Remote Public Comments, Live Animal Testing, Teacher Housing and Monetary Issues Also On Agenda
A major focus of the City Council Dec. 19th meeting will center on whether or not to enter into an “Exclusive Negotiating Agreement” (ENA) to someday build a large, indoor Performing Arts Center (PAC) with “Little House Opera Inc.” local community arts and music enterprise.
While many may not have heard of the entity’s formal business name, thousands of performers, event goers and vendors have enjoyed Little House’s offerings at Alameda’s cool and up-trending “Radium Runways” assemblages.
Little House seeks to build upon what is now a parking lot, directly across the street from The Alameda Naval Air Museum and ‘kiddie corner’ to Almanac Brewing.
If the proposal is approved as presented, The City will receive a non-refundable payment of $10,000 in exchange for allowing Little House to be the sole land use entity to negotiate for property use for one year.
In that regard, Little House will, over a time period not specified in the ENA, present
a Final Development Plan to be approved by the Planning Board, a Phasing Plan, a Milestone Schedule, and a Financing Plan, over which the City Manager will have final say.
The financial piece of the proposal states that Little House “shall provide evidence,
satisfactory to City, of the development team’s financial ability to undertake and successfully complete the proposed Project,” indicating that substantive ball park costs to Little House have not yet been determined.
Little House seeks a twelve month period to explore those factors, pending a go ahead by the city for twelve months, each of which can be extended by approval of The Council for up to two more, three month extensions.
(For more on base redevelopment, Little House’s call for the PAC, and lease vacancies, see: https://alamedaneighborhoodsnews.org/city-hosts-tour-seeking-to-fill-commercial-vacancies-at-alameda-point/ )
The Council will also consider finalizing a Draft City Ordiance prohibiting animal testing or experimentation, an at at the time informal policy consideration that came up when Alameda corporation, “Science, ” was denied a request to expand its facility to Alameda Point and lease a massive, vacant hangar there.
Opposition to animal testing required for the company’s research into creating brain implants to help the blind and other neurological maladies as ALS stemmed from allegations of painful animal deaths in its research, though the FDA requires live animal testing for the company’s research.
The pushback appears to have been spearheaded by an organization known as “The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine” that reportedly sponsored a pre-fab letter writing campaign to influence one or more council members.
In a slight twist of irony, those wishing to weigh in remotely to comment on matters that come before the council during public session will be able to hear what is said but not say anything after some persons made remote “hate speech,” anti-semitic comments at the November 7th Council Meeting.
The council will rexamine that temporary input block under an agenda item titled: “Direction to Staff to Allow Remote Public Participation under Oral Communications, Non-Agenda (Public Comment) and Clarify who has Authority to Make Such Decisions in the Future. (Councilmember Herrera Spencer) “
The council will also be take up other ‘money on the table’ issues, with around $9 million at stake to pay its obligations for the city’s share of The Redevelopment Property Tax Trust Fund (RPTTF).
The Council will look at approval of a nuts and bolts Required Obligation Payment Schedule (ROPS) totaling just over $13 million including about $3.7 million for mandatory reserves.
Each year, the City prepares a ROPS detailing enforceable obligations –basically required, future expenditures and other payments to be made for the upcoming fiscal year, in this case July 21, 2024 through June 30,2025.
Following state approval, Alameda County administers the funds which focus on such city expenditures as repayments of bonds sold to finance a project, costs to manage continuing redevelopment projects, legal settlements, and other types of agreements.
Alameda’s bond component involves two 2014 Bond measures (A & B) totaling about $4 million, including a mandatory “future payment” reserve of about $3.1 million.
The next largest, single expenditure is $1,260,680 to pay The Alameda Housing Authority (AHA) for the City’s offering of Affordable Housing units, as required by State Law and The Association Of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
The Alameda Housing Authority (AHA) currently oversees fourteen properties around the island (none currently on the former Naval Air Station, and currently lists five vacancies available for “Affordable” unit move-ins with rents ranging from just under $2,000 a month for a one bedroom to just under $3,000 per month for a three bedroom.
AHA’s wait list was closed as of the publication date for this story.
The Council will also examine a request from AUSD to follow up on a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) reached with the City to release District housing funds to The Alameda Housing Authority (AHA) through a “Pass-Through” Agreement .
The primary purpose of the proposal is to provide “qualifying employees” of AUSD with affordable housing options to allow more to live in the city where they work.
The core to the arrangement is to fund the building of a 40-50 unit housing complex on a one acre plot at 2615 Eagle Ave. AHA acquired the land needed from AUSD which now requests that the Council allocate further funding to move past the “pre construction” phase an allocate a total of about $3.6 million to AHA to cover the 2023 through 2025 fiscal years.
More land and property related issues are on the table as well, including an agenda item to finalize The City’s changes to certain aspects of its “rent control” program and what are termed “Capital Improvement Plan” related rent increases or tenant relocations.
Those may occur when landlords who own multiple units want to substantially renovate their units.
The Council will also consider granting a .65 acre plot of land to AUSD to provide parking and public “easement” access to AUSD at the corner of Otis and Grand.
An unconfirmed, on the street report from a member of the ad hoc group that held a Candle Light Vigil in front of City Hall at the start of the month, said that the group planned to show up for public comment during the meeting to make its voice heard and perhaps to ask the council to consider a resolution consistent with their aims.
The roving band of advocates, in front of The Alameda Theatre and Cineplex on Sunday night. ‘caroled ’ variants of Christmas with wording oriented towards a call for a cease fire in Gaza.
A group member did not follow up on an ANN request to provide more information through our “Communicate” drop down.
For more on the group, see:
https://alamedaneighborhoodsnews.org/cease-fire-vigil-for-gaza-held-at-city-hall-plaza/