New Zoning for North Park Street District Goes to Council

The "gateway" area of Alameda around Park Street north of Lincoln was once known as a neighborhood for auto dealers, but the car sellers are gone and the city has spent the past few years putting together a new plan for the district.

With input from design consultants, city staff, the Park Street Business Association, the Planning Commission, residents, public hearings and an environmental impact report (EIR), the plan goes to the City Council for a public hearing and possible adoption on April 2.

The plan consists largely of zoning changes in a swath of the city shaped like the prow of a ship pointing southeast. It has three borders: Oak Street on the northwest, the estuary on the northeast and the diagonal line made by Lincoln/Tilden on the southeast. (See attached map.)

A staff report to the council traces planning to 2007 and 2008 when the "Gateway District Strategic Plan" was formulated as "a redevelopment concept for the commercial 'gateway' blocks along Park Street between the Estuary and Lincoln Avenue/Tilden Way to revitalize the area which was impacted by the closure of the auto dealerships."

The report describes the plan now before the council as "a comprehensive zoning update for the area." The current zoning includes a large amount of industrial area, as well as commercial and auto-related zones in addition to limited residential space.

The prosposed plan has five zoning districts that define new boundaries for commercial, residential and manufacturing areas. At the commercial heart would be the "Gateway" district along five blocks of Park between Lincoln and Blanding designed as a "pedestrian oriented retail commercial district," according to the report.

The report is from City Manager John Russo, Community Development Director Lori Taylor and City Planner Andrew Thomas.

The council agenda item on the issue consists of three parts:

1. a public hearing on the final EIR for the plan
2. proposed amendments to the Municipal Code
3. amendments to the city Design Manual

The city staff expects relatively smooth sailing for the plan in the wake of extensive public input and revisions, according to the staff report.

"Given the large number of public hearings and the extensive input from the Planning Board, the Park Street Business Association, the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society, and the residents and businesses in the plan area, staff is confident that the recommended documents are generally supported by all the interested parties and property owners," the report says.

However, the report adds, staff also expects that some speakers at the council meeting may request changes around specific issues, such as height limits, for example. 

"The draft Zoning Ordinance reduces the height limits on Park Street from 100 feet to 60 feet," the report says. "(The height limit along the rest of the Park Street commercial district is 60 feet.) Some speakers requested that the Planning Board reduce the height from 100 feet to 40 feet." 

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers. The meeting's full agenda, with links to the staff report and other documents on the North Park Street district plan, are included in the online agenda.

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