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2011-07-12 Special CC MinutesMINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY- -JULY 12. 2011- -7:00 P.M. Mayor Gilmore convened the meeting at 7:03 p.m. Councilmember Tam led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL — Present: Councilmembers Bonta, deHaan, Johnson, Tam and Mayor Gilmore — 5. Absent: None. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON - AGENDA (11 -372) Corinne Lambden, Alameda Citizens Task Force, discussed campaign contributions to Councilmembers from the Firefighters Union. (11 -373) Joe Van Winkle, Alameda, discussed the Alameda Junior Golf proposal to operate the Mif Albright Course. (11 -374) Gwen Austin, El Realto Home Owners Association, stated a stop sign is needed at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Central Avenue; submitted a letter and a petition. Councilmember deHaan stated the City has a traffic advisory group to address said matters, to which the City Manager could refer the matter. (11 -375) Mike Swartz, El Realto Home Owners Association, discussed accidents at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Central Avenue. (11 -376) Gretchen Lipow, Alameda, discussed campaign contributions from the Firefighters Union. (11 -377) Adam Gillitt, Alameda, submitted a document and discussed campaign contributions from the Firefighters Union; questioned why the City Manager rode on a fire truck at the 4t" of July Parade. Following the Public Comment, Vice Mayor Bonta requested staff communicate with Council on the stop sign request follow up; stated that he would like to follow the matter. Councilmember Johnson stated Council discussed an overall management plan for stop signs, which Public Works is completing; requested the status also be check. The City Manager stated staff would check on the issue and bring it back in September; with respect to the specific stop sign request, staff would inform Council via e-mail, commented on riding on the 1920 fire truck. Special Meeting Alameda City Council 1 July 12, 2011 AGENDA ITEM (11 -378) Discuss Harbor Bay Isle Associate's Proposal for Land Exchange and Funding for the Chuck Corica Golf Complex Course Improvements and New Sports Fields and Direct Staff to Negotiate with Harbor Bay and KemperSports Management. There was a discussion of Councilmember deHaan's request for Councilmembers to disclose any relevant campaign contributions and recuse themselves. The City Attorney stated that she would provide a memo to Council on the matter. The Assistant City Manager and City Manager gave a brief presentation. Tim Hoppen, Harbor Bay Isle Association, and Gary Linn, Knott & Linn, gave a brief overview of the proposal. In response to Mayor Gilmore's request to address the golfing community's concern that reconfiguration would result in less than 2 championship golf courses, Mr. Linn stated the length with the shorter par 70s offers great variety, several par 5s, and dramatically enhances the quality of the features. Councilmember Johnson stated play on the north course is heavier than the South Course for many reasons; inquired whether the proposed design changes would help equalize the play between the courses. Mr. Linn responded the South Course is not up to the quality standard of other Bay Area courses; stated conditions are a factor in use patterns; there is an opportunity to greatly enhance the quality [of the South Course]. Councilmember deHaan provided a copy of the current configuration; inquired about the current and proposed acreage of the South Course, to which Mr. Linn responded that he does not have the information, but could provide the information on the proposed acreage. In response to Councilmember deHaan's inquiry regarding the acreage of the Mif, Mr. Linn stated the new Mif would be 19'/ acres and the old Mif is about 14'/ acres. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether the new Mif would be moved to the back nine holes of the current South Course. Mr. Linn responded the new Mif would be in a portion of the front nine and part of the back nine; a little bit of both nines would be impacted. Councilmember deHaan stated Mr. Linn indicated the Mif would be opened up; inquired whether the new South Course would be opened up, to which Mr. Linn responded the new South Course would be shorter. Special Meeting Alameda City Council 2 July 12, 2011 In response to Councilmember deHaan's inquiry whether the South Course would be tighter, Mr. Linn stated not necessarily. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether a full [South] Course would be consolidated with the Mif, to which Mr. Linn responded in the affirmative. In response to Councilmember deHaan's inquiry about probably close to 30% of the acreage is being taken away, Mr. Linn stated the [South Course] end product is a course equal to the North Course, which is more popular. Councilmember deHaan stated the North Course is wide open with many amenities and a different configuration; that he is concerned about acres being taken from the South Course. Mr. Linn stated the course would be consolidated, but is within design standards. Councilmember Tam inquired whether the putting green and chipping area next to the new Norma Arnerich Teaching Center, which was included in the Wadsworth Architectural Plan, would be part of the [Harbor Bay] proposal. Mr. Hoppen responded the idea would be studied to see if the [putting and chipping] area can be incorporated into the west or north side of the Norma Arnerich Academy; stated the Mif property is roughly 14 acres; the deal calls for a swap of 12.2 acres; there is excess property; more information is needed about the practice area; if it does not work, the [putting and chipping] area could be incorporated in 19 acre redesigned Mif, which would shorten the course a little; there is also more space in the Maitland Road and Harbor Bay Parkway area. Councilmember deHaan noted said area is 3 acres at best. Vice Mayor Bonta inquired whether golf has an industry standard that all courses with more acreage are better than those with lesser acreage, to which Mr. Linn responded great golf courses are usually on great pieces of real estate; great settings make for great golf. In response to Vice Mayor Bonta's inquiry whether design matters for the golfer's experience, Mr. Linn responded absolutely. Vice Mayor Bonta inquired whether the newly designed South Course would provide for a better golf experience than the current course. Mr. Linn responded in the affirmative; stated there is an opportunity to take what is not high quality due to wear and tear and create different strategies and build new golf holes that would do so. Special Meeting Alameda City Council 3 July 12, 2011 Vice Mayor Bonta requested specifics of why the design would be better. Mr. Linn stated the course would not feel as wide open; character and quality would be added to make play an interesting experience. Councilmember Johnson inquired about the difference in play on the South Course and North Course. John Vest, KemperSports On -Site Manager, responded the South Course is down; KemperSports has been running promotions, which increased play; most tournaments want to play the North Course. In response to Councilmember Johnson's inquiry about the price of the two courses, Mr. Vest responded the price is the same. Councilmember Johnson requested the numbers of rounds for each course, to which Mr. Vest responded currently through June, the North Course rounds are 19,180; the Clark [South] Course is 18,106. In response to Councilmember Johnson's request for the same information for last fiscal year, Mr. Vest stated for the South Course there were 40,280 rounds for FY 2009 -10 and 38,376 rounds for FY 2010 -11; for the North Course for FY 2009 -10, there were 55,175 rounds and 47,683 rounds for FY 2010 -11. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether Mr. Linn's firm designs driving ranges, to which Mr. Linn responded in the affirmative. Councilmember deHaan inquired how close are driving ranges to residential; to which Mr. Linn responded ranges are unique in that fencing usually deals with distance issues; stated higher fences are built to deal with distance. Councilmember deHaan inquired how high the fence would have to be, to which Mr. Linn responded the fence at the Metropolitan is more standard, with heights up to 120 to 150 feet. Councilmember deHaan inquired about lighting for the driving range, to which Mr. Linn responded the matter, depends on the operator. In response to Councilmember deHaan's inquiry about the impacts of lights on homes, Mr. Linn stated lights could be an issue with residences so designers work to steer lights away from residences. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether there would be issues with adjacent residential, to which Mr. Linn responded the range is currently lit; for the new homes, the use would be existing and known. Special Meeting Alameda City Council 4 July 12, 2011 Jane Sullwold, Golf Commission Chair, gave a brief presentation. Mayor Gilmore inquired whether the physical design of the proposal would fit the needs of the golfing community, to which Ms. Sullwold responded at the Golf Commission meeting, there was not a consensus and people had a lot of questions; personally, she would not object to a slightly shorter Clark [South] Course; the trend in the golf industry these days is to build longer courses because the equipment has improved and people are hitting the ball farther; that she is concerned about a practice facility not being incorporated like the Wadsworth plan, which she understands is being reviewed; that she did not hear substantial objections to making the Clark [South] Course shorter. In response to Vice Mayor Bonta's inquiry about the redesign of the Mif, Ms. Sullwold stated the proposed course sounds better; the current Mif was designed by the Golf Commission and is not great; that she is relying on experts to address safety concerns; further stated that she has a question about the process for the approximately 116 houses on the current Mif site. Mayor Gilmore stated the regular planning process would be followed. Ms. Sullwold stated the biggest complaint that she heard was about the traffic impact of building the houses. The City Manager stated the Council would be authorizing staff to negotiate an MOU, which would permit Harbor Bay to submit an application to the Planning Board; the application would go through the normal planning process including California Environmental Quality Act review; traffic studies would need to be updated; the land swap would not take place until after the process is complete, including any appeals; tonight, staff is requesting direction from Council, which is a critical first step on a stalled process that has been spinning for years; there are many more steps, which all include public input, that have to be completed prior to the land swap. Ms. Sullwold stated money in the Enterprise Fund has been burned through; at the current rate, funds might not be left to sustain operations through the end of the long planning process. The City Manager stated planning staff has already reached out to the environmental consultant to ask for an expedited study; staff intends to move very quickly precisely because there is not a lot of time from the purely financial perspective. Ben Blake, KemperSports, gave a brief presentation. Vice Mayor Bonta inquired whether the project budget includes irrigation fixes on the South Course back nine, to which Mr. Blake responded in the affirmative; stated there is $1 million for the North Course and $1 million for the South Course and the Mif. Vice Mayor Bonta inquired whether the amount for the South Course includes the back Special Meeting Alameda City Council cJ July 12, 2011 nine. Mr. Blake responded in the affirmative; stated the South Course is the unknown; the irrigation pipes have asbestos, which has to be addressed. Councilmember Johnson stated it sounds like there was confusion about how much money would be invested in the project at the Golf Commission meeting; inquired whether the amount given at the meeting was $9 million or $3.5 million. Mr. Hoppen stated that Harbor Bay addressed the proposal and he shared the new Mif estimates ranged from $950,000 to $1.2 million; the amount for reconfiguration of the South Course was from $1.9 to $2.5; [adding the amounts] is how the $3.5 million was reached; the Kemper plan, phasing and budgets are above said amount. Councilmember Johnson stated everyone should understand the total contribution to the golf course would be $9 million. Mr. Blake stated KemperSports has completed a project budget which was close to $3.5 million; Mr. Linn obtained a proposal from Wadsworth Construction and the budget was nearly identical to the one prepared by KemperSports on the reconfiguration of the Mif. The City Manager stated if the two Harbor Bay and Kemper proposals are put together, $3.5 million from Harbor Bay would go towards constructing the new Mif, moving the holes and performing critical, urgent work on the North Course; the rest of the $9 million would come on a $500,000 per year basis from Kemper, the total commitment comes close to matching the National Golf Foundation's $9 million suggestion. Councilmember Johnson inquired whether the City is counting on the money from the Wadsworth Foundation for the Mif, to which Mr. Blake responded the amount is contemplated in the budget; Wadsworth has not committed to it; Kemper is committed to providing Wadsworth's three key points revolving around access, affordability and programming for juniors. Councilmember Johnson noted Wadsworth would not give the $250,000 in one lump sum. Councilmember deHaan stated the FY 2012 -13 budget includes a north drainage project of close to $2.5 million and driving range of $600,000, which is close to the $3.5 million; inquired how $1 million would be put together for the Mif and whether $1 million would result in a full, operational Mif. Mr. Blake responded $1 million is for a full, operational Mif. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether the extra $100,000 could be used to renovate the old Mif if the Wadsworth funding came in over the next 3 years. Special Meeting Alameda City Council 6 July 12, 2011 Mr. Blake responded that he does not have said numbers; Kemper did not look into said project. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether new tees, new fairways and 6 new greens would be done for $1 million, to which Mr. Blake responded in the affirmative and stated two different groups came up with the same number. In response to Councilmember deHaan's inquiry about how long it would take to get the South Course functioning, Mr. Blake responded the plan is to always have 27 holes open at all times; Kemper believes it can get each of the 9 holes done in a 12 month period; the driving range and Mif will be done at the same time because having the whole area under construction at the same time is more efficient. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether 2016 is when the South Course would be done, to which Mr. Blake responded there has been a request that the project not start until after the commuters [tournament]; although each will take 12 months, there is overlap in future years. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether the Mif and South Course would not be complete until 2016. Mr. Blake responded in the negative; stated completing contracts would take one year; the new Mif as well as the reconfiguration of nine holes of the South Course would be finished going into 2014; the plan would be to start construction right after the commuters [tournament] in 2013 and open a new Mif and nine on the South Course in April 2014. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether Kemper has estimated the revenue loss that would occur from the closures. Mr. Blake responded the projections have been completed and can be shared; there will also be a reduction in expense because holes will be out of play; Kemper believes the 27 -hole option will be manageable from a profit standpoint. The City Manager stated said issues would be dealt with in the negotiations. Councilmember Tam stated Kemper will put $500,000 into the facility over the 9 year period on top of the $3.5 million from Harbor Bay; Kemper will recapture costs over time; inquired whether less of the Harbor Bay contribution could be used up front. Mr. Blake stated his understanding is the amount of money going in up front is to get the major improvements done quickly. The City Manager stated the concept is the City would be paid $5 million for the land swap once entitlements are in place; staff thought the money should be used to pay for the new Mif and other really pressing issues at the golf course, leaving $1.5 million; Special Meeting Alameda City Council 7 July 12, 2011 looking at a use for the land swapped and after discussions with the sporting community, staff is suggesting committing to two fields at said location. Councilmember Tam stated the City can use the money however it chooses; spending 70% in the first year all on the golf course does not leave flexibility to address other pressing recreational needs in the City, such as the pool and Thomson fields. The City Manager stated if the Council wants to allocate the $5 million in a different way, he would not suggest taking the $3.5 million from golf because Council would be defeating its own policy of maintaining affordable junior golf; however, if Council does not want to use the money to construct fields on the swapped land, it could be put towards another issue. Councilmember deHaan inquired when the revenue would be generated, to which the City Manager responded the $5 million is encumbered on the entitlement and would not come to the City until the process is complete; the MOU provides Harbor Bay the legal standing to pursue the entitlements and go through the regular process; if Harbor Bay were not successful in receiving the entitlements after a certain amount of time, the deal would go away; at the time Harbor Bay transfers to a homebuilder the City transfers to Harbor Bay in the same escrow; the City only gives up the Mif when Harbor Bay pays the City $5 million. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether the City has made a determination that soccer fields are needed in the Harbor Bay area. Mayor Gilmore stated Council would discuss what to do with the land in September; the matter tonight is about the framework. Councilmember deHaan stated that he is concerned about the City swapping for land it does not need; there is plenty of land at Alameda Point. Speakers: Barbara Price, North Loop Business Group; David Bratzler, Alameda; Ron Matthews, Alameda Little League; Jim Strehlow, Alameda; Griff Neal, Alameda Youth Sports Coalition; Joe Van Winkle, Alameda; Honora Murphy, Alameda; Barbara Kahn, Alameda; Beverly Blatt, Alameda; Robert Wood, Alameda (submittal); Ron Salsig, Alameda; Jon Spangler, Alameda; Mark Ames, Alameda Soccer Club; Bill Schmitz, Golf Commission; Tony Corica, Alameda; Karen Bey, Alameda; and Bert Morgan, Alameda. During Mr. Staylow's comments, Councilmember Tam left the dais at 8:56 p.m. and returned at 8:58 p.m. Mayor Gilmore requested the City Manager to comment on the appraisals The City Manager stated both appraisals were commissioned by the City; there was no Special Meeting Alameda City Council 8 July 12, 2011 consultation with any of the other parties about selection of the appraiser; the appraiser was asked to review what the Mif value would be as fully entitled residential and the other land as entitled for residential or commercial, since residential had not been successful. The Recreation and Parks Director reviewed the appraisal numbers. The City Manager stated the differential between the two properties is $1,321,000 and the City is being offered for $5 million; the additional value for the City is profit sharing of nearly $3.7 million. Vice Mayor Bonta the fundamentals of the proposal are very strong and provide many benefits to the community, such as: continuing 36 holes rather than 27, as desired by the golfing community; honoring Council's commitment to continue to provide junior golf and doing so on a superior course, the proposal also includes numerous upgrades, renovations and improved peer reviewed designs and a capital reinvestment plan; the swap of an equal size of land has an over $3.5 million differential in the City's favor; the creative solutions allow the public to enjoy benefits; the land would provide the opportunity for an all weather facility for football, soccer and lacrosse; the proposal provides a long -term plan for a sustainable golf course; the MOU is the first proposal; that he has faith in staff to protect the City's interest. Councilmember Johnson concurred with Vice Mayor Bonta; stated for years, the City has been searching for a sustainable plan to save the golf course; there has been a significant downturn in golf; there are not a lot of golf courses where $9 million is being invested; the proposal is an opportunity for making significant improvements to both golf courses and creating a nine hole; Council would be directing staff to negotiate. Councilmember deHaan stated the vast majority of the holes intersect; the current South Course only has four holes in the area and the proposal has five and a half holes; that he is concerned about safety; Kemper previously came back with a proposal for renovating 36 holes in 10 years; the Mif was being taken care of with a funding stream in place; reviewed various development plans and sports field issues; stated the City is prostituting a good [golf] complex that it should have made successful; stated that he would like to have discussions with Kemper about its other 36 hole proposal. Councilmember Tam stated the Council wants the golf course to stay open and sustainable; the City is going through hard times and has to be creative in dealing with a deteriorating facility with a lot of deferred maintenance; the concept being proposed is worth exploring; the City should look at moving forward with negotiations; that she would like certain items addressed during negotiations: the timing of the City getting the $5 million; the prospective homebuilder should be included; funds should be available simultaneously upon approval of entitlements; that she would like to see plans for the sports fields, the South Course and Mif be completed as soon as possible; that she would like more information on Kemper's contribution based on information Kemper provided on January 25t ", in terms of cost recovery and rate of returns. Special Meeting Alameda City Council 9 July 12, 2011 Mayor Gilmore stated the only reason the proposal is being considered is because the City would be getting cash for renovating the golf course, constructing fields or doing something else; the cash is driving the discussion; that she is concerned and does not have confidence about the money; that she understands there is no transfer until the City gets the money; working out a deal will take a certain amount of time; then, it will take another period of time to go through the entitlement process; questioned how the City would have money to do [golf] operations in the meantime; cash is contingent on getting a homebuilder to buy the property; she wants assurances that the homebuilder can pay, such as a balance sheet; the escrow should have milestones for releasing the funds; that she does not want to end up in a dispute with Harbor Bay or the potential homebuilder; Section 4.2 of the MOU proposed by Harbor Bay gives Harbor Bay entirely too much discretion; the proposed MOU attempts to bind the City while Harbor Bay gets rights to walk away; there is no unconditional obligation to pay the City; the City gets paid if Harbor Bay sells the land to a homebuilder and if Harbor Bay is happy with the entitlements; for her, everything is conditional on the amount of money the City gets; questioned what rights the City gets under the MOU, which is more like a letter of intent; stated the details are not going to be hammered out until the settlement purchase agreement referenced [in the MOU]. Councilmember Johnson stated Council has given consistent direction to maintain affordable golf for juniors; a monthly pass should be kept for residents; there should be a greater differential between residents and non - residents [fees], which cannot be done under current conditions; further stated if the proposal works out and the golf course is in better condition, more people will be willing to pay non - resident fees; that she hopes play is increased overall and leveled out between the North Course and South Course. Mayor Gilmore stated the City should be very clear about what it is getting out of the deal; someone brought up profit sharing as part of the deal, which could be a very attractive mechanism for replacing the fields down the road and building a fund for golf course future capital improvements. Councilmember deHaan stated Kemper previously included profit sharing. Mayor Gilmore clarified that she meant profit sharing with the homebuilder. Councilmember deHaan stated a decision tonight is telling the community the Council believes the Mif could be developed into residential; the Planning Board is going to think the Council is willing to have the area become residential; that he does not want to give said impression; the normal planning process is to come to Council after the Planning Board. Mayor Gilmore questioned what the Plan B would be if the entitlements are not forthcoming. Vice Mayor Bonta stated the regulatory process would be followed; noted no other Special Meeting Alameda City Council 10 July 12, 2011 artificial fields would be coming on line anytime soon; artificial fields are the top priority of the youth sports community. Mayor Gilmore inquired what staff is looking for tonight. The City Manager responded the conversation has been very helpful and has provided open, public direction about what staff should incorporate [in negotiations]; staff is looking for a motion directing staff to pursue the basic concept of sale of the Mif Albright Course for sufficient revenue to generate the new Mif Albright Course as well as enough funds to begin the process of addressing capital for other youth sports needs; staff would come back in September with a proposal about how to handle North Loop Road; staff will negotiate a MOU; staff would like direction to pursue negotiations and the matter will come back for another public hearing and a vote on the agreed upon MOU; a separate item will come back about the on going relationship with Kemper; and the third item would be how to handle the youth sports element. Mayor Gilmore inquired whether Council is being asked to make a decision about the land swap tonight. The City Manager responded in the negative; stated a decision cannot be made on the swap tonight; staff is looking for direction to go negotiate. Mayor Gilmore stated that she is not sure the MOU will give her the level of detail that will make her comfortable. The City Manager stated more detail will be in the MOU [when it returns]; Harbor Bay cannot go to the Planning Board without the MOU; the MOU will not commit the City to anything other than a good faith attempt to move forward with the process; a final purchase agreement will have to be reached after going through the process. Mayor Gilmore inquired whether the golf course would continue to operate as is during the process, to which the City Manager responded in the affirmative; stated the land trade and the $5 million is at least a year off. Mayor Gilmore stated that she is concerned about how golf operations will be funded during said time; inquired whether there could be a funding mechanism while the money is escrow. The City Manager stated the City would have discussions with Kemper between now and the property sale about how to proceed. Councilmember Tam stated Kemper is relying on the Harbor Bay piece; inquired how the City can get the financial guarantees it needs. The City Manager responded if the Harbor Bay proposal does not go through, there would not be $3.5 million to move the Mif, reconfigure the course and fix irrigation; how Special Meeting Alameda City Council 11 July 12, 2011 long improvements would take in said event would depend on the deal with Kemper; the needs of the golf course exceed the funds from the Harbor Bay deal; stability has to be created for the next 20 years to prevent the matter [golf course operations] from returning in several years; changes have to be made in order to keep the excellent 45 hole facility; Councilmember deHaan stated 60 days ago there was a proposal for Kemper and Junior Golf to go forward; the only thing the City gets out of the proposal is $1.5 million for an artificial turf field; the money might not be there; if the proposal does not go forward within a year, the Wadsworth funds will be gone. The City Manager noted $250,000 [from Wadsworth] would not solve the [golf capital needs] problem. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether Ron Cowan [Harbor Bay] has to sell assets to get the $5 million, to which the City Manager responded that his focus is not on Ron Cowan's background. Vice Mayor Bonta moved approval of providing direction to staff to move in the direction outlined by the City Manager. In response to Mayor Gilmore's request for clarification, Vice Mayor Bonta stated the direction is to negotiate and come back in September with a proposed MOU with Harbor Bay with more detailed concepts, a proposed lease agreement with KemperSports and a concept to pursue sports fields on North Loop Road; the MOU, the sports field concept and lease agreement should have the key concepts in the staff report. Councilmember Johnson seconded the motion. Under discussion, Councilmember Johnson inquired when the details would address ensuring affordable junior golf. The City Manager responded that he would ask the Council to give staff policy direction right now that the negotiations with both parities should ensure the preservation of affordable and assessable golf for juniors and senior citizens. Vice Mayor Bonta accepted the suggestion as an amendment to the motion. Councilmember Johnson stated that she would like to add residents to the list. Vice Mayor Bonta agree to accept said amendment, too. Councilmember Johnson seconded the amended motion. Mayor Gilmore stated three things are coming back in September; inquired whether there would be a Kemper agreement that would be independent of the other pieces, to Special Meeting Alameda City Council 12 July 12, 2011 which the City Manager responded in the affirmative; stated the items are related but not bound. Vice Mayor Bonta inquired whether the City would continue to have an operational golf course with 45 holes while the [Harbor Bay] project goes through the regulatory process, to which the City Manager responded in the affirmative. Councilmember deHaan inquired how many votes are required under the Charter since the proposal involves a land transfer. The City Attorney responded a written memorandum on the matter would be provided. Councilmember deHaan inquired whether the clarification would be provided prior to September, to which the City Attorney responded in the affirmative. The City Manager noted the direction tonight only requires three votes; it may be that the land transfer may require four votes depending on the reading of the Charter. Mayor Gilmore inquired whether the vote tonight does not bind the City to anything other than directing staff to go forward and negotiate, to which the City Manager responded in the affirmative. On the call for the question, the motion carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Councilmembers Bonta, Johnson, Tam and Mayor Gilmore - 4. Noes: Councilmember deHaan — 1. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Gilmore adjourned the meeting at 10:29 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lara Weisiger City Clerk The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Brown Act. Special Meeting Alameda City Council 13 July 12, 2011