The City of Emeryville provides a monthly progress report outlining significant developments and milestones that occurred throughout the period. Among these highlights from meetings conducted on July 11th and 25th are a proposed  update the City’s noise ordinance, a Cannabis Study Session and ongoing Budget discussions including proposed cuts and revenue enhancements.

Please note that the summaries provided are taken directly from the text of these reports.

July Highlights of the Month:

The Fair Workweek Ordinance took effect on July 1, with a “soft roll-out” involving enforcement and investigation of complaints, but deferring the imposition of fines until January 1, 2018 to allow employers to develop systems for compliance with the ordinance and regulations. Meanwhile, staff and consultants continued the development of draft regulations, holding four open forums, including a live web stream format, and posting the draft regulations on the City’s website.

Also on July 1, the annual minimum wage increase took effect. The new rates are $15.20 per hour for large businesses and $14.00 per hour for small businesses. Notices and posters were mailed and emailed to businesses and posted on the City’s website.

The City Council held a study session on cannabis-related activities, adopting regulations to govern the issuance of Operator’s Permits to cannabis dispensaries/retail outlets and giving direction on preparation of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The RFQ will be brought back to the Council for approval on September 5.

The Council approved funding agreements with the Alameda County Transportation Commission for five transportation projects totaling $4.18 million.

On July 10, staff was notified that “Rotten City – Emeryville” has been designated as one of 14 initial California Cultural Districts. The announcement was made public by the California Arts
Council on July 13, and the Mayor announced the news at a press conference on the steps of Old Town Hall on Friday, July 14.

The long-anticipated East Bay Bike Share program, “Ford GoBike” operated by Motivate, was officially launched on July 11, with the Mayor presiding at a press conference on the steps of Old Town Hall and a ribbon-cutting for the adjacent bike share station on Park Avenue.

Miguel Guerrero, who was appointed to the Planning Commission by the City Council on June 20, was seated at the Planning Commission meeting on July 27 and will be sworn in at the next meeting on August 24. The Commission also presented a resolution of appreciation to outgoing Commissioner Lawrence C. (“Buzz”) Cardoza for over 11 years of service on the Commission.

View the entire progress report on Emeryville.org →

June 11th Council Meeting:

Budget (Study Session/Action Item)

The City Council held a study session on municipal bonding capacity as a means of enhancing the City’s revenue, including the various types of bonds that are available. Later during the regular meeting, the Council discussed the budget for fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 and gave direction to staff to provide additional information at the next meeting.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [00:33].

The discussion for the Budget Planning Discussion can be viewed above at [02:00:28].

Alameda County Transportation Commission Project Funding Agreements (Consent Item)

The Council approved agreements with the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) for funding of five projects awarded grants through ACTC’s 2018 Comprehensive Investment Plan. In early 2017, staff coordinated the preparation and submittal of applications for seven projects and programs to ACTC. In April, ACTC notified staff that five applications would be awarded a total of $4.18 million in funds from Measures B and BB, Transportation Funds for Clean Air (TFCA) and Vehicle Registration Fee (VRF), including:

• $2 million for the South Bayfront Bridge in Fiscal Year 2017-18
• $500,000 per year for Fiscal Years 2017-18 and 2018-19 for the general benefit portion of the Property Based Improvement District for the Emery Go-Round
• $930,000 for the North Hollis Parking and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategy in Fiscal Year 2018-19
• $180,000 for installation of three additional bike share stations west of Shellmound Street and linked to the regional bike share system
• $35,000 per year for Fiscal Years 2017-18 and 2018-19 for the operations of the “8 to Go” door to door paratransit service

Housing Affordability Table (Consent Item)

The Council approved the 2017 Housing Affordability Table, which is used to provide the maximum sales prices and gross rent levels that are eligible under the City’s Affordable Housing Program. The table is derived from income limits published annually by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The rent and sales price limitations apply to the City’s growing inventory of affordable housing, which currently totals 903 units, including 236 ownership units and 667 rental units.

Bike Share Stations (Consent Item)

The Council reviewed new six bike share locations, in addition to the three that have already been installed. The Council approved the proposed locations at 53rd Street at Hollis Street, Stanford Avenue at Hollis Street, Doyle Street at 59th Street, 65th Street at Hollis Street, and Christie Avenue at Shellmound Street. As to the proposed location at 59th Street at Horton Street, the Council directed staff to work with the applicant and neighbors to find a more suitable off-street location in close proximity to the Amtrak station.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [01:15:16].

Public Market Noise Waiver (Public Hearing)

The Council considered a noise waiver request to allow construction on all Saturdays between late July and early November on the new streets at the Public Market. The request was continued to the next meeting on July 25 to allow the applicant to work out issues with the residents of the adjacent EMME apartments.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [01:26:17].

Small Business Joint Study Session Recap (Action Item)

The Council received a presentation summarizing the comments made during the Small Business Joint Study Session of the City Council and Planning Commission on May 16, and gave direction to staff for follow-up actions. The Council voiced support for marketing the city as a destination and moving forward with parking management. Consensus of the Council was that staff should organize more business networking events, perhaps on a quarterly basis. The Council also voiced support for business liaison/ombudsman services but noted that the restrictions of the current fiscal environment make funding this as an independent position infeasible at present.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [03:49:20].

The Agenda for the June 11th meeting can be viewed here →

June 25th Council Meeting:

Cannabis Study Session

The Council held a study session on cannabis-related activities, responding to a number of questions posed by staff and adopting regulations to govern the issuance of Operator’s Permits to cannabis dispensaries/retail outlets. After reviewing a draft Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and recent changes to state law, the Council gave staff direction regarding the goals to be expressed in the RFQ, the weighting of scoring categories for evaluating responses to the RFQ, and guidance regarding non-storefront retail cannabis businesses (i.e. direct sales or delivery). The RFQ will be modified as directed by Council and will be brought back to the Council for approval on September 5.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [08:15].

1264 Ocean Avenue (Consent Item)

The Council passed a resolution authorizing the City Engineer to approve plans and specifications for the abatement of the dilapidated house at 1264 Ocean Avenue and authorized the City Manager to advertise for bids for the work.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [02:08:24].

Public Market Noise Waiver (Public Hearing)

The Council again considered the noise waiver request that had been continued from July 11 and approved it with two modifications: the beginning time was changed from 9 am to 10 am, and all streets adjacent to the EMME apartments were removed from Saturday work. The vote was 3-2, with Councilmembers Medina and Patz voting no.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [02:20:50].

Noise Ordinance (Action Item)

The Council approved a contract with Environmental Science Associates to update the City’s noise ordinance for an amount not to exceed $62,000.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [02:45:58].

Budget (Action Item)

The Council considered various budget options and directed staff to prepare a budget for fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 with a number of revenue enhancements and expenditure reductions, including the layoff of two staff members of the Economic Development and Housing Division in the second year. A draft budget based on this direction will be brought back to the Council on September 5.

The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [03:15:36].

Time Extension for Affordable Housing Development

The City Council, sitting as the Housing Successor to the Emeryville Redevelopment Agency, approved a five-year extension to develop three properties located at 5890-5900 Christie Avenue, 6150 Christie Avenue, and 3602 Adeline Street/1122 36th Street for low- and moderate-income housing. Under Senate Bill 341, development of properties identified as housing assets must begin within five years of the date of transfer to the Housing Successor or be sold. This time period may be extended by five years by resolution of the City Council. For the properties in question, the deadline is September 1, 2017. The property at 5890-5900 Christie Avenue is currently being utilized by the City as a temporary corporation yard, and this use is expected to continue beyond September 1, 2017. Additionally, because 6150 Christie Avenue is adjacent to 5890-5900 Christie Avenue, these sites should be developed together as one project. Finally, the property at 3602 Adeline/1122 36th Street is a small site located mostly in Oakland, and a neighboring property owner’s improvements are encroaching onto the property. Because of these factors, development of this property is expected to be complex and will also require additional time beyond September 1, 2017.

The Agenda for the June 11th meeting can be viewed here →