Resolution 14717CITY OF ALAMEDA RESOLUTION NO. 14717
ACCEPTING PARKS MASTER PLAN AND TECHNICAL
STUDIES FOR URBAN GREENING PLAN
WHEREAS, in April 2010, staff presented the City Council with a report
detailing current conditions and infrastructure needs of existing park facilities,
including the identification of a significant number of capital improvements and
renovations; and
WHEREAS, the City Council directed staff to include funding for a Park
Master Plan in the FY10 -11 budget and as a result, the FY10 -11 budget
adopted by the City Council in July 2010 included funding in the amount of
$140,000 to develop a Park Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alameda issued a Request for Qualifications for
a Park Master Plan consultant in May 2010 and ultimately selected Gates +
Associates as the preferred consultant to prepare the Park Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City also applied for and was granted a $250,000 Urban
Greening Planning Grant; and
WHEREAS, in order to maximize efficiencies and to achieve an
integrated comprehensive plan, these efforts were combined into a single
project and Gates + Associates was designated as the consultant for both
efforts; and
WHEREAS, a strategic plan was developed in order to assess how well
parks are currently serving residents, explore opportunities for community
gardens and urban agriculture, improve park facilities and overall greening of
the City, and project current as well as future park land needs based on
demographics; and
WHEREAS, Gates + Associates conducted community engagement
efforts including a phone survey of 450 residents as well as two community
workshops to gather community concerns and ideas and a created a website to
allow citizens to provide input regarding current and future park needs; and
WHEREAS, the consultants met with a large number of stakeholders to
obtain user input and provide direction for future development and provided a
detailed inventory of current facilities, noting suggested improvements and
identified possible sites for potential park locations; and
WHEREAS, the consultants conducted a detailed review of demographic
data in order to identify both current and future needs. In addition, a conceptual
drawing was developed for the Alameda Belt Line property based on input
gathered through the community engagement process. A great deal of
information was compiled during the process, including the discovery of a
shortfall of athletic fields (one full -size baseball and four rectangular fields) that
will continue to increase as development is completed at Alameda Point. The
process also revealed a great deal of community support as to the use of park
facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Park Master Plan serves as a planning and feasibility
study for possible future actions that the City has not approved, adopted or
funded; and
WHEREAS, acceptance of the Master Plan does not legally bind the City
Council, the Recreation and Parks Commission or City staff to any possible
future action; and
WHEREAS, future approval and implementation of the
recommendations in these plans would require General Plan Amendments,
amendments to the City's Municipal Code as well as the inclusion of funding in
the City's Capital Improvement Program, all of which require future public
hearings and environmental review; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Guidelines Section 15262 (Feasibility and Planning Studies), acceptance of the
Parks Master Plan is statutorily exempt from further review. Furthermore,
pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), acceptance of the Park
Master Plan is exempt from CEQA because it can be seen with certainty that
there is not possibility that the acceptance of the Plan may have a significant
effect on the physical environment, and CEQA applies only to projects that have
the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment; and
WHEREAS, the Recreation Commission reviewed the Park Master Plan
and the Urban Greening Plan in March 2012 and provided comments to staff.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City
of Alameda that the City Council accepts the Park Master Plan and Urban
Greening Plans prepared by Gates + Associates as a planning study for
possible future actions.
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly
and regularly adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a
regular meeting assembled on the 3rd day of July, 2012, by the following vote to
wit:
AYES: Councilmembers Bonta, deHaan, Johnson, Tam and
Mayor Gilmore — 5.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
ABSENTIONS: None.
IN WITNESS, WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the
official seal of said City this 5th day of July, 2012.
ra Weisiger,
City of Alameda