The City of EmeryvilleThe City of Emeryville provides a monthly progress report outlining significant developments and milestones that occurred throughout the period. Among the highlights for the two council meetings conducted during the month of July include the annual “State of the City” address given by the Mayor. Also of note in the highlights is the revelation that Novartis may be seeking to sell its Emeryville property in the wake of 140 announced employee layoffs.
The city also noted reports of several fires at the vacant and blighted ‘Nady’ building in Northern Emeryville. The property was subsequently “red-tagged” and a Notice and Order to rehabilitate or demolish the property was sent to the owners. The site has languished since Anton Development withdrew plans to develop the site into a 186 unit apartment complex amid environmental cleanup concerns.
Also of note in the ‘Meetings & Contacts’ section of the report is an inquiry by the Vancouver-based Onni Group in developing the ‘Gateway Site’ at Powell & Christie where Wells Fargo Bank and Denny’s is.
Please note that the summaries provided below are taken directly from the text of these reports.
July Highlights of The Month
The City Council reappointed Christine Scott Thomson to a three-year term on the Planning Commission, appointed C. Tito Young to a three-year term to fill the seat vacated by Philip Banta, and appointed Jonathan Hidalgo to a one-year term to fill the seat vacated by Sam Kang.
The Council approved the Ocean View Townhomes project, a three-unit residential building at 1270 Ocean Avenue that will replace an existing residential unit.
The Council approved a cannabis tax measure for the November 2018 election ballot. The Council considered the Draft Final Parking Management Plan, directed that further revisions be made, and continued it to the September 17 Council meeting.
The Council considered an informational report on the Police Administration Building, accepted the Building Official’s determination that the building is code-compliant, and directed that no further action is to be taken at this time.
The three finalist development teams for the Art Center were interviewed on July 16 by a staff panel and a “blue ribbon” community panel of subject matter experts, facilitated by the Mayor.
Following up on last year’s successful event, a second 8-hour training session on Lead-Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting was held on July 11 at ECCL, in conjunction with the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department. About 30 community members were in attendance.
Novartis announced that it would be ending its antibacterial and antiviral research programs based in Emeryville, which will result in the layoff of about 140 employees, and will be selling its Emeryville property to a developer, who will hopefully build out the approved entitlements.
There were several fires in July in the vacant structures on the “Nady Site” at 6701 Shellmound Street. The property was subsequently “red-tagged” and posted as unsafe to enter or occupy, and a Notice and Order to rehabilitate or demolish the property was sent to the owners.
View the entire progress report on Emeryville.org →
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July 10th Council Meeting
State of the City Address (Action Item)
Mayor Bauters presented the annual State of the City Address, highlighting the City Council’s goals, accomplishments of the past year, and initiatives for the future.
The presentation deck can be viewed below and Mayor Bauters’ presentation can be watched above at [5:19].
Planning Commission Appointments (Action Item)
The Council considered appointments to the Planning Commission to fill the seats of Christine Scott Thomson, whose terms expired on June 30, 2018; Philip Banta, who previously resigned and whose term also expired on June 30, 2018; and Sam Kang, who resigned effective June 30, 2018, but whose term does not expire until June 30, 2019. The Council reappointed Commissioner Thomson for a three-year term expiring on June 30, 2021; appointed C. Tito Young to fill Commissioner Banta’s seat, also for a three-year term expiring on June 30, 2021; and appointed Jonathan Hidalgo to fill Commissioners Kang’s seat, for a one-year term expiring on June 30, 2019. Commissioners Thomson and Young live in Emeryville, and so are resident representatives on the Commission, while Commissioner Hidalgo lives in Oakland and works for an environmental firm in Emeryville, so he will serve as a business representative.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [47:19].
Other Committee Appointments (Action Item)
The Council also considered appointments to other committees. Those staffed by the Community Development Department include the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC), the Housing Committee, and the Public Art Committee (PAC). For the EDAC, the Council reappointed William Reuter to the Resident seat, Alexandria LaRoche to the Large Business seat, Marilyn Boucher and Mary Lou Thiercof to the Small Business seats, and Traci Young to the Non-Profit Business seat. For the Housing Committee, the Council appointed Ryan Greenberg, and reappointed Lawrence (“Buzz”) Cardoza, Marchelle Huggins, and Ed Treuting. For the PAC, the Council reappointed Judith Wetterer to the Business Representative seat, and Edythe Bresnahan and Sharon Wilchar to the Resident seats.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [1:17:14].
40th Street and San Pablo Avenue Medians (Consent Item)
The Council approved a contract with Callander Associates, a landscape architecture firm, for the redesign of plantings in the 40th Street and San Pablo Avenue medians. This replanting work is associated with the “Estrella Vista” affordable housing project at 3706 San Pablo Avenue. The project received an Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant, which required housing projects to include a transportation project component. The AHSC grant provides $5.4 million for the affordable housing project, $32,400 for transit passes for residents of the project, and $100,000 for the median improvements.
Rent and Income Limits (Consent Item)
The Council approved the 2018 Housing Affordability Table, which is used to determine 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 includes a total of 853 below market rate (BMR) units.
CDBG Annual Agreement (Consent Item)
The Council approved an agreement with Alameda County for the administration of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for Fiscal Year 2018-19. The agreement provides for $75,401 of CDBG funding, which will be used for the Countywide Homeless Management Information System, the Emeryville Meals-On-Wheels Program, and the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Program.
Bus Left Turn Lane (Consent Item)
The Council approved a joint letter to Caltrans from the City of Emeryville and AC Transit encouraging them to consider a proposed bus-only left turn lane from westbound Powell Street onto the westbound I-80 on-ramp to facilitate faster transbay bus service. The letter had been requested by AC Transit and City representatives at the last Interagency Liaison Committee meeting on June 18.
Tanium Sign Noise Waiver (Public Hearing)
The Council approved a noise waiver for Arrow Sign Company on Saturday, July 21, 2018 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to facilitate the installation of two high-rise identification signs at 2100 Powell Street.
Revenue Measures (Action Item)
The Council considered potential revenue measures for the November 6, 2018 ballot and directed that a measure for a business license tax on cannabis businesses be developed.
Download the July 10th Council Meeting Agenda →
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July 24th Council Meeting
Ocean View Townhomes (Public Hearing)
The Council approved an application to demolish an existing home and replace it with a three-unit residential building at 1270 Ocean Avenue. One member of the public raised concerns about demolishing an existing single-family home, the lack of family friendly housing in the city, and the removal and replacement of existing street trees. The Council vote on the project was 4-1, with Council Member Patz voting “no”.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [43:12].
Cannabis Tax (Action Item)
The Council passed a resolution to put a measure relating to a business license tax on cannabis businesses on the ballot for the general municipal election on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [1:12:06].
Parking Management Plan (Parking Management)
The Council reviewed the Draft Final Parking Management Plan, prepared in response to Council direction at a study session held on June 19. The Plan establishes paid parking in most areas of the City. The City Council provided comment on the Draft Final Plan and asked staff to incorporate changes into a revised Draft Final Plan for consideration at the September 17 Council meeting.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [1:40:47].
Police Administration Building (Action Item)
The Council considered a report on options for improvements to public access at the Police Administration Building at 2449 Powell Street. These options were developed to enhance customer service at the facility, and in response to a citizen’s allegations that egress from the second-floor lobby was not code-compliant. After considering the report, including the Chief Building Official’s determination that there were no code violations at the facility, the Council directed that no further action be taken at this time.
The discussion for this item can be viewed above at [3:37:35].
Download the July 24th Council Meeting Agenda →
[…] elected commissioners. Tito Young and Jonathan Hidalgo were both appointed by our City Council at the July 12 meeting to terms running until 2020. In addition, current Commissioner Christine Thomson had her term […]