2415 University Ave. Phone: (650) 853-3100 www.cityofepa.org East Palo Alto, CA 94303 Fax: (650) 853-3115 [email protected]
16. Donohoe at East Bayshore Road
17. East Bayshore Road and Holland Street
18. Saratoga Avenue and Newbridge Street
19. University Avenue and the Highway 101 Northbound Ramp
20. East Bayshore Road at Euclid Avenue
21. East Bayshore at O’Conner/Shopping Center
22. East Bayshore at Clarke Avenue
23. East Bayshore Road and Pulgas Avenue
The prior to the release of the Draft EIR the City of East Palo Alto request that Menlo Park to identify specific City intersections and grade separations and to specify in advance the specific trip reduction measures and transit capacity enhancements they will implement as mitigation between 2019 and 2035 or the end of the current General Plan build out horizon. Without additional detail regarding impacts from all auto trips (i.e. not just peak direction trips, and not assuming trip credits), and without specific mitigation measures, the City cannot determine whether the project is effectively addressing its contribution to cumulative traffic volumes and congestion in our City.
Settlement Agreement
Pursuant to Section 2.6 of the Menlo Park General Plan Settlement Agreement, when the preparation of an EIR is required, concurrent with the preparation of the EIR, Menlo Park will conduct a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA). The scope of the HNA, to the extent possible, shall include an analysis of the multiplier effect for indirect and induced employment by the development project and its relationship to the regional housing needs market and displacement. The DEIR should be consistent with all relevant terms of the Settlement Agreement.
Jobs/Housing Ratio
The City of East Palo Alto provides a significant amount of housing stock in Silicon Valley. East Palo Alto has more housing units than jobs, the lowest market rate prices in the region, and approximately 30% (or 2,405 of 7,759 units) of the total housing units are currently registered (non exempt) in the Rent Stabilization Program. East Palo Alto is an island of affordable housing surrounded by several of the most expensive housing markets in the nation. The City is concerned that the proposed development may exacerbate the existing housing crisis in East Palo Alto by displacing current residents and/or creating a need for the City to provide additional units without sufficient resources to adequately address the need.
Please provide an analysis of how the project will impact the jobs-housing ratio in Menlo Park, and analyze or provide the following information and analysis with regard to the impact on housing and the potential displacement of East Palo Alto residents:
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Packet Pg. 535 Attachment: EPA NOP Comment Letter (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact Report (Facebook/Meta Expansion))
2415 University Ave. Phone: (650) 853-3100 www.cityofepa.org East Palo Alto, CA 94303 Fax: (650) 853-3115 [email protected] • The net number of new market rate and affordable units permitted and constructed in the last 10 years in Menlo Park.
• An analysis of where it is anticipated that the new employees will live, based on zip code level data.
If you have any questions, you may call me at (650) 853-3189 or reach me by email at:
[email protected].
Population Estimates and Growth.
The total population resulting from indirect household growth in Menlo Park should be identified and compared to the City’s projected population growth as part of the impact discussion.
Yours truly,
______________________
Patrick Heisinger
Interim Assistant City Manager
[email protected].
cc: East Palo Alto City Council
Jaime Fontes, City Manager
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Packet Pg. 536 Attachment: EPA NOP Comment Letter (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact Report (Facebook/Meta Expansion))
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
WILLOW VILLAGE MASTER PLAN PROJECT
SCH NO. 2019090428
CITY OF MENLO PARK
April 8, 2022
To: State Clearinghouse
State Responsible Agencies
State Trustee Agencies
Other Public Agencies
Interested Parties and Organizations
From: Kyle Perata
Acting Planning Manager
City of Menlo Park
701 Laurel St.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Subject: Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Willow Village Master Plan Project
Lead Agency: City of Menlo Park, Planning Division
Project Title: Willow Village Master Plan Project
Project Area: Bayfront Area, City of Menlo Park
Purpose of Notice and Public Review Period
Notice is hereby given that the City of Menlo Park (City), as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Willow Village Master Plan Project (Proposed Project). In accordance with Section 15087 of the CEQA Guidelines, the City has prepared this Notice of Availability (NOA) to invite agencies, organizations, and interested parties to provide comments on the Draft EIR
The 45-day comment period required by CEQA Guidelines Section 15105 for the Draft EIR has been set from Friday, April 8, 2022 through Monday, May 23, 2022. Written or emailed comments on the Draft EIR are due no later than the close of the Draft EIR review period (5 p.m., Monday, May 23, 2022). However, we would appreciate your response at the earliest possible date.
The Draft EIR is available online at menlopark.org/willowvillage. Printed copies of the Draft EIR are available for review at the Menlo Park Library at 800 Alma St. and the Belle Haven Branch Library at 413 Ivy Drive.
Project location and existing locations
As shown in Figure 1, the Project Site is north of US 101 in Menlo Park and generally bounded by the currently inactive Dumbarton Rail Corridor to the north, an existing life science complex (Menlo Park Labs Campus) to the east, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Hetch Hetchy utility right-of-way to the south, and Willow Road to the west. The Project Site comprises an approximately 59-acre industrial site (main Project Site) plus three parcels within two sites (Hamilton Avenue Parcels North and South) west of Willow Road.
The main Project Site is zoned O-B (Office Bonus) and R-MU-B (Residential Mixed-Use Bonus). It encompasses the Menlo Science and Technology Park, which, historically, supported industrial uses. In 1998, Prologis acquired the land and used it primarily for industrial, research-and-development (R&D), and office uses. Warehouse and storage facilities were also present. In 2015, a Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta), affiliate purchased the entire site. Meta occupies several of the buildings for a variety of uses, including office space, R&D, dining facilities/employee amenities, and an employee health clinic. Other onsite occupants include various non-Meta tenants, including a dialysis center.
Existing development on the main Project Site includes 20 buildings with employee amenities/support services (for Meta) and a mix of office, R&D, and warehousing uses at the following addresses: 1350–1390 Willow Road, 925– 1098 Hamilton Avenue, and 1005–1275 Hamilton Court.
Hamilton Avenue Parcels North and South are zoned Neighborhood Commercial District, Special (C-2-S). Hamilton Avenue Parcel North, the approximately 1.8-acre block at the northwest corner of Willow Road and Hamilton
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Packet Pg. 537 Attachment: Menlo Park NOA Willow Village Draft EIR (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact Report (Facebook/Meta Expansion)) 2 Avenue, consists of two legal parcels It is currently owned by LLBG Properties, Inc., and developed with approximately 16,000 square feet (sf) of retail uses, including the Belle Haven Retail Center and a Jack in the Box restaurant. Hamilton Avenue Parcel South, an approximately 1.3-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Willow Road and Hamilton Avenue, is owned by Chevron USA. It includes a service station with approximately 4,500 sf of retail space and a car wash. Hamilton Avenue Parcel South is addressed 1399 Willow Road and Hamilton Avenue Parcel North is addressed 1401 Willow Road and 871-883 Hamilton Avenue.
Project description
At the main Project Site, the Proposed Project would demolish approximately 1 million sf of nonresidential uses and construct approximately 1.8 million sf of nonresidential uses (excluding a proposed hotel), for a net increase of 800,000 sf in nonresidential uses. The new nonresidential uses would be composed of up to 1.6 million sf of office and accessory uses1in the Campus District (i.e., up to 1.25 million sf of office space, with the balance [e.g., space for accessory uses, including meeting and collaboration space totaling 350,000 sf if the square footage for office use is maximized] in multiple buildings) and up to approximately 200,000 sf of commercial/retail space in the Residential/Shopping District and Town Square District. Some of the commercial/retail square footage would be on the east side of Main Street, within the Office Campus, and accessible by the public from Main Street. The Proposed Project would also include up to 1,730 multi-family residential units, up to 193 hotel rooms, and, assuming full buildout, approximately 20 acres of open space, including approximately 8 acres of publicly accessible parks, bike paths, and trails.
The three proposed districts within the main Project Site would be situated as follows: the approximately 17.7 - acre Residential/Shopping District in the southwestern portion of the main Project Site, the approximate ly 4.3- acre Town Square District in the northwestern portion of the Project Site, and the approximately 32-acre Campus District in the eastern portion of the main Project Site.2 The Campus District would include office uses and amenity space, accessory uses,3 publicly accessible retail space, and a publicly accessible elevated park (i.e., the Elevated Park) that would connect the main Project Site to the adjacent Belle Haven neighborhood via an overpass at Willow Road. The Proposed Project would also include an undercrossing (Willow Road Tunnel) to provide tram and bicyclist/pedestrian access to the neighboring Meta campuses from the Campus District.
The main Project Site would be bisected by a new north–south street (Main Street) as well as an east–west street that would provide access to all three districts. The Proposed Project would include a circulation network for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, inclusive of both public rights-of-way and private streets, that would be generally aligned to an east-to-west or a north-to-south grid. The Proposed Project would alter parcels west of the main Project Site, across Willow Road, on both the north and south sides of Hamilton Avenue (Hamilton Avenue Parcels North and South) to support realignment of the Hamilton Avenue right-of-way and provide access to the new Elevated Park. The realignment of Hamilton Avenue would require demolition and reconstruction of an existing Chevron gas station (with a potential increase in area of approximately 1,000 sf) at Hamilton Avenue Parcel South and enable the potential addition of up to 6,700 sf of retail uses at the existing neighborhood shopping center (Belle Haven Retail Center) on Hamilton Avenue Parcel North. In addition, offsite transportation and utility improvements would be constructed to serve the Proposed Project. These would include various intersection improvements, which may be required to bring intersection congestion back to pre - Project conditions per the City’s transportation impact analysis guidelines; expansion of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company Ravenswood substation; installation of a new conduit to connect the Ravenswood substation to the main Project Site; construction of a sanitary sewer force main and recycled waterline in the same trench in Hamilton Avenue; and an extension to the sanitary sewer line in Willow Road from O’Brien Drive to the proposed southwest sanitary sewer pump station.
1 Accessory uses could include the following types of spaces: meeting/collaboration space, orientation space, training space, event space, incubator space, a business partner center, an event building (including pre-function space, collaboration areas, and meeting/event rooms), a visitors center, product demonstration areas, a film studio, gathering terraces and private gardens, and space for other Meta accessory uses. Accessory uses could occur in spaces located anywhere throughout the Campus District.
2 The Proposed Project also includes approximately 5.6 acres of land that has been designated as a public right-of-way. 3 Accessory uses are defined in footnote 1, above.
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Packet Pg. 538 Attachment: Menlo Park NOA Willow Village Draft EIR (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact Report (Facebook/Meta Expansion)) 3 Project approvals
The following analysis and discretionary approvals by the City would be required prior to development at the Project Site:
Certification of the EIR
General Plan Circulation Map and Zoning Map Amendment Rezoning to Incorporate an X Overlay for the Project Site Conditional Development Permit
Vesting Tentative Subdivision Maps
Architectural Control Approval
Tree Removal Permits
Fiscal Impact Analysis
Housing Needs Assessment
Below-Market-Rate Housing Agreement
Appraisal/Community Amenity Value Analysis
Development Agreement
Use Permit (Hamilton Avenue Parcels)
Responsible agencies
The City requests that the following agencies review the analysis within the Draft EIR regarding information relevant to your agency’s statutory responsibilities in connection with the Proposed Project, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15086. Your agency may need to use the EIR prepared by the City when considering any permits or other approvals that your agency must issue for the Proposed Project. This list is not intended to confer responsible agency status to each listed agency.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
California Department of Transportation
California Regional Water Quality Control Board
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
California Department of Toxic Substances Control
City/County Association of Governments
San Mateo County Transportation Authority
Menlo Park Fire Protection District
San Mateo County, Environmental Health Division
West Bay Sanitary District
Native American Heritage Commission
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
California Public Utilities Commission
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Packet Pg. 539 Attachment: Menlo Park NOA Willow Village Draft EIR (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact Report (Facebook/Meta Expansion)) 4 Introduction to EIR
The Project Site is within the General Plan and M-2 Area Zoning Update (ConnectMenlo) study area. ConnectMenlo, which updated the City’s General Plan Land Use and Circulation Elements and rezoned land in the M-2 Area (now referred to as the Bayfront Area), was approved on November 29, 2016. Because the City’s General Plan is a longrange planning document, the ConnectMenlo Final EIR was prepared as a program EIR, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15168. Section 15168(d) of the CEQA Guidelines provides information for simplifying the preparation of subsequent environmental documents by incorporating by reference analyses and discussions. CEQA Guidelines Section 15162(d) states that where an EIR has been prepared and certified for a program or plan, the environmental review for a later activity consistent with the program or plan should be limited to effects that were not analyzed as significant in the prior EIR or susceptible to substantial reduction or avoidance. The Draft EIR was prepared in accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement between the cities of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto, which allows for simplification in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15168 for all topic areas, except housing and transportation. The analysis provided in the Draft EIR tiers from the ConnectMenlo Final EIR, as appropriate.
Significant environmental effects
The Draft EIR finds that impacts related to air quality and noise would be significant and unavoidable. The Proposed Project would result in potentially significant impacts related to transportation, air quality, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, cultural and tribal cultural resources, biological resources, geology and soils, hydrology and water quality, and hazards and hazardous materials, but these impacts would be reduced to a less-than-significant level with implementation of identified mitigation measures. Impacts related to land use, aesthetics, population and housing, public services and recreation, and utilities and service systems would be less than significant.
Hazards materials and hazardous waste sites
The Cortese List is a compilation of several different lists of hazardous material release sites that meet the criteria specified in Section 65962.5 of the California Government Code. Although there are documented releases of hazardous materials on the Project Site, there are no hazardous material release sites on the Project Site that meet the criteria for inclusion on the Cortese List.
EIR process
In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15105(a), the Draft EIR will be available for public review and comment during a 45-day review period. Following the close of the public review period on May 23, 2022, the City will prepare a Final EIR, which will include responses to all substantive comments received on the Draft EIR. The Draft EIR and Final EIR will be considered by the City Council in making the decision to certify the EIR and taking final action on the Proposed Project
Public hearing meeting
The City of Menlo Park is hosting a public hearing for the EIR during the NOA public comment period on April 25, 2022, during a regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting beginning at 7 p.m. or as near as possible thereafter via a virtual meeting.
The meeting link would be available with publication of the Planning Commission agenda and staff report on the City’s website at menlopark.org/planningcommissionagenda, not less than 72 hours in advance of the meeting.
All interested parties are invited to attend the meeting and provide input on the EIR. Written comments should be provided as indicated below.
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Packet Pg. 540 Attachment: Menlo Park NOA Willow Village Draft EIR (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact Report (Facebook/Meta Expansion)) 5 Submittal of comments
Comments on the Draft EIR are due no later than the close of the Draft EIR review period (5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 23, 2022). However, we would appreciate your response at the earliest possible date. Please send your written comments to Kyle Perata at the address shown above or email them to [email protected] with “Willow Village Master Plan Project EIR” as the subject. Public agencies that provide comments are asked to include a contact person for the agency.
If you have any questions regarding the proposed Project or the EIR process, please contact Kyle Perata at the contact information listed below.
Name:
Title:
Department:
Mail:
Email:
Phone:
Kyle Perata
Acting Planning Manager
Community Development, City of Menlo Park
701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025
[email protected]
650-330-6721
_______________________________
Kyle Perata
City of Menlo Park
April 8, 2022
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Packet Pg. 541 Attachment: Menlo Park NOA Willow Village Draft EIR (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact Report (Facebook/Meta Expansion))
BELLE HAVEN
MENLO
PARK
EAST PALO ALTO
ATHERTON
Bay Trail
Bedwell
Bayfront Park
Meta
Buildings 10–19
Bayfront Expressway
Bayshore Freeway
Hamilton Ave
Ivy Dr
Willow Rd
University Ave
Bay Rd
O’Brien Dr
O’Brien Dr
Newbridge St
Meta
Building 20 Meta
Building 23
Meta
Building 21
Meta
Building 22
Don Edwards
San Francisco Bay
National Wildlife Refuge
84 114
109
101
MID PENINSULA
HIGH SCHOOL
MID PENINSULA
HIGH SCHOOL
MENLO PARK
LABS CAMPUS
MENLO PARK
LABS CAMPUS
Dumbarton Rail Corridor
ALAMEDA
CONTRA
COSTA
MARIN
SAN
JOAQUIN
SAN
FRANCISCO
SAN
MATEO
SANTA
CLARA
SOLANO
1 1
12 132
160
35 4
4 92
Livermore
Palo Alto
Menlo Park
Walnut Creek
Petaluma
San Rafael
Tracy
Berkeley
San Francisco
San Jose
Oakland
ALAMEDA
SANTA
92 Palo Alto
Project Location
Legend
Project Site
City Boundary
Image: Google Inc. 2021. Google Earth Pro.
Feet
0 1,000 2,000
Figure 1
Project Location
Graphics … 104393 (2-16-2022) JC
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Packet Pg. 542 Attachment: Menlo Park NOA Willow Village Draft EIR (2248 : Willow Village Draft Environmental Impact
EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: May 17, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Amy Chen, Community & Economic Development Director Elena Lee, Planning Manager
SUBJECT: Ravenswood Business District Specific Plan – Community Benefits and Associated Policies/Programs
Recommendation
That the City Council Provide direction and feedback on:
· Recommended priorities for community benefits from new development in the RBD / 4 Corners Specific Plan area.
· Proposed policies and mechanisms comprising a framework to achieve community benefits desired by the community.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 2: Enhance Economic Vitality
Priority No. 3: Increase Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
Since late 2020, the City of East Palo Alto has been working on an update to the Ravenswood/Four Corners TOD Specific Plan. The purpose of the update is to analyze the impacts of allowing an increase amount of office development and housing in the RBD, develop a framework for obtaining community benefits from new development, and ensure that the new development creates a “complete neighborhood” in East Palo Alto.
To date, City staff and the consultant team have met with the City Council on five occasions to receive feedback on critical topics for the amendment to the Specific Plan. Major decisions made during this time included approving of urban design objectives for the RBD, identifying
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two potential increases in office development to either 2.82 million square feet of office space or 3.35 million square feet of office space, and increasing the number of housing units allowed to either 1,350 units or 1,600 units. This is an increase in the total amount of office development and housing currently analyzed in the 2013 Specific Plan EIR (which was 1.4 million square feet of office/R&D space and 835 dwelling units). However, the amount analyzed is below the total sum of the development applications for the RBD, which totals close to 4.2 million square feet of office space. In addition, the City Council directed City staff identify the community’s ideas for potential benefits through a broad-based engagement process. Further, since the amount of development being analyzed is less than the total amount of development proposed, a methodology for how to allocate the office square footage will need to be developed and communicated to prospective developers.
As a result, the purpose of this staff report is the following:
• Provide an update on the results of community engagement efforts. • Describe and receive feedback on the community’s priorities for the specific types of benefits that should result from development in the Plan area. • Describe and receive feedback on the proposed components of a framework to achieve community benefits identified by the community and the City Council.
The staff report begins with an overview of the difference between requirements for all new development in the RBD and “community benefits,” which are in addition to the baseline requirements. Following this, the report provides an overview of community engagement activities that have occurred since the February 1, 2022, City Council Study Session, including the community’s priorities for community benefits and other outcomes the community would like to achieve as a result of new development, including an increase in affordable housing, ongoing benefits from new development, and increased opportunities for homeownership and local businesses. Finally, the report describes several proposed mechanisms that comprise a community benefits framework, intended to ensure the timely delivery of specific benefits desired by the community to residents of East Palo Alto.
City staff notes that the environmental review process related to this Specific Plan Update has begun, with the release of the NOP (Notification of Preparation) on April 15th, 2022. Public comments were accepted for thirty days, through May 16th, 2022, and a scoping meeting on the NOP was held with the Planning Commission on May 10th, 2022. Staff will present the summary recommendations from this Planning Commission session to Council on June 7th, 2022 as an informational item.
Analysis
Distinguishing between Requirements versus Community Benefits It is important to distinguish between baseline City requirements for all new development and any community benefits that are in addition to baseline requirements. As was presented at the September 28, 2021, City Council meeting, East Palo Alto has several requirements for new development that address many of the concerns of community members and include the following:
• Inclusionary housing ordinance which required 20% of all new housing units must be
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affordable (targeted at a mix of 35-50-60% AMI households). • A one-time Commercial Linkage Impact Fee that would produce $33.5 million under Scenario 1 (2.82 million square feet of office space) or $40 million for Scenario 2 (3.35 million square feet of office space)
• Annual Measure HH Taxes (Minimum of 35% towards affordable housing). This would produce the following:
• Scenario 1: $2.5 million annually (subsidizes 275+ units over 10 yrs) • Scenario 2: $3 million annually (subsidizes 325+ units over 10 yrs) • Annual Measure HH Taxes for “job training”. This would produce between $4 million and $4.6 million per year.
• Local Hire for full-time jobs (stated target is 320% local hire) • One time impact fees for Public Facilities (between $11 million and $12.5 million) • One time impact fees for Parks and Trails (between $6.3 million and $7 million) • One time impact fees for Transportation (between $25 million and $30 million) • One time impact fees for Water & Storm Drainage improvements including improved water pressure between $36 million and $40 million)
Additionally, for the RBD, the City has made it clear that major infrastructure improvements are expected to be paid by the new development. For this reason, the community benefits framework will consider improvements related to infrastructure and sea level rise as part of the baseline requirements, with the understanding that greater infrastructure costs reduce the amount of subsidy available for community benefits.
Finally, the new development would result in a significant increase in annual fiscal benefits from through property taxes. The new development is estimated to generate a surplus of between $14.2 million and $16.4 million annually.
Any benefits provided beyond the above requirements are considered “community benefits”.
These are provided through a negotiated development approval process which will be established in the updated Plan. Since the approval of additional office development is a discretionary act by the City Council, the City may ask for any benefits it wishes to achieve.
The potential community benefits from the new development are the subject of the community engagement that occurred in early 2022 and are discussed below. 2022 Community Engagement – Community Priorities
Since the beginning of the Specific Plan update process, the City and Raimi + Associates held multiple events to understand the community’s perspective on development in the RBD. These engagement efforts - which included community workshops in April and September of 2021, meetings with community organizations, and online surveys – identified numerous potential community benefits that could be produced from development. The process also identified several concerns about additional development in the RBD.
Between February and April of 2022, the City and Raimi + Associates held a series of community engagement efforts focused on the identification and prioritization of community
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benefits. The engagement activities included:
• An online community workshop on March 23, 2022
• 3 “pop-up” workshops throughout the City of East Palo Alto • An online survey
This phase of engagement organized specific community benefits into 2 categories – community benefits that require money to implement and community benefits that require physical space. Through the various activities listed above, the project team asked participants to complete budgeting exercises to indicate how space and money should be used in the RBD.
These two exercises presented a budget of points that needed to be allocated across a dozen or so benefits. In addition to the formal exercises, staff collected feedback through free responses and comments made during breakout groups and at popup events.
The following is a summary of the highest priority community benefits identified by the community, organized by space and money. Summaries of the events can be found as attachments to this staff report.
Table 1: Priorities for Benefits, for Space
Strong Support • Subsidized space for local entrepreneurs • Affordable housing units
• Public parks and trails
• Local restaurants
• Subsidized space for local community use
Moderate
Support
• Expanded ecological areas
• Larger housing units
• Grocery store
• PDR/light industrial space
• Youth Center
• Commercial kitchen
• Outdoor sports fields
Less Support • New City Hall/government center
• Senior Center
• Other
Table 2: Priorities for Benefits, for Money
Strong Support • Workforce/job training
• Home ownership funds/programs
• Local businesses/startups
• 35% AMI housing
• Funding for schools (*)
Moderate
Support
• Wetland restoration
• Public recreational amenities
• 50% AMI housing
• Trees and beautification
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• Citywide congestion relief projects
• Citywide bicycle/pedestrian projects
• Exceeding local hire requirements
Less Support • Neighborhood traffic calming
• 1-time donations to community groups
• Regional transportation projects
• Other
(*) not in original voting matrix
In addition to the voting on specific items, several themes emerged from the engagement activities that form the basis of staff’s recommendations on the community benefits framework discussed later in this staff report. The themes identified are:
• Ensure significant benefits are associated with new development and there is “transparency” in the financial benefits provided to developers and obtained by the community. The community felt that if additional development is allowed, the community should receive direct and long-term benefits from the development. Further, the community wanted to understand the benefit that is being provided to the developers to build more office in EPA and then ensure that the City and its residents benefit from the increased value given to the developers.
• Ensure the most important values/priorities identified by the community are achieved.
These are listed in the tables above. In addition, through the engagement efforts, the top priorities for community benefits are:
o Affordable housing. The community has defined this concept expansively as support for both a) funding for new and existing home ownership and antidisplacement programs, and b) a mix of new deed-restricted rental housing targeted primarily at 35 to 60% AMI households. Both of these approaches are needed to allow current residents to stay rooted in the City over the long-term and attract residents who left EPA back to the city. New income-restricted apartments built by developers provide a source of low-cost housing that matches actual East Palo Alto incomes, with a range up to 60% AMI to serve returning college graduates and others looking for broader housing choice in the City. Secondly, promoting home ownership is critical to neighborhood and community preservation. This could be accomplished through funding from major projects to enable use of federal programs (such as WISH, AHEAD, or the Home Loan Bank) and to support City programs (such as the Second Unit fund, first time Homebuyer program, and future programs such as for duplex/fourplex lot splits).
o Jobs training and education. The community understands a successful economic future is based around upward mobility for residents and gaining access to a mix of middle- and higher-income skilled jobs. Residents are looking for a consistent upskilling pipeline with elements such as resource centers to equip community members to take advantage of coming opportunities, afterschool classes for children, mentors/training for young adults, internships for high schoolers, then finally leading to subsidized or free incubator spaces for local start-ups/digital entrepreneurs.
o Funding for schools. Residents felt that some funding must go towards improving the schools in the community, and one proposal was to earmark
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money for specific organizations that fund educational opportunities. o Attainable jobs. In addition to job training and education to reach higher-skilled professions, the community desires access to more immediate job opportunities (a mix of lower- and middle-income jobs that do not require college degrees).
This goal could be achieved through a combination of funding and space for local retailers or merchants, trades schools/vocational education, support jobs and ancillary services related to office and R&D jobs, inclusion of ground-floor flex space in developments, and continued light industrial uses in the area. o Subsidized space and funding for local community businesses, organizations, and individuals. There is strong support for both money and space to be reserved for use by residents and businesses of the EPA community, including but not limited to: existing or displaced small businesses, local co-working space, commercial kitchen space, non-profit space, community events/programs, local sports leagues, local artists, and fabrication/makerspaces. Residents largely indicated that they preferred that subsidized or free space be prioritized for community use rather than use by the local City government. There were recommendations to exclude a new city hall and library from the community benefits since these do not directly benefit residents and businesses and since these can be constructed using the increase in fiscal revenues from the new development.
• Allow the community to be involved in the decision-making process about community benefits. The community would like some input over which benefits are funded by the development, rather than leaving the decision to the City Council. • Expand the opportunities for “ownership” as a result of the development. The community felt that expanding opportunities for local ownership, including both home ownership and business ownership by residents, was critical. • Ensure that benefits are sustainable for the long-term. Many community members expressed the view that since impacts continue into the future, benefits should as well.
Thus, the community wanted to identify mechanisms to ensure ongoing benefits for the community and have a mechanism for the community to participate in which benefits are funded.
• Create a link between new housing units and office space. The new development will intensify the demand for housing in East Palo Alto. Thus, the allocation of office space should be tied to the production of housing.
These themes form the basis for staff’s recommendations on the “community benefits framework” and the related methodology for allocating office/R&D square feet between potential development projects which is discussed below.
Community Benefits Framework
This Specific Plan update was initiated since more development was proposed in the Plan area than originally anticipated, which offered the City a chance to leverage this interest for maximum community benefits. Council asked staff to create a framework for community benefits as part of the update process. Subsequently, once Council established there would be
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less development capacity than the total amount proposed by major applicants (on November 18, 2021), it was clear that a methodology to allocate this limited square footage would need to be created. To achieve both objectives, staff proposes that the updated Specific Plan directly tie the provision of prioritized community benefits to the future allocation of office/R&D square footage. Therefore, potential approaches to square footage allocation will be analyzed first (with a recommendation to pursue discretionary approaches), and then additional benefits “prerequisites” and “policies/programs” will be discussed.
The proposed Community Benefits Framework is composed of the following components, each of which is detailed below:
Prerequisites. Require all development projects to meet the existing requirements that apply to new office/R&D development in the RBD, including all of the requirements listed above (e.g., Measure HH, impact fees, etc.) plus any additional requirements approved by the City Council through the Specific Plan update process. Several potential prerequisites are discussed below.
Financial Transparency. Staff is recommending that the City add a requirement for major office/R&D projects to conduct consistent and clear financial analyses in order to: a) confirm the value of proposed community benefits, and b) determine whether proposed benefits are adequate relative to the development rights granted to ensure that the community is benefiting sufficiently from any square foot allocation.
Jobs/Housing Linkage. Staff is recommending that the City create a new requirement to build/produce new housing based around a numerical linkage to office/R&D square footage.
Staff is proposing three elements of a linkage program:
1. Keeping the existing linkage fee ($12.81 per square foot, which can be satisfied through building affordable units on or off-site, donating land, converting existing housing to affordable units, or paying fees);
2. Adding a new job-housing linkage requirement that can only be satisfied by building/producing housing units on-site at a specific minimum ratio (with off-site units allowed for highly contaminated sites) and;
3. Counting additional production or support for housing beyond these requirements towards a project’s community benefits evaluation.
Office Allocation Methodology. There will be an allocation methodology to ensure that maximum community benefits are achieved in exchange for the allocation of office/R&D square footage based on an approach that promotes the benefits that the community has said are most important. (Note that regardless of the process, staff assumed the 2020 Bay Road project will move through the process first, since it was first to submit an application. The following methodologies would be based on the “residual” amount of office capacity after 2020 Bay Road’s approval process). There are generally three approaches to how the office square footage can be allocated. The first is based on a formula that divvies up the square footage between the four major projects based on either the amount originally proposed or the total development capacity for the project area. The second is a purely discretionary approach where projects compete for all of the office square footage. The third is a hybrid approach that allocates a minimum amount to each project and the remainder is through a discretionary process.
Discretionary Evaluation Criteria for Community Benefits. In order to ensure that the highest priority benefits are provided to the community with the development projects, the
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framework will include a set of explicit, ranked criteria to guide structured and consistent evaluations of project’s benefits by Council. The evaluation criteria will be either a point system that normalizes dollar value of benefits (X dollars, units, or square footage of community space = X points) or expected $ value of benefits contributions per square foot (by category). More points or higher $/square foot thresholds would be associated with the highest-priority benefits, ensuring that the community’s key priorities are delivered.
Development Reserve. City staff is proposing to reserve some of the development capacity for future, unknown projects. This would ensure that additional development or property owners could build office/R&D space in the RBD in the future. The proposed office/R&D “reserve” size is roughly 5% of the total development capacity.
Additional Framework Mechanisms. In addition to the above recommendations, City staff is exploring a few additional components for the community benefits framework that will achieve outcomes desired by the community. These include:
• Front-loading of Benefits. To combat fears about promised community benefits not materializing, the Specific Plan may require delivery or payment of some portion of total project community benefits before certificate of occupancy. • Ongoing Revenue Stream for Community Benefits. Staff is exploring a variety of mechanisms to create a revenue stream to fund community benefits over the time, not simply one-time donations during project approval. This could be accomplished by collecting funds from development projects to start a revolving loan fund, using a portion of the increase in City fiscal revenues to fund benefits on an ongoing basis, or collecting penalties for not meeting requirements (i.e., local hiring targets or TDM) to fund ongoing benefits.
• Community Entity to Guide Decision-Making on Benefits. During the engagement process, residents expressed a strong desire to be part of the decision-making process to determine which community benefits are funded now and over time. One recommendation is the develop an “Ad Hoc” committee comprised of representatives from local organizations to recommend benefit programs to the Council for final approval. Other approaches will also be considered.
Discussion Questions and Recommendations for Council
1. Benefits Priorities: Are these the right priorities? Does the City Council wish to amend or alter the prioritization of benefits we’ve developed with the community? - Staff recommends accepting the ranked list of community priorities as the input to the benefits framework for judging future project applications.
2. Community Benefits Framework: Are these the right components for the Plan framework? What is missing? Which ones do you have concerns about? - Staff recommends continuing to explore and expand these proposed policy approaches and returning to Council with more implementation details in July.
Fiscal Impact
There are no fiscal impacts associated with the items discussed in this staff report. Any final decision made regarding the financial mechanisms in the Specific Plan area may
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have fiscal impacts to the City, to be discussed at that time.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice by making the agenda and report available on the City’s website and on a bulletin board located at City Hall: 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The action being considered does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378 (b)(5), in that it is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Attachments
1. Summary of 2022 Community Outreach Activities related to the Plan Update
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Attachment A - City Council Session – May 17 2022 Attachment 1: Summary of Community Engagement
Part I: Workshop #3 Summary (3/24)
PartII: Summary ofOnline Survey
P
artIII: Summary of Pop-Ups
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Introduction
The City of East Palo Alto hosted its third community workshop for the Ravenswood Business District (RBD) / 4 Corners Specific Plan Update on Thursday, March 24, 2022, from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. The focus of this workshop was on community benefits, including prioritizing benefits that could be provided by new development projects in the RBD. The workshop included an overview presentation, smaller group discussions in Zoom Breakout Rooms, and a group discussion complemented by polling and budgeting exercises. In total, a maximum of 95 people attended the workshop, but this number fluctuated since people joined and left throughout the meeting.
This workshop was held virtually with participants logging in or dialing in by phone to an online Zoom meeting.
Spanish interpretation services were provided during the meeting. Recordings and digital copies of the workshop materials were later posted on the project website: https://www.cityofepa.org/planning/page/ravenswoodbusiness-district-4-corners-specific-plan-update A copy of the presentation and video recording in Spanish are also online. Para leer los comentarios del taller en español, consulte el apéndice al final.
Meeting Agenda
The workshop began a formal presentation by the consultant team (led by Raimi + Associates), followed by smaller group conversations in breakout groups. The evening concluded with a large group conversation, a final budgeting exercise, and a group Question and Answer session. The agenda of the meeting was as follows:
(6:30p) Welcome & Introduction by Mayor Abrica
(6:40p) Overview Presentation
(7:30p) Small Breakout Group Conversations
(8:30p) Report Back and Group Discussion
(8:45p) Final Budgeting Activity, Next Steps, and Final Questions Ravenswood Business District / 4 Corners
Specific Plan Update
Part I: Workshop #3 Summary (March 24, 2022)
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Profile of Meeting Attendees
A voluntary, online poll was conducted at the start of the workshop to better understand who attended the meeting. These questions drew an average of 44 respondents (out of approximately 60 attendees at the time the poll was taken):
• Approximately half of the respondents were residents (of RBD or East Palo Alto) • One-third of respondents have lived or worked in the City for more than ten years • Nearly all of the respondents had participated in previous events such as public workshops, office hours, or City Council meetings
The following figures provide the detailed results of the polling activity.
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Outreach & Noticing
Public noticing for the workshop began in February
2022. Digital announcements and materials were
posted on a variety of forums, including:
• Via email as a newsletter blast to a large
database of community members
• On the City calendar and website
• On City of East Palo Alto social media sites
• To business owners, organizations, and schools
in and around RBD / 4 Corners
• Announcement on “East Palo Alto Neighbors”
Facebook page
• Targeted Facebook ads
In addition to digital noticing, physical
noticing was conducted including:
• A physical mailer that was
distributed to every permanent
address in the City of East Palo Alto
• An updated notice board installed
at the corner of Bay Road and
University Avenue
• Flyers posted around the RBD
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Workshop Summary
Presentation Highlights & Key Takeaways
Raimi + Associates, project lead for the Specific Plan Update, took the audience through a presentation that covered a range of topics including:
• A recap of the 2013 Specific Plan, including the vision, project goals, and development assumptions; • Updates and highlights of the work to date, including previous engagement events, major council direction including the two study scenarios, and project timeline; • A summary of the existing baseline community benefits structure, highlighting current local mandates, impact fees, subsidies, and their relation to the two scenarios selected by Council; • Identifying priorities for other community benefits in addition to the baseline, and trade-offs from both a spatial and financial perspective.
Input on community benefit priorities from the meeting participations was obtained in three ways:
1. A poll asking participants to prioritize which “category” of community benefits was most important to them.
2. Small group discussions where participants were asked to discuss and provide comments on the specific community benefits identified thus far in the community engagement process.
3. A poll asking participants to prioritize specific community benefits divided into 2 categories: 1) benefits that take up “space” in the RBD, and 2) benefits that cost “money.” Category Prioritization Exercise
At the conclusion of the presentation, participants were asked to identify their two most important community benefits from amongst five categories. The results showed an equal split between affordable housing and jobs and workforce development for the top choice, while parks and open space received a similar number of votes:
Breakout Group Discussion Results
Following the formal presentation, attendees were divided into four smaller groups, each group facilitated by staff or members of the project team. These breakout groups were not recorded to maintain participant anonymity.
The purpose of these discussions was to provide an opportunity for community members and stakeholders to react and respond to topics introduced during the presentation, and most importantly share their own insights regarding the different benefits, and the priorities that the city should consider when evaluating potential development projects. To guide the conversation, breakout groups were organized around five key topics:
Affordable Housing; Jobs and Workforce Development; Community Preservation; Parks, Open Space, and Conservation; and Mobility. The following guiding questions were asked for each topic:
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1. Are the desired outcomes identified in the presentation correct? What’s missing?
2. Are the priorities related to space and money identified in the presentation correct? What’s missing? Which of these benefits are most important and why?
Specific feedback from the breakout groups can ben found in the Appendix.
Several key themes emerged from these discussions:
• Overall value and fairness. The community wanted to better understand how much developers will make from the city allowing additional developmentin the RBD, and what is the fair allocation of benefits for the community in relation to that amount. This would help some residents decide how best to prioritize amongst various benefits and ensure that the City and its residents directly benefit from the new development.
• Deeply affordable housing. Affordable housing emerged as a key priority, with strong support for the deeper levels of affordability, especially 35% AMI. There was some differing opinions regarding the size of new housing (the ratio between studios, 1-bed, 2+ bed). Some felt that more family and multigenerational housing was needed while other thought that smaller units for young professionals is missing in EPA and therefore should be built in the RBD. • Building community wealth. Home ownership was discussed as a key building block for the EPA community to truly share in the wealth creation of RBD development, and as a way to ensure long-term stability in the neighborhoods.
• Lifelong pipelines to employment. Access to well-paying jobs is critical to the health and welfare of EPA residents. Starting in youth and moving through adults, participants expressed that developers in RBD should actively provide opportunities for education and internships/apprenticeships. Others requirements including free training, pilot hiring programs, and stricter local hire expectations were also highlighted by participants.
• Spaces for activities that residents want to pursue. Discussions concerning jobs and workforce development emphasized a strong preference for physical spaces within RBD that could accommodate new or displaced local businesses and workers, but especially the wide diversity of potential businesses unique to EPA’s residents.
• Developer accountability. The community wants to be sure that the businesses that move into new buildings are accountable to the agreements made with the developers of the properties. • Parks and mobility were covered in less detail, but comments included sensitivity of new open spaces to wildlife, fostering safe and accessible public spaces, and considering fees to mitigate traffic concerns.
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Final Polling
After the breakout group sessions, one final polling exercise was conducted where participants were asked to identify their priorities for community benefits using a 100-point budget. Using Mentimeter, individuals were asked to vote on the specific community benefits that were most important to them. As was mentioned above, instead of voting by topic, the final poll organized the list of community benefits into 2 categories: 1) benefits that compete for physical space in the RBD; and 2) benefits that compete for money from development projects. The following tables summarize the results of this prioritization exercise.
As is shown above, jobs and housing are the most essential benefits for this community. This is consistent with the results from previous community engagement efforts. Participants in this workshop expressed that they would like to see developer-provided and subsidized space in the RBD / 4 Corners used for:
SPACE
Received the
Strongest Support
• Local entrepreneurs
• Affordable housing units
• Public parks and trails
• Local restaurants
Received Moderate
Support
• Ecological areas
• Larger housing units
• Grocery store
• Youth Center
Received Lower
Support
• Commercial kitchen
• New City Hall/services
• Outdoor sports fields
• Senior Center
• Other
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Similar to the first exercise, jobs and housing again emerged as the most essential benefits for this community.
Participants in this workshop expressed that they would like to see money/financial resources allocated in the RBD / 4 Corners towards:
MONEY
Received the
Strongest Support
• Workforce training (jobs)
• Local businesses (jobs)
• Home ownership (housing)
• 35% AMI Housing (housing)
• Wetland restoration (parks)
Received Moderate
Support
• Public recreational amenities (parks)
• 50% AMI Housing (housing)
• Trees and beautification (parks)
• Citywide congestion projects (transportation)
• Citywide bike/ped projects (transportation)
Received Lower
Support
• Exceeding local hire (jobs)
• Neighborhood traffic calming (transportation)
• Donation to community groups (community)
• Regional transportation projects (transportation)
• Other
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Appendix
Affordable Housing
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Jobs & Workforce Development
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Community Preservation
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Parks, Open Space, and Conservation
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Mobility
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Part II: Summary of Online Survey
An online survey was conducted through SurveyMonkey to provide an opportunity to residents to provide feedback who could not attend the virtual workshop or the in-person workshops. Approximately 40 respondents were recorded, and feedback generally mirrored the results from Workshop #3, with a few differences:
• Greater interest in wetlands restoration
• Higher vote totals for subsidized commuter shuttles
• More support for creating (larger) units with more bedrooms In the online survey results, the choice of the most important benefits categories was aligned with other results, with #1 Housing, #2 Jobs and Workforce, and #3 Community Preservation.
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Voting Results for Space:
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Voting Results for Money:
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Part III: Summary Results from Pop-up Events
Three separate pop-up workshops were held during April 2022 to discuss benefits priorities with residents.
Generally, the same priorities were voiced during these activities as during the others, with the notable difference of:
• Emphasis on anti-displacement over many other items
• Strong desire to improve local schools and boost their funding • Concerns around safety related to use of future waterfront parks and open space • Higher interest in parks and trails, and outdoor sports fields These images display the results of participant voting on the budgeting exercises (not all participants chose to participate in the voting activity – many provided verbal comments to the project team members):
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EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: May 17, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
SUBJECT: Proposed Strategy for Final Disbursement of Remaining Measure C Funding Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Accept the staff report and provide direction regarding the proposed approach for completing disbursement of the remaining Measure C funds; and
2. Appropriate a maximum of $15,000 in Measure C funding to support the Senior Center’s reopening efforts.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 1: Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
Since 2007, Measure C funds have been distributed to community-based organizations that provide critically needed services to children, youth, families, seniors, formerly incarcerated individuals, and victims of domestic violence. To date, the City has collected and reinvested $7.2 M in Measure C funding.
In accordance with the Measure C program, the City Council established a “Crime-Fighting Act Oversight Committee” (Committee) to review, audit, and make recommendations to the City Council about programs that the City should fund. For ten (10) years, the Committee worked with City staff to evaluate proposals and formulate funding recommendations.
On September 1, 2020, the City Council directed staff to issue a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) no later than October 1, 2020, to expend the remaining balance of Measure C funding.
To date, the NOFA has not been issued.
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At this time, approximately $214,000 remains in the City’s Measure C funds.
Analysis
Typically, the process of distributing Measure C funds would initiate with the issuance of a NOFA to identify proposals that could benefit from Measure C funding. On average, a City NOFA would involve the commitment of $350,000 - $400,000 and would require approximately six (6) to nine (9) months for the staff, Committee, and City Council to complete annually.
Due to the current capacity limitation of both the funds (lower balance) and City staff (due to vacancies), staff recommends a streamlined approach to ensuring the appropriate disbursement of the remaining Measure C funds.
Rather than issuing another NOFA, staff recommends that the City invite proposals from two reputable programs that have the ability to utilize and leverage Measure C funding to achieve a greater impact in the community: Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA) and One East Palo Alto/El Concilio’s Sponsored Employee Program (SEP).
Upon receipt, staff would review and evaluate the proposals. If the proposals meet the standard of Measure C usage, staff will return to the City Council in July 2022 with specific funding recommendations. Further, staff would like to formerly recognize the Committee’s work over the years supporting the Measure C program and will do so when returning to the City Council in July 2022.
Proposal to Support the Senior Center’s Reopening Efforts On Friday, May 6th, the Mayor and Interim City Manager met with representatives from the Senior Center to discuss Senior Center’s plans for reopening. During that meeting, the Senior Center identified several minor improvements that need to be done prior to the Senior Center reopening.
Staff recommends the City Council appropriate a maximum of $15,000 to support the Senior Center’s reopening efforts. The City will complete the minor improvements and purchase any furniture that may be needed. The Senior Center will not receive any funding, directly.
Staff and the Senior Center and working together to identify a day in mid-June when both entities can celebrate the Senior Center’s reopening. When available, staff will provide the City Council with more information on this event.
Fiscal Impact
There are adequate funds remaining in the City’s Measure C fund to cover the $15,000 contribution for the Senior Center reopening.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice by making the agenda and report available on the City’s website and on a bulletin board located at City Hall: 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
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Environmental
The action being considered does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378 (b)(5), in that it is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Attachments
1. Resolution
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RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EAST PALO ALTO APPROPRIATING $15,000 IN MEASURE C FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE SENIOR
CENTER REOPENING
WHEREAS, since 2007, Measure C funds have been distributed to community-based organizations that provide critically needed services to children, youth, families, seniors, formerly incarcerated individuals, and victims of domestic violence; and WHEREAS, the Senior Center has been closed to the public for nearly two years in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the City and Senior Center intend to host a reopening event at the Senior Center in mid to late June 2022; and
WHEREAS, the Senior Center needs minor repairs and upgrades prior to the reopening; and
WHEREAS, City staff will complete the minor repairs and upgrades and purchase any furniture needed. The Senior Center will not receive any funding, directly.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EAST PALO ALTO appropriates $15,000 in Measure C funding to support the Senior Center reopening in mid to late June 2022.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 17th day of May 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
SIGNED:
Ruben Abrica, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
James Colin, Interim City Clerk Valerie J. Armento, Interim City Attorney ATTACHMENT 1
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EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: May 17, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
SUBJECT: Initial City Reopening Plan
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Accept the staff report and provide direction regarding the City’s initial approach to reopening as a stage of recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic; and
2. Direct staff to return to the City Council in June 2022 with a detailed re-opening strategy.
Background
At the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic (COVID), all City facilities were closed to protect public and employee health.
In an effort to provide much-needed services to the community, the City quickly shifted to offering key services in a virtual format. For example, the Community and Economic Development and Public Works Departments established a process in which the community and other stakeholders could submit electronic applications to advance small and large projects, alike.
To date, most Bay Area jurisdictions have opened their facilities to both employees and the public in a limited capacity. In East Palo Alto, a majority of staff members have been working in a hybrid format, typically part-time in the office and part-time remotely from home.
This staff report provides the City Council with initial targets for the City’s COVID re-opening strategy.
Analysis
The City’s reopening strategy will focus on the following areas:
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• Staff returning safely to the office;
• The community accessing City Hall and other public facilities; and • The City’s ability to host public meetings in a safe manner, such as City Council or Planning Commission.
Prior to identifying a specific timeline for when residents may enter City facilities, staff seeks City Council input and hopes to establish a hierarchy of recovery priorities, such as:
• Safety for all;
• Community access to services; and
• Ability to provide a relevant service virtually.
Lessons Learned
The City and community response to the COVID pandemic demonstrated the resilience of the City’s residents and employees. Prior to COVID, the City’s ability to provide flexible remote work options and virtual or hybrid services to the community was limited. The City’s IT Manager, Jimmie Tulabing, secured the necessary technology and provided the essential training to support the City’s workforce during an extremely challenging transition. Ultimately, staff were capable of efficiently providing essential services, either in the office or remotely.
Moving forward, the City may consider building upon these successes during an emergency period to provide more ongoing service options for the community and staff alike.
Staff’s Initial Recommendations
Table 1
Item Target Date
Open City facilities for public use July 1, 2022
Staff returning to the office more regularly July 1, 2022 First in person public meetings in Council Chambers September 1, 2022 The County of San Mateo plans to advance a major HVAC upgrade at the 2415 University Avenue building. This project had been planned for years, but was delayed as a result of COVID. Staff is coordinating with the County to better understand the timeline, which may require specific staff to work remotely when office space is impacted by the HVAC project.
Staff will ensure that the City Council in updated as project progresses.
Key Questions for the City Council
1. Does City Council support the target dates identified in Table 1?
2. Does City Council support the overall methodology and the plan for the City Manager to establish a working group of City employees, who would develop recommendations for a staff telecommuting policy?
3. Is the City Council interested in pursuing hybrid meeting formats for future City Council and Commission meetings?
Next Steps
Staff will return to the City Council in June 2022 with a revised plan that incorporates City Council feedback.
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EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: May 17, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: James Colin, Executive Assistant
James Colin, Executive Assistant
SUBJECT: COVID-19 Vaccination Program Regular Update
Recommendation
Discuss the COVID-19 vaccination program update and provide direction to staff.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Ø Priority #5: Improve Communication and Enhance Community Engagement Ø Priority #6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
On a weekly basis the Mayor and Vice Mayor meet with key staff to discuss and coordinate City of East Palo Alto COVID-19 Vaccination Program efforts and progress.
The purpose of this report is to present the information regarding the abovementioned program and efforts in an open forum engaging all members of the Council and the public.
Analysis
See Attachment 1.
The attachments included in this report routinely cover the items typically discussed at the COVID-19 vaccination briefing with the Mayor and Vice Mayor as well as key staff.
The format is discussed as follows:
1. Review of previous week vaccination efforts. This item identifies each event by the date
9.7 Packet Pg. 580
at which it occurred, the time, the location provider, the address, and the vaccination numbers (sometimes by vaccination type and 1st or 2nd dose).
2. Review of upcoming vaccination events for the week. This follows the same content format as number 1 but concentrates on the efforts to make the upcoming event organized and successful.
3. Outreach efforts (not always discussed). This item typically involved a review of outreach efforts as discussed in item 2 but in more detail and/or a change in strategy as circumstances may change.
4. Future Efforts
5. Incentives (Previously considered).
Public Notice
The public was provided notice of this agenda item by posting the City Council agenda on the City’s official bulletin outside City Hall and making the agenda and report available at the City’s website and the San Mateo County Library at 2145 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Fiscal Impact
N/A as this is an informational report.
Environmental
The action being considered by the City Council is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a “project” pursuant to 15378(b)(4) because it is a fiscal activity which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment.
Attachments
1. Draft Vaccination Meeting Agenda 5-17-2022 2
9.7 Packet Pg. 581
Vaccination Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
1. Review of previous week vaccination efforts:
Ravenswood Family Health Clinic
1885
Pfizer Adult Pfizer Pedi Moderna J & J Subtotal
1st dose 2 4 1 0 7
2nd dose 2 8 0 0 10
3rd dose 0 0 0
Booster 8 3 11
2nd Booster 4 11 15
Total 16 12 15 0 43
2. Review of Upcoming vaccination event for week
Day Partners Pop.
Age Time Location Address
Tuesday County of San
Mateo/Lookout Health 5+ 3:00 am – 7:00 pm
Lewis & Joan Platt
East Palo Alto Family
YMCA
2180 Euclid Ave.
9.7.a
Packet Pg. 582 Attachment: Draft Vaccination Meeting Agenda 5-17-2022 2 (2258 : COVID-19 Vaccination Program Regular Update) Pop Up Events:
3. Review of Testing Sites
*The Ravenswood City School District and the Sequoia Union High School District each have additional COVID testing capabilities for students of the districts. Any student or caregiver may contact either District’s main office to learn about how to secure a rapid test for the student.
Thursday County of San Mateo 12+ 6:00 am – 9:00 pm
Lewis & Joan Platt
East Palo Alto Family
YMCA
2180 Euclid Ave.
Saturday Ravenswood Family
Health Clinic 5+ 9:00 am – 11:00 am Ravenswood Family Health Clinic 1885 Bay Rd.
Saturday County of San Mateo/
Stanford 5+ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm Woodland Park Apartments 2021 Euclid Ave.
Wednesday
May 18,
2022
RCSD/Meta 1:15pm-4:15pm
Los Robles Ronald
McNair Academy- FB/
LHC
2033 Pulgas Ave,
East Palo Alto, ca
94303, US
Thursday,
May 19,
2022
RCSD/Meta 3:15pm-6:15pm Costaño School Gym, 2695 Fordham Ave., EPA
Friday, May
20, 2022 RCSD/Meta 3:15pm-6:15pm Belle Haven Elementary Cafeteria, 415 Ivy Drive, Menlo
Park
Date Time Location Address
Tuesday - Saturday 11:00am –
4:00pm Ravenswood Shopping Center 1781 E Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Monday - Friday
12:00pm7:00pm
(weekends
10am-4pm)
(Stanford) North Fair Oaks -
Drive Through 2685 Bay Road, Redwood City, CA
Thursday Only 8:00am8:00pmNorth Fair Oaks Library 2500 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City
9.7.a
Packet Pg. 583 Attachment: Draft Vaccination Meeting Agenda 5-17-2022 2 (2258 : COVID-19 Vaccination Program Regular Update)