|
|
|
Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Community Pool Saturday, December 17th, 11 a.m.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2023, and the new pool could open as soon as summer 2024.
The City of Piedmont invites community members to a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Piedmont Community Pool on Saturday, December 17th at 11am. The ceremony will be held on the grounds of the pool site at 777 Magnolia Avenue.
…………………
The Piedmont City Council voted unanimously to award a contract for construction of the new pool to Wickman Development & Construction at their December 5th, 2022 meeting.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2023, and the new pool could open as soon as summer 2024.
“It took the collective effort of hundreds to reach this point, including current and former Councilmembers, City staff, Commission and Committee volunteers, consultants, and most important – the community advocates who have tirelessly pursued the vision for an aquatics facility that truly meets Piedmont’s needs, some of whom have been working towards this goal for over two decades” said City Administrator Sara Lillevand. “I hope many community members will join us on December 17th to celebrate this monumental milestone.”
Originally opened in 1964, Piedmont’s now-shuttered pool had exceeded its useful lifespan and had long lacked adequate space to meet the community’s diverse aquatic athletic and recreational needs. Although there have been several efforts to explore feasibility of a new facility over the years, work on the pool replacement project began in earnest in 2015, with the development of the Aquatics Center Conceptual Master Plan.
This vision drew closer to reality in November 2020 with the passage of Measure UU, which authorized the sale of $19.5 million in general obligation bonds to fund the new facility. A sharp rise in construction costs beginning in 2020 further threatened the project’s feasibility, leaving a gap of more than $2 million between project cost estimates and available funds even after the City Council scaled back the original design to include only essential components.
To close the gap, the City has partnered with the Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO) to raise $2.1 million for the completion of the new community pool as designed. This capital campaign, which began in August 2022, looks to build on the success of previous PRFO fundraising in support of Hampton Park and the Corey Reich Tennis Center.
As of December 5th, 2022, PRFO is nearly halfway to the fundraising goal of $2.1 million. The City of Piedmont and the Piedmont City Council remain grateful to the community for their ongoing support for the new community pool project.
For more information on the project, visit piedmont.ca.gov/newpool.
For information on the PRFO capital campaign, visit prfo.org/piedmont-community-pool.
Public Input Sought via City Administrator Recruitment Survey
Comments are to be made by Wednesday, November 30, 2022 using the City survey > > https://piedmont.ca.gov/government/city_news___notifications/city_administrator_selection_survey
Residents are invited to help shape the selection process for Piedmont’s next City Administrator by completing a brief online survey. The City is not collecting names or any other personal information from respondents to this survey. The survey asks community members to share their thoughts regarding the recruitment:
• the most important challenges and opportunities the new City Administrator will face
• what skills and experiences are the most critical in a new City Administrator
• what management and leadership attributes should the City Council look for
• how the new City Administrator should interact with the community.
The City Council will use the input gathered in this survey to help guide its decisions during the selection process. Piedmont’s City Administrator is appointed by the City Council and is responsible for overseeing day-to-day City operations and addressing the priorities established by the City Council.
City Administrator Sara Lillevand intends to retire in Spring 2023 or after the City Council has appointed a successor. Lillevand was appointed City Administrator by the City Council in 2019, after spending five years as Piedmont’s Recreation Director.
The Piedmont City Charter states the role of the City Administrator as follows:
SECTION 3.02 CITY ADMINISTRATOR
The City Council shall appoint a City Administrator for an indefinite term and fix his/her compensation. The administrator shall be appointed on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications. The City Administrator shall be the chief administrative officer of the city and shall be responsible to the City Council for the administration of all City affairs placed in his/her charge by or under this charter.
The administrator shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) Shall appoint all city employees.
(2) Shall discipline, and, when deemed necessary for the good of the City, suspend or remove City officers and employees except as otherwise provided by law, this Charter, or personnel rules adopted pursuant to this Charter.
(3) Shall supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the City, except as otherwise provided by this Charter or by law and except further that the internal administration of each department shall remain with each department head.
(4) Shall attend Council meetings and shall have the right to take part in discussion, but may not vote.
(5) Shall see that all laws, provisions of this Charter and acts of the Council, subject to enforcement by him/her or by officers subject to his/her supervision, are faithfully executed.
(6) Shall prepare and submit the annual budget to the Council and shall supervise its administration after its adoption.
(7) Shall submit to the Council and make available to the public a report on the finances of the City each fiscal year.
(8) Shall make such other reports as the Council may require concerning the operations of City departments, offices and agencies.
(9) Shall keep the Council fully advised as to the financial condition and future needs of the City and make recommendations to the Council concerning the affairs of the City.
(10) Shall administer the personnel system of the City and, in particular, those matters involving the City’s personnel classification system and employee benefit and retirement plans.
(11) Shall maintain a system of City records.
(12) Shall perform such duties as are specified in this charter or may be required by the Council. (Charter Amendment 11/06/2018)
Comments may also be sent directly to the Council.
To send comments to the City Council as a whole, send an email to citycouncil@piedmont.ca.gov.
Any property in Piedmont can become the site of a new Multifamily density increasing project.
Can a City Charter be nullified by a non-standard definition inserted many decades later by a City Council enacting a separate document, an ordinance, not approved by enacting voters who approved the actual language in the City Charter ?
Without voters amending the approved City Charter, can a non-standard definition retroactively replace a well-established term, “reclassify,” when the standard meaning of “reclassify” had been approved by voters and acted upon over years and years of the existence of the voter approved City Charter?
The Piedmont City Charter states: Section 9.02 Zoning system.
“The City of Piedmont is primarily a residential city, and the City Council shall have the power to establish a zoning system within the City as may in its judgment be most beneficial. The Council may classify and reclassify the zones established, but no existing zones shall be reduced or enlarged with respect to size or area, and no zones shall be reclassified without submitting the question to a vote at a general or special election. No zone shall be reduced or enlarged and no zones reclassified unless a majority of the voters voting upon the same shall vote in favor thereof; provided that any property which is zoned for uses other than or in addition to a single-family dwelling maybe voluntarily rezoned by the owners thereof filing a written document executed by all of the owners thereof under penalty of perjury stating that the only use on such property shall be a single-family dwelling, and such rezoning shall not require a vote of the electors as set forth above.”
Since all Piedmont zones allow single-family residential buildings, the attorney’s opinion opens all Piedmont properties to multi-family high density housing without voter approval of the increase in residential density.
The “Objective Design Standards (MODS)” are a response to state laws attempting to promote lower cost housing throughout the state, including Piedmont, by allowing Planning staff to make permit decisions based on adopted MODS design standards without public input. Additional new legislation, further impacts housing in Piedmont by promoting multiple housing, yet not mentioned by the City in this proposed action.
The time to provide your input on matters such as set-backs, safety, parking, landscaping, etc. is now.
READ the draft proposal >
Piedmont Multifamily Objective Design Standards,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
City Announcement———— below. Notations inclosed in brackets are not part of the City announcement.
Comments Sought on Draft Multifamily Objective Design Standards for Commercial and Mixed-Use Areas
[The standards will apply to all areas in Piedmont when multifamily housing is considered.]
Published October 7, 2022 by the City of Piedmont
Piedmont’s Planning & Building Department has published draft updated multifamily development design standards for public review and comment. The draft standards, officially called the Piedmont Multifamily Objective Design Standards, or “MODS,” would govern new development in existing commercial and multifamily zones.
[As Piedmont is currently proposing multifamily use in other zones, such as the Public Zone and Commercial Zone, the MODS criteria will be paramount to staff’s ministerial decisions on permitting development of multifamily structures without public input.]
[Piedmont’s City Attorney’s opinion has stated density in all zones is not controlled by voters. making these standards important for the exclusionary ministerial permitting purpose. As applied by the City to the Commercial Zone and Public Zone, both are zoned for single-family use, as all of Piedmont, opening the Single-family Zone to multifamily high density usage ]
[ The City of Piedmont is proposing multifamily high density dwellings within Piedmont’s Public zone, which includes parklands and municipal properties, because the Public zone permits single-family residential dwellings and density can be increased without voter approval. The design standards (MODS) would apply in all areas where housing is proposed for multifamily use. The new design standards are subject to implementation for: Piedmont Public properties, Commercial, and Single-family zoned properties. ]
This project is separate from Piedmont’s Housing Element update and began in 2019, when the City applied for an SB2 planning grant to fund development of the standards. The purpose of objective design standards is to ensure new multifamily and mixed-use development aligns with and enhances the character of Piedmont’s neighborhoods.
[ Single-family residential zoning is contiguous to all Public, Commercial, and Multifamily use zones in Piedmont.]
These standards would apply to proposed developments in Piedmont’s Zones C and D, where mixed-use and multifamily development is already allowed. These areas constitute less than 5% of total land in Piedmont.
[The City Attorney’s opinion does not separate uses or limit residential uses in a particular zone. The recently devised Mixed Use Zone was never approved by Piedmont voters as required by the Piedmont City Charter. The City Attorney’s opinion notes density increases are allowed because single-family zoning is permitted, announcing voters do not control density.]
The standards are intended to help maintain privacy and mitigate other possible impacts to neighbors and surrounding single-family properties. They provide specific guidelines for design elements like:
- Setbacks, building placement, and façade design
- Size, placement, and materials for windows and outdoor spaces like balconies and decks
- Location and visibility of parking areas
Objective design standards are required by State laws, including > SB 35 (2017) and SB 330 (2019). The purpose of these laws is to streamline the review process for multifamily properties statewide, with the goal of easing development of housing that is affordable to both owners and renters at all income levels. Piedmont’s draft standards support this goal while ensuring new development will not compromise existing community character.
[The standards will be applied ministerially without neighborhood input.]
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the draft standards this winter, likely in December or January.
The timeline as set by the City Planning Department states acceptance of public comment on the draft standards through November 21, 2022. Community members can email comments to Piedmontishome@piedmont.ca.gov.
[If comments have not been sent by November 21, 2022, responders are welcome to send their comments after that date addressed to the Piedmont Planning Commission via the Planning Director Kevin Jackson, ]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additionally, comments may be sent to members of the Piedmont City Council, as the matter will be considered by the Council on a future Agenda.
To send comments to the City Council as a whole, email citycouncil@piedmont.ca.gov or send via U.S. Mail to the following address:
Piedmont City Council, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, Ca 94611
The City produced an HE that increases density and development pressure in neighborhoods where it need not be.
The City of Piedmont will submit its draft 6th Cycle Housing Element without any SB9 projections. SB9 allows 30-day approval of the subdivision of residential lots for the development of new housing/ADUs, a very likely development given Piedmont’s large lot sizes. The city’s consultant claimed that Housing and Community Development (HCD) was setting a very high bar for accepting SB9 projections and advised against including such estimates in the city’s Housing Element.
Two cities I know of that have submitted SB9 projections are Atherton and Woodside (San Mateo County). These cities share characteristics of Piedmont, namely large estate lots that could contribute to housing growth over the next 8 years under SB9. Atherton projects 96 SB 9 units over the next 8 years based on the following methodology:
“Seventy parcels listed on the table from row 8 (60 Parkwood) to row 78 (172 Tuscaloosa) are residential parcels included as underutilized since they are of sufficient size to be further subdivided according to the existing zoning and lot size limits. Six of these parcels are vacant and have the capacity to yield 7 new dwellings for above moderate-income households if subdivided and developed in accordance with existing zoning regulations or to yield 14 new dwellings for above moderate-income households if subdivided and developed in accordance with SB 9 regulations. Sixty-four of these parcels are developed with one single-family house. Those parcels have the capacity to yield 93 net new dwellings for above moderate-income households if subdivided and developed in accordance with existing zoning regulations. Under the allowable provisions of SB9, these 64 parcels could be split into two legal parcels, with each parcel further allowed development capacity of 2 dwelling units. It follows that under SB 9, if each parcel were to meet the required criteria for an urban lot split, the overall development capacity could result in a total 123 dwelling units.”
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/
This methodology is quite simple. First, a GIS analysis of the city’s parcels was done to identify parcels that can be subdivided under existing zoning rules. Then Atherton surveyed these parcel owners to determine their interest to develop their properties and combined with unsolicited SB9 applications since January 2022, assumed 12 SB 9 lots a year, 96 total over the 8-year cycle.
In a letter to the City of Atherton, this is how HCD responded to that methodology:
“SB 9 Sites: The element identifies SB9 as a strategy to accommodate part of the Town’s RHNA. To support these assumptions, the analysis must include experience, trends and market conditions that allow lot splits and missing middle uses. The analysis must list the potential SB9 sites and demonstrate the likelihood of redevelopment, including whether existing uses constitute as an impediment for additional residential use. The analysis should describe how the Town determined eligible properties, whether the assumed lots will have turnover, if the properties are easy to subdivide, and the condition of the existing structures. The analysis should also describe interest from property owners as well as experience. The analysis should provide support for the units being developed within the planning period. Based on the outcomes of this analysis, the element should add or modify to establish zoning and development standards early in the planning period and implement incentives to encourage and facilitate development as well as monitor development every two years with and identify additional sites within six months if assumptions are not being met. The element should support this analysis with local information such as local developer or owner interest to utilize zoning and incentives established through SB9.”
https://atherton.primegov.com/
Woodside projects 18 SB 9 units and received a similar response from HCD (https://www.almanacnews.com/
The Atherton City Council met last week to address HCD comments and anticipates it will lower its SB9 projections, but that is open to negotiation. Nonetheless, Atherton is in the position to account for some SB9 growth because its Planning Department took initiative and conducted ADU and SB9 surveys of its residents to compile a baseline of intent to show HCD. In Woodside’s case, councilmembers developed the SB9 projections after staff did not. HCD may push back but these cities can demonstrate real potential because they reached out to their communities about SB9.
Assuming these projections are accepted, they demonstrate how Piedmont lost out on an important planning tool in developing its HE. Atherton projects adding 96 SB9 units to its 2560 total parcels – 3.75%. Woodside, 18 to its 1919 – 1%. Imagine if Piedmont had projected just 1% SB9 units for its 4000 parcels – 40 over the next 8 years. Including that estimate in the HE would have eliminated the need to place 30 moderate units in the canyon. At 3% (120 units) it would have reduced the need to increase density at the Ace Hardware properties on Grand Avenue.
Piedmont certainly has the land for SB9 growth – there are 200 lots of 20,000 square feet or more in the estate zone. 50 of those lots are over 40,000 sq ft and could be subdivided today. 30 are over 60,000 sq ft and could be tripled if zoning allowed it. SB9 applies to any parcel in Zones A and E that meet certain requirements and large residences can be partitioned into “plexes” so there’s lots of SB9 potential to go around. Piedmont should have accounted for this in its HE.
Staff has always said the RHNA projections were about housing potential, but by underestimating that potential has produced an HE that increases density and development pressure in neighborhoods where it need not be. Staff has said SB9 units that develop in the future will count towards the RHNA target, but that doesn’t help now with the current HE site analysis and policy development. Built-out cities like Piedmont should be using every planning tool to address what seem to be unrealistic RHNA projections. It’s better planning as well.
Garrett Keating, Former Piedmont City Council Member
Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Community Pool Advisory Committee
AGENDA
1. Update on Piedmont Community Pool Project
2. Receipt of an Operational Analysis Report for the Piedmont Community Pool and Consideration of a Request to the City Council for Direction on Next Steps
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 6:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA AND Via Teleconference
CLICK BELOW TO READ THE ANALYSIS OF STAFFING COSTS, PROGRAMS, REVENUE, CITY EXPENDITURES and view the AGENDA
Piedmont Community Pool Advisory Committee Meeting 11-29-22
City of Piedmont announces intent to award pool construction contract; PRFO fundraising campaign remains underway
November 21, 2022
The City of Piedmont has issued a notice of intent to award a contract for construction of the new community pool. Staff could bring a contract to City Council for approval as soon as December 5th, 2022, with construction anticipated to begin early in 2023.
The City received four bids for construction of the new pool on November 16th, 2022. The low base bid of $21.35 million is line with construction cost estimates and anticipated available funding – a combination of Measure UU bond proceeds, private donations from an ongoing Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO) capital campaign, as well as ongoing efforts to secure funding specific to full electrification of the facility.
“I’m thrilled to have reached this milestone,” said City Administrator Sara Lillevand. “After working on this project since 2015, when we began the master planning process for a new aquatics center, it is deeply gratifying to be in a position to move forward with construction of a modern facility that meets the athletic and recreational aquatic needs of our community.”
While the bid is in line with previous cost estimates and expectations, the project continues to face a funding shortfall. To close the gap, the City is partnering with PRFO to raise $2.1 million for the completion of the new community pool as designed. This capital campaign, which began in August 2022, hopes to build on the success of previous PRFO fundraising in support of Hampton Park and the Corey Reich Tennis Center.
“Time and again, the people of Piedmont have shown tremendous generosity in supporting the City’s efforts to create modern recreational spaces for our whole community to enjoy,” said Mayor Teddy Gray King. “A new aquatics facility in the center of town will bring joy and delight for generations to come. The City is grateful to PRFO for its support to bring this remarkable project across the finish line.”
This was the second round of bidding for construction of the project. Previously, the City received bids from two pre-qualified contractors on September 26th , 2022. Both bids exceeded the project team’s estimates by more than 15%, with the lowest bid coming in at $24.6 million. Expecting that increased competition would result in a bid that better aligned with the City’s resources, the City Council unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to reject both bids and re-open the project for bidding to a wider range of contractors on October 17th, 2022. The second round yielded four bids, two of which are lower than both bids from the first round.
Primary funding for the pool replacement project comes from Measure UU, approved by Piedmont voters in November 2020. Measure UU authorized the sale of $19.5 million in general obligation bonds to fund a new community pool. The new community pool is anticipated to include a 27-meter competition pool with a diving well, a 3,177 square foot activity pool with three 25-yard lap lanes, and a single-story building featuring locker rooms, an indoor multi-purpose room, two gender neutral changing rooms, and a rooftop pavilion.
The City of Piedmont and the Piedmont City Council are grateful to the community for their continued support for the new community pool project. For more information on the project, visit piedmont.ca.gov/newpool. For information on the PRFO capital campaign, visit prfo.org/piedmont-community-pool.
On November 15, 2022 at the Special Council Meeting on the Housing Element, the Council unanimously voted to:
“Approve the attached Resolution authorizing staff to finalize and submit the City of Piedmont’s Sixth Cycle Draft Housing Element to the California Department Of Housing And Community Development For Review.”
No Council changes were made to the proposal.
All participants appeared to understand the necessity of moving forward on the Housing Element in meeting the January 31, 2023 deadline and responding to the Housing and Community Development Department.
A number of speakers wanted additional consideration of housing on city property in the center of Piedmont. Others were supportive of the changes made to the November 15, 2022 proposal.
Interest was expressed regarding evaluating public safety facilities in conjunction with housing in Central Piedmont, recognition of safety issues related to adding housing next to schools in the congested center of Piedmont, need to support recreational spaces given the increase in population, potential of isolating low-income families in Moraga Canyon, and renewed planning study of Central Piedmont.
READ the authorized Housing Element >HERE.
Public Input Sought: City Administrator Recruitment Survey
Residents are invited to help shape the selection process for Piedmont’s next City Administrator by completing a brief online survey. The City is not collecting names or any other personal information from respondents to this survey. The survey asks community members to share their thoughts regarding the recruitment at:
https://piedmont.ca.gov/government/city_news___notifications/city_administrator_selection_survey
Look for the “complete the survey online” link on the site.
• the most important challenges and opportunities the new City Administrator will face
• what skills and experiences are the most critical in a new City Administrator
• what management and leadership attributes should the City Council look for
• how the new City Administrator should interact with the community.
The survey will remain open through November 30th, 2022.
The City Council will use the input gathered in this survey to help guide its decisions during the selection process. Piedmont’s City Administrator is appointed by the City Council and is responsible for overseeing day-to-day City operations and addressing the priorities established by the City Council.
City Administrator Sara Lillevand intends to retire in Spring 2023 after the City Council has appointed a successor. Lillevand was appointed City Administrator by the City Council in 2019, after spending five years as Piedmont’s Recreation Director.
The Piedmont City Charter states the role of the City Administrator as follows:
SECTION 3.02 CITY ADMINISTRATOR
The City Council shall appoint a City Administrator for an indefinite term and fix his/her compensation. The administrator shall be appointed on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications. The City Administrator shall be the chief administrative officer of the city and shall be responsible to the City Council for the administration of all City affairs placed in his/her charge by or under this charter.
The administrator shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) Shall appoint all city employees.
(2) Shall discipline, and, when deemed necessary for the good of the City, suspend or remove City officers and employees except as otherwise provided by law, this Charter, or personnel rules adopted pursuant to this Charter.
(3) Shall supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the City, except as otherwise provided by this Charter or by law and except further that the internal administration of each department shall remain with each department head.
(4) Shall attend Council meetings and shall have the right to take part in discussion, but may not vote.
(5) Shall see that all laws, provisions of this Charter and acts of the Council, subject to enforcement by him/her or by officers subject to his/her supervision, are faithfully executed.
(6) Shall prepare and submit the annual budget to the Council and shall supervise its administration after its adoption.
(7) Shall submit to the Council and make available to the public a report on the finances of the City each fiscal year.
(8) Shall make such other reports as the Council may require concerning the operations of City departments, offices and agencies.
(9) Shall keep the Council fully advised as to the financial condition and future needs of the City and make recommendations to the Council concerning the affairs of the City.
(10) Shall administer the personnel system of the City and, in particular, those matters involving the City’s personnel classification system and employee benefit and retirement plans.
(11) Shall maintain a system of City records.
(12) Shall perform such duties as are specified in this charter or may be required by the Council. (Charter Amendment 11/06/2018)
Comments may also be sent directly to the Council.
To send comments to the City Council as a whole, please send an email to citycouncil@piedmont.ca.gov.
Map, sites, numbers, locations
of the potential 587 new Piedmont housing units
to be considered by the Piedmont City Council
on Tues. Nov. 15, 6:00 p.m.
Recommendation from City Administrator: “Approve the attached Resolution authorizing staff to finalize and submit the City of Piedmont’s Sixth Cycle Draft Housing Element to the California Department Of Housing And Community Development For Review.”
“City staff and consultants recommend that the City Council authorize the City Administrator to finalize the revisions to the Draft Housing Element, including the sites inventory, prior to its submittal to California HCD for review and to make the Draft consistent with the revisions and updates described in this staff report and attachment A. The revised Draft Housing Element and any further changes in response to HCD comments will be presented for consideration to the City Council prior to final adoption by the City Council.”
Click HERE to read the full report to the Piedmont City Council from City Administrator Sara Lillevand.
Read the agenda for the Nov. 15 Special City Council meeting by clicking HERE.
City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA and Via Teleconference
Content on the PCA website by Piedmont Civic Association is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
Some icons are Copyright © Yusuke Kamiyamane