These seminars brings people to Alameda from all parts of the United States and from abroad. These people stay and eat in Alameda, thereby helping Alameda economy. Developed. Developing the location on Clément would force the dojo to close. Move out of Alameda. Downsize their space or raise dues. All of those options would be a loss for Alameda. Thank you for your time.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Maggie Savitch and then Ken Petersen.
Speaker 9: But evening, mayor. City Council members. My name is Maggie Savitch, and I.
Speaker 6: Represent the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association.
Speaker 9: Which is an organization composed of 106 Bay Area Yacht Clubs. We are also the parent.
Speaker 6: Organization.
Speaker 0: Of Recreational.
Speaker 9: Boaters of California, which protects the rights of boaters. Since 1968, actually, the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht.
Speaker 6: Association.
Speaker 9: Began with five Bay Area Yacht Clubs in 1896. We are very concerned about the loss.
Speaker 0: Of the resources.
Speaker 9: Provided.
Speaker 0: At the Alameda Marina. They are the only resources available.
Speaker 9: As others have said, other than one other yacht hauling out facility in the Bay Area. What is happening here is that development.
Speaker 6: Is paving over.
Speaker 9: Coastal.
Speaker 0: Resources.
Speaker 9: For the boaters of California. It's paving over the coastal resources for the everyday guy, gal, kid. And somewhere somebody has to stand up and say, Enough. I know you need housing. California is unfortunately a victim.
Speaker 6: Of its own success.
Speaker 7: As far as technology.
Speaker 9: Is concerned. But technology also demands fun. Boating. People's access to the coast. People's access to jobs that serve the boating community. And it really is up.
Speaker 0: To all of you.
Speaker 9: Sitting there in front of.
Speaker 6: Us this evening.
Speaker 9: And we ask.
Speaker 0: You.
Speaker 9: To please provide this historical resource not only for the use of voters, but for the history.
Speaker 6: And tradition of Alameda.
Speaker 9: Thank you.
Speaker 10: Thank you. And here we see.
Speaker 0: Ken Peterson left. All right, the net, Lee. And then Matt Lang or our ski. Evening.
Speaker 9: First, I just want to thank.
Speaker 0: Mary Spencer and.
Speaker 6: Council members Ashcraft they so again for the vote that you took in on the rent ordinance and the moratorium tonight. Thank you.
Speaker 0: It's clear there are many.
Speaker 9: Boating enthusiasts here in Alameda. However, I am concerned that if this referral seeks to change the multi-family overlay zone that was so.
Speaker 6: Crucial.
Speaker 9: To the state approval of the housing element, then I would oppose that change. And I think it's very important to recognize that Alameda does need housing and and you have recognized that as well. Hopefully some of the voting can be preserved, but there is clearly a need for housing. So please keep the multifamily overlay soon as is. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Matt. And Liz Taylor.
Speaker 5: Good. Late evening. I'm here to talk about as a father of the Aikido Dojo, Clement Street, I have two children, age nine, daughter and age five, who are both in Aikido. They attend three days a week. The acquittal since they have started have learned discipline in the space that is used. There is perfect space for the amount of students, which is several students and adults who benefit from Aikido. I do not see the point of having more retail stores when there's already Park Street, Webster Street in very large development on Webster Street near the Tube and also South Shore. So having retail place there and also a million and a half million dollar houses that a majority of the people cannot even afford. I do not find that beneficial. And it also, I think the uniqueness of Alameda since I've lived here, part of it will be lost if retail stores are put there and houses that most people cannot afford. So thank you for listening.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Liz Taylor. And someone is sitting there talking to you.
Speaker 6: Oh.
Speaker 0: Ryan's. Go ahead. And then Amy Rose. After you.
Speaker 6: All right. Thank you, Mayor and City Council. We've heard a lot of commentary already, and I think the value of the marina from its historic aspects have been covered as well as the the boating community. But I also like to talk about some of the synergy between the businesses that are there now and the other places on the island. There's a great deal of synergy that goes on between other maritime businesses, for instance, with bay ship and yacht, with West Marine, with ones that are on and off the island all around the Bay Area. Some of the sail makers are world renowned. People come from New Zealand and Australia to buy sails in Alameda. There are just a myriad of businesses there that are just critical worldwide. We're being in being pushed all the time to increase the blue economy, to increase exports with the new Pacific Trade Agreement coming online. We need to have maker spaces, manufacturing, light industry that we can create exported products to send these things overseas and to bolster our own economy. There's so much more that we could do as a city to promote these kinds of light industries and things that are made here in the United States for export. The Army and Marine is a great example of that. Many of the businesses there are actively exporting things all around the world and attracting new business relationships as a result. So I know time is tight, so I'll just stop there and hope that you will do what you can to preserve the marina and businesses that are there and look at all the relationships as a intermingle across the island. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Amy Rose. And then Peter Butler.
Speaker 9: Thank you for the chance to speak. I own a Victorian a half block from the marina and I'm speaking on behalf of some neighbors. I'm also co-owner of a sailboat, and we've heard today about how much Alameda is a sailing and boating town. It's got six yacht clubs. I'm a member of.
Speaker 0: One of them.
Speaker 9: We admire the pretty billowing sails and the colorful houseboats and the fun power boats. But do we support the Marine community or do we start driving them away? Do we bulldoze these historic.
Speaker 0: Buildings and.
Speaker 9: Marine services and all types of other businesses there and replace them with condos and coffee shops? Will the view from my house for my street change from the sailboat masts and the Oakland hills to a five story multi-unit building? Well, they are parked in front of my house. I support jobs and not condos. I have friends who work at the Alameda Marina.
Speaker 6: There's going to be housing built.
Speaker 9: Down Clements on and on both sides of the Alameda Yacht Club, on the base and everywhere there's vacant land. I want to commend this letter to the editor from the Alameda Journal by Mark Greenside Reasons to Rezone the Marina and Arsenal and Ship Ways Properties. It's got nine big reasons for why to take the residential out of the plan and build the residential elsewhere. Economic Diversity. It looks like we will already have planned the number.
Speaker 6: Of market rate.
Speaker 9: Housing that we want to have by 2023. We've already identified it. Most of almost all the housing in this development would be market and moderate priced. It's not needed to satisfy the housing element. Also, the skilled jobs we've heard about and the gridlock that this will contribute to the the possibility of an earthquake that would.
Speaker 0: Really make that.
Speaker 9: About seeing the rising sea level. Did we want to build this much right.
Speaker 6: Next to the water?
Speaker 0: Hazardous waste on the side that needs to be cleaned up.
Speaker 9: Drinking water, public land and smart growth. So as I talk to the sailors around Alameda, they all think that this is a done deal. They're all going, oh, too bad about Alameda Marina. We heard about it. Where are we going to take our sailboats to be worked on? And it's not a done deal. And I hope that the Council will consider Mr. Matter Mallory's proposal.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Peter Butler. And then right around.
Speaker 5: Mr. Spencer. Council members, thanks for the opportunity to talk about this. I think it's an important issue. My name is Peter Butler. I lived in Alameda since 1998 and I've had at least one boat in the Alameda Marina the entire time. When I first moved here, I kept my hobby cat on a trailer in the mail. Mary's dry storage. It was easy to trailer across town. Launched behind the high school. Or take it off the island and go anywhere. Anywhere around the bay. My wife and I had our second date on that boat and we launched it at the Grand St Marine at the foot of the Grand Street for the Grand St there. Over the years, we've graduated to larger sailboats. We now have a very nice 30 footer that we keep in the water at the Alameda Arena. Easy access to our boat is one of the reasons we've stayed in the Alameda Marina. When we take friends sailing, there's room for them to park. It's a short walk and with everyone's gear to the boat. And if I have something heavy to move, I can back my car up to the end of the dock. And because these things are possible, I'm able to keep my boat in great shape and ensure the safety of my family and friends. There's no other marina on the island where I can do this. But just as important as the easy access is the fact that over the years I've had excellent service from the businesses in the Alameda Marina, particularly Fenton's boatyard. That's where I get my boat hauled and painted my engine and prop serviced, my rigging built and repaired. I buy parts and supplies at the chancery. And I use their metal workshop and things break from time to time. They employ excellent craftsmen and I've come to rely on their skill and knowledge. Lastly, I do a lot of work myself because Fenton's will actually let me work on my own boat. This is what we talk about. Well, this is what we mean when we talk about a working waterfront. And as a long time resident, I recognize the value of this unique asset. I'm opposed to any plan which risks this for the sake of a bunch of condominiums.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Dwight Grant and then Irma, Maureen Nolan and then Andy McKee.
Speaker 8: Hello, council members. My name is Dwight Durant. I come representing Club Natick and Club Natick is a yacht charter business on the other side of the island over in Bowling Alley Marina. For the last 35 years, Club Natick has made its home in Alameda. And prior to that, my father and his father also owned and ran businesses related to the maritime industry in Alameda or on the estuary. All of our businesses have relied on the services provided by Alameda Marina to be successful and provide jobs for Alameda NS and for people who serve the sailors and maritime enterprise people. The other reason I go to too, Clement Street is because I'm also a member of the Naval Reserve. I came back to Alameda to participate in the maritime industry here after serving on active duty for many years. So it's very important to me that that waterfront continue its tradition of providing a reference point for the maritime industry , both both militarily and as an industry. That's extremely important to me. My father also served and reported to the Reserve Center there. Club, now teak provides a number of avenues for people to access maritime the maritime industry. We have the largest school in the Bay Area and we have the largest pleasure fleet of charter craft available for we have over 1500 members, which means that members are coming from all over the Bay Area and in fact all over the country to come to Alameda to charter boats and start their vacations. That's tourism dollars that are coming here behind me. There are many craftsmen and craftspeople who perform work on the boats that that club not take has in has here in Alameda. And a lot of those industry, a lot of those craftspeople perform their work on our boats when we take them to Swenson's take to get work performed. We bring our boats from our other base in Sausalito to Alameda to have work done here because we prefer suspensions and the and the other services that are available in Alameda Marina to the alternate boatyard. Of the hundreds of jobs that we have provided that my family has has consistently been able to find craftspeople, tradespeople, yachtsmen and yachts, women who are able to fill the tasks and jobs that we need in order to run successful business. Alameda has always been able to provide those because of its maritime industry, and to lose any part of the Alameda Marina complex would be a serious dent in our ability to be competitive in this in the Bay Area and would almost certainly mean that a ripple effect happens when you lose Alameda marina. The ripple goes outward across the island, across the trades, people who work in that industry. Thank you for your time.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Irma. Irma? No. And Irma. And after Irma. Andy McKee.
Speaker 9: Mayor Spencer. Council members. Good evening. My name is Irma, Maureen Nolan, and I'm a.
Speaker 6: Resident and a homeowner here.
Speaker 0: In Alameda. And I also work in Alameda in a marine related business.
Speaker 6: Today I come before.
Speaker 0: You to urge you to retain the maritime.
Speaker 6: Infrastructure.
Speaker 0: Which is a key part. In the voting.
Speaker 1: Industry here in Alameda.
Speaker 0: The boatyard in the maritime.
Speaker 6: And the maritime related companies are part of what.
Speaker 0: Makes.
Speaker 6: Our city so unique in a vibrant and waterfront community. In addition to this to this, the proposed 4 to 5 storey housing is too dense and would be. Out of reach of the people that live in Alameda and would only make and would only add to the existing and the alarming traffic problems.
Speaker 0: That we are already.
Speaker 9: Experiencing. Therefore, I.
Speaker 6: Urge you to consider. The implications of the proposed mixed use song project.
Speaker 1: At the marina.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Thank you. And then the key. And then David Arago HDR Geo.
Speaker 5: Mayor Spencer Council, thanks so much for staying so late. I am Andy McKee and I'm an 18 year resident of Alameda. I am not a sailor. I live block and a half from the marina. And it's a part of what I love about.
Speaker 3: Being in Alameda.
Speaker 5: Is the fact that we have this active marina. What are we.
Speaker 3: Replacing? We're putting in tons.
Speaker 5: Of houses right now. I do want to mention traffic again because it's a serious problem when a vista we have two huge housing units going in, one almost complete one still in the planning stage. We just had the warehouses knocked down at the.
Speaker 3: End of a.
Speaker 5: We've got the empty, you know, warehouse across from perforce that's waiting to be filled. We don't even I mean, it's going to be horrible.
Speaker 3: The traffic. It's going to happen with all of its housing going in.
Speaker 5: And what was there, empty warehouses. They were.
Speaker 3: Ugly. They were blights.
Speaker 5: Right. They're going to there at least, you know, they're going to fix up the Del Monte. That'll look kind.
Speaker 3: Of historic, right?
Speaker 5: Well, this the marina.
Speaker 3: This is one of the most underutilized, unrealized.
Speaker 6: Incredible assets of Alameda.
Speaker 5: As had been so eloquently noted right by everybody. Liz Taylor, who came up to speak in front of you, I don't know if she mentioned that she's a co-owner of Tour Marine. They built. Have you guys.
Speaker 6: Been in there?
Speaker 5: They built deep sea submersibles, right? I mean, it's like Nova. When you.
Speaker 0: Walk into that place.
Speaker 6: It is incredible. And it's this little.
Speaker 3: Hidden gem in this marina, a.
Speaker 5: Block and a half from my house. The outreach that they do to schools scientifically, just just it's incredible. Right on top of this.
Speaker 6: Just.
Speaker 3: I can't believe it.
Speaker 5: This shot to the core that that somebody would want to replace this. It astounds me.
Speaker 3: And I'm so thankful, Frank, so thankful that you're bringing this forward.
Speaker 5: And, you know, I vote and I think a lot of other people vote. And I think it would be entirely against our our you know, I think about the movie theater, right? Remember the movie theater back? Remember the movie theater? Everybody. Remember that when it was the roller rink? Remember when it was the, you know, the gym. And now look at the movie theater, right? I love this idea of actually acknowledging.
Speaker 3: How incredible this place is with some historic note. I think we need to make more.
Speaker 5: Of this.
Speaker 3: By highlighting what it is and find some more places.
Speaker 5: For housing. And also let's build a bridge or something. We got to do something with the infrastructure in the city. We can't just keep building houses and say, Great, we've got more houses, right? We need to do something. You guys need to get something to do because it's just not sustainable in this location.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Thank you. David and then Tom, your own.
Speaker 5: Good evening. My name is David Harrigan. Or more.
Speaker 8: Accurately, good.
Speaker 5: Morning.
Speaker 0: Good morning.
Speaker 5: I have a somewhat unique perspective in terms of light industrial use on the island. I've worked on the base for one of the major tenants on the island.
Speaker 8: On the point for over ten years. I'm also a recreational boater.
Speaker 5: I have had extensive work done at at Swenson's and I also am familiar with almost all of the tenants in the marina are currently. In addition not just to the maritime tenants but also to some of the other light industrial tenants I've heard.
Speaker 8: Hot Rod Shop referred to. That's actually a.
Speaker 5: Moderately moderate competitor to my company, but we also cooperate across the island. We've collaborated on a number of projects. They build stuff for us. We build stuff for them. It's a it's a dynamic community.
Speaker 8: And I think that the.
Speaker 5: Loss of the shoreline access and particularly the historic use of that, that is is a very, very great concern, particularly in regards to the state ordinance that that you refer to in your proposal. It is with the loss of this coupled with the loss of Nelson's a few years back. There is no other out. There is no other resource in the East Bay. You have to go all the way to Richmond to haul your boat. And that's that's just the fact. The the the reality is.
Speaker 8: As as referred to in the ordinance, the jobs that would be lost are not low paying jobs.
Speaker 5: And and replacing them with $15 an hour retail jobs generously.
Speaker 8: Is no comparison to replacing machinists.
Speaker 5: That makes upwards of three times that. And I think.
Speaker 8: That if you lose the light industrial flavor of the waterfront, you lose quite not just the jobs, but quite a bit of the historical historical use of that. And the historical access of it is provided in the state charter.
Speaker 5: And I have a concern with the liability involved in that and subsequent legal action. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you.
Speaker 5: Leaving Mayor and council staff. Tom Charron. I've messed around in boats since I was 16 and I'm 72 now, so I've spent a lot of time on the water. I have had a boat or two in Alameda since 1993 and currently have one on the heart. And I got one on the water. Member of a couple of yacht clubs. I've talked to you before, and I don't think I need to go through all the things that have been said so eloquently by the members of the of your audience here this evening. But I do want to just bring a couple historic things up since 1993. In 93, there used to be four boatyards in Alameda. Right now, there's only one and a half. Because Gran got cut in half, you know, when you allowed or the planning board allowed those houses to be built there. So it's down to about half its fans is here. There used to be two Chandlers in our city. There's only one that spends, Charnley spends. It hasn't been said here tonight, but spend his warehouse. He sells and sends maritime equipment around the world and supplies all of the the other boatyards in Sausalito and Cama and Berkley with with parts and sends parts to boaters around the world. So we have a tremendous resource here. And I would certainly ask you to look hard at what Bill Poland really has up his sleeve. What this council did in 2012, without from what I can understand of the input that you have here tonight when this property was zoned AMC's. Mixed use and look and ask the staff to look closely at what does our city council want to preserve of the maritime community and its assets and support? Thank you.
Speaker 0: So at this time we have two speakers left. If you want to speak on this, please turn in your slips. Gretchen Lipow and then Don Chesney. Good evening.
Speaker 6: Council mayor and council members and staff. I'm going to just touch on what is what is the Tidelands Trust. So here's a map. And you may have all seen that. Maybe you haven't, but. Thank. Hmm. As you can see, the Tidelands Trust covers about half of the marina, and the line was fixed in the early 1900s. And it can't be changed. Within that tidelands, the. The. There's to be no residential. It's just marine activities. It's been expanded to cover environmental, environmental and recreational. Activities. The land in California, the State Lands Commission has jurisdiction over the UN granted tidelands. The word they used for the non tidelands is uplands. Tidelands in uplands. So and this commission has jurisdiction over the public trust. So basically listening to the speakers and looking at the information that I've had, the. The housing element had 240 housing units on the Alameda Marina. And I think that's a terrible idea. And I'll tell you why, because if you look at what's coming down on Clement, you've got almost over a thousand housing units all along. Clement with the boat, works with the Clement and Willow with the 2100, Clement with the internal terminals with the Del Monte. You know, my son in law took his kids to off island for a field trip. He said it took the bus 40 minutes to get off this island and these thousand units haven't been built yet. So I think what we're talking about is a balance between jobs, which the marina has. You've heard all the previous speakers, I don't have to tell you. And and so jobs and housing. And I think that's what we're talking about here. And that is preserving a very valuable piece of property here on the island. And as you can see on that map, half of the buildings are in the tidelands and half are in the uplands. And that map I just gave you and also I found that in 1980, 2012, in August, there was a law passed that the the city has to account for all of the money that's raised on the tidelands area. So that's a new law. All right. So I think that's basically what I'm here to to say is to you get the picture. Preserve alameda marina for what it is. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you.
Speaker 10: And our last.
Speaker 0: Speaker at this time, Don. Last chance. Turn in your slips.
Speaker 9: Good morning.
Speaker 0: Morning.
Speaker 6: Thank you for being so generous with your time.
Speaker 9: Don Chesney. I am a sailor.
Speaker 6: I was fortunate enough to happily fall into the sport in my mid-thirties.
Speaker 9: Totally changed my life. I had women that were very generous and took me on and taught me.
Speaker 0: When I knew nothing.
Speaker 9: And now I get back as I teach women.
Speaker 6: So I have an all female crew. I have a J 24. It's a stripped down sailboat that is on the heart.
Speaker 9: Which with all that goes away, I will no longer have a boat.
Speaker 6: And I only take women well as I'm desperate. But it's just been such a life changing event for me, and I see it happening with my crew. And it would be terrible if that went away. The other thing we do, which George mentioned is Island Yacht Club, which is in the marina, we have the only West Coast International Line Sailors Regatta. The East Coast has several. We are the only one on the West Coast.
Speaker 9: Last time we ran the regatta, we do.
Speaker 6: It about every other year. We had what, George six countries represented.
Speaker 9: What? Boston. That's in the country. Ha ha.
Speaker 6: Ha ha. The bay. Canada. So an. And these are like the.
Speaker 9: Bravest people you have ever met in your life. These are mostly adults that have lost their sight as adults and then have their world has opened back up when they sailed.
Speaker 6: Because sailing is very intuitive.
Speaker 9: My second mentor made me see my.
Speaker 6: Eyes closed all the time because he's like, Stop thinking. Work with nature. So the other thing that we do at Island Yacht Club in Alameda is we have once a year women's sailing seminar. It's two days. It's all women teaching. Only women. The guys are fabulous. They do all the hard work behind the scenes, making sandwiches, setting up tables. So what you guys do? We couldn't do it without the guys. So but again, it's that give back of women being the example for women. And what I love about it, what saved the whole thing is.
Speaker 9: Some of the women come Saturday morning and they are scared to death. They just don't even want to really get on a boat.
Speaker 6: But maybe boyfriend made them go or something. By the end of the day, their partners show up and we have fabulous appetizers and the guys can hardly recognize their women because the women are like, Yeah. So it's just a wonderfully empowering thing that I think would be horribly, horribly sad to lose. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. All right, Steph.
Speaker 9: Thank you. And thank you for everybody coming out. Um, this is something that. And staying. Yeah. This is something that we have all been thinking about for a long time. And I know the vice mayor has been thinking about this referral for a long time. So a couple of things that, as you know, I don't know if the folks in the audience or at home actually understand sort of the referral process. This is not this is not our chance to do a staff report. This is really a time for council member to ask. And then the council has to direct staff to what they want us to do. But just as a sort of prequel to that, I just want to remind folks maybe in the room who don't know and of course, the council does know that we are taking a tour of Alameda Marina and all of the Northern Waterfront. And we I say the council and the staff concerned will be taking a tour of Aluminum Marina and all of the northern waterfront on March 11th. From 9 to 1, the we'll be leaving here from city hall, getting on a bus and we've already made arrangements to stop at Albion. A marina will be there for probably about a half an hour, then won't be moving on and single terminals moving on from there to ship ways and to north housing excuse me, an Alameda landing. So that's number one. And I think staff felt it was really important for the council to actually go out to the site and actually see the marina, see was what was across the estuary. So that was kind of the idea behind that. And then after that, what we are envisioning for the council and vice mayor is to probably come back to the council in April. Most like to be the second meeting in April, but if we can do it, the first meeting and I think kind of talk about what we saw, what we toured. Understand the zoning behind that and listen I think to you all and ask for direction about the northern waterfront in particular the landing. We would like. I think that's.
Speaker 1: In Alameda Marina, not Alameda.
Speaker 9: Aluminum Marina. That's right. Thank you. I'm getting tired so that that would happen probably in mid-April. And at that point, I think we would expect the council to to give us direction or actually potentially even give the property owners sort of some insight about what you're thinking about for these particular properties as it relates to the zoning , you have a lot of flexibility in the zoning and and we will talk about that at that council meeting. And so that would be the first time that this would formally come back, and that would be in April. And then subsequent to that, if depending on how that meeting goes and we can talk about changing the zoning and putting some, what does that look like modifying the zoning? That's a longer process. And I'm not really actually prepared tonight to talk about what that looks like. But we see that sort of as kind of an outline of how we would like to deal with with this issue, if that's a better able to the council and to the vice mayor. I mean.
Speaker 4: Yes. So my intent in listening to considerations was just basically frame the discussion because I think the zoning details and the guidance, there's flexibility built in to zoning for practical reasons. But I'd like us to refine what the goals are of our zoning, particularly in the northern waterfront, particularly where there is existing commercial activity that can be grown as opposed to other. You mentioned Dennis now terminal where the commercial activity has gone. So what is it that we want to see there on a blank slate versus what is it that we want to keep and grow in other areas? I also want to include for people's thoughts and considerations. If this goes forward, is other zoning that may happen that's not in place now. And I can think of Taylor Webster, where there's a mixed use project that is being reviewed in the planning board right now. It's the retail commercial on the ground floor and residence above on a lot that has been vacant or underutilized for for several years now, a blight, essentially. So I want to anticipate that in the discussion, not just the northern waterfront, we do have time if the timeline you suggest is amenable to the council.
Speaker 0: Member. Ashcroft.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Mayor Spencer, and thank you. Thank you to all you stalwarts who stayed so long. And I appreciate hearing from all of you. I have been out to door. Very impressive. Liz Taylor is doesn't begin she's so humble but she is amazing. And just a year ago, her company was, I think, awarded the East Bay Innovator's Design Award or Innovation Award in their category from the East Bay Economic Development Alliance. We're very proud to have you in our community and and we want to keep you there. I also want to just remind people. That. I think we should definitely ask the staff to come back and look at these things with us, everything this former dam says we should do. But I also want to remind folks that nothing is simple. We always strive to achieve balance. And in this case, I think first and foremost, we need to preserve our maritime businesses. And then just a week ago, Debbie Potter, our economic development director, and the mayor and I were out at the East Bay Economic Development Alliance Innovators Awards for this year. And another Alameda company went in in one of the categories that the nanotechnologies out in your Mariners Square loop. But anyway the I would actually like to and this goes back to something that is near and dear to the vice mayor when we had an economic development commission. But these businesses who were there at the meeting, Marina, Liz Taylor, talked about the synergy that they create. They, they work with other maritime businesses, the the blue blue industry. They and and this is a declining industry in the Bay Area. As more and more of the coastline is is used up, I think they can help us reach out and maybe bring businesses here who they know, who I'm always willing to still businesses from other cities. Oh don't quote me but but you know we have this asset to to offer balanced with the jobs we need to create . And my priority would be maritime based businesses, because, quite frankly, RV parking can be done anywhere. It doesn't need to be there on the waterfront and a few others might fall into that category. But then also bear in mind that there is a cost to renovating the infrastructure that is Old Wharf. Some of it is started to be renovated. Not all of it has. Where does that money come from? Some of it comes from development. That doesn't mean we raise the buildings that are there, but it does mean the possibility of smart, mixed use. Years ago, when I was on the planning board, a very smart woman or my colleague and cook, who's an attorney and a waterfront planner by profession, worked on the San Francisco ferry building, talked a lot about the eyes on the street and that you want activity in your developments all the time, not artificial, you know, barista creating jobs, that sort of thing. But, you know, condos, we you sat here tonight and you heard about the rents, the the the problem people are having finding affordable housing they can afford. Housing that we build, especially below market rate which some of this this will be helps take some pressure off the housing market. And I also want you to know, and I think some of you already do know, that those well-paying jobs that you talk about being out there at the marina, I heard from the employers, they have trouble finding workers even for those well-paid jobs because they have a hard time finding affordable places to rent. So we can't pretend that, you know, this is all one way and not the other. We've got to all work toward solutions. But I very much appreciate you all coming out and helping illustrate for us this very vibrant waterfront that's out there. But I'm just saying, let's let's make sure that we're preserving our maritime uses, maybe bringing some more there, but also looking at the need for the infrastructure improvements and the need for for more housing carefully planned. I look at this very much as a monopoly board was the way when when Liz Taylor took me up to the top level at that door and you look out this beautiful view and you could just reach out and touch the Coast Guard ship, you know, and there's a there's a great aerial photograph. Things can be can be moved around and situated. And we could have a very vibrant, functioning, well maintained space there. So let's keep an open mind. So anyway, I would I would just want the when it goes back to staff to incorporate all of those concerns.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Member Odie.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you everyone for coming out and I appreciate the Vice Mayor bringing this item up for discussion. I'm perfectly fine with the recommendations that our interim city manager put forth a little bit concerned about, you know, having a formulaic approach to zoning. But what might be another idea on this particular paper that Gretchen LeBeau handed us is that, you know, similar to what we did for packet landing, perhaps we do some sense of the council because I do agree that we need to preserve jobs. I do agree that we need to preserve. I mean, these jobs, I mean, not just any job. I mean, these particular jobs. And that should be something that, you know, maybe that's something we can do as a sense of a council, sense of the council. And, you know, has someone has plans to. Develop that that, you know, they keep that as a as a consideration and a priority. But, you know, reflecting what Councilmember Ashcroft said, you know, we we just went through a laborious issue of tenant protection. And one of the things we do have that's causing that is an artificial constraint on supply. So we have to balance that. And I hope that people will be flexible as we prioritize. You know, saving these jobs, again, not any jobs, these particular jobs in these particular businesses that would be open to creative solutions to also, you know, fully utilizing the intent of zoning.
Speaker 0: Everyday stock.
Speaker 3: Well, thank you. Thank you, everyone, for coming out and being so engaged. It's very it's actually very informative and informative, particularly in the sense of when someone was explaining the depth of some of the water and how you can float your boat up and when how that's not readily available in other places. And that that asset mixed with some of the business infrastructure on the land. How that then is intimately tied to the range of consumers of of maritime services, whether it's for recreational purposes or whether it's for business purposes, so that the industry cluster that's there is so intimately tied. So it's it's not something that that. Well, I think it's also intimately tied to the area. So that leads me to one of the challenges that we need to think about is, you know, are we talking about mixed, you know, changing their mixed use designation or are we not to be talking about, you know, what must be done for this site to maintain its character and its history and its economic generating uses? That's the completely different set of discussion. That's more specific. It's more narrow to this area. So, you know, I, I look forward to this discussion. And, you know, I've listened to and met with people who inform me about things like door and other businesses that are there. And these are the type of jobs that we want. These are the type of uses that we want. This certainly reflects the character and the history of the city of Alameda, an island after all. Right. So I think this is something that we as a council need to be actively engaged in, looking to do what we must, not what we can, but looking to do what we must to preserve the maritime tradition, the maritime jobs , the maritime connections that this place has with the residents as well as the businesses. No.
Speaker 0: Did you want to make a comment?
Speaker 9: I did. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Councilmember Odie just reminded me, I mean, appreciate that we are thinking about coming back to something similar to the meeting we had on Harbor Bay Club, the tennis club. And that was kind of what we were envisioning, at least as a preliminary step. Um, and having the council kind of. Formerly. Discuss and maybe even Adobe something through maybe a resolution or something like that. Well, we're still kind of. Adding that around. But having the counsel kind of express your feelings about how you what you want to see, particularly on this site and some of the other sites. But it would be similar to the process that we conducted on the Harbor Bay Club. Several months ago.
Speaker 0: All right. So this referral, if I'm reading it correctly, it speaks to a consideration of mixed use throughout the entire city of Alameda as opposed to this site in particular that the speakers were speaking to and his staff's response then in regards to city wide. Or are we? Is it twofold?
Speaker 9: I think we. Well, we are going to do the. The tour of the entire Northern Waterfront. And I think we would like to spend a good amount of time on Aluminum Marina because there is some sense of urgency on this matter. But I think it can also include and this is we're up for you know, this is up. However, council wants to handle it but it can also be a conversation about and so all terminals. Chip weighs on me. Landing north, housing all the northern waterfront area. Now North housing is not so dmk's north housing has an R for zoning. But it is on the northern waterfront.
Speaker 4: I want me to land in his Amex.
Speaker 9: Almeida landing his Amex? That's correct. But north housing. Which is not. It does not. That's in hour for that.
Speaker 0: So there's not a project pending currently at the marina. But what is the status of that?
Speaker 9: No, we do not have a project. Not. No. No application.
Speaker 1: Has even gone to the planning.
Speaker 0: Board. Okay. So. I would be agreeable to looking at the mixed use zoning citywide. I think we can do that any time. I am concerned I would have concerns about during a preliminary whatever occurred on in regards to the club. I think that that's actually. Questionable if we should be expressing an opinion when there's not a project pending. And and I would agree and I would also like more information in regards to what are our current options. Just generally speaking of what happens with mixed use, can we can do we have to do we have to include housing in mixed use or a certain percentage? Or is it looked at on a project by project basis?
Speaker 9: Right. I mean, I don't think we should be answering those questions right now, but I think those are the things that we can come back with you all and have that conversation.
Speaker 0: So I would I would want to include that as to what is but is currently you, Kent, what it means currently.
Speaker 1: Okay. I think that's a fair topic to include you just saying you're saying you want that to be one of the things that stuff look.
Speaker 0: Right when this comes back and.
Speaker 4: Yes, Madam Mayor, I think that's essential, because if we're looking at how we want the future to go, we have to understand what the rules are today. And we have to see if those rules are adequate for what's happening at this example that's been brought up tonight. And look at the other examples of mixed use and what might be coming. Again, I mentioned the value of of the project at Webster and Taylor as a mixed use project. So do we is what we. The first question I want answered by this exercise is whether what we have is sufficient. And then I want to to calibrate that against what is the reality that we're seeing. And the testimony tonight gave us a picture of what's right in front of us. So that's my intention, is to get that get that exercise going. And I hope I can get support for that.
Speaker 0: All right. And then there was a comment that some of these buildings are maybe all are eligible for the national list of historic places. Is that something that the staff would be looking at?
Speaker 9: We can take a look at that. I'm sure there's a fairly long lead time on that. But we can you know, we can do a little bit of research on that.
Speaker 0: Thank you.
Speaker 9: I just want to ask.
Speaker 6: Sorry.
Speaker 1: Just just to follow up on the mayor's concern about what we did on the packet landing zone. I will always defer to the attorneys on the legality of anything we do. But I did think that it was useful for the developer to have a sense of where the council was, because there's no point going down a road that is then not going to get approval. So again, we'll stay within the the zone of whatever the attorneys tell us. They're very cautious. So I don't think the leaders astray. But I, I think I mean, when I was on the planning board, what applicants used to say is don't make us come back and back and then go, oh, yeah, no, we don't want to do that. You know, they'd rather a lot of money is invested in putting plans together. So I would defer to the attorneys on that one and decide.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the review of mixed use zoning in general, I think is an important discussion for the citizens of L.A. to have. So, so. So I do see incredible value in that. But having a. But having a particular discussion about this site, too, is something that seems to be really what's what's on people's minds as well . So that's not that ought not to be lost. But it is important to have the discussion about mixed use zone because the. From, in my opinion, the reality of what's what's coming down the pike when it comes to mixed use projects is that it's basically, I don't know, 99% housing and and one or 5%, you know, jobs . And sometimes the jobs itself might not be of the caliber that that is replacing the lost jobs. Fortunately, with the side project, though, that's not the case. We do have a great balance of of incredible jobs and housing. So. So it's not completely the so. But when I look at the northern waterfront, though, that does seem to be the case, though. It's a place where where there are or there was a history and there is still some, you know, valuable, good paying jobs. But, you know, in that area, the type of mixed use that's been happening, I think for the most part has been housing oriented member.
Speaker 0: And I'm hoping at some point someone will make a motion.
Speaker 2: So maybe I'll do that. You know, I hear what my my colleagues say, you know, Taylor and Webster, there's no jobs there now because it's a vacant parking lot and sale terminals. There's no jobs there now. So, you know, I don't know, you know, how you replace jobs that don't exist. But I do have a lot of concerns about the aluminum arena. So what I think I heard was that there seemed to be consensus to go forward with the path that the interim city manager proposed. And I thought I heard you say that included in that April and a workshop type event would be an explanation of the current zoning. So I think that meets the last round of concerns that we had a stake in on that and.
Speaker 9: That's right.
Speaker 0: So those that are you making.
Speaker 2: A decision emotion or I think staff.
Speaker 5: Have.
Speaker 0: I'm going to. Go to Vice Mayor.
Speaker 4: I'd like to move the referral as discussed with the with the timeline and the concerns that were brought up to the council.
Speaker 1: Well, for clarification, with the concerns that were raised by all the council members.
Speaker 6: Correct.
Speaker 4: I think I just said way.
Speaker 0: We have a second. All right. All those in favor. I motion carries unanimously. Thank you very much.
Speaker 4: Thank you.
Speaker 10: I'm all for clapping being done.
Speaker 0: All right. Next item. Council communications.
Speaker 2: Infant mental health.
Speaker 0: I get to.
Speaker 2: I have one.
Speaker 8: Right.
Speaker 2: I think I just want to if you could correct back when I spoke about a B to ten and the measure B B, the votes were 46, not 43.
Speaker 5: So 46.
Speaker 2: 46. So if you can correct that in the minutes, you know.
Speaker 9: That you.
Speaker 5: About.
Speaker 0: That.
Speaker 4: Very much.
Speaker 7: Well, I'll correct it.
Speaker 2: 46 behind you. Okay.
Consider Directing the City Manager to Revise the Mix-Use Zoning Designation and Related Policies to Aid Retention of Beneficial Commercial Uses Citywide.  (Vice Mayor Matarrese)