Parks, Recreation & Open Space Commission - Regular Meeting

So Robin, I asked Preston to do the land acknowledgement, but since he's not here, would you do it? Because we're going to start.

Good evening. I'd like to call to order the meeting of the Albany City Council for July 6th, 2026. May we have, oh, Council Member Robin, would you read the land acknowledgement, please? Yes.

The city of Albany recognizes that we occupy the land originally protected by the Confederated Villages of Leshan. We acknowledge the genocide that took place on these lands and must make strides to repay the moral debt that is owed to this indigenous people, specifically the Ohlone tribe. We thank them for their contributions, which have transformed our community and will continue to bring forth growth and unity. The city of Albany commits to sustaining ongoing relationships WITH THE TRIBE AND TOGETHER BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL THAT NOW MAKE THIS THEIR HOME. THANK YOU. MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE?

COUNCIL MEMBER JORDAN?

HERE.

COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ? PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE? HERE. VICE MAYOR HANSEN-RAMIRE? HERE. MAYOR MCQUAY?

HERE. We had no closed session, so there's no action to report. Which brings us to ceremonial matters. We have a proclamation in recognition of the Roticare West Contra Costa Free Clinic and Dr. Pate Thompson. I believe Judy Kerr is here from Albany Rotary to accept the proclamation.

If you'd like to meet me at the podium.

City of Albany Proclamation in recognition of the RotaCare West Contra Costa Free Clinic and Dr. Pate Thompson. Whereas the RotaCare West Contra Costa Free Clinic in Richmond was established in 2013 to provide access to healthcare services to very low income, uninsured residents of West Contra Costa County and the surrounding area. Whereas the Rotary Clubs of Berkeley, Albany, Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Pinole, and Hercules Rodeo Crockett came together in collaboration for the creation, support, and ongoing success of the RotarCare West Contra Costa Free Clinic. And whereas RotarCare West Contra Costa Free Clinic patients have access to compassionate healthcare services, including free prescriptions, lab work, diagnostic imaging, social services, diabetic supplies, and patient education. And whereas the mission of the clinic is to provide hope, dignity, and compassionate care to those in need, And whereas Roticare West Contra Costa is a Bay Area non-profit where medical professionals volunteer to provide free primary and urgent care to uninsured patients through donations by local Rotary clubs, private donations and grants. And whereas in the 13 years since its inception, the RotaCare West Contra Costa Clinic has provided 6,933 medical visits to 3,655 patients, helping these patients receive preventive care such as cervical cancer, cholesterol, and diabetes screening. And whereas through this treatment, patients are able to avoid costly emergency room visits, those who are managing their chronic diseases with appropriate medications are able to stay well enough to continue working to support their families. And whereas the RotaCare West Contra Costa Free Clinic has more than 70 volunteers, including over 20 licensed physicians and nurse practitioners, And whereas Dr. Pate Thompson envisioned and established this clinic and became the founding medical director, working diligently over the years to recruit physicians and nurses, Rotarian volunteers and community supporters and student volunteers, the relationships established with pre-medicine undergraduate programs And whereas Dr. Pate-Thompson led the effort to affiliate the clinic with RotaCare Bay Area as a satellite clinic securing facility license, regulatory support, operational guidance, and organizational foundation needed to serve the community, and went on to serve as a member of the RotaCare Bay Area board. Now therefore be it proclaimed that the city of Albany hereby recognizes the service provided by RotaCare West Contra Costa Free Clinic and thanks Dr. Pate Thompson for his extraordinary vision, exemplary leadership, compassion, and dedicated service to the residents of West Contra Costa County and surrounding areas. Dated July 6th, 2026, Peggy McQuaid, Albany Mayor.

Oh, I'm gonna add a single whereas, because it was long to begin with. Whereas the values of Albany as a community are reflected entirely in this statement and in the values of the Rotary Club of Albany, I'd like to accept this, and I'd like to acknowledge my appreciation for the council for the proclamation. Thank you.

Thank you. That takes us to the city manager report.

Thank you, Mayor. We are entering the election season. Believe it or not, the election period for nominations for the seats of City Council, two seats, and School District Board of Education, four seats, will open on July 13th. People can make an appointment with our city clerk to pick up ballot materials and nomination materials. You can also check our website, albanyca.gov slash government slash election dash information for a lot more information. And that website will be open throughout the nomination period with regular updates. We have a special opportunity tomorrow to hear from Congresswoman Latifah Simon, who will be holding a town hall at the Albany High School Little Theater. This will be held from 6 to 7 p.m., and you can register online, simon.house.gov, RSVP, for more information. I hope many of you were able to enjoy our presentation local Fourth of July celebration at Memorial Park. I can confidently say that it was a phenomenal turnout. The park was packed with families and local community members enjoying time together and really want to give a profound thank you to the staff who spent many months planning that event and many hours prior to and throughout the event. Yay. The Recreation and Community Service Department does a number of things for our community, all members of our community, and this is just another example of their commitment to service. A reminder that Friendship Club after school program registration is now open. That school starts very soon on August 12th and we have space available in that program for elementary level students after school. There are also opportunities for scholarships and financial assistance. So please inquire with our community services staff regarding those opportunities. We have a homeowner and tenant resource expo coming up. This is an opportunity for basically anyone in Albany to learn more about services provided by the city, nonprofits, and other organizations. As part of the event, Echo Housing will be present to give a informal session from 6.30 to 7 on tenants' rights, the city's rent review ordinance, and other local housing services. There will also be food at the event, so please join us and get to know city staff and also a number of other service providers. Concert in the Park are our next world-win event throughout August. These are going to be every Wednesday beginning August 12th and running through September 9th. Check our website for all of the performances that are scheduled. A great variety as usual. Look forward to seeing everyone there. Waste Management is doing another textile curbside collection. This is started up through July, and you can bag any donatable textile type materials, either for donation, reuse, or fiber recycling. Bag them in one plastic bag, 35 gallon or smaller, with labels for textile collection on the same day as your pickup day. The Oregon Avenue sewer project is starting construction with anticipation completion in midwinter. This improves the sewer mains on that street and improves the sewer pipe size. Please be patient in that area as it certainly will cause some rerouting. And another event right around the corner is National Night Out. Please register for a block party. This is always another well-received event where many blocks in our city are closed. So residents can get together and get to know one another. And city staff also aims to attend each block party. You can register on our website, albanyca.gov slash NNO2026. And we recently had two workshops for the block program, block captain program. We had a great turnout at both of these events, drawing about 25 block captains and interested community members at each. Great opportunity to refresh your awareness of disaster preparedness, get to know your community members, your neighbors, and also engage with our public safety department. So deep appreciation to OUR FIRE CHIEF IN PARTICULAR AND HIS STAFF FOR REINVIGORATING THAT PROGRAM. AND THAT COMPLETES MY REPORT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ARE THERE ANY COUNCIL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? PRESIDENT?

THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER, FOR THE REPORT. I THINK YOU MENTIONED THAT TEXTILE PICKUP IS THROUGHOUT JULY. I THINK IT'S CONSTRAINED TO A PARTICULAR WEEK, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY.

I believe it's throughout July, but I will double check that. Okay. And confirm.

Thanks. And then...

This coming week.

So not this week.

Right.

Next week?

Right. Okay. Thank you, Justin.

Just don't want bags going out, you know, the wrong time. Thank you. And there's a lot to report. In reporting the sewer project, you didn't actually say, like, which street it's on. You said the street will be... Quite involved.

Brighton.

Brighton. Okay. Thank you. That's all. Thank you, Mayor.

Okay. I just want to add my thanks to the recreation staff for a fabulous Fourth of July. Seems like there were more people there than I've seen in past years, and everybody was having a great time. So thank you to all the staff. Thank you to the chamber for the free ice cream. Are there any public questions?

Any online? No.

Okay. Great. Thank you. That brings us to good of the city public comment. This is a time for persons desiring to address the city council on items that are not on the agenda. Please note that city policy limits each speaker to up to three minutes. The mayor may reduce the time limit per speaker depending upon the number of speakers. The Brown Act limits the council's ability to take and or discuss items that are not on the agenda. Therefore, such items may be referred to staff for comment or to a future agenda. Comments related to items appearing later on the agenda will be taken up at the time the council deliberates each action item. The mayor will announce when the period for public comment is open on each agenda item. Okay, why don't you hand her your card and come on up in some order. ARE THERE ANY SPEAKERS ON PUBLIC COMMENT?

I HAVE TWO CARDS FOR GOOD OTHER CITY.

IS THERE SOMEONE BEFORE ME?

ARE YOU SPEAKING GOOD OTHER CITY?

GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL AND MAYOR. This is Nick Peterson. I'm a over 30-year resident of Albany, also founding member of the Climate Action Coalition or the Albany Climate Action Coalition. Just wanted to encourage you to keep up as much good work as you can on prioritizing climate change and actions to reduce the city's emissions. I KNOW THERE'S PLANS FOR CITY FLEET CONVERSION AND I THINK WE SHOULD STEP THOSE UP SO THAT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY GET SOME LEADERSHIP FROM THE CITY AND SEEING THAT THE CITY IS USING ELECTRIC VEHICLES, WHICH DOESN'T SEEM TO BE VERY EVIDENT RIGHT NOW. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S A GREAT WRITING ELECTRIC LAWN MOWER I JUST LOVE. SO YAY TO THE PUBLIC WORKS. BUT ANYWAY, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CLIMATE CRISIS AS YOU HAVE actually passed a resolution saying that, and we need to do more. So I encourage you to keep doing that. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

My name's Jean Wu, and I've lived in this city for over 35 years, and I have a lot of concerns about the city, one of which, of course, you know, is resilience hubs. But the other thing that's come out is that we are going to be selling Golden Gate Fields to a conservation group, and eventually it will become a park. One of the key people who organized this is Robert Chiesty, a former mayor, of Albany and the Executive Director of Citizens for East Shore Parks. He will be speaking this Sunday at the Albany Library from 3 to 5 p.m. And I encourage everyone who's interested in what happens at Golden Gate Fields to come and find out what are the plans and to put in their two cents about what you think needs to happen at Golden Gate Fields. Thank you so much. Thank you. HOWARD?

Howard McNinney, 1039 Santa Fe Avenue. I'm the one that wrote a letter to the council about the city's plan to put Measure D on the ballot this fall to amend the measure. Measure D is something I do know a little bit about since I was one of the people who helped get it on the ballot in the first place. It's purpose was to prevent developers from buying single-family houses, getting them rezoned to multifamily, tearing them down, and then building three-plex or four-plex with nothing but parking in front. The vehicle to do that was known as spot zoning, and Measure D was to prevent that from happening. A lot of the problems occurred because of parking, obviously, because when you have a single-family house and you put a three-plex or a four-plex next to it, you're going to have some parking issues. So I was surprised when I found out that the city's interpretation of Measure D is that it prohibits any changes in the rezoning restrictions for R1 zone lots. Not just rezoning for multifamily, but anything at all. Now, I'm not a lawyer, and I did not know that Measure D required that, but if that is true, then I can point out quite a few changes in the zoning rules for R1 zone property that happened without a citywide vote. And if the city's interpretation is correct, then the rules that applied to R1 zone property in 1978 are the only ones that should apply today. Any other rules, including specifically the floor area ratio limitations that only came into being in 2008 should therefore be considered null and void. I've been a practicing architect for almost 50 years, and the last 15 of which have been as a residential architect doing projects here in Albany as well as surrounding communities. I've gotten to know a lot about FAR rules, and I've seen the rules change and the interpretation of the rules change. and it's very frustrating to me, but I believe it's also frustrating to the planning staff as well, since they're just trying their best to implement a rule that they did not write, and I don't believe they even support currently. I can tell you that Berkeley does not have FAR for single-family houses, nor does Oakland, nor does El Cerrito. Very few cities, in fact, have it for a good reason. It's very difficult to write one that makes any sense. I've seen it applied in a way to prohibit making an existing basement habitable. I've also seen it applied in a way to prohibit the reconstruction of a non-conforming attic into habitable space, even though there are no issues with height setbacks or any other normal criteria. If the City were to determine that the rules for single-family lots that were in effect in 1978 are frozen in place and cannot be changed without a City right vote, then I'd be very happy. If on the other hand, the city were to determine that changes can be made, then that would be also good because that would mean the normal process of making these changes would apply. I ask for a prompt resolution. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Any online?

No one online. Great. Thank you.

Staff, are there any responses to any of the comments?

No, Mayor.

Okay, that brings us to consent calendar. Consent calendar items are considered to be routine by this city council and will be enacted by one motion. By approval of the consent calendar, the staff recommendations will be adopted unless otherwise modified by the city council. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a council member or a member of the audience wishes removal of the item from the consent calendar. Does any member of the council wish to pull an item? Seeing none, does any member of the public wish to pull an item? Anyone online? No. I'll entertain a motion to approve consent.

Motion to approve consent calendar.

I'll second.

May we have roll call, please? Council Member Jordan?

Yes.

Council Member Lopez? Yep. Council Member McKee?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Hanson-Romero? Yes. Mayor McCoy? Yes. The motion carries.

Thank you. That brings us to item eight, presentation. Albany Parks and Recreation Open Space Master Plan Park Addendum. Recommendation is the council accept the addendum to the Albany Parks Recreation Open Space Master Plan with suggested revisions. May we have a staff report, please?

Good evening. I wanted to ask the city clerk if you received that presentation. Were you able to open that up?

I have the addendum.

What?

I have the addendum and the appendix.

Okay. Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. So the item before you tonight is to review and accept the addendum to the Albany Park Recreation and Open Space Plan. And to direct staff after that time, if you so deem it, to incorporate the key findings and conclusions into the city's maintenance and capital plans for the parks. If you remember in December of 2025, the city council authorized the city manager to enter into a contract with Groundworks to complete a planning study of the existing parks as an addendum to our existing parks recreation and open space master plan. The consultant and staff prepared an online survey to outreach to the community. We received about 600 responses. We also conducted, we realized that The outreach or the online survey resulted in data which was more skewed to the older population, being one myself, I'm allowed to say those things. And... We wanted to get out to the younger set, meaning the high school students who had interest in the sand volleyball. And so we went to the high school and also conducted a community survey. And then we presented the addendum to the Park and Recreation Commission twice. And at the last meeting in May, the commission accepted the report and directed staff to submit the report to council. i do want to note that the impetus for this study wasn't that there was anything missing in our master plan per se but that there was community concern regarding the placement of sand volleyball at ocean butte park that's kind of what started this ball going and the city council along with staff identified a need to look at and analyze the needs of the community and conduct that outreach, which is part of what we've done. And part of that analysis did include an assessment of the park facilities for sand volleyball and the appropriateness of Ocean View Park for that use. Sand volleyball was a priority of this analysis. However, staff did find that a large contingent attending the meetings was not, we did not find a large contingent of people coming expressing desire for the sand volleyball overall. And it appears from the community and the outreach that most people in the city, which was very wonderful for us to find, are satisfied with the parks, but wish for more maintenance of the parks to, such as lighting, seating, walkways, and just general maintenance of the park facilities, play equipment, et cetera. Although we didn't receive many responses specifically supporting the Ocean View Park, there is still an interest. We saw from certain people in the survey, and you have that as part of your appendix to the report, that there was an interest for sand volleyball, climbing walls, skate parks, and dog parks. What we do understand is that there is a limited number of parks and space within the city and that there will always be trade-offs. So for instance, when we looked at maybe Many people saying that Memorial Park might be a good location for the sand volleyball. We looked at what those tradeoffs would be, which would mean 4th of July, dinner with Albany, movies in the park, and a bunch of other things that are skipping my mind, but we definitely would have to balance that out, as we would in any park, but in particular Memorial Park, where a lot of the larger gatherings for the community occur. So we're going to continue to evaluate park spaces and hope that we can look at what those competing interests are and figure out what the community needs, and that does change over time, of course. And sand volleyball will be incorporated into the CIP for... Ohlone Greenway and Peggy Thompson Street Park. And as you saw in the addendum, we did also consider other locations such as under the freeway, Highway 80, for some of that activity to take place. But we haven't analyzed that to a larger degree. But we will continue to look at those things and hopefully get to a point where we figure out how to provide as many programs and activities for the community. And what I didn't do was introduce that we have our consultants from GroundWorks here, as well as I wanted to thank, we did this as a group effort staff, so I wanted to give a little shout out to Mark Hurley and to Sid, who all helped me with this, both to get the outreach, both to prepare it, so it was a joint effort that I think was very welcoming for me. So with that, I don't have any more that I wish to state and I was wondering if you wanted to ask questions now or have the presentation and then ask afterwards, either way.

Why don't you go ahead and do the presentation and I will.

Okay, so I'm gonna introduce Crown Works who's gonna come up and present for us. Thank you. And it's Sarah and Tiger will be presenting. Well, actually, I think Sarah's going to present.

Hi, everyone. I'm Sarah Peschel, a partner at Groundwork's office. Thank you for your time tonight. We look forward to hearing your comments and feedback on the addendum. Thank you. Okay. So as we began this process, we had four goals that we were working towards to create the addendum, the overall addendum for the existing master plan. So the first one was that we wanted to understand how residents currently use parks and open space. The second goal was to gather community feedback about the existing parks and open space. The third goal was to identify new program opportunities and get suggestions for improvements. And then the fourth goal was to support future park planning based on public needs through our findings. So the process that we used to undertake this began with community engagement. We had an online survey, which we received 664 responses to. And as part of the community engagement, we also held two in-person meetings that involved a mapping process. The second step was analysis of what we received for answers to the survey and then also what the community told us when they came to the in-person meetings. Then the third step was to take the findings, the data and the analysis, and to come up with essentially a set of guidance or a set of recommendations for future system-wide improvements in site-specific opportunity areas. Okay, next slide, please. So the community engagement, as I said, had 664 survey responses. And so the two color wheels on the slide here show you the survey respondents by age, and then also gives you a sense of who who made up the Albany residents response components of the online survey. The image to the right shows you how the in-person community engagement sessions went. And so we call those mapping interviews because they were very hands-on. Everybody was given these acetate overlays that showed different examples of park program elements so that they were able to place that over aerial photos of the existing parks to get a sense of, you know, what could actually fit, because we're aware a lot of people just don't really understand size or scale. So this was, you know, a very quick way to understand, hey, this park definitely can't support sand volleyball. There's just nowhere that we can fit a soccer field, and then get a, you know, a better sense of, like, how much space do we have, and what might we be able to fit where? Okay, next slide, please. So our key finding number one is related to how residents currently use the parks. So the first thing that was really interesting was to find out how frequently people visit the parks. And approximately 50% of residents visit the parks. Well, these are residents who responded to the survey. visit the parks on a weekly basis. And then we had about 35% on a daily basis and then smaller numbers that go quite infrequently. Then the top park activities that people currently enjoy, walking and jogging, that seems to be the top area of interest. Then playing sports, playground activities, fitness, dog walking, picnics, community events, and then other. Next slide. Key finding number two is related to what residents want and what they feel is holding them back from using the parks. So the top improvement priorities that were requested were related, first of all, to shade and seating. So that was almost 38% of respondents said that they would like to see more shade and seating throughout the parks in general. Then improved maintenance was the second top priority at 26%. And then the third ranking is related to more program and not so much, like we'll just call it maintenance or upgrades. And this is expanded open space, upgraded playground equipment, and better lighting. And then the box to the right, we're calling that the micro level needs. And I know that you all received a really detailed appendix, and so that breaks down All of the responses to the survey questions and then that can show you where we came up with each micro level need and how it relates to individual parks and One thing to note is we did remove Golden Gate fields from all of the responses, you know people obviously Couldn't help themselves and commenting on what they'd like to see there, but it's just it's not a part of this and So key finding number three is related to where residents see the greatest opportunity. So we did find that some of the parks are visited much more frequently than others. There are a few parks that are really underserved or undervisited. And residents, it seemed like it was pretty unanimous, find that there are three parks that offer the most opportunity for new, I'll just say new recreation opportunities or ways to be able to use those parks. And those included Key Route Median, Peggy Thompson Pier Street Park, and Ohlone Greenway. I know Albany Ball does appear and it looks like it should be within the top three, but again, we eliminated that because most of it's not actually owned by the city of Albany. So in general, what we learned is that the parks are widely used, but visitation is uneven, and it seems like there are some parks that receive a lot more visitation, whether it's on a weekly or a more limited basis, and others that see very few visitors. The future development priorities are based on what we heard from residents, the top priority being more shade and seating. THE SECOND BEING MORE SPORTS FACILITIES AND THE THIRD IMPROVED PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT. THEN RESIDENTS IDENTIFIED O'LONEY GREENWAY, PEGGY THOMPSON PEAR STREET PARK AND KEY ROUTE MEDIAN AS THE TOP PRIORITIES FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. The area under I-80 is outside Albany's park system. It does, you know, it did appear as an area that could accommodate quite a bit of programming, and we did receive a lot of responses related to that space, so we are including that in the appendix, or sorry, the addendum. Okay, so the guidance, these are the pages that we're proposing be incorporated into the parks and open space master plan. So you can pan to the next one please. And these next few pages come from your existing plan. So this first page here shows examples of shade elements. These are all constructed shade and these are different methods that could be used at the existing parks to provide more shade, okay. This is again from the existing plan and these are examples of different types of seeding that could be used to provide more seeding at the parks. And this page is, this is opportunities to incorporate more of an urban forest and that would also provide more shade but not in a constructed manner. And these are some examples for improvements that could happen at the playgrounds for the play equipment. So moving on to the proposed improvement areas, the first one is Ohlone Greenway. And this is very diagrammatic. We're not saying that these five specific program elements should happen in these exact spots. It's just to give you a sense of these are what people are asking for on the Greenway. These are all things that could fit on the Greenway. So we heard people asking for a dog park. That's something that could happen. It might have to be thought of more as a dog run due to the linear nature of the Greenway. We could look at doing something on the columns for the BART and incorporate some sort of climbing wall. This could also be a really fun place to do some super graphics. And then you've got the Albany project, the blue pipe sculpture that our office helped you with. That has delivered a lot of impact along Greenway. And you've got more potential here to do something with those posts. This would be a great place to incorporate some more community gardens. There's a lot of sun. And then lastly, this would also be a good place to have an available restroom. So Peggy Thompson Pier Street Park. The shade, we heard a lot about shade. This is a very sun-baked park, so it seems like a shade structure could be quite appropriate. It would be nice to also include or incorporate some more planting and add a small sort of an urban forest, or think of it as a Miyawaki forest that could also provide a buffer to the interstate. And then you have a lot of programmatic potential there just due to the available open space. So as Dina said, this could be a place for sand volleyball. Key Route Median was another park that we heard or another open space that we heard about people wanting to be able to use it more. Like this could be a really fantastic sort of a strolling garden. This is a great opportunity to replace some of the lawn and have some demonstration native plant gardens. There could also be a bike and running path that goes through the median and then some smaller, quieter resting spaces. And lastly, the area under I-80. I mean, it's huge. You could just do so much there in terms of sports programming, including more sand volleyball. This would be a great spot for a skate park, a climbing wall. You could have other flex court spaces. The bike path could continue through there. And it could be a really fun social gathering space. And so that's it.

Great, thank you.

Are you ready for council questions? Of course. I mean, we can do it now, we can do it after, whenever, we're always ready for your questions.

Okay.

I mean, I may not have all the right answers, but, you know, we'll try. All right, are there any council questions?

I always look at you.

All right. Thank you for the work. Thank you for the work and the presentation. You mentioned that the guidance pages were the ones that would be ADDED TO THE PLAN RATHER THAN THE WHOLE PACKAGE? THE RESOLUTION SAYS ACCEPT THE ADDENDUM. CAN YOU CLARIFY ON THAT?

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. THE GUIDANCE PAGES DEFINITELY SHOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO THE PLAN. I GUESS DO YOU WANT TO INCLUDE THE ENTIRE APPENDIX? IT'S PRETTY DENSE. BUT I SEE NO REASON WHY YOU WOULD EXCLUDE IT. WE CAN DEFINITELY INCLUDE THE WHOLE THING.

just referencing the resolution just says accept the addendum it doesn't say like part of it or add this part to this or do this with that so that's why i'm looking for clarification right yes correct you would be assuming council action this evening on the resolution you would be adopting the resolution with the attachment as the addendum to the existing master plan that would be the whole as posted whole thing as fast okay thank you um

I'm wondering why, well, so in terms of the sand volleyball court, I mean, in the time I've been on council, we've periodically gotten tens and tens of emails about it. I don't know why. People didn't show up to this process who were for it. I think people get burned out on showing up over and over again asking for the same thing. So that's one hypothesis. That's not the only hypothesis. But given it was the impetus for the project, I'm kind of surprised that it didn't result with citing the sand volleyball court. So I'm wondering if you could speak to that since that was the original kind of mission statement.

And I will say, Council Member Jordan, that we were just as surprised. And We spoke to the athletic directors at Albany High. We reached out to as many people as we could that were involved before. And we went to the high school. We served them pizza and did the same kind of community outreach that we did. And we just didn't get the sand volleyball kind of response. But we did get a consistent response that we need to do these other things, that people were pretty happy that they did use the parks. It wasn't that it was completely silent. It just wasn't to the overwhelming degree that you had seen previously. And I really can't answer why, but we did try to engage people.

Thank you. So the staff report says that considering citing a sand volleyball court will be included in the CIP projects for programming of the Ohlone Greenway and Peggy Thompson Pierce Street Park. But that's not reflected in this work. So I'm kind of wondering about that disconnect. And the staff report doesn't talk about citing them under the freeway, but that's the only place that the addendum talks about citing them. So there seems to be a disconnect between what the staff report says and what the addendum says.

It is shown at Peggy Thompson Pierce Street Park in the addendum.

I WILL GO LOOK. SO IT'S SHOWN BUT NOT IN TEXT.

THERE'S A PHOTO OF SAND VOLLEYBALL AND THERE SHOULD BE A COLOR DOT ON THE PART.

THERE IS SOME DISCUSSION.

WHAT ABOUT THE GREENWAY?

EXCUSE ME, THE WHAT?

THE ONLINE GREENWAY.

IT WASN'T MENTIONED BUT WE LOOKED AT IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY.

OKAY. Is there a reason it wasn't included in the addendum given that that's a staff recommendation or a staff plan to put it in that programming?

We're planning on that because we have a CIP that's already existing. We could certainly add it.

Okay, thank you. And then Terrace Park in the existing Parks Master Plan has a flex cord area that's currently lawn. Seems like it would be a good place potentially to consider putting a sand volleyball court. Was there any consideration of the existing Parks Master Plan and areas it set aside? It actually has two areas for a flex court. I think about one of them is an existing sort of small playground in the northeast corner, and the other one is next to the basketball court. So those were already sort of designated by land use if you will it's not as normal as zoning to have some sort of sports activity so I'm wondering if that those areas in the park were considered and why that isn't reflected in the addendum.

We didn't want to take away from the existing playground space at Jewel Terrace and if you were to add a sand volleyball court there it would eat up a substantial amount of the lawn space.

So then I'm confused why the master plan shows those as flex court spaces.

Well, I'd say flex court and sand volleyball are not necessarily the same thing. Flex court would be, I would consider that to be much more seamless of an integration into a lawn area than transitioning from lawn to sand in terms of trying to keep it as a greater open space.

I guess a flex court, in my mind, was some sort of hardscape. I mean, it would be replacing the playground, obviously be replaced with something that isn't a playground since that was designated for a flex court. And then a lawn, I mean, if a lawn is a flex court, then there's really no reason to designate anything a flex court because it's all flex court. So in my mind, the pictures that I remember seeing in the Parks Master Plan, flex courts were hardscape that could be used for basically court volleyball, BADMENT AND WHATEVER ELSE, BUT THEY WEREN'T LAWN. IS THAT AN ACCURATE IMPRESSION OF WHAT A FLEX COURT IS?

THAT SOUNDS, YEAH, PRETTY ACCURATE. LAWN OR HARD SCAPE, BUT TYPICALLY HARD SCAPE.

THEN I GO BACK TO TERRORISTS AS THESE DESIGNATED AREAS FOR FLEX COURT, WHICH WOULD BE SOME SORT OF HARD SCAPE, THOSE POTENTIALLY COULD BE CONSIDERED FOR SAND VOLLEYBALL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS TO ACTUALLY REALIZE THAT PART OF THE PARKS MASTER PLAN.

I think we need to go back to the initial parks master plan to confirm that. The field turf area at Jules Terrace Park was to remain that for mixed recreational uses. So I think we're interchanging the terminology here. The intention there wasn't to apply a hardscape. So we would need to go back to that initial plan. And as of now, we're trying to focus on the addendum with this work. So I want to make sure we

I'm just exploring why Terrace Park wasn't considered in the flex cord area that's shown in the one area includes the It's a half basketball court within it and then some of the adjacent lawn area Okay, those are my questions.

Thank you Any questions over here are there any public comments?

I'm the chair of the parks direct for Open Space Mission, right? Yeah, okay. I could just answer some of those questions. Yeah, this item was triggered when we had a bunch of folks coming basically on behalf of teenage girls who really love volleyball and they don't have a good place to play. There wasn't a place for hard skate volleyball court, so they said, what about sand volleyball? We could do that over by Ocean View because there's already nets there and things like that. The flex courts they're talking about, it would actually be better to be court volleyball.

because they really prefer more of them play court volleyball.

So we are talking, the commission has been considering flex courts that would be tennis slash volleyball flex courts, such as at Terrace Park. So that's just what I'm hearing from that discussion. So yes, there is real desire for sand volleyball, but there's also real desire for court volleyball. So hopefully that provides clarity, okay.

Is there any other public comment? Any online? We'll bring it back to Council for comments.

I want to thank staff for the efforts here both trying to find a spot for sand volleyball courts which my understanding at least of the process is they ended up at Ocean View because it was at the time the only place that seemed appropriate. Again, now with further study, I appreciate that we're looking at the rest of our parks and understanding kind of a mid-process update on what the priorities are and where we can find spaces. I will just say on Terrace Park, I think there will have to be a lot of discussion if you're taking any of the green area. There are The green is almost always occupied by other young kids playing baseball or dogs. And it's primarily dogs. But the idea of potentially shared tennis and volleyball courts or something else, I think those are other opportunities to expand the options of sports. But I do believe that that's something that needs to come through a process. Again, much like the recommendations that have come to us, which have gone through a public process, has gone through the commissions. So while I appreciate Council Member Jordan your questioning and asking, wanting to better understand, I am really excited about what staff has brought forward. I am particularly super excited to see what the future of key route median could be over the long term. I say over the long term because we still have some wonderful trees there. But also the Ohlone Greenway, just knowing that the Ohlone Greenway is primarily turf grass and sidewalks that I'd really love for us to upgrade. So I appreciate the effort to engage the community and understand what we can do. Peggy Thompson Park, I'm really waiting for us to get some purple pipe water so that we can irrigate the trees out there and not have our trees perish. And I appreciate thinking creative about looking under I-80 as a space which is not a city property. We would have to work with Caltrans, but it is, again, another open space. And as Wench mentioned earlier, with Golden Gate Fields potentially becoming a public park, the idea that we can further extend down to Golden Gate Fields by taking advantage of that space underneath the highways and make it a space that you might want to be in as opposed to simply a space you want to get through as quickly as possible. I think will be a wonderful way of connecting us as a community down to the waterfront. So I want to thank both the consultants and staff for the wonderful work they've done.

Thank you. Any comments?

YEAH, JUST WANT TO ECHO AGAIN, THANK YOU GROUNDWORKS AND CITY STAFF FOR THE REPORT. I THINK THIS REALLY HELPED ME START DIGGING INTO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE COME TO FRUITION FOR THE CITY. I'M NOT GOING TO LABOR ANYONE WITH ALL THOSE COMMENTS BECAUSE I THINK IT PROBABLY WARRANTS A COMPLETELY SEPARATE AGENDIZED TOPIC OR SEVERAL TOPICS. But I do wanna highlight in reading the survey responses for question seven, I'm looking through them on my screen, just seeing the different responses that people had and then specific mentions of certain parks. This is very valuable data and very valuable insight on what the community is looking for. And I love it because this is like my bread and butter outside of political office is doing park equity work. Councilmember Mickey looked at me crazy for having my Austin Cup, but I was at the Greater and Greener Conference in Austin last month, having these similar conversations with consultants and park department staff across the nation. you all are doing some of the work that people are still trying to figure out and identifying what do we need to make our park master plans more robust and more inclusive of the needs of our community. So I appreciate that. And like I said, you'll probably be seeing me come down the pipeline with several agendized items now that I got this handy.

Thank you.

I'd just like to add my thanks for all the work that you've done, especially going to the high school with pizza. I think it's such a great idea when you reach out to, well, you reach out to anybody that like food, but I think high school kids really like food. So I appreciate that effort that you made. Vice Mayor, do you have a comment?

Yeah, I was just gonna say, I live very close to Peggy Thompson Park and just overlooking that huge amount of space and really wanting to see more brought to that and get better usage out of that park. It's a great space, it's got a great view, but it could be so much more. So I do appreciate staff and our consultant, GroundWorks, for coming to us with these items and also for the COMMISSION FOR ALL OF THEIR INPUT AND STUFF AS WELL. I'M EXCITED TO SEE SOME IMPROVEMENTS. YES, I DO AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT THE JEWEL TERRACE PARK. I'VE BEEN UP THERE. IT'S PRIMARILY DOGS RUNNING OR KIDS KICKING BALLS OR FRISBEES FLYING. YEAH.

Yeah, we'll have the page open for Jules Terrace Park and about the southern third of the open area between the tennis courts and the playgrounds is shown as select court space. So this wasn't our adopted plan. I'm not sure why it's in here, but it's what's in here. And so I'm not questioning it because there was a process behind it. That's what I'm basing my comments on. I would love to see the Purple Pipe get to Peggy Thompson Pier Street Park as well. Unfortunately, Edmud has waxed and waned like a tide with regard to that. About four years ago, it was planning to bring a main up, I think it was Seventh Street, and then basically through University Village and finally connect to the Buchanan Purple Pipe that was laid under the path when that was built. And about two years ago, it decided, no, we're not going to do that. We're going to go the other way. We're going to go to Alameda. So that dream is a bust for the moment, unfortunately. It's very disappointing, because spring water at that park would have been fantastic. I will move approval of Resolution 2026-49 with the provisions that the words sand volleyball are added to Peggy Thompson Pure Street Park, because right now it just says programming, and yes, it has a picture of volleyball court. I would appreciate that. and that sand volleyball be added to the Ohlone Greenway guidance page as well.

I'll second that.

May we have roll call please?

Council Member McKee?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Hanson-Romero? Yes. Mayor McQuaid? Yes. Council Member Jordan?

Yes.

And Council Member Lopez? Yep. Motion carries. Thank you very much.

Okay, that brings us to the first of our public hearings this evening. Delinquent solid waste collection amounts. Staff recommendation the council adopt resolution 2026-50 confirming the report and special assessment list associated with delinquent solid waste collection amounts and authorizing the delinquency charge be placed on the Alameda County property tax roll.

May we have a staff report, please? Yes, you may. Good evening, mayor and council members. So what you have before you, and I'm sure many of you are familiar, this does happen on a yearly basis as part of the franchise agreement, is to put together a list associated with delinquent solid waste collection accounts. and authorized the county to place this on the property tax bill. And so what you have before you is a list of those, I think it's only about 30 something people that are delinquent at this particular time. And just so you know, we did reach out to them on five different occasions, both from waste management and from the city. And in the fifth one, we did include the notice about this hearing. So most people have been notified and this is a pretty standard procedure that you have to collect these charges with a nominal fee that goes to the city and then to the county for administration. And so what we're looking for tonight is that the council adopt this attached resolution confirming the report and special assessment list associated with the delinquent accounts and authorize the delinquent accounts to be placed on the Alameda County property tax roll. And if you have any other questions, I'm here for answers.

Thank you. Are there any council questions? With that, I will open the public hearing. Are there any public comments? Any online? I will close the public hearing. Any council comments? Then can I get a motion to adopt resolution 2026-50?

I'll make a motion to adopt.

I will second.

May we have a roll call, please?

Council Member Lopez? Yep. Council Member McKee?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Hanson-Romero? Yes. Mayor McCoy? Yes. And Council Member Jordan?

Yes. Motion carries. Thank you. That brings us to our second of the public hearings. Street Tree and Street Lighting Special Parcel Tax. Staff recommendation, the council approved resolution 2026-51. May we have a staff report please?

All right, good evening City Council and Albany residents, people. Thank you for joining us. I am Devorah Zauderer, Public Works Program Manager, presenting this follow-up item tonight regarding a ballot measure for funding street tree and street lighting improvements. So next slide, please, thank you. So to recap our last conversations last November and March of this year, we had discussed the need for a stable source of funding for expansion of city services in urban forestry as outlined in our street tree management plan and street lighting as developed initially in our citywide street lighting evaluation and proposed in the short term at least in our CIP plan. So as we discussed, these two programs have slightly different needs to be able to grow in Albany. In addition to the funding needed to expand services in both areas, the urban forestry program will require a change in policy to clarify the division of maintenance responsibilities between the city and property owners. We had discussed what this would look like and potential revenue targets to support what we want to accomplish. And we had the city's financial consultant, NBS, here to discuss setting up a parcel tax that would be able to support programming until the tax would be repealed by voters. Ultimately, we integrated council feedback into our model and have today before you a measure for authorization to add to the November ballot.

Next slide, please.

As we discussed in our March conversation and incorporating factors to be consistent with the other tax measures that have been discussed in the months since, the parcel tax is proposed to be structured as follows. The tax would be levied at .0354 cents per lot square foot or about $89 per year for a 2,500 square foot parcel. This rate has been developed to support an annual revenue target of approximately $775,000. This is, if you'll recall, we proposed a couple of different scenarios. This is a compromise between previously proposed revenue scenarios that prioritizes short-term street lighting improvements while still supporting program expansion in street tree management. This revenue target would support a combination of loan repayment for two near-term capital projects that are adopted in the CIP, but only partially or completely unfunded, building out our urban forestry program with recommendations from the Street 2 Management Plan, and would also support, provide long-term support for additional capital projects in street lighting. All of these revenues are expected, should voters approve the tax, are expected to be budgeted through the usual operating and CIP budget processes in more specificity. Also in line with all taxes that are being reviewed right now, we've included a 3% max annual escalator in line with the Consumer Price Index or CPI and included a banked catch-up option to remain consistent. We've also included a rate cap on parcels over 500,000 square feet, which would address concerns about major revenue losses, potential major revenue losses due to larger parcels such as Golden Gate Fields at some point becoming exempt from taxation. And lastly, we have included exemptions and rebates for very low and low income occupants. Some additional considerations we've included, yeah, we'll stay on this slide, thank you. I did pause, thank you. Some additional considerations we've included are that we've adjusted revenue targets to be able to support a larger loan for near-term street lighting capital projects, as I referenced. We heard the interest from the council and the desire from the community for these improvements and should the funding be authorized by voters, we would be able to expand the scope of one of our two currently adopted CIP projects, the one for critical intersection lighting significantly. We have also included the ability to apply the parcel tax to eligible possessory interest properties. And important to note is that the tax is proposed to continue until repealed by voters as both the expanded urban forestry program and ongoing needs in street lighting would require continuous ongoing support. Next slide please. So what's our game plan here? Pending our discussion tonight, should the council approve the resolutions prepared for this evening, we will move forward with submitting a ballot measure to the county for our voters to act on this November 3rd. Should the measure pass, the levy of the tax will begin on July 1st, 2027. Expected revenues would be programmed through updates to the operating budget and to the CIP plan within the appropriate cycles for those processes. Staff will also work with our financial advisor to seek financing for the aforementioned two near-term street lighting projects, which will improve new lighting at a series of critical intersections as mentioned, and also comprehensively upgrade and renew existing lighting throughout the city. These projects will be further developed through our normal commission and council processes prior to any implementation. Staff will also prepare an ordinance to bring to the council to update the city's street tree policy in line with recommendations adopted in the street tree management plan, as well as Tree City USA guidelines. This will provide more clarity on the division of maintenance responsibilities and allow the city to take a more active role in stewardship of Albany's urban forest. And of course, along with that, staff will work internally to build new capacity to support that policy and provide updates on program development to our commissions and to council as appropriate. And in the long term, staff will continue to bring recommendations to the council for allocation of funding, both for operating expenses regarding ongoing maintenance efforts in urban forestry and for supporting future street lighting projects that would come out of the remaining projects from the evaluation or new project elements coming out of the ATP. Next slide. So thank you all for your attention and support here. I know we have a full agenda tonight. So I am glad to field any questions or receive comments.

Thank you. Are there any questions from council?

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Public Works Program Manager. It's always a joy to hear from you. And thank you, Public Works, for the work in general on this. I know it's been a long haul over many years to develop all the documents that are supporting this potential move tonight. So, yeah, that's fascinating to learn about using the revenue in this that would be for street lighting to finance those capital projects so they can get off the ground more quickly. I strongly applaud that. But I'm curious, I guess that would reduce, so the proposals, I think, for $555,000 of the total revenue to be or street lighting in the long term, but I presume that would reduce because the maximum of the capital project costs in the NBS report is $2.5 million. So it would only take five years to pay for that, except financing, you're going to finance it over a longer time, so it's going to cost less. I'm curious, the part of the $555,000 that would not be going to street lighting in the shorter term, what use would that go to?

So that's a great question, thank you. With any kind of dedicated funding source like this, we want to invest in our short-term efforts and be able to build resilience for our long-term efforts. So we wanted to push the scope of the existing projects to be able to deliver on near-term priorities more quickly. And I will say, caveat, the 555 number is an estimate based on... planning a planning level estimate for these projects as we are if we are potentially assured of more funding we would refine both the number for the the numbers for these capital projects more we would refine them more carefully and thoroughly and of course based on various parameters So to what I was first referencing is that we would be investing in the loan repayment and also beginning to dedicate funds to other efforts that would come up. For example, being able to opportunistically add smaller street lighting elements to streetscape projects or being able to if we knew that we had another streetscape or sorry another street lighting project that would be coming and our for example our costs for financing we got miraculously lucky and had an incredible interest rate to be able to dedicate some of that funding to to saving for those efforts as well that are smaller and potentially don't make sense for financing or aren't eligible for grant funding. So it's this kind of complex strategy of being able to deliver high-impact things sooner, but to keep the flexibility to be able to address sort of what the reality is on the ground.

Okay, thank you. So it would be sort of a – well, so I mean, let's say it's financed over 10 years. Maybe that's $300,000 a year. So the rest of it would be essentially banked against opportunities that would come up to Upgraded street lighting is a part of other projects that are happening in that opportunistic sense.

Yes, and the intention here is that, again, those numbers are estimates, and what we would be doing is we would be looking at the actual projected revenue each year, and we would be, for programmatic efforts in forestry and street lighting, we would be programming that through the operating budget, and we would be allocating funds to capital projects as they arose. So where we want to work right now is within those estimates to... to be able to support those programs, but be able to have some flexibility and resilience into how we allocate the specific dollars. Great, thanks. On an ongoing basis.

The MBS report refers to the streetlight or the intersection upgrades, streetlighting upgrades at intersections as being expanded relative to the CIP project. The CIP project had seven intersections which were the highest priority ones identified in the streetlighting evaluation. The NBS report expands it to 13. It doesn't say which the other six are, so I don't, I presume 13's a pretty specific number, so I presume those are known, at least conceptually at some level.

So, yes, so conceptually, again, project scopes for this, because we're expanding from a much smaller scope that was developed with an I-2, fairly significant cost savings because it was previously thought to be dependent, or it is currently dependent on available funds that are from sources shared across any number of our transportation projects. So we have to prioritize. So basically what that means is don't quote me until we come to you with a more solid project scope here. But when we're assured of funding, if we're assured of funding. But the broad scope would be from Key Route to Tulare. So 13 is sort of an inclusion of the four-way intersections and then a number of sort of half-intersections.

Is this, I presume, on Solano? Okay, okay. You said Key Roots to Tulare, but I mean that could be...

Moment of panic, no. Yes, on Solano.

Okay. So it would be those intersections plus the high priority ones that are in other places as according to the streetlight evaluation?

That's the sense at this time, and of course we would evaluate each of those intersections to make sure that it makes sense during the planning process, yeah.

So that could provide the first piece of funding for the Solano streetscape project, which we'll be talking about later. Okay.

That is a discussion for another item. Yes. But I can see the connection.

Yeah, okay. Just because I know assembling funding for a big project like that is blocks here, there, and everywhere.

Absolutely. It's a complex picture, and we're looking at how we can shore that up both locally and look externally for funding sources. Okay, great. It's constant.

Thank you. Last question. I saw there was, I guess, writing a street tree policy. I think that's an ordinance or a code change. Is that to, that was a little fuzzy, is that to move the legal responsibility for maintaining street trees from the adjacent property owner, because they're on public property, they're not on private property, or or school property or USDA property or anything else, to move that legal responsibility to the city?

Yes, it would be to clarify the... Right now, the way that the policy is written in the code, the city does not have a lot of jurisdiction to act. And it would be based on best guidance from our forestry consultant and common best practices, we would be drafting an ordinance to essentially Allocate More responsibility to the city to be able to perform Routine maintenance and I'm unclear because I don't think I saw that in the ordinance.

That's in front of us tonight so how would that be because I think that's a key part of representing the measure to the voters is Part of what you get out of this is the city is taking over this legal responsibility So I was kind of surprised not see it as part of the measure

IT WAS PLANNED TO BE ADOPTED AFTER. ONLY IF THIS WAS APPROVED.

OKAY. IS THERE A LEGAL REASON FOR THAT OR WHAT IS THE THINKING BEHIND THAT?

What I understand, I am, disclaimer, I am not a lawyer. We have a very good firm who does that for us. Indeed. But my sense is that the adoption of the funding mechanism does not... apply an automatic confirmation to the adoption of the street tree policy. And by including the street tree policy, inclusion of the street tree policy in this measure was not entirely appropriate to how that policy would need to adapt over the years. There we go, bingo.

You don't want to have to take it back to the voters.

Be harder to choose.

Okay, I got it.

I think I want to be very... Yeah, okay.

I think we want to implement policies AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL. AS TIME PROGRESSES WE MAY FIND TWEAKS WE MAY NEED TO DO.

I GOT IT.

WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT THAT THE FUNDING IS GOING TO EXPANSION OF SERVICES AND HOPEFULLY THAT IS REFLECTED IN THE ORDINANCE THAT BY VOTERS CHOOSING TO INVEST IN THIS MEASURE AND BY FUNDING THIS THAT THEY WOULD BE VOTING WITH THEIR DOLLARS TO EXPAND THE SERVICES THAT ARE CURRENTLY And we'll be designing that should this pass.

Thank you. So if I should move this resolution and put a rider on that states the intent of the Council for this piece, this ordinance to come back to it after the election results should this measure be adopted, would that be reasonable?

You hold that till discussion.

I can do that. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Mayor.

That was a question. That was a long question.

It was a good question. Well, it is $800,000. We're talking about asking people to pay.

So I just have one question. Watch this. Ten parts? Is this now ready to go, or will this come back to us one more time?

This is, should the council vote to adopt the resolutions tonight, we will move forward with putting this on through the county process.

Thank you. And questions over here?

I was waiting for parts two through nine.

Okay, I will then open the public hearing. Are there any public comments on this particular item? Oh, Karen, come on up.

Thank you. My name is Karen Holzmeister and I live at 820 Cerritos Street. I have a card in for item 10. I had not planned to speak on this. With regard to this tax, which is probably very needed and very relevant at this time As a city, we kind of have to think of what is coming down the pipe from perhaps the county and the state that people also may be paying on. And for example, starting on July 1st this year, one of the state propositions was that there would be charges for individuals who are in managed care programs. And so people who are in managed care programs starting this coming year, Apparently, we'll have to pay an additional $8.86 a month, and that money would go towards improving Medi-Cal and Medicare programs. Well, for an individual, that would be about $106 a year, and if you had managed care in a family for, say, two adults and two children, that would be over $400 a year. And so perhaps in planning anything here, as well as for the future, It might be good to look at what the state has already said is coming down the pike, what Alameda County might be planning to put on the ballot in another year or so, or also what the state might be doing, because obviously Anywhere from $100 a year to $400 a year to more for families would be a lot of money. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments.

Any other comments here? Seeing none, are there any online? Yes, okay. Sure, come on up, Howard.

Howard McNinney. My question is about the street trees and the street tree management. And do I understand, well, my understanding currently is that once the city plants a street tree, they're not gonna do any maintenance on it. That's gonna be up to the homeowner. And if the homeowner doesn't do any, and doesn't water it, and if the tree dies, then theoretically the homeowner is supposed to replace the tree. I did read a section of the street tree maintenance program, I believe it was done last year, and they recommended that we adopt a program similar to, I think, El Cerrito and Berkeley, where they do, in fact, make sure the trees get watered. They do it with their own staff, and they do pruning, and they do maintenance. Now, is that the thing we're talking about?

Thank you for your comment. We'll get back to you. Are there any other public comments? Yes. Okay.

Go ahead, Dawn.

Hi. My name is Dawn Kalamoto. I'm an Albany resident.

Can you speak a little louder, please, Dawn?

Sure. Let's see here. My name is Can you hear me now?

Yes, we can.

Okay, great. My name's Dawn Kawamoto. I'm an Albany resident. And I just have a very specific question for your staff. Is any money, even a penny of that ballot money, going to be used towards the bike lanes on Solano Avenue?

Thank you for your comment. Is that it? All right. Would staff like to address either of the comments we received?

Thank you all for your comments. So in answer to the question about maintenance of street trees, the street tree management plan recommends that as a way to comprehensively take care of our urban forest. This particular funding measure would hopefully secure funding to move forward with that, and the policy update we would be bringing to the council would potentially authorize us to do that. And in answer to the question the funds from this tax should it pass will be specifically for improvements to street lighting and street tree maintenance only Thank you related activities And with that I will close the public hearing Are there any council comments?

So continuing on Council Member Jordan's train of thought, sounds like the measure you'd ideally want is just to kind of say yes, move forward with the language as written, but could we not include in the measure that if the measure passes, Council shall pass a policy implementing? It doesn't have to say what the policy is, or are we not allowed to do that?

I think we'd recommend you adopt it as is, if you desire.

I was trying to give more promise as opposed to being in the measure. It's two different things.

Yeah.

But isn't it in the street tree management plan that the council will adopt the ordinance? Isn't that part of the plan?

I would have to reference it for the specific language but part of the intent of the street tree management plan is to provide specific recommendations for developing the street tree program and part of that would recommendation is to adopt an ordinance to allow the city to have more more agency over maintenance activities, yes.

Yeah, just to clarify to the rest of the council, I am comfortable moving forward with the measure as written. I was simply providing the council member, Jordan, truly want to make sure that it's written in stone, a way in which getting it written in stone as opposed to being a promise. And I couldn't do that when you were asking questions because this is discussion.

Yeah, seeing there isn't a way to do that, but maybe... I MAKE A MOTION AFTER THE RESOLUTION THAT IS THE INTENT OF THE COUNCIL FOR STREET DEEP POLICY TO COME BACK FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE CITY TAKING OVER MAINTENANCE OF THE TREES. SO THAT IS LEAST ON THE RECORD IN THE MINUTES SOMEWHERE. SO I THINK WITH THAT I WILL INTRODUCE NO, I'M NOT THERE. MOVE RESOLUTION 202651. I'LL SECOND.

MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL?

Vice Mayor Hanson-Romero? Yes. Mayor McQuaid? Yes. Council Member Jordan?

Yes.

Council Member Lopez?

Yep.

Council Member Mickey?

Yes.

The motion carries.

And I may make a motion?

You may.

Okay, thank you. Yeah, and I guess on the cost part of it, which I meant to say before, that the MBS report, which is the tax consultant report, an estimated cost average for single residence properties which can have more than one residence but if there's own single residence of about ten dollars a month and about three dollars a month per condominium just to put those numbers out there on my motion is that is the intent of the council THE STREET TREE POLICY TO COME TO IT SHOULD THIS MEASURE PASS FOR CHANGING THE MUNICIPAL CODE TO MOVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTAINING THE STREET TREES FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER TO THE CITY.

I'LL SECOND THAT.

ANY DISCUSSION? MAYBE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

Mayor McQuaid? Yes. Council Member Jordan? Yes. Council Member Lopez? Yep. Council Member Mickey? Yes. Vice Mayor Hansa Romero? Yes. Motion carries.

Okay, and that brings us to the last of our public hearings. 9-3, amending chapter seven of the Albany Municipal Code regarding ranked choice voting elections. The staff recommendation is the council introduce and waive first reading of ordinance number 2604, adding section 7-1.10 to the Albany Municipal Code, and repealing section 7-3.4 from the Albany Municipal Code relating to ranked choice voting elections. May we have a staff report, please?

Yes.

Good evening, Council.

As you said, this item before you tonight is a public hearing to introduce and waive first reading of the ordinance amending Chapter 7 of the Albany Municipal Code. As you all may remember, ranked choice voting approved by Albany voters was implemented as the method of election since 2022. And it was recently identified that chapter 7 of the municipal code lacks language to allow city council the option to cancel the election when the number of qualified candidate is equal to or less than the number of seats. So this amendment, and it's amending both sections, not repealing, the amendment is proposed to allow the option to cancel the election and make appointments in this situation. And I'd be happy to answer questions, and Mala's here too. Thank you.

Are there any council questions?

I just think it's worth asking the clerk to repeat that because the agenda just say repeal 7-3.4. So if you could just state again for the record, it's actually amending that section, not repealing it?

Yes, the ordinance, it would be adding section 7-1.10 to the Albany Municipal Code and amending section 7-3.4 from the Albany Municipal Code. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. With that, are there any council questions? Okay, I will open the public hearing. Is there any public comment on this item? We do have a hand raised.

Hi, this is Dawn Kawamoto, Albany resident. Are you able to hear me okay? Yes, we are. OK, GREAT. I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROPOSAL TO FAST TRACK THESE CHANGES TO RANK CHOICE VOTING. and to skip the process of having a first reading of the proposal to solicit input from Albany residents. And I'm also kind of extremely curious why this proposal was not made much earlier this year to kind of allow the time to kind of debate it and have a first reading and solicit public comment rather than now on the eve of the deadline for filing to become a candidate for the November election, it feels like it's trying to be kind of rushed through at the last minute. So I'm interested to hear your thoughts in terms of why not give a more thoughtful approach to this, take time, maybe even do this, present it after the election or maybe in the months leading up to the election to see about maybe doing this. You know, there may be some other thoughts about ways to change ranked choice voting. You know, I've heard from other people, they would like to just eliminate it altogether and go back to the way voting was previously handled, because it's a very confusing way to vote during the elections. Anyways, thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments.

Is that it? That's it. Okay. All right, I will close the public hearing. Now we'll move to council comments. I'm ignoring you.

That's fine. I just wanted to ask staff if they have anything to respond with to the public comment.

I think we're bringing it now to have public comment on this process. This is the process we typically do when we introduce an ordinance, and then it'll come back. Should you move it forward, it'll come back at your next meeting for adoption, and it'll go into effect 30 days thereafter. So in addition to tonight, the public will be able to comment on it again. We want to be clear we're not trying to do away with rank choice voting. We're trying to save potential costs given that the city clerk was able to catch this language in advance. And so we want to clean it up and clarify it to avoid potential elections that don't need to occur.

Sorry, city attorney. Was this part of the, so prior to ranked choice voting, did we have a language in our code that allowed us to cancel an election?

Yeah, it's part of the elections code.

Okay, so this is really just bringing us back to something that we used to have that was, we're fixing some holes that were found in what we passed in ranked choice voting.

Correct.

AND CITY ATTORNEY, ONE OTHER THING JUST TO CLARIFY, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT MAYBE HEARD, WHEN WE SAY WAVE FIRST READING, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT REALLY MEANS WE DON'T SIT HERE AND READ THE LANGUAGE OF THE ORDINANCE TO THE PUBLIC.

THAT IS CORRECT. IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANTIQUATED PROCESS IN THE GOVERNMENT CODE SO WE DON'T ALL HAVE TO SIT HERE AND READ THE LANGUAGE OF THE ORDINANCE.

All right, just to emphasize that we are not trying to slide something past people. The language is attached to the addendum. It is part of the agenda. You can read it. We will have a second reading if we pass it tonight. And so there will be other opportunities to provide input. And that's just weird language when we say waive first reading, so.

Right, it could be looked at that this is the first reading. although we're not actually reading word for word.

Yes.

We're just skipping boring everybody.

Okay, are there any other council comments?

Well, yeah, I think another comment would be, well, first, thank you to City Clerk so much for catching this. THIS POTENTIALLY COULD SAVE EITHER THE CITY OR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON THE ORDER OF $100,000. JUST TO PUT IT IN NUMBERS AS TO WHY THIS MATTERS, WHY THE CITY CLERK CAUGHT IT NOW AND WHY WE'RE DOING IT NOW. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WILL HAVE FOUR SEATS UP FOR ELECTION THIS COMING ELECTION. SO UNLESS THERE'S FIVE CANDIDATES OR THEREABOUTS, IT'S POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. SO WITH THAT, I WILL INTRODUCE AND WAVE FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-04.

I'LL SECOND. MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? Council Member Mickey.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Hans Romero. Yes. Mayor McQuaid. Yes. Council Member Jordan.

Yes.

And Council Member Lopez.

Yep.

Motion carries. Thank you.

That brings us to unfinished business. I just want to pull the Council rolling quickly. Do we need a break?

I would appreciate one.

Okay, we will take a 10 minute break. Thank you all for your patience. We'll be back to start at 8.45.

If anyone hasn't filled out a public comment card and you would like to speak during public comment period for the next item, please turn them in to me, please.

We're going to start again. Thank you. Oh, look at that. We're on time. All right. Thank you all for your patience. Item 10.1, Active Transportation Plan Adoption. The Transportation Commission recommendation that the Council adopt the Active Transportation Plan. Staff recommendation, the Council adopt Resolution 2026-52, adopting the Albany Active Transportation Plan and finding the adoption of the Albany Active Transportation Plan is not a project under California Environmental Quality Act. May we have a staff report, please?

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Justin Freed, Transportation and Sustainability Manager. Also in attendance tonight is Pete Rucitti, the Project Manager for the Consultant Team with Parametrix. So briefly for tonight's presentation, I'll revisit the purpose of the active transportation plan, give a overview of the process to bring the plan before you tonight, hit the highlights of the content in the plan, have a discussion on what's in the plan on Solano Avenue and conclude with the recommendation. So first the purpose. Really the purpose for the active transportation plan is supporting city goals regarding transportation safety and mobility and reducing vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions reflected in council strategic plan and the climate action and adaptation plan. ATP guides future city efforts on policies, programs, and projects supporting active transportation in Albany. And the plan would replace the city's current active transportation plan, which was first adopted in 2012 and was last updated in 2019. There were four goals that were developed to guide the plan development. These focus on access and connectivity, safety and comfort, positive outcomes for all users, and implementation and funding. Also note that the document details the terminology being used in the plan and also being echoed in this presentation tonight. really using pedestrian and biking for the range of users and devices that utilize both those networks. And so there was a lot of discussion during the plan development that we need to be thinking about a wide range of users and a wide range of devices that is reflected in the plan, but to keep from really needing to throw in a lot of different caveats with every time we use them. We're just upfront saying we're going to continue to use these terms, but that we're thinking about all the different users of those networks. So briefly to go over the process that led to bringing you this final draft tonight. Really was a three phase process focused first on those goals that I brought on the screen previously and existing conditions. We then developed draft networks for the plan and then concluded with priority projects, policies and programs and the plan document itself. For each of those phases, there was a sequence of meetings to develop and refine each section of the document. It went from discussing with a technical advisory committee that was composed of city departments and peer agencies to community meetings and online public comment and participation to the transportation commission and then ultimately to the city council at each of those phases. There was also focused engagement and analysis scoped for the plan centered around both schools and Solano Avenue. Since Council's last discussion of the ATP in April, a review draft was prepared and presented at the May 28, 2026 Transportation Commission meeting. The Commission provided comments on the draft to staff and recommended adoption by City Council. The draft was also posted on the project website for review and comment. And the final draft presented tonight reflects a number of revisions based on that feedback. highlighting some of the main things that have been added or revised since the earlier draft. There's now an executive summary in the start of the plan. There's additional demographic and travel data presented. There's some terminology and designation revisions to clarify the terms and details. There were some revisions to policy project and program descriptions. And there were our additional appendices both on the public engagement materials that throughout the planning effort as well as the Solano Avenue analysis that I'll detail in greater detail. So briefly going over some of the key components of the plan content, a range of existing conditions analysis was performed primarily to identify key challenges and opportunities to be tackled in later stages of the plan. Some of the maps and visuals are shown here looking at transportation and land use, looking at the existing networks and feedback on safety and comfort and gaps in those networks. Section also discusses recent active transportation projects that have been completed or are underway since 2020, which reflects over $20 million in investment. Network guidelines are specified, the quality standards for them are for both the base and high comfort facilities on both the pedestrian and biking networks. And these networks are then identified in two key maps in the plan, one being the proposed pedestrian network, a subset of streets being on the high comfort network, and additional pedestrian priority intersections being identified as well. Similarly, for the bicycle network, for the biking network, there are on-street bikeways and shared use paths designated. There is a subset of streets for high comfort network as well as bicycle priority intersections. The plan also identifies biking facility recommendations where the selection guidance and roadway characteristics or project development discussions have led to a particular facility type recommendation. Other portions of the network identify multiple options to be evaluated and these are also reflected in the project descriptions that come later in the plan. The plan then proceeds to recommend priority projects and these priorities were established looking at three key components, closing access and connectivity gaps or really improving capacity on high demand facilities, looking at safety and comfort where it can make significant improvements in those with a project or addressing high collision locations and stakeholder input. both in terms of public ranking and in feedback from Transportation Commission and City Council. PRIORITY PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE IDENTIFIED IN TWO CATEGORIES. THERE ARE SIX LISTED IN THE PLAN THAT ARE ALREADY UNDER DEVELOPMENT AND SCOPED THROUGH PROJECT-SPECIFIC PLANNING AND CONCEPTUAL DESIGN BUT ARE NOT FULLY FUNDED PROJECTS AND STILL NEED ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN THERE ARE 15 PROJECTS IDENTIFIED THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AS NOT YET INITIATED BUT WOULD BE PRIORITY PROJECTS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. These are mapped in figure 20 in the document. Based upon relative costs and benefits, as well as stakeholder input, the plan also identifies four recommended priority programs out of the list of recommended programs. These include intersection safety and visibility, which would be a program to focus on smaller scale intersection safety and accessibility needs. lighting program that has been developed and discussed outside of the ATP as well, but was a significant topic of conversation for safety and comfort on the active transportation network. And this program would be continuing implementation of the recommendations of the street lighting evaluation completed in 2024. Railroad safety would be a program to work with relevant stakeholders to support safe behaviors near rail facilities. And speed management and enforcement also has been identified in the city council strategic plan would be to update the traffic calming and speed management programs to proactively evaluate speeds citywide to identify implementation measures. There are also three appendices as part of the plan. Appendix A contains the full list of projects that would be needed or have been identified to bring the entire network up to the quality guidelines in the document. LIST THE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION INFORMATION OF THOSE AND IN ADDITION TO THE TWO PRIORITY PROJECT CATEGORIES I MENTIONED HAS A THIRD CATEGORY FOR OTHER IDENTIFIED PROJECTS THAT ARE ON THE HIGH PRIORITY NETWORK, HIGH COMFORT NETWORKS AND OTHER IDENTIFIED PROJECTS TO BRING THE FULL NETWORK UP TO THE GUIDANCE. Appendix B is the compilation of materials from stakeholder engagement throughout the plan development. And Appendix C is a compilation of the bike facility analysis conducted for Solano Avenue that I'll go into more detail in just a second. So I'll spend a little more time on the focus work on Solano Avenue reflected in the plan as this has been a topic of most of the public comments and questions received on the plan. I do want to emphasize at the start that while I'll go into greater detail on what was studied and is represented in the plan, this is a planning document and if adopted it will serve as a starting point for development of a Solano streetscape project. So evaluating bicycle safety improvements for Solano Avenue was identified as a next step following the conclusion of the Solano Avenue Complete Street Study in 2019. And so based on that, it was included in the scope for development of the active transportation plan. At the May 5th, 2025 City Council meeting, Council received a presentation on alternatives for potential bicycle facilities on Solano Avenue. This high-level analysis looked at parking impacts and other factors for two alternative concepts, one which included an uphill separated bikeway and a second one which included separated bikeways in both directions. COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO FURTHER DEVELOP THE FIRST ALTERNATIVE WITH THE UPHILL CYCLE TRACK AS PART OF ADVANCING THE ATP ANALYSIS. CONCURRENT WITH THE EVALUATION OF BICYCLE FACILITY CONCEPTS, STAFF DEVELOPED A ROUGH ORDER OF MAGNITUDE COST ESTIMATE FOR THE STREET SCAPE PROJECT OVERALL WHICH WOULD REBUILD the full public right-of-way from Masonic to Tulare, and would be looking to include sidewalk and roadway reconstruction, safety and accessibility improvements, trees and lighting, stormwater and green infrastructure improvements, and bicycle facilities. This high-level cost estimate for the overall project, which is not specific to a particular proposal for bike facilities, ranges between 30 and 50 million dollars. The project scope and estimate would be further developed in subsequent planning efforts as the project progresses towards approval. Following that city council direction in May of last year, the consultant team analyzed the concept. The project team did additional stakeholder engagement specific to this project, soliciting business feedback through one-on-one discussions with city staff and online survey. This additional engagement was solicited through door-to-door email and business organization correspondence. This analysis and feedback was presented and discussed at the December 4, 2025 Transportation Commission meeting and the commission at that meeting recommended that City Council add Solano Avenue to the cycling network in the ATP and continue to plan for an uphill protected bikeway on Solano Avenue. Following that recommendation, Uptown Solano Avenue streetscape improvements project was placed on the priority project list, including the uphill protected bikeway in the project description. And this was reflected in the April 20, 2026 presentation to council on draft ATP priorities. On May 28, 2026, the Transportation Commission then reviewed a draft of the plan, provided comments to staff, and made their recommendation to City Council to adopt the plan. Much of the public correspondence and public comment at that meeting and subsequent to that meeting has centered around this recommendation for bicycle facilities on Solano Avenue. Briefly, the concept that is discussed in the appendix is for an eastbound protected bikeway that includes a shared bicycle vehicle lane and parallel parking in the westbound downhill direction and a protected bicycle lane and angle parking in the eastbound uphill direction. The intent here is to provide improvements in safety and access for all modes of travel while minimizing the overall change to motor vehicle parking along the corridor. A sample cross-section and layout was prepared to analyze the concept and again it does not reflect a specific project proposed design that would come at a later stage. There are a number of topics that were analyzed for that and presented at that December Transportation Commission discussion and are detailed in Appendix C. This includes guidance, peer guidance and guidance documents regarding asymmetrical bikeways like this, a review of the survey and one-on-one stakeholder feedback, the design features and considerations for them, parking, loading, and curb management considerations, public transit, other items that have been raised, as well as a look at some similar asymmetrical facilities in other communities. The appendix discussion also identifies a number of areas for further study. Work on the needs and scoping for other components of a Solano streetscape project also need to be performed to advance the project. This includes both intersection design and more detailed design around bus stops, driveways, additional detail on vehicle parking and accessibility, addressing emergency response needs through design and or operational changes, additional detail on loading and delivery management that could be paired with the streetscape project. and a range of other factors. Project development and design is needed to further refine the information and options regarding these issues to advance a streetscape project for Solano Avenue. So how that is then reflected in the active transportation plan. The plan before you tonight includes Solano Avenue as in the on street bikeway, as it includes an on street bikeway on Solano Avenue in the biking network diagram. It includes Solano Avenue on the high comfort network on the proposed pedestrian network diagram. It includes a one-way protected bikeway and one-way shared bike route in the bicycle facility type recommendations map. And then it includes the Uptown Solano Avenue streetscapes improvements project on the priority projects list. And then all the detailed analysis that was done leading up to that discussion and recommendation from the Transportation Commission is then included in Appendix C really as this is where all that information is contained in one place when a project advances can use that as a starting point. So that is how Solano Avenue and the bikeway are reflected in the plan document before you for consideration tonight. And with that, the staff recommendation is for the city council to adopt resolution 202652, adopting the active transportation plan and finding that the adoption of the plan is not a project under CEQA. And with that, happy to answer questions.

Thank you. Are there any council questions? Over here, nothing? Go ahead.

First, thank you very much, and staff, thank you, transportation manager and staff, and the consultants, for so much work on this over the last two years, year and a half, 20 months, particularly the monumental amount of work that seems to have been done in the last three months, putting all the documents together. ask a series of questions regarding information that has been circulated that does not seem to be correct from my understanding. So would the proposed uphill bikeway cost $30 to $50 million?

The cost estimate is for a streetscape project. We have not done detailed development to really cost out different elements of a potential streetscape project or compare different options.

So would, at this level of estimate, would including this bikeway or not including it make any difference to the estimate?

The estimate's a range that should encompass the changes that would be included as part of the bikeway concept. It really depends on what other options would be considered for a streetscape project to really develop any comparison estimates.

Councilmember Jordan, may I ask a follow-up question? Just to be really specific here, maybe a little bit more specific. So the community was surveyed on three options, extend Lower Solano, East Protected Bikeway, parking reconfiguration for a wider sidewalk. In all three of those cases, would the cost estimate still be $30,000 to $50,000? Sorry, $30 to $50 million.

Let's do it.

Yes. Okay, thank you.

In discussions, I will emphasize that more, but I just want to emphasize that the estimate that was given was a streetscape improvement. Sorry, I don't want to get into discussion. IT IS NOT SPECIFIC TO A BIKEWAY. IT IS TO ANY KIND OF STREET CAPE WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO ON TOLONTO AVENUE.

I JUST WANTED TO BE REALLY SPECIFIC THAT IT IS.

THAT WAS A GREAT WAY TO FRAME IT. YEAH, THANK YOU. THE PROJECT IN THE FINAL DRAFT ATP THAT'S IN FRONT OF US TONIGHT, THE DESCRIPTION INCLUDES IMPROVING CURVE EXTENSIONS. otherwise known as bulb outs, does including an uphill cycle track preclude curb extensions that would reduce the current crossing distances across the road to something like what exists on Solano west of Masonic? Or is it possible to accommodate those in some way?

It likely would be possible to accommodate those in some way. We have not done intersection design to look at what that could be. But the existing curb extensions are in conflict with where a bikeway would come through, but we would be looking at other ways to reduce crossing distances as part of a full streetscape project.

AND, SORRY, JUST TO BE REALLY SPECIFIC HERE, IN THE ADDENDUM IT SPECIFICALLY TALKS ABOUT THAT NEW BULB OUTS WOULD BE ABLE TO BE PLACED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STREET AND THEN ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET WHICH IS WHERE THE EAST BOUND TRAVEL LANE WOULD BE THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF EXPLORING MEDIAN REFUGE ISLANDS WHICH COULD OCCUR ESSENTIALLY WHERE THE DIAGONAL PARKING WILL BE WHICH If those are possible, which I understand you have not explored that yet and you haven't drawn those at each intersection, would that or would that not decrease the cross-seeds distance across travel lanes of car travel lanes?

If you can bring a refuge after crossing the bikeway to where the angled parking would be shifted to, it would potentially reduce the crossing distance because the travel lane widths are reduced in what's been drawn up to date. Thank you. third dimension with grading and everything as well as. I fully understand.

We are in the concept plan stage as opposed to the not even 5% design drawings, let alone 30% design drawings.

Sorry. Thank you. Yeah, concept stage. I'm learning lingo from a planner, a professional planner. I appreciate it.

I will listen to your questions and then try and dive deeper.

Yeah, absolutely. And is it possible that once fully designed, the project would maintain the current number of car parking spaces?

Maintaining the current number is within the range that we've set. It may be 0 to 10% impact. Yeah.

OK. So it's possible. We don't know the answer at this time, but it is within the range that has been estimated. Is it possible for the project to accommodate the fire department's request for 15 foot wide traffic lanes in each direction such that it will not hamper their emergency response?

Again this will involve further design work but on the surface 15 foot if that was the direction that we went with design to go back to widening the westbound lane to 15 feet it would mean reducing the space available for the bikeway by an additional four feet which would not be ideal but I think would meet minimum requirements for a facility. I THINK THERE WILL BE A RANGE OF EITHER DESIGN CHANGES OR OPERATIONAL WAYS TO ADDRESS THE RESPONSE CONCERNS THAT WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT BUT I THINK THERE WOULD BE A WAY THAT WOULD MEET MINIMUM DESIGN GUIDANCE IF WE DID IT WITH JUST WIDENING THE WESTBOUND LANE.

THANK YOU. NOTHING ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUE? I WILL JUST ASK PEOPLE NOT TO REPEAT INFORMATION THAT CONFLICTS WITH WHAT YOU JUST HEARD FROM STAFF.

Is there any other council questions? Sorry, I'm just, we covered bulb outs, covered fire, covered cost. No, no, no other questions, sorry.

Okay, before we- Sorry, I did have one other question.

Just a question. In the current scheme that we're showing with the eastbound protected bike lane, in general, and I know that it'll vary along the corridor, are we increasing the amount of space that pedestrians have? So is the sidewalk getting wider? Or are we pretty much holding the kind of existing curb face to curb face?

The current cross section that was looked at would be holding the current curb face to curb face.

Thank you.

And is my understanding that choice is to essentially save cost on the project so as not to move those curbs?

Maintaining the existing curbs would be on the, with a lot of unknowns, would tend to be on the lower end of the cost range. Moving more curb lines involves a lot more grading and other implications that would probably tilt towards the higher end of that cost.

You mean of that 30 to 50 million. So the fewer curbs you move, the closer you are to the low end and the more you move. Okay, thank you. Okay.

I do have one other question. So doing this, not every intersection or every width of Solano has been confirmed that there's a legitimate amount of space throughout that area. Is that correct?

We have not done a full property line survey. My understanding is that the right-of-way is relatively consistent along Solano. We do anticipate business access and some of the accessibility requirements. with storefronts and curbs getting complicated potentially with a pretty narrow current sidewalk width. We anticipate there will likely be some challenges down the road when you're doing a full streetscape. But my understanding is the right-of-way width is relatively consistent, but we have not done the property line survey to really verify that.

Okay, because, I mean, without doing that, we're kind of... SHOOTING RUBBER BANDS AT THE STARS RIGHT NOW. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS HOW WOULD IT IMPACT THE AREAS OF SOLANO AVENUE ON THE NORTH SIDE WHERE THERE'S THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE BERKELEY BUT THE SIDEWALKS AND STREETS ARE ALBANY?

Albany maintains the full right of way through to Tulare, so it would, if the streetscape was to continue all the way to Tulare, it's what's been under discussion as the extent would impact that stretch of businesses, even though they're Berkeley businesses on the north side.

Okay, with that we will begin public comment. I do want to remind everybody that the discussion tonight is actually the adoption of the full ATP, not any specific project. And there will be lots more study, lots more public process before any action is taken. I also want to remind you of the rules of decorum. I want you to remember to be respectful of each speaker, address the council, not the audience, and please do not applaud, cheer, boo, or make any kind of noises. We want everyone to feel that their opinion, we want to hear their opinion, we want to value their opinion, and we want everyone to feel comfortable speaking. I understand we have over 20 speakers at this point in the room with another, however many, 20 more online. I'm gonna cut the time down. We'll go with a minute each. Would you call out the first three if you could line up when she calls her name?

I'm going to call three at a time. And for those attending virtually, please raise your hand if you want to speak so we can get to you when council chamber speakers are done. CDP, John H., Karen N. CD, John, and Karen.

Good evening, I'm Didi Pansino, I'm happy to be here. I am opposed to the bike lane on Solano Avenue. I think it represents a hazard waiting to happen. To Jennifer's comment, it is rubber band shooting at stars. We do not have an estimate of any of the work which as a project manager in my prior life before retirement would not have been okay. You wouldn't have said we're gonna do this or that without having some kind of estimate. It's very possible to do. You can look at what was done on Lower Solano for the street beautification and repairs up at by 6% a year for both labor and also for supplies. AND THEN COME TO YOUR ESTIMATE FOR IT, ADD ANOTHER 10%, AND YOU'RE GOOD. SO I'M REALLY SURPRISED AND QUITE BAFFLED BY NO ESTIMATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT.

GOOD EVENING. I'M JOHN HONDA, RESIDENT OF ALBANY. a member of the Friends of Albany Seniors, and when I heard about this proposed plan on Albany, it kind of raised some flags for me. It's like, wow, man, 30 to 50 million, that's like one heck of a ballpark cost. So it just got me thinking, what the heck is that made of? And then, first of all, I thought about it as kind of a safety issue, because when I read that the fire department will be basically taking up a lane, it basically limits the number of access that you could have for people driving or delivery trucks or even people that are walking. So I just kind of thought, man, I think this thing gotta be thought through a little bit better. And so as a senior, we don't normally ride bikes as maybe like when we did when we were younger. So we always have to be conscious of safety. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comment.

After Karen would be Lena S., Carrie S., and Karen H. That's taking my time.

I'm Karen Holzmeister, and my concerns are this. Whether you're old, whether you're young, whether you're at any age, You might not be able to go into some of the places on Solano Avenue because of the difficulty of finding parking with fewer parking spaces. If someone got Parkinson's, would they have enough time for people to get them out of a car and into the restaurant or to the business they need to go? When Councilman Lopez's wife broke her leg while she was pregnant, could she have gotten there if they had had parallel parking, not enough parking spaces to get in? I think that we're trying to look at what we can do to make life best. And for making life best, you have all made decisions about Solano Avenue, your council and other councils. You have brought parking and people who need to come in cars because of businesses. I'd urge you to consider what are you going to do on the 800, 900 blocks next to Solano. Will you allow more housing? I don't know.

Thank you for your comments.

Hello, I'm Karen Nerlich. I've lived near Solano Avenue in Albany for over 20 years. And don't tell my husband, but I'm in a relationship with Solano Avenue. I help pick up the trash three times a week, and I volunteer as a photographer for the Solano Stroll and other events. I am against the 10 block one-way bike lane. I've written four letters to this council over the past two years about the matter. I'm skipping ahead. The parametrics, no, let me, the Solano Avenue draws customers from the entire East Bay, not just the neighborhood. A narrower street slows traffic, it backs up cars behind every time a vehicle is turning, and it pushes traffic onto the side streets. The parametrics plan says we're removing bus stops in this 10-block stretch, and that would be a real loss for those who rely on the bus.

Thank you for your comment.

Hi, my name is Lena Schulman. I am 11 years old, and I just graduated from Oceanville Elementary School. I support the Solano Avenue cycle track because people should be able to bike safely to stores, restaurants, schools, and most importantly, places that sell boba and ice cream. Right now, when biking on Solano, bicyclists are in the same lane as cars or on the crowded sidewalk, neither of which are very safe, and it's just not a good place to ride. A protected bike lane would make it safer and easier for people like me to ride there. I know some people are worried about parking, but it says that adding the cycle track would lose very little parking. I think safety is worth losing a couple parking spots. Kids are too young to drive cars, so biking is the best way to get around without taking forever and using up all of your energy. Please support the Solano cycle track so everyone can get around safely without needing a car. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Hello, my name is Carrie Schulman. You just met my daughter. I also have an eighth grader at Albany Middle School, and biking is our primary form of transportation. I strongly support approving the ATP with the Solano Cycle Track. Contrary to what some people say, bike lanes are not a vanity project. They are essential infrastructure that enables people of all ages and abilities to safely access the many wonderful restaurants, shops, and other businesses along Solano. While we regularly shop at Solano, I always plan my route to avoid biking on it. Sometimes I think about other stores that would be nice to stop by while I'm out, but the options of either biking on Solano or going all the way out to Washington and back again are so unappealing that I just decide not to do any more shopping. So just to be clear, I do less shopping on Solano because I'm unable to safely bike there. I urge you to approve the ATP with all of its outstanding projects, including the Solano Ave cycle track. Thank you for making our community safe and accessible for everyone.

Thank you for your comments.

After Zion would be Judith C. Oh, my name.

Zion, hold on just one second.

Nick P. And Sheila M. Where's their name? Oh, Nick Peterson, sorry.

Hello, my name is Zion Lee. I'm a 20 years resident of Albany, even though I work part-time in Albany Senior Center. It's very well known that parking is very difficult on Masonic Avenue for the Albany Senior Center. Now we are talking about an ATP plan taking away 11 parking slots. on Solano Avenue. So if all of these are people who normally would park there and go to Masonic, they'll take away half of the parking spot at the Senior Center. So what it would do is Senior would have to park farther away and they have to struggle their way to go to Senior Center. So I wish and I ask you to consider the Senior Center's plight, okay? Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi, I'm Judy Cohen. I've lived in Albany for 35 years. We are a bicycle family. My husband, having rode his bike across the United States five times, and I was a bicycle commuter to work 18 miles around trip. So I do support bicycles. I don't support them on Solano because it's too narrow and busy a street. to put a bike lane on there. There's bike lanes on either side. We need to remember about the safety for firefighters, not only to drive up the street, but to be able to get out there, get their equipment out, rescue people. It's a main shopping area, and it's a very, very busy street. There are lots of other ways to get there. You can go down any other side street, make a turn, park your bike, get out and shop. Thanks. Thank you for your comments.

Hello. On August 12th, 2023, just after 3 p.m., mine and my family's lives changed forever. My beautiful, smart, funny, full of life four-year-old niece, Maya, was taken off life support and passed away, surrounded by her family. Maya would still be here today if she had not been hit by a car door while on the back of her father's bike. while out for a Sunday afternoon ride. Had there been a protected bike lane that separated cars from bikes, I would still have my niece, and we would have just celebrated her seventh birthday. That's not my reality. My reality is that Maya is gone, and I'll mourn that for as long as I'm here. I'm far from the only person who mourns and will mourn the death of their loved one because preventable deaths like these. Protected bike lanes save lives, period. To suggest the bike lane is too expensive or simply a vanity project is dismissive and a slap in the face of those of us that live this reality every single day. I urge you to move forward with the Solano Avenue bike lane so you don't have to look victims' families in the face and know that you could have acted to save their lives. Thank you.

Thank you.

And after Nick Peterson would be Haida G., Lucinda Y., and Alice G.

Hello, my name is Nick Peterson. I live on Peralta near Terrace Park in Albany. I've been there for over 30 years. For the last 60 years, I've ridden a bicycle all over the East Bay and used it for basic transportation. Due to a neurological disease progression, my walking ability has diminished. Until recently, I still rode an e-bike locally to visit friends, and I broke my hip, so now I have moved on to, I'm still pedaling using a recumbent electric trike. I urge you not to buy into the claim that bikes are only for the robust and youthful. Any senior Albany residents ride bikes. It's fast, fun, and affordable, and an easy way to get around our small town. I urge the city council to adopt the entire ATP currently as written, including the cycling track. In my opinion, it'll be good for all people.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi, my name is Heidi Ghaffari, you heard from my daughter. Maya is my granddaughter, and I want to emphasize that Maya and her dad were riding in a bike lane. Like many others, we're sandwiched between the parked cars and traffic. One simple mistake by somebody opening the door caused Maya's life to be cut short at four. Before this, I never gave a second thought when I saw a parent transporting her child or his child on their bike in an unprotected bike lane. Now I want to cry and scream, please don't. Protected bike lanes save lives. They should be a priority in any city, the same as safe roads. The Albany bike walk plan update process has been underway for two years. There has been ample opportunities for input from stakeholders and still there would be more opportunities for input. I urge you to pass this plan. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Hello, my name is Julia Lee, and I've been a resident of Albany since 20 years ago. I wish I knew sooner, but I didn't realize it. I didn't realize that this has been started more than a year ago. according to the presentation. Anyway, I'd like to remind you, before you vote, that change is costly, and change is irreversible. So we have to ask the question, who is it for? Is it for the majority or for the view? Will it help businesses or the reverse? Albany isn't only a one square mile city. It's a historical little town. And the main street is Solano Avenue. I'd like to see it preserved.

Thank you for your comments.

Good evening. This is Lucinda Young. I'm a 17-year Albany resident. I'm also a senior. And I'm also a member of the Albany Climate Action Coalition. And I strongly support the ATP. This is a product of a long process. We've had numerous open houses. We've had two city council meetings here that I participated in, two Transportation Committee meetings. The Transportation Commission unanimously approved this, and our staffing consultants have worked really hard to balance many competing interests. There are many reasons why I support it, but I'm going to talk about two. We're in a climate emergency, and reducing vehicle miles traveled, promoting active transportation, including bicycling, is a central part of our Climate Action Adaptation Plan. Two, safety. I'm gonna talk about safety. We've heard about safety. Alameda County has identified Solano Avenue as a high-risk injury street.

Thank you for your comments. We've gotta do something about that.

After Alice would be Michael B., Jonah B., and Todd A.

Good evening. I'm Alice. I'm a 32-year resident of North Berkeley. I strongly support this bill, this plan. In my sunset years, and I'm 85, my choices are dwindling. They're narrowing in the kinds of things I can do. And it makes biking even more important. I biked here. It's how I get around. It's the best way to get around in my view. So I love Solano Avenue. It's very fun for me. And I want to be able to get there and get around on my bike safely.

Thank you for your comments.

Good evening. My name is Jonah Bush. I speak in support of the active transportation plan. Climate change is here and now. Last year, our cousin in Southern California lost her preschool where she taught for 21 years to the Palisades fire. Our family is trying to do our part to switch from oil to clean energy by not owning a car. My wife, two-year-old daughter, and I get everywhere we need using e-bike, bus, BART, and walking. As good as Albany is for active transportation, we can be even better. Less than three months ago, we learned with fear in our throats that a child on a bicycle was struck just outside school at Oceanview Elementary. We know we must be even better. My wife and I asked the council to approve, fund, and implement the active transportation plan in full, including bike lanes along Solano Avenue. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Greetings, Council. My name is Michael Barnes, lifelong cyclist. During my years at UC Berkeley, I commuted 16,000 miles and I estimate I crossed Solano Avenue 5,000 times in those years. I am not in support of the cycle track primarily because of this document, which you all paid good money for, our money by the way, and you have studiously ignored this. This is the parametrics streetscape model that was shown to you, or shown to us, at the December 4th, 2025 Transportation Commission meeting six months ago. And I have suggested to you previously, and I just wanna make sure this gets on the public record, that you price out, at least in a crude way, what the parametrics consultants had done for you. So far, you're just studiously ignoring it. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments.

After Todd is Harry C., Nick Pilch, and Susanna P.

I'm Todd Abbott, and I worked really hard on this, and you're going to miss a great piece here. A minute is just, I'm going to do the best I can. But I'm an Albany resident, business owner, on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce and the Salon of Association. I am not speaking on their behalf today. And basically, my point is that... One-way nature of this project, as ingenious as it is, I mean, it's a very difficult project, full points for trying to make the compromise between the needs of the businesses, needs of the pedestrians, needs of emergency vehicles, clever, ingenious plan, but it can't do what we're asking it to do. It isn't going to make Albany safe for all ages and all skill levels. They're gonna get up to the top and then they're gonna have to face doors coming back. They're gonna have to face cars stopping quickly to turn in park. I don't see a way to prevent people from going the wrong way down the bike path, so even uphill is gonna be challenging because they're gonna be zooming down. So I just, I'm opposed to the current plan for this land, I'm a new opponent of this plan. There we go.

Thank you for your comments.

Good evening, I'm Harry Chomsky, Albany resident. I would ask you to approve the active transportation plan in its entirety. There are a lot of times on the city council or in any decision-making body where you have to make hard decisions that balance different people's needs, maybe. Voting this way would make things better for some people and worse for others, or the other way would do the opposite. I don't really think tonight is like that. I think the controversial part of the ATP that everyone is focused on has been carefully designed to provide an incremental benefit for people bicycling. and really no significant downside in terms of budget or parking or private vehicle access it's it's kind of a car is king plan that preserves albany's pro motor vehicle bias that it's had for a long time but makes things a little better for bicycling along the way so i hope you'll make that choice thanks thank you for your comments

Good evening, hi, Nick Pilch, Albany resident, former mayor, please pass the ATP as is. This ATP addresses equity in transportation by trying to make sure that the facilities for pedestrians and cyclists match those of motor vehicle users. In fact, cyclists and pedestrian facilities cannot yet begin to match those motor vehicle users because roads were built mainly for motor vehicles and mines, but we can continue to try to get closer to equity. So to choose not to have dedicated facilities for cyclists on Solano, where they can be built at the same time with all the other changes on the street, and where there is adequate width, is to deny equity. To deny equity to those who cannot afford to buy and maintain and fuel a car, and to those who choose more equitable, climate-friendly, healthier, slower, and safer modes of transportation. It would be baffling to refuse to use such an opportunity when all policy and law dictates that we move in this direction. Please pass the ATP.

Thank you for your comments.

After Susanna is Mark M, Danny L, and Bryce N.

Hi, my name is Susana Porti. I'm a 15-year resident of Berkeley and a very frequent shopper on Solano Ave by bicycle. Also, I'm 55 years old and I wanted to mention that because I'm a pre-senior. I have arthritis and I wear orthopedic shoes and I'm thinking about my senior years and about my fellow citizens who are senior citizens. I would like you to approve this plan, as is, with the bike path protected by bike lane for three reasons. For safety, for the environment, and for business safety. This will make for slower streets, which makes safety safer for everyone. The environment, as we know, the biggest source of pollution in Albany is cars. And for business, people who come on bike are going to spend more time and spend more money at the businesses. And for those who say we are losing parking spaces, the effect will be minimal. And if you bike there, you're not taking up a parking space. Please vote yes. Thank you so much.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi, I'm Mark Melgin. I serve on Albany's Climate Action Committee, thanks to Ms. Hanson-Romero. The parametrics report says that the average daily traffic on Solano exceeds 8,000 vehicles. It's nice to have that number. What is the average speed? And what would the proposed bikeway and traffic calming do? Would it reduce the speed by a mile an hour or cut it in half? That's important for safety. How many drivers frustrated with traffic on Solano would instead use narrow streets north of Solano like San Lorenzo and Capistrano? How many collisions between cars and pedestrians would occur there? Bikeway would make Solano safer for uphill cyclists, no doubt about that. But how about the overall impact? How about the second order effects?

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Danny Lannis. I'm the advocacy manager at Bike East Bay. We ask that you approve the active transportation plan as is, respecting the draft recommendation assembled in response to thousands of comments and public engagement opportunities over the nearly two-year plan update timeline. This includes the recommendation for an uphill protected bikeway on Solano Avenue. meeting the National Association of City Transportation Officials, NACTO, low stress bikeway standard for a corridor with these level of car volumes and speeds. We understand that some concerns have been expressed about the inclusion of Solano Avenue in this plan. However, as noted in a public statement from Mayor McQuaid, the active transportation plan approval is a recommendation only and not a final approval. Again, we ask that you approve the active transportation plan as is thank you.

Thank you for your comments Okay, my name is Bryce Nesbitt and I'll be expressing a different opinion than most people who arrived here by bike tonight in Opposing the Solano Avenue section of the ATP the rest of the ATP is great I'm not a cyclist advocate, not a cycling advocate. I'm an urbanist. Looking at the whole of how the city works, Solano Avenue is incredibly special, even within the Bay Area, in terms of its vibrancy and its access to homes and its accessibility via modes other than driving. It's really special. And the worst outcome here would be to damage Solano Avenue in a way that leads more people to purchase online. or to drive out of area, adding to VMT. I think there are alternative ways to improve cycling access to Solano, and that should be done, but not by running that path right up there. And if you do do Solano, make sure to evaluate it and make sure to put in a ripcord so you can pull it out if it's not working before you damage something that's much more important than just the bike lane. Thank you. Thank you for your comments.

Hello, my name is Diane Delaney. I live on the 900 Buck of Cerrito Street. I walk up Solano Avenue for my health and my mental and physical health the last three years. I've been walking almost every day from my home on Cerrito Street up to the top in Berkeley and back, and I have found as I've gone that I'm looking at every single block. There's at least one or two businesses that I frequent. And it's really important to me as a senior, I'm 72, that I am able to cross safely. I must say that I have had some near accidents in Albany, but they've almost all been with bicyclists, frankly. I say that because I am also a bicyclist. I live in Cerrito Street, and I really do like the bicycle path Corridor that's been created along Buchanan it connects a bicycle location a park to something else I feel like it goes from here to here. I feel like this little spot on Solano is not connected Thank you for your comments

Hi, good evening. Max Klein, Albany resident and father of two. So I have a two-year-old and a five-year-old. They both actually go to school on Solano Avenue at Bay Area Kinderstube, which is at the Masonic in Solano and Cornell. My elder daughter has been biking to her school since age three, since she can ride because she can get there on the sidewalk and then on the greenway. And then now she's going to Cornell, so she'll just have, you know, we can make it so that she has to cross Solano. And the younger one's really excited to do that as well. So isn't that amazing? A two-year-old and a five-year-old able to go to school on their bikes, the reason is we have separated areas like the Greenway and when I don't actually allow them to bike on the street where otherwise I actually indicate them to go on the sidewalk. So sidewalk is a separated area. If we build more of those, even these youngsters can get around and I really hope for that.

Thank you for your comments. Any more? Are there any more comments within the room? Okay, let's go to online.

Go ahead, Max.

Dear council members, I'm calling in strong support for the ATP and request the council adopt the plan with the inclusion of the Solano bike paths. The ATP is a roadmap for making our community safer, our economy more vibrant, and for addressing climate change. Our family, which includes our six-year-old daughter, is a one-car household, and we bike and walk every day to get around town. While Albany has taken many positive steps to improve bike safety, additional safety improvements must be made to ensure all road users can comfortably and safely use our streets. Just recently, a child was struck by a driver at Ocean View Elementary, and this collision and others like it are entirely preventable through better bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The proposed ATP is just the action plan to ensure these types of traumatic events don't happen again. Once our daughter can start riding a bike on her own, we want to be confident that she can ride safely, including on Solano. And for these reasons, we ask that you adopt the final draft of the ATP. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi, I'm on the collection committee, but speaking personally, my capacity to support the ATP at the town bike paths. I moved here in part because of the walkability and bikeability of the area. I don't live in a suburb with car-centric areas because I want to be able to walk and bike everywhere for the rest of my life. My partner bikes every day to BART to get to work and shopping on Solano. To clear up the myths, as a reminder, the cost actually costs the city less, not more. With bike improvements, we get county funding that wouldn't otherwise get, and cars are expensive and polluting to munn. On fire access, yes, we know it works from staff. A 15-foot width is achievable and meets emergency requirements. parking. The impact is minimal. Listen to staff who said only a 0% change is possible. People forget more by seeing more parking and that means more customers. People overestimate how often people drive to go to shopping. People who walk but can take transit, shop more and spend more, meaning more tax revenue for Albany. A business owner I talked to recently wanted to support this but also couldn't be at the meeting. Safer, cheaper, good for business. Yes and ATP.

Thank you for your comments.

Hello, my name is Steve Price and I live in El Cerrito and I shop frequently, multiple times a week on Solano Avenue. I support uphill bike lanes on Solano Avenue and the active transportation plan that you're considering. We've seen a pronounced uptick in the use of bicycles for transportation, not just recreation. People who ride bicycles are shoppers. Bicycle riders have limits to how far they can travel. They burn calories, not gasoline. So naturally learn about the retail and services nearby. I went car free six years ago after driving a car for 30 years in the El Cerrito, Albany area. Being on a bike and walking rather than driving opened my eyes to local businesses I never knew existed. I hope that Albany endorses the Solano bike lane so that others can learn how rich our local commercial offerings are by riding bicycles. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi my name is Jill Holloway and I'm speaking on behalf of Bike East Bay but also on behalf of myself as a parent in North Oakland. I'm usually visiting Philgood on Solano Avenue while running errands by bike. Unfortunately I have to take a roundabout route to get to Solano Avenue because I don't feel safe biking with my toddler on Solano itself. I ask that you approve the active transportation plan as is respecting the draft recommendations assembled in response to thousands of public comments. and public engagement opportunities over the last two years. This plan is a recommendation. There will be more stakeholder engagement, more public input ahead of any actual Solano Avenue project design approvals or construction. Please don't throw away hours of staff time and thoughtful public process and approve the ATP as is.

Thank you. Thank you for your time.

Hello, I'm Gaia Sonatina. I live in El Cerrito, but I frequent Solano Avenue all the time. I would like to share with you the mission statement for Albany. Albany is dedicated to providing a healthy, safe, and accessible city that serves our diverse community. As council members, it is your job to uphold and actively move the city toward actualizing this statement. A bike lane for safety and accessibility is the perfect opportunity to serve the diverse community you have sworn to serve. If you are against this update to Solano Avenue, I would ask you to bike it in its current condition. If you feel safe and comfortable, then perhaps you have a relevant argument against it. If the thought of biking Solano as is causes you to pause, then there's probably a good reason for that. A separated bike lane keeps Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

If we're not able to hear you.

Can you hear me now? Sorry. Okay, thank you. I want to speak to this argument that bicycle safety improvements are in conflict with business because apparently customers equals drivers only. And I want to share my experience. So I do all my grocery shopping for my household by bicycle, often carrying tens of pounds of groceries. Uh, or tools by Mark cargo back for my garden. I also shop by bike. I, yesterday I emailed the city council a picture of the 1 of the more amusing loads where I carried bushes and. And elementary more seriously, I have spinal issues and these are the kinds of things that I can. do and carry by cargo bike that I simply cannot with the car due to car ergonomics. I visit Solano exclusively by bike and support businesses there and I would appreciate you approving ATP.

Thank you for your comments.

Thank you for bike safety. Thank you.

Hi, this is Dawn Kawamoto. I'm a long-time Albany resident, and adding bike lanes to Solano Avenue does not serve the greater good for Albany residents. It ignores a safety-first approach. With the current design, people with disabilities like my husband who walks with a cane and parents who are like wrangling their children as they exit their cars will need to step directly into the proposed bike lane to reach the sidewalk. They'll need a Dodge approaching cyclists and speeding past e-bikes. They will not have the benefit of a crosswalk by each parked car to get onto the sidewalk. It also increases traffic congestion on Solano because there'll be fewer parking spots and also narrower roads for the traffic to move through, which would increase the smog, I would imagine. Additionally, you know, besides losing the up to 10% parking spot.

Thank you for your comments.

Sure thing.

Hi there, this is James Ryder in El Cerrito and I'm a business owner here and I work with two organizations in Albany and my primary mode of transport is a bicycle. I do own a car, we own a car. and speaking to the experience of being a cyclist on Solano and a driver on Solano, it could really use some calming, and I see this bike lane inclusion as part of this plan as a way to do that. A lot of people have talked about safety, and that's really critical, and I just think about a little bit... kind of the collective benefits, less cars, more bikers, more walkers, less emissions, less noise, more physical exercise, more possible social contact when we're not all separated in our cars. And all these things uplift our communities. So for all those reasons, I ask you to support the ATP, including the bike.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi, my name is Henry Pinkard, and I live north of Solano. I get around almost entirely by bike. I have a cargo bike with a big bucket and a car seat, and that's how I take my two-year-old daughter everywhere, to daycare, to the doctor, to groceries, to dinner. Every time we head out for dinner or shopping, we ride the Ohlone Greenway towards Solano, and then we keep going right past it all the way to Berkeley because we can't ride Solano safely. Last week, my 72-year-old mother, my daughter, and I did exactly that. We rode past Solano to Headlands Brewing in Berkeley because it's accessible by bike. I've been there so, so many times. I should be going to Solano. It's much closer to where I live. I understand why businesses worry about losing parking. They don't know how much business they'd get from me because I never come. Build a protected bike lane on Solano, and I will. Please support the ATP and let me spend my money on Solano. And when you build it, I urge you to put protected bike lanes on both sides so it's actually safe. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi, my name's Jordan Chase. I live in El Cerrito, and I ride the full breadth of Albany on the Greenway every day to go to work at Blue Heron Bikes. I love this plan of the ATP because it looks like everyone in the community having access to the same space in a way that might look unsafe on paper, but I think causes us all to slow down and appreciate the connectivity we have and invites everybody, regardless of how they need to get around to a space that's communal and improved. And a bike lane is just a small part of that. Our business would not function without safe bike transportation. And our block of Gilman Street, including Kiku Sushi and El Cerrito Natural Grocery and School of Rock and Coffee Conscious and Marin Headlands Brewing is constantly thriving with bike racks full of locked bikes because people can get there safely. So let's do it for Solano.

Thank you for your comments.

Hey, Stuart Sonatina, El Cerrito, I'd like to urge you to approve the ATP. I would also like to remind you how many people who are young or low income who are not at this meeting and not making comments. And that is the demographic who would be using this path. So that's it. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi, I'm Michelle, and I've been an Albany resident for 13 years now. And I understand that this is not just about bikes, but there seems like there's a lot of organization around the bike proponents, bikes first before everything else. And mind you that Solano Avenue and Albany are pedestrian neighborhoods. Many people, I've seen pedestrians struck by vehicles, struck by bicyclists in the neighborhood, and I don't hear any protections being added for pedestrian safety. In fact, it'll lower visibility for bicyclists and drivers to see pedestrians. Also, we should consider a safety program to implement safety education for children riding bikes so they stop riding through crosswalks and risk their lives.

Thank you for your comments.

Hi there. I just got off work at the Giants game. I rode my bike in a protected bike lane. It was me, line bikes and scooters, bay wheels, all sorts of vehicles. It was safe. It was practical. Got on BART. Now I'm sitting at the 19th Street BART station. Alameda, Oakland, Rockridge, Piedmont, Berkeley, they all have bike lanes in their business districts. And it makes their shops and restaurants so much more accessible. Albany needs to have complete streets like that too. This bike lane will connect to Albany's Main Street from the Ohlone Greenway, which people ride. It's the backbone of active transportation in the East Bay. You got an email from people from Alameda saying that they would ride if Solano were safe. Seniors like me, families who ride on long tails, kids to get a snack or to shop, they need to be accommodated. So please help us move into this century.

Thank you for your comments.

Thank you.

Hi, this is Dan Lieberman. I'm a 28 year Albany resident. I'm a driver, pedestrian and bicyclist. I generally find that my transportation infrastructure needs in Albany are excellent as a driver. They're acceptable and getting better as a pedestrian but unacceptable as a cyclist. I read the background documents for the ATP. and I'm in favor of the project proposal. It delivers much needed bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements with no or minimal negative impact on driving, car parking, and walking. I expect this project would increase ATP outcomes, reduce injuries to pedestrians and cyclists, and generally make that stretch of Solano Avenue more inviting. I'm a regular shopper on Solano. I commute through five cities on my way to work. Albany is the worst stretch. And I look forward to this project making me feel safer as a driver, pedestrian, and bicyclist as I do my routine shopping.

Thank you for your comments.

That's it.

Okay, great. Thank you all. So we'll bring it back for council comments. Who wants to start? Not till 1030. Thank you. Go ahead.

I'm going to first start by thanking staff and the consultant team for all the incredible work they've done on the ATP. Tonight's conversation has primarily, well, exclusively, at least from the public comment side, been about Solon Avenue. The work that the staff has done across the city, really helping us understand how we as pedestrians, we as bicyclists, and we as drivers of motor vehicles can get around this city. is really incredible and Mayor McQuaid and I both served on Transportation Commission which at the time was called Trafficking Safety when the first ATP was passed and I am excited to see this newest version. I will say a phrase that I probably, Mayor McQuaid has heard me say quite often at least, which is, you know, we ask a lot of Solano Avenue. It's our bus route, it's our truck route, it's a fire route, it's a shopping street, right? It is the connective tissue that brings El Cerrito, Albany, and Berkeley together. And I have frequently said, if Solano Avenue was 10 feet wider or 10 feet narrower, we all would be having a much easier time discussing trade-offs. because the options to do everything if we had 10 more feet or not have the space to do anything, really, we wouldn't have these conversations. But we are where we are. We have this amount of space. I will say that I am comfortable these days riding on Upper Solano and Mid Solano, partially because I ride an e-bike so I can keep up with cars, so I can go uphill or downhill. But I am constantly in fear and defensively riding my bike because parallel parking is the most dangerous kind of parking for bicyclists. I mean, if you are a driver and I drive my car and I'm on Solana, I'm either with a car or with a bike, backing out of a space next to a pickup truck or an SUV or my minivan, right, is really hard, very blind, right? And I really appreciate the solution that the staff and the consultant come up where downhill, parallel parking, Particularly if you ride where the sharrows are, you're out of the door zone. You're going downhill, you can keep up with cars. Going uphill, having the angled parking, head-in angled parking, with a separated bicycling means that now bicyclists have a much safer route along Solano Avenue. And I will tell you that, you know, as an urbanist, so I appreciate the comment that came out today about an urbanist view, you know, I worry about the same things that was brought up do we run the risk of damaging Solano Avenue by putting in a bicycle lane? And I would say no. I mean, look at Lower Solano. Lower Solano was rebuilt before I came in 2005. And I'm sure the same kind of conversations were happening about what was happening with the street, the impacts on businesses. But we have to think about this as a 50-year plan. It really took Lower Solano 10 years to really pick up steam and be what it is today. It used to be everyone wanted to be up in Berkeley. When people say that this bike lane will go nowhere, if you read Berkeley's plan, they say, we're waiting to see what Albany does. So Berkeley will pick up whatever we choose to do, or they'll have that conversation. So it won't be a bicycle route to nowhere. Berkeley punted. Kind of wish they had gone first. Then we'd have something to react to. I do want to address some comments that came out. The no estimate before this project was forwarded. Actually, I think staff... did the right thing. In the ATP, it's about a concept and a direction that we go in so that they can seek out the funding to do the technical drawings. So they're not going out and doing a set of technical drawings that isn't supported. So the comment about this being, as a project manager, not understanding how you could possibly start a project that's $30 or $50 million without a more fold-out plan, actually, this is appropriate. I mean, we did this 2018, 2019. I was on the team that worked on Solano Avenue. We didn't have a bike lane there because we didn't have all the options that we have today. But that was a plan that had no direction when we started it. It went sideways and this way and that way. Sorry, not really supposed to say that part. But so I appreciate actually staff's approach. very efficient use of our funds. I'll be honest with you, there was a conversation with staff where I was like, do you really want to include Solano Avenue in the ETP? Because I knew that this was an area that we as a community needed to have lots of conversations. And so again, I appreciate all the work that staff has done. Finding parking, we won't know until the details. You know, when 2019, I believe it was Councilmember Jordan, I don't know if you were on council or not, but, okay, was not on council at the time, did a parking study that showed that, you know, a rough estimate for a different plan, you know, we weren't losing that many parking spaces. So I appreciate the staff has gotten us to a zero to 10%, right? I would encourage us as a council, though, as we adopt this ATP, that if we move forward with this protected bike lane, that any future study of Solano Avenue has to look at parking at least on the first 150 feet on the side streets. Looking at how are we managing that parking? Most of that parking is adjacent to commercial buildings already, right? Is that an area where we can have loading zones to handle Uber Eats, deliveries, loading and unloading? We have been so focused just looking only at Solano, we're not asking the question, is there an opportunity on Masonic? Is there an opportunity on all the other side streets to increase the amount of parking that we have? So, I would throw that out there. I do want to address one thing that was brought up. Bus stops are listed as being removed. However, I would note that it also talks about that they would be removed from where they are and that they would have to be studied how they would fit in with the new bulb outs. And I would also reiterate that AC Transit has been to us a few times talking about potentially reducing the number of bus stops on Solano Avenue anyways. So I don't think bus stops or the removal or moving of bus stops is a, I think that is going to be a consideration on all of the plans. that have been considered. The three versions of the plan that were brought forth for survey input, if you extend lower Solano to the rest of Solano Avenue, you are moving your bus stops, right? And AC Transit might still be asking for a bus stop to be removed. So I'm just saying that, to me, that is not, until we get to the detail level in the next stage, that is not a, you know, that's not gonna push me one way or another about saying yes or no for this. I will also note that there is existing training programs. Just a couple of weeks ago, we assigned the sugar sweet beverage tax money, and some of that money was specifically aimed at funding training for the Albany School District elementary students on bicycle safety and the rules of the road. I will also note the fire department. Sorry, I'm gonna just keep going. This is my world, urbanism. We are showing 27 feet in the middle of the block clear outside of the parking spaces. Every city that I work in, the fire department wants 26 clear. And they want that so they can park their vehicle, an EMT paramedic van can go around their vehicle, they can get the hoses off the sides of the fire truck so they can fight a fire. We have 27. And then to the comment about needing 15, that 15 is really about when we get to the intersections. Getting really technical here, guys, because you guys keep bringing up things that there is a technical level of discussion that needs to happen that is not happening. We can accommodate 15 feet clear at the intersections because we have bulb outs, and bulb outs are never built all the way to just the travel lane. They're always a foot or two off. So if we have 27 feet and we get two feet extra where the bulb outs are, we have the fire department's 15 feet that they want at intersections, and they can make their turning radiuses. So this is not... a debate about whether or not the bicycle lanes impede the fire department. Any one of the three schemes that were surveyed would have these requirements. So we can meet those. In the end, details matter. And one thing that I have learned over the years, particularly now that I'm on council, is that our staff works really hard to make sure those details are done right. Do I have questions? I have tons of questions. But frankly, none of them can be answered until we actually get into the technical drawings. I just want to raise this that, you know, I will tell you that as an urbanist, I have questioned whether or not the bicycle lane is the right move. And frankly, until I saw the latest version of the cross section, I wasn't necessarily ready to move forward with it. But this cross-section that the staff and the consultant have worked on, I want to see the details, because I think it could be powerful, and I think it could really, really be an incredible thing for us on Lone Solano Avenue.

Thank you. Go ahead.

Yeah, thank you Councilmember Mickey for reminding us that we are the trendsetters, not Berkeley. Keep it active, Albany. I want to reiterate and emphasize my thanks for staff and consultant and the community members for, you know, not just speaking out today, but speaking out throughout the whole process. And just want to emphasize that regardless of whatever decisions are made this evening, it doesn't minimize or trivialize anyone's valid lived experiences. I just want to let folks know that I hear that. But I also wanna make sure I emphasize, we're hearing time and time again about safety, safety, safety, and impact. And at the end of the day, yeah, I agree, safety is paramount. And when we're talking about a potential protected bike lane that could ensure preventable death, I think for me that's a no-brainer. We heard comments from the family of the young child, Maya, and that was heartbreaking to hear because it likely could have been avoided if we had proper cycling infrastructure and safer drivers, drivers who were more aware. I know we hear a lot of narratives around reckless cyclists. We also equally have a lot of reckless drivers in Albany. Trust me, when I do drive my vehicle, I have plenty of dash cam footage of all our neighbors driving a little less than desirable than they should around here, running stop signs, running on the curb, driving in the middle of the street. This concept of safety is a community effort that we all should be investing in. And it does start with what we are doing as individuals. And I'm... Honing in heavily on safety because on Solano, one of my daughter's best friends was hit while she was on a bike. That could have been prevented if we had protected bike lanes. And for me, it pulls at me a lot because oftentimes I think of her best friend as one of my own daughters. She's always coming with us on family trips. And so the thought of knowing that someone was injured in the manner that she was is and how bad it could have gotten, that does strike me. And knowing that I sit here at the dais and I can make a decision that could prevent things like that from happening to other folks, particularly young folks. We heard this young kid, Lena, speak earlier around the reality and the truth that kids can't drive cars. I hope they're not driving cars. But bikes are the way to get around. And I know that's true for a lot of the kids that hang out with my daughter. I think it's the coolest, dopest experience when I hear about kids riding their bikes to the village because they know that there are bike lanes that are suitable for them to arrive to the UC village and hang out. And so I just, you know, again, safety is paramount for me. And if, you know, tangential but very much relevant, where I grew up in my hometown of Richmond, we have a one-way cycle track down Ohio Ave. Had that cycle track, that dedicated cycle track not be there, it would probably prohibit me from doing a lot of things that I need to do and get from A to B and being able to gather with my community. And the cycling infrastructure over there definitely enabled me to be able to ride my bike almost daily from Richmond to UC Berkeley. And I mention that because every day when I would ride my bike from Richmond to UC Berkeley, I always wondered, you know, what it would like to, what it would be like to go up Solano. And I'm not saying that, you know, just, you know, because we're talking, because everyone's talking about Solano having an ATP today. But I genuinely did always wonder that when I would be at that corner, that intersection going through the Ohlone Greenway and just looking like, well, it doesn't look so safe. Like, there's a lot going on over here. And I think about that a lot. And again, thinking about the power of being at the dice and being able to make a decision that maybe there is another young brown kid out there. that thinks about that, that's biking from cities like Richmond and thinking, is this place inclusive of folks like me? Couldn't it be safe? And I say that because anyone who's ever lived in black or brown skin, you know you want to be in high visible places where people see you. If shit pops off, excuse my language, but that's how it goes down for a lot of us. If we are not in a high visible place where people don't see us, We're already at risk of getting Karened or having police roll up on us and questioning why we even exist in our skin color. And so being able to have something such as a cycle track on Solano Ave, that part of the greater ATP project that we have in front of us, for me, speaks volumes to the level of safety that we feel at that deeper level. who we are and how we exist. I've been talking a lot with a lot of my folks out in Richmond, and they're excited about the idea of being able to come visit me and hang out at the places that I'm always bragging about on Solano Ave. They see me posting about it pretty constantly on social media, but they're always like, eh, we don't know, like, eh. It ain't safe to ride out there. And for them, it ain't safe for a lot of different reasons. So I just throw that out there, too. Being able to have safe cycling infrastructure makes a big difference for how people feel when we're trying to encourage people from outside of our community to come contribute to the economic activity out here. The last thing I will say is, again, I know this is, you know, for some folks, this feels contentious. This feels like, you know, we're not being heard or some people are being overheard and, you know, such and such. But I will say, I think we're making, we're trying to make a decision that it's not just relative to something that I or anyone else personally like or prefer. I'm not thinking about a cycle track because I was that young brown kid thinking, oh, I want to ride my bike up there. I'm thinking about a cycle track on Solano that's part of the greater ATP vision here because we have an opportunity to really put our money where our mouth is when we are trying to navigate a climate emergency. We shouldn't be prioritizing cars. And this fear mongering of, we're gonna lose parking spaces. One, I hear that, but two, I'm really not so hung up on whether or not we lose a couple parking spaces because we should not be prioritizing vehicle traffic when we're in climate emergency. We should be encouraging vehicles to ride slower. We should be encouraging people to use alternative transportation methods so that folks like our senior citizens who have been coming here can easily transport to Solano Ave and easily find parking. That I totally get and I agree with, but we shouldn't be out here trying to... find ways to sustain or increase the level of vehicle traffic and path through on Solano or any other street for that matter in our city. We have a responsibility as elected officials to address and meet the time of being in a climate emergency. I say that too because I think had we had much more space to work with, I would have loved to seen, you know, cycling infrastructure both ways, but you know, just given the reality and working with them, the context of what the fire department had noted and understanding what city staff has brought to us at the end of the day, I do try to be very logical in my decision-making and where we're going with this. Similar to what council member Mickey has stated, You know, we need to be looking long term, what are the long term benefits and what is the statement that we're sending out to the younger generation in terms of the type of responsibility we want to carry and the vision that we want to be sustained for the city for generations to come.

Thank you. Comments over here.

My thanks again to staff and also to everybody that commented. I think by and large the incorrect information that was promulgated widely was not cited, which I very much appreciate that not being amplified, which is amplification of such information is kind of a scourge of our time nationally, damaging our democracy. So I appreciate that that didn't happen here. We all up here voted for a strategic plan that prioritizes making streets safer. And the city has found Solano to be one of the highest injury streets for people biking in the city. I believe four of us who were here when that report came down and we voted to accept it. And the Alameda County Transportation Commission has found Solano to be one of the highest injury streets in the county. So I don't understand how one could vote against doing something to increase safety on Solano. It seems to be completely counter to what we voted for in our strategic plan. I will note that the AARP's policy is to support adding biking facilities to streets because they find it increases safety for everybody on the street. So That is the premier organization representing older people, and it supports this kind of Complete Streets change. As far as change, change is happening. My wife and I watched the NewsHour, it was last Friday, report an estimate that 500,000 people have died from heat in Europe over the last five to six years. That is obviously happening again this year. Last week, my daughter, who's in basic combat training, had a heat stroke, which would not have occurred without climate change, given where she's training. So it's real. It's happening. It's easy to say no action we can take will make a difference. But if everybody says that, then we are absolutely going to lose the climate, interglacial era climate, that created the stability that allowed the rise of our civilization. So I am not here to bet that and to not do my moral duty to try to save people wherever they are around the world by doing our little part in the hopes that everybody else will do their little part. By the strategic plan, we all voted to reduce greenhouse pollution. The Mayor was on the Council when the Climate Action Adaptation Plan was accepted by the council. That plan calls for reducing vehicle miles traveled as one of the tools and increasing active transportation use. It is just one of the tools, but all climate scientists say you can't rule out using any of all the tools because we will not get there. So I hope that we can pass this unanimously as a council. There were some comments made about Project removing all the bus stops along its length that is not the case as you can see if you look at the drawings The drawings proposed remove the bus stops that were agreed to the 2019 study that was done which cost about $300,000 a lot more than this and as the council member said did not result in a viable plan for the community AC Transit agreed to remove those stops to improve its operations. There was a comment that the street would not be wide enough for the fire department to respond to emergencies on the street. 15 feet is what the fire department wants to respond to emergencies on the street. It doesn't want 15 feet to be able to pass along the street. It is asking for 15 feet to be able to stop its trucks, set up, be able to get equipment off the center line side of the truck without stepping across the center line and being in fear for motorists going the other way hitting them. So 15 feet which can be accommodated does serve emergency response actually for emergencies on Solano Avenue. I do actually have a couple changes I would like to bring up for the active transportation plan that is not on the Solano Avenue topic. Thinking about the list of priority projects, I realized that there is a part of the city that the students in particular are essentially disconnected. The AHS and AMS students are disconnected from being able to get to school. And this is specifically going along the Cerrito Creek corridor. Oftentimes in the past I will see the fence at the orientation school for the blind along the creek, you know, broken in various ways because Students are coming up on the El Cerrito side and having to cross through the creek and through the fence, and it shouldn't be that way. It's not right. And so I would like to move the Cerrito Creek Pedestrian Connection Project into the other identified projects on high comfort networks list that's in the priority list. And so I'll bring that up again. If anybody has questions, happy to talk about that more.

Councillor Jordan, can I ask a question? Sure. Is that the same intersection I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER IF I HEARD THIS. DID WE OR DID WE NOT GO AFTER OR RECEIVE A GRANT FOR STUDYING?

THE STUDY IS TO CONNECT ADAMS WITH CARLSON. SO IT'S PERPENDICULAR TO THIS. THIS PROJECT IS THE EAST WEST AND THAT ONE IS THE NORTH SOUTH. SO THERE MIGHT BE SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE TWO BUT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO BE ACCOMPLISHED SEPARATELY AS WELL AND THERE ARE WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH THEM SEPARATELY.

Sorry, I was only thinking north-south. I did not understand you were thinking east-west.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the students who live on the 500 block of Pierce, of which I think there's hundreds, they come along around the north side of Albany Hill to get to school if they're walking. And the other item was raised by somebody in one of the emails. They observed that Intersections of Key Route with Portland and Thousand Oaks is on the pedestrian network map as priority pedestrian intersections. They're not on the proposed biking network map as priority biking intersections. And they were pretty adamant that they should both be priority intersections for both modes. So that's another item I would bring up to improve access to the high school. I mean, there's over 100 bikes typically parked at the high school during the day.

President, I'm going to stop you for just a minute. We do need to move to extend. So I'll move to extend to 1045.

I'll second.

So I can confirm that's to cover all the items left on the agenda?

Yes.

Thank you.

Could we get a roll call, please?

Can we just say 11? Sure. Because we're going to vote again at 10.

Okay. Yeah. Okay, I'll even change my motion to 11, covering all items.

I'll second that.

All right, here we go.

Vice Mayor Hanson-Romero? Yes. Mayor McQuaid? Yes. Council Member Jordan?

Yes.

Council Member Lopez? Yep. Council Member McKee? Yes.

Thank you. I'm done.

Well, we need the extra 15 minutes.

Well, for comments, your comments.

You know, based upon everything that I've heard and some of the other comments, I did have a couple of other thoughts that came up, like, when the parking spaces, and this is going back to Solano Avenue, I appreciate your other comments going, other parts of the plan. But the parking spaces count was, I think when you were looking at it, it was done probably before we started the extra red curb lengths for some of the corners, and how would that affect those areas? Not sure if that's actually even more of a decrease of parking. now that we have to extend the red curbs around corners?

Also, my understanding of the drawing that was done, the whole length of the Transportation Commission, comported with that state law. Did it? It did.

Okay. And then one of the other things that I brought up earlier was, again, I'm still concerned about you know, certain pinch points and just not actually because, again, this study was a certain section, not all along, and I'm kind of wondering why we didn't look at the property lines and map that out first before we even started this ball rolling. And then, you know, absolutely safety, climate, That is all a concern of mine. I want everybody to know that. But it's also a concern of mine of having to try to pack so many things on Solano Avenue. I mean, I am not a cyclist. I can't ride a bike very well, if at all. But when I'm taking my kids or doing my business and I'm coming from Pierce Street and I'm coming down Solano, I'm constantly sitting in the car for great lengths of time. So it's not about vehicle miles, it's more of along the lines of how long are you sitting in that vehicle? And, you know, because the bus stop at Mr. Dewey's is not, you know, blocks that lane. And then you've got a delivery truck coming up the other side delivering, you know, goods to the bakery or stuff like that. How does, you know, our emergency access vehicles get through there? you know, seeing kids running across the street through there and cars sneaking around one side just to get out of the intersection because they can't move. And so there's just so much. Solano Avenue is so different. We don't have these back streets. We don't have these parking garages. We don't have other things that business districts would have to put a plan like this into fruition. And I'm just really concerned that we're going to get to the end of this and we're going to be like, oh, this doesn't even work, you know. Also, you know, I'm definitely for moving this active transportation plan forward, but I just don't feel right about the bicycle track. I think that it's actually going to be less safe because I feel like it's going to almost design a false sense of security in ways that, oh, wow, this is actually safe now. And also, even if we do pass this right now, I mean, it's going to be years, years. before any of this actually ever comes into fruition. So my big thing is actually getting the roads done. Curb cutouts, roads done, street signs that are actually reflective and actually not from the 1980s or whatever when those street signs were last put in. They're not even legal. And then as far as Berkeley having their way with that, I know how bad their deficit is right now. I don't see them putting in any sort of... Addition to a bike lane right now. They've got bigger fish to fry So I'll tell you who rides the safest I guess on Solano is that renegade bike group that comes down on Sundays They have people holding side streets as they ride all the way down But I just There's too many There's just too much at risk, and granted, again, this may not even happen, even if we were to pass this tonight, it may not happen for another five, 10 years, right? But everything could completely change by then. I mean, everything. So, I just question getting caught up too much on the nitty gritty of this stuff, but I mean like I, just going around in circles here. I can support the active transportation plan, but just not a bike lane on Solano.

Do you have a comment?

Yes. A quick comment? Council Member Hanson-Romero, thank you. I appreciate your input and I truly do. I will say, though, that repaving the street, the ADA accessible ramps are going in. They're going in, I don't know, in one of the next plans that will be in front of Council. Reflective signs, that can be done today. So nothing you have listed All of those things that you've listed can be done today. And you're right, Solano Avenue, it's probably five years out before we would even be at a place where we're talking about putting a hole on the ground, didn't redo anything. And to me, my biggest regret from the ATP plan that I passed with Mayor McQuaid was not thinking 20, 30, 40, 50 years out. That is my biggest regret. I specifically asked things to be pulled that I regret asking having pulled because I said, that's not the highest priority. Let's just focus on the things that we can get done in the short term. And the bones of the plan that we first passed is what we're updating today. So it took us It's 26, it took 13 years. It's the only place where things that I pulled out could have been built by now, because we could have gone after a grant. Because when you go after a grant, if it's not in the plan, you can't get money. And I will emphasize this again, Solano Avenue is not going to be competitive for a county grant from MTC if we do not include bicycle facilities. Now, there are other versions of a street that I can imagine that they might support if we made it safer for bicyclists, but it would end up being parallel parking everywhere and less parking. And again, that's why I feel so strongly now. I've had conversations where I have been on the fence about a... bicycle facility on Solano. When I saw the newest plan that staff put together as a sketch, and I have a lot of questions about the details, but as a sketch, I can support that. I can see that actually being implementable.

I was... Implementable?

Implementable, yes. I'm sure the technical drawings, they can figure it out. And you know, again, when Chief Boito came to us, and he was, you know, We were having at it a little bit about fire and how fire would access. Again, I appreciate his input because I think it led staff and the consultant to come back with a plan that, again, balances everyone's needs and will massively increase safety. Imagine when I'm on my e-bike, I can keep up with a car going on Upper Solano. When I'm on the bike that I rode today, you're gonna be stuck behind me going five miles an hour. Getting me in a bike lane means you don't have to sit behind me. You don't have to sit behind anyone who's in a bike who can't keep up with traffic. And we've had people show up today who are probably way more athletic than me, and when they're on a bike, they can go uphill at 15 or 20 miles an hour. That is not me. I recently went to Point Richmond for the first time on my bike, and I was scared. Because I had no idea what kind of bicycle facilities I was going to find out there. And I was floored at how many protected bike facilities they had to get me out to Point Richmond from Albany. You want to get people out of their car, you need to make them feel safe. I love Marin Avenue. Well, except for the part that was first done, right? Looking at staff, when are we gonna get that repainted? Because my space is delineated. I don't have to worry about being doored. I don't have to worry about a van or SUV coming down the street and swiping me because I've got lots of space. And I think the same thing can happen on Solano Avenue. And for those who say, if you're on a bike, just go to Marin, I would say, if you don't like the traffic on Solano, use Marin in a car. So I will say that my biggest concern, and it's why I'm excited to see the next version of this plan, has been the parking on Solano Avenue. Because our businesses, particularly on the middle part and the upper part of Solano, they need that parking. It is not the lively place that Lower Solano is. Sorry, Downtown Solano, I always get the phrase wrong. And we have new businesses that have come in that have really brought things to life. I just feel like we're going to spend the money to fix Solana one way or another. And I look at this as a plan that 50 years from now, it's going to be the right plan to have done.

Thank you. Okay, I just have a few comments. First of all, again, I wanna thank staff. You all have just done an amazing job over many years to get us this far. And also I wanna thank all of the public that we received, I would say more emails on this than I think I've received the whole time I've been on council and that's now 10 years. I think this was the greatest amount of emails and I appreciate that. I appreciate hearing everyone's opinion. And also, I want you to know that I heard you. I heard what you just had to say. And I want to remind you that this is a plan. This is not, we are not giving direction tonight for our maintenance people to go out and grab a shovel and start digging. We're nowhere near there. There's still a lot of discussion to be had, a lot of public input to be gained, a lot of studying to do. I still have some questions, some concerns, but I think it's time to start to move forward with this. non-penetrable wall at some point. But for now, I think it's good to look this over, keep going, see what there is. One thing I'll tell you all is that I did request that a checkbox be put on the website. So if you're interested in following this plan, you can sign up for emails and you'll get an email when it comes to an agenda. Don't think it's gonna happen tomorrow, but that's okay because it's not coming to an agenda tomorrow. But just be aware that that is in the works. Yeah, I think we have talked about this long enough. It's time to move it forward. Now, I know you have some other ideas. Yeah, so I can- Can I just say one more thing before I forget? Sorry, thank you. As I think the Vice Mayor mentioned, I hope as we're looking at Solano, we're taking care of some of the maybe lower hanging fruit, other projects. It's not an either or. There's lots to be done. We can be doing things simultaneously. And I see Justin's over there nodding. Thank you. Okay, go.

So I'll tender a motion to pass resolution 202652 with the additions of adding the Cerrito Creek pedestrian connection project to the priority project list and including the intersections of Key Route with Portland and Thousand Oaks as bicycle priority on that network map.

I'll second.

Before we take a vote, I do want to ask staff if there's any concerns with doing that. anything we need to know?

On the first item, the project is already on the project list, so it would be adding an additional priority project. That's clear cut in terms of what the change to the plan would be. On the second item, the current bicycle priority intersections are really those that the existing stock controls don't favor the bicycle movements and that the intention is to look at those in greater detail for facilitating the bike facilities. The two that are being suggested to be added really don't fit that same criteria. So it would be expanding what that map is showing to some extent. It's not intended to be comprehensive, which INTERSECTIONS ARE CALLED OUT. INTERSECTION TREATMENTS ARE PART OF THE PROJECTS ALONG CORRIDORS. SO THAT WOULD BE THE MAIN SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE. IT WOULD BE SORT OF CHANGING WHAT THAT CATEGORY IS ON THAT MAP.

PORTLAND AND WHAT?

THOUSAND OAKS. I think with both of those, they don't have stops in the median currently. And so in that sense, they're not all-way stop controlled. So I think that is consistent. And people have constantly brought that up as feeling unsafe.

So would they become four-way stops, both of those?

So they are four-way stops. The city, the Transportation Commission, anyway, considered a plan some years ago that staff brought forward for Key Root, and that plan did include adding stop signs in the medians. So there's one in, oh, I think Brighton. Brighton has stop signs in the medians, and none of the rest of them do. So if you turn left from Key Root onto Brighton, you have to stop.

Right. I thought there was one other that did.

DON'T THINK SO. ANYWAY, THAT'S THE POINT. I KNOW THOUSAND OAKS AND PORTLAND DON'T CURRENTLY.

OKAY. WELL, THAT SEEMS REASONABLE ENOUGH.

THE ADDITION OF MEDIAN STOPS IS PART OF THE KEY ROUTE PROJECT DESCRIPTION, SO ADDING THOSE INTERSECTIONS TO THE NETWORK DIAGRAM. OKAY. THANK YOU.

SO WITH THAT, COULD WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE?

Council Member Lopez? Yep. Council Member Mickey? Yes. Vice Mayor Hanson-Romero?

No.

Mayor McQuaid? Yes. The motion carries.

Okay, we have no new business. That brings us to council subcommittee reports. We'll start with Council Member Mickey.

I was unable to attend Cal City's

my subcommittee meeting, so I wasn't able to attend that.

I was able to attend the July 4th festival, festivities, and I want to thank the staff. It was a really wonderful event. Particularly loved the Banana Slug Band and the, oh shoot, what did they call themselves? The super large amount of bubbles or something, so that was the effect of the name of the group. Yes, there were bubbles everywhere. But, no, seriously, staff did a wonderful job, and I do want to emphasize again, knowing how our staff has been able to pull off events like this with the tighter budgets that we have, and it was a really incredible event to see all the families, particularly tons and tons of families with kids out.

Okay, Robin.

Sorry, bubble people. I found them years ago. I've been using them on Solano for a while now.

Where do they hide on Solano?

Right near Lavender Bakery. In the kid-free fun zone. Kid-free?

So not much heavy to report on. I did reference earlier that I was at the Greater and Greener Conference in Austin, Texas. It's more so work-related, but there was a lot that I gleaned from other city leaders while I was out there. that I think could be very valuable for our small little town. I was able to be in a peer conversation with other small town elected officials around park equity and how we manage and balance that in stressful budget times. I look forward to coming back to city council with some future agenda items that are in relation to my participation in that. And I would love in the future to see maybe our council be able to send a representative to future Greater and Greener Conference. I think it would be very beneficial for our community.

Okay.

Thanks for the reports. I attended the AVA community energy meeting with thanks to Councilmember Lopez for tapping me to attend in his absence. I passed the budget for next year. There was a considerable discussion around that. BECAUSE IT INCLUDED NOT MAKING AN ALLOCATION OR REDUCING THE ALLOCATION TO THE LOCALLY DIRECTED INVESTMENT FUND. THAT FUND IS OVERFUNDED AT THIS POINT RELATIVE TO THE COMMITMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND SO THAT WAS STAFF'S staff's recommendation given the financial situation that the organization is facing potentially in the next year. And the board ultimately went with staff's recommendation on that. Other than that, that's the main thing to report. Over to you.

So I attended stop waste meaning there's so many program highlights so many things going on I would spend probably a half an hour talking about all of them So I'm just gonna go ahead and encourage you to go on to the stop waste org board website and Check out a lot of different Events throughout Alameda County DIFFERENT CITIES, DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES. ALSO ATTENDED A RIBBON CUTTING WITH MAYOR MCQUADE FOR PRETTY THINGS ON SOLANO AVENUE. THEY HAD A NICE LITTLE EVENT THERE. I was trying to get over to Memorial Park, but my daughter didn't have enough time, so we took a drive tour around it and just checked it out. Yeah. So, but it looked very well attended and looks like a lot of people were having a great time. So, I'm trying to think if there was anything else blanking now. So, that's about it.

Okay, thank you. I attended the ABAG Yearly Meeting. Council Member Lopez and I had the Public Safety Ad Hoc Committee. I attended one of the Block Captain Workshops, City Pack through the League of California Cities, had a cornhole tournament, and who knew? I knew how to play cornhole. I did play. I went on the East Bay Regional Park District site tour at Golden Gate Fields and also attended a meeting with staff from the Regional Park District as well as from Berkeley. Housing Authority had a resource fair. The Friends of the Seniors had their annual 2nd of July barbecue. We did the ribbon cutting, and I also attended a library board meeting. I think that's it. Any future agenda items?

But did you get some ice cream at the July 4th festival?

I did not. It's probably the first year I didn't. No future agenda items from us? Okay, meetings are on the website. I do, however, want to adjourn tonight in memory of Supervisor Scott Hagerty, who passed away on July 3rd. He served on the Board of Supervisors for over 24 years, representing the southeast area of the county. Through his leadership on the Alameda County Transportation Commission, Supervisor Hegarty helped guide the development of the 2014 Transportation Expenditure Plan and the successful passage of Measure BB, creating a lasting investment in Alameda County's transportation future. He was also a steadfast advocate for the agricultural community in the Tri-Valley and the unincorporated areas. He leaves behind a political legacy that shaped Alameda County for a generation. So let's just take a moment to remember Supervisor Hagerty. And with that, we are adjourned at 10.50, more or less.