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ViewPoint

General Plan Update Previewed by Planning Commmision, Council

John VanLandingham
Connection Staff
April 2008

The words “balanced” and “connected” are liberally sprinkled throughout a preliminary draft of Emeryville’s new general plan reviewed at a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission on March 22nd.The result of nearly four years of work by residents volunteering their time to consult with staff, experts, business representatives and others, the draft, officially titled the “Draft Plan Framework,” represents the first of many steps before the city’s existing plan will be updated.

It is intended to guide Emeryville’s growth to through the first quarter of the 21st century, addressing everything from 100-foot-tall buildings and views of the Bay to traffic and more park sites. By then over 16,000 people are expected to be living in the one-square-mile city.

Central to this plan, which is expected to be finalized by the end of this year, is maintaining an economically viable city that can continue to support increasingly-expensive municipal services and amenities residents and businesses have come to expect.

Planning Commissioner Patricia Jeffery, who is also a member of the General Plan Update Steering Committee, remarked that the plan was not only about Emeryville physically, but fiscally. Great attention was devoted to making the plan promote and enhance the city’s bottom line so it would remain viable.

Last month’s meeting was only the first glimpse of the proposed plan update, according to consultant Daniel Iacofano, who said the Steering Committee still has to refine many of the elements including land use, urban design, sustainability and updating the zoning regulations to conform to the updated general plan.

The housing element is being considered separately and is on a different time track, according to Planning Director Charlie Bryant.

A further refinement of the plan will go to the Planning Commission, probably this summer, and subsequently to the City Council for final review and adoption. A study of the plan’s environmental effects must be prepared and approved by year’s end.

Copies of a condensed version of the plan and graphics showing how the city likely would look under the plan’s guidelines will be on display through April in the first floor of City Hall along with comment cards for residents.

A set of 10 draft guiding principles or the platform for the final plan’s detailed policies were attached to the draft presented last month. The words “balanced” and “connected” appear throughout them, emphasizing the importance that the Steering Committee places on creating a harmonious city.

Under “Enhanced and Connected Open Space Networks and Green Streets,” the draft states that “open space is strategically located to maximize accessibility” and buildings will be designed to ensure maximum sunlight.

It also states “residents will be able to access stores, offices, the waterfront or regional transit networks without needing a car.”

One goal is for a park or open space area to be within a five-minute walk of all residents. Thirteen potential new park sites, several of them building on existing parks, were identified in the plan.

The principle “A diverse, balanced and inclusive community” states that “the plan supports increased residential development to provide a more balanced use mix.”

Another principle notes Emeryville’s position as a regional destination, “the city will increasingly emphasize stores and amenities that serve local needs while ensuring fiscal health and sustainable economy.”

Some discussion at the March 22nd Study Session focused on high-rise buildings and the Steering Committee could not reach a consensus on the heights for some buildings in the northwest area near the Ashby- Shellmound Interchange, and well as the southwest section, much of which overlaps into Oakland.

Iacofano said that there would be a “logical transition” between high- rise and smaller buildings. The plan does not call for placing a one- or two-story building next to a six-story structure.

Council member Nora Davis asked for clarification of the guideline “An Imageable and Memorable City.”

Iacofano likened it to outsiders’ images of San Francisco with its scenic hills and landmarks such as Coit Tower. Not that Emeryville wants to be another San Francisco, but create an indelible image in residents’ and visitors’ memories that they can come away with after having been around town.

John VanLandingham is a writer for The Emeryville Connection. Contact him at ecocnews@gmail.com.