Planning board reviews golf course beautification project
On April 24, City Council held its second public workshop on developing a three-year Strategic Plan. The workshop reviewed a revised draft Vision Statement, priority areas, and priority projects which will inform the upcoming budget process.
[1]Draft priority areas
The City’s strategic planning consultant, CivicMakers, [2] presented five draft priority areas based on results from the previous Strategic Plan workshop [3]:
- Enhance Community Safety and Services.
- Invest in Transportation and Infrastructure.
- Build Resilience to Climate Change and Water Level Rise.
- House All Alamedans.
- Practice Fiscally Responsible and Inclusive Governance.
Council agreed on these priorities, with Councilmember Herrera Spencer asking that the issue of addressing homelessness be explicitly spelled out in the fourth priority.
Revised draft Vision Statement
CivicMakers presented the following revised draft Vision Statement based on input from Council, the City’s Executive Management Team, and City staff in focus groups.
Alamedans of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds are supported and engaged in meaningful community and civic opportunities to continually make Alameda a better place to live. Alameda is a place where children, families, and seniors thrive, and new households are welcomed into our community. We celebrate and embrace our most important asset – our people – in everything we do.
Alameda is a low-crime community thanks to our well-resourced public safety and supportive services. Residents are proud to have safe, beautiful, clean outdoor spaces for play and recreation, as well as high-quality schools, libraries, businesses, restaurants, public events, and art that reflect the vibrancy of their neighborhoods. Alamedans can afford housing that meets their needs, and those who are unhoused or at risk of being unhoused can access the services they need.
Residents and visitors have a variety of accessible transportation options, including walking, biking, and public transit, in addition to cars, to get them safely to more destinations in the City and across the Bay Area, which reduces local traffic congestion and accidents. One of our biggest projects, Alameda Point, is becoming a fully activated community and contributes to the economic, cultural and recreational landscape of the entire City.
All Councilmembers, including the Mayor and Vice Mayor, offered tweaks to the language, which CivicMakers will incorporate into the next draft.
[4]
Priority projects
Council reviewed and discussed lengthy lists of projects proposed by City staff in each priority area. The following projects were those prioritized by at least three of five Councilmembers.
Enhance Community Safety and Services:
- Develop an Emergency Water Supply Plan.
- Expand the ARPD tiny tot program [5].
- Install red light cameras at certain intersections.
- Design and construct the City Aquatic Center [6].
- Expand City View Skate Park [7].
- Create and implement the Vision Zero [8] Rapid Response Plan.
- Implement inspection and investigation services for prosecution, public rights, and rent programs.
- Evaluate Alameda Police Department facilities for security and seismic resiliency.
- Implement a police officer hiring incentive program and provide an annual report.
- Implement Safe Routes to School [9] physical improvements.
- Reimagine and update community library spaces.
Invest in Transportation and Infrastructure:
- Plan and fund a Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge [10].
- Fund and design the Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific corridor project [11].
- Assess bicycle, pedestrian, and traffic signal safety improvements on Mecartney Road.
- Plan redundant and resilient City communication networks.
- Construct Central Avenue safety improvements, including roundabouts and bike lanes.
- Upgrade traffic signal system technology.
- Rehabilitate eight miles of sewer pipes.
- Construct low-stress bicycle network, pedestrian safety, and traffic-calming projects.
- Perform storm drain and lagoon improvements.
- Improve Civic Center Garage safety.
Build Resilience to Climate Change and Water Level Rise:
- Inventory greenhouse gases and update the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan [12].
- Expand electric vehicle charging availability, including in City-owned public parking.
- Promote and build green stormwater infrastructure systems.
- Participate in regional coordination of San Leandro Bay adaptation strategies.
- Develop Webster-Posey Tube flood protection and fund with other lead agencies.
House All Alamedans:
- Coordinate with Alameda Food Bank for relocation.
- Negotiate and develop the West Midway project.
- Revise Universal Design Ordinance to address townhome projects.
- Request a proposal for housing at Alameda Point along Central Avenue.
- Review Americans with Disabilities Act ordinance, utilization, and fees.
- Implement and coordinate Dignity Village [13] supportive services and management.
- Provide shelter and supportive services for people who are homeless.
Practice Fiscally Responsive and Inclusive Governance:
- Develop and implement a municipal fiscal resilience plan.
- Implement increased cybersecurity measures.
- Improve and streamline design review and building permit processes for housing.
What’s next
CivicMakers and City staff will conduct employee and community engagement events through May to solicit further feedback on the draft Vision Statement, priorities, and projects. By June, the City will finalize its work plans and integrate chosen priorities into the City’s budget.
Planning Board review of Golf Course Beautification Project
In other City business, the Planning Board reviewed a Corica Park Golf Course Fire Tower Beautification Project. The project is a mural on all sides of the tower and a landscape and fencing plan that creates a gathering space surrounding the tower. The space will not be open to walk into, but the public can schedule its use.
[14]Pursuant to its lease with the city, Greenway Golf Associates, the golf course operator, must renovate the fire tower and surrounding area as the tower is currently an eyesore, and it is more expensive to demolish the building than to beautify it and leave it in place. The Board unanimously accepted the landscaping plan but rejected the mural design as being “too psychedelic.” The Board directed Greenway Golf to return with designs that are more conservative and subtle, from which they will choose one.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post [15]. Contact her via [email protected] [16]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen [17] and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen [18].