Minutes Zoning Administrator – October 15, 2024 PAGE 1
MINUTES
FREMONT ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 15, 2024
CALL TO ORDER: Zoning Administrator Clifford Nguyen called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Zoning Administrator Clifford Nguyen
Mark Hungerford, Senior Planner
Marc Cleveland, Associate Planner
Kim Salazar, Recording Clerk
PUBLIC/ORAL
COMMUNICATION Kelly Abreu commented on zoning allowances for industrial and light-industrial uses.
PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS
Item 1. ARDENWOOD AT PASEO – 6200 Paseo Padre Parkway — PLN2022-00466 – To consider a Discretionary Design Review Permit and a floor area ratio increase request in conjunction with a proposed five -building light -industrial/R&D development consisting of 407,250 square feet of new floor area, plus renovation of an existing 43,1 72-square-foot light -industrial/R&D building, on the site bounded by Paseo Padre Parkway, Ardenwood Boulevard, and Commerce Drive in the North Fremont Community Plan Area; and to consider an exemption from the requirements of the California Environmental Q uality Act (CEQA) per, without limitation, CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, as the project is consistent with the General Plan, for which an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (SCH#2010082060) was previously prepared and certified.
Associate Planner Marc Cleveland introduced the item and gave a brief summation of the project.
Zoning Administrator Clifford Nguyen opened the public hearing and brought attention to the Notes and Corrections document submitted into record (attached).
The applicant/architect, Evan Sockalosky with Arc Tec Inc., responded to questions from Zoning Administrator Clifford Nguyen regarding the findings and conditions for approval for the proposed project.
Kelly Abreu commented on the following issues, related to the proposed project:
• Number of employees
Minutes Zoning Administrator – October 15, 2024 PAGE 2
• Inadequate infrastructure
• Number of parking spaces
• Inadequacy of environmental review
• Land use incompatibility
The speaker concluded by suggesting that the property be rezoned to office use, and that a supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) be conducted.
Kelilah Federman, representing East Bay Residents for Responsible Development, stated that the environmental review done for the proposed project was inadequate, per the CEQA requirements, and that a project level EIR should be conducted. The speaker stated that an email was sent to City staff just minutes before this meeting was called to order.
Zoning Administrator Clifford Nguyen stated that he had not yet received, nor read the email from Kelilah Federman . Mr. Nguyen then asked the applicant questions related to maximum number of employees allowed for the proposed project, to which the property owner, Gavin Christensen, responded that they were amenable to the cap of 1,000 employees, based on the current market ; but that further examination and research would be needed once the market changed. Zoning Administrator Clifford Nguyen also reported to the applicant a request made by Kelly Abreu via email to City staff to allow shared parking for public access to Coyote Hills Regional Park.
Zoning Administrator Clifford Nguyen closed the public hearing for this item.
The Zoning Administrator took the following action on Item 1:
HELD PUBLIC HEARING;
AND
FOUND THAT THE PROJECT AS SHOWN IN EXHIBIT “A” IS EXEMPT FROM
FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PURSUANT TO CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15183, AS THE PROJECT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE GENERAL
PLAN FOR WHICH AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR)
(SCH#2010082060) WAS PREVIOUSLY PREPARED AND CERTIFIED; AND
APPROVED THE DISCRETIONARY DESIGN REVIEW PERMIT AND FLOOR AREA RATIO INCREASE, AS SHOWN ON EXHIBIT “A,” BASED ON THE
FINDINGS AND SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL IN EXHIBIT “B.”
Item 1 was approved with the following additional conditions of approval:
A-10 Water Supply Assessment (WSA) – The use of the project shall comply with the thresholds of Section 10912 of the Water Code for the requirements of a Water Supply Assessment. The developer shall coordinate with the Alameda County Water District (ACWD) during building perm review with respect to WSA thresholds and comply with all applicable requirements.