The City of Emeryville provides a monthly progress report outlining significant developments and milestones that occurred throughout the period. Among the highlights for the one council meeting conducted during the month of January include the city revisiting its long-delayed Art Center project that was shelved after the dissolution of redevelopment in 2011.
Also worth noting was an inquiry by Holliday Development with the city to rebuild its 3800 San Pablo project with modular construction using Holliday’s Factory_OS company in Vallejo.
In the Meetings and Contacts section of the report, City representatives met with Paceline Investors who are considering acquiring the existing commercial building of the Sherwin-Williams project.
Please note that the summaries provided below are taken directly from the text of these reports.
January Highlights of The Month
The Council held a study session on the proposed Art Center at the City-owned property at 4060 Hollis Street and authorized the release of a Request for Qualifications and Proposals.
The Council authorized an application to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for funding of Railroad Quiet Zones at the 65th, 66th, and 67th Street grade crossings.
The Council received a presentation on the update of the Noise Ordinance and referred the matter to the Public Safety Committee for further study.
The Planning Commission approved a Cannabis Manufacturing and Delivery Facility at 6613 Hollis Street that had been continued from the December 20 special meeting pending further information.
Yet another developer is considering acquiring the residential project on the “Nady Site” at 6701 Shellmound Street. After Avalon Bay and Anton terminated their contracts for the project, and Alliance Residential was unable to secure financing, staff now understands that TMG Partners, the original developers of the Public Market, are considering taking over the project.
Following two devastating fires, the developer of the 105-unit mixed use Intersection project at 3800 San Pablo Avenue is considering rebuilding using modular construction.
Building permits were issued in January for the Marketplace Parcel B parking structure and restaurant pavilion, and for the redesign and expansion of Christie Avenue Park. Meanwhile, two more development projects made it to the “finish line”: the Division of the State Architect issued a Certificate of Compliance for the last two buildings at the Emeryville Center of Community Life, and the Chief Building Official issued Certificates of Occupancy for the two LePort School buildings on 63rd Street.
Staff met several times in January and put considerable effort into the development of affordable housing general obligation bonds for the June 2018 ballot, including preparation of a required resolution and ordinance for consideration by the City Council on February 20.
View the entire progress report on Emeryville.org →
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January 16th Council Meeting
Ocean View Townhomes, 1270 Ocean Avenue (Study Session)
The City Council held a study session on the proposed three-unit residential project at 1270 Ocean Avenue and gave comments to staff and the applicant. Councilmembers raised several concerns about the project, including: whether the size of the project is appropriate for the neighborhood; the amount of landscaping and the need for more landscaping details; and the location of the trash enclosure, common open space, and parking. This project is tentatively scheduled to be considered by the Planning Commission for recommendation to the City Council on March 22.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [1:22:00].
Art Center (Study Session)
The Council held a study session to discuss implementation options for the proposed Emeryville Center for the Arts and Culture at the City-owned property at 4060 Hollis Street. The Council directed staff to move forward with a public-private partnership model for project implementation and authorized the release of a Request for Qualifications and Proposals (RFQ/P) for the project. The RFQ/P is expected to be released in early February.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [24:10].
Railroad Quiet Zones (Consent Item)
The Council authorized the filing of an application with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for SB 1 Transportation Corridors Enhancement Program funding for Railroad Quiet Zones at the 65th, 66th, and 67th Street grade crossings.
Intersection Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Evaluation (Consent Item)
The Council approved a contract with the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) for a pedestrian and bicycle safety evaluation of four intersections, including Powell Street/Christie Avenue, Christie Avenue/Shellmound Street, the Powell Street off and on-ramps to I-80, and Powell Street/Frontage Road. This organization performed a similar evaluation in 2005 and some of their recommendations were implemented. They will now re-evaluate the intersections for further improvements.
EmeryStation West/Transit Center Noise Waiver (Public Hearing)
The Council approved a construction noise waiver for work on four Saturdays in January and February at the EmeryStation West/Transit Center Project.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [2:48:07].
Art.com Sign Noise Waiver (Public Hearing)
The Council approved a construction noise waiver for crane work on Saturday, February 3 to remove the Art.com sign at 2100 Powell Street. On August 24, the Planning Commission approved a modification to these signs to replace the colored LED lights with white LED lights. However, instead of going forward with that modification, it has now been decided to remove the signs entirely. Staff understands that another building tenant wishes to have high-rise identification signs where the Art.com signs were, which will require Planning Commission approval. However, as of now, no such application has been received.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [2:57:30].
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Noise Ordinance Update (Study Session)
The Council received a presentation on the update of the City’s Noise Ordinance. There were a few clarifying questions by Council members regarding the number of complaints received by the Police Department, the number of citations issued, and San Francisco’s enforcement process. Three members of the public spoke, of which two were Watergate residents. Council members felt that there were a number of concerns regarding enforcement and the ability of the Police Department to handle noise complaints in a viable manner under the proposed modifications. It was noted that there were really no best practices that the ordinance could model, and that the existing ordinance generally worked satisfactorily. It was suggested that an updated Noise Ordinance with measurable standards that would apply for the entire city was complicated and probably not warranted at this time. The Council referred the matter to the Public Safety Committee for further study.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [3:03:20].
Shellmound Gateway Public Art (Action Item)
The Council accepted as complete the public art installation Shellmound Gateway by Rosario Marquardt and Roberto Behar of R&R Studios, located on Shellmound Street under the Powell Street Bridge. The installation consists of tiles mounted on the bridge support columns, which are lit by LED fixtures that change colors, washing the columns with dynamic lighting effects at night.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [4:22:01].
Download the Agenda for the January 16th Council Meeting and Special Study Session.
[…] affordable housing bond measure took place during the City Council meetings of December 19, 2017, January 16, 2018, and February 6, 2018. Subsequent to these meetings, a mailer was sent to all Emeryville households […]