1992 General Plan Part 1
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City of Albany General Plan And Final EIR Adopted December 7,1992 Printed June 2005 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ALBANY CITY COUNCIL William Cain Robert Good Elizabeth Baker Thelma Rubin Mike Brodsky Robert Nichols William Lewis PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Jack Hogg Robert Luoma Ann Berry Peter Michaels Steven Barton CITY STAFF John Nachbar, City Administrator Daren Fields, Assistant City Administrator Claudia Cappio, Planning Director Ron Lefler, Public Works Director Mike Koepke, Fire Chief Larry Murdo, Police Chief Robert Zweben, City Attorney Kim Fletcher-Denton, City Treasurer CONSULTANTS NEWMAN PLANNING ASSOCIATES Lisa Newman, Principal Therese Brekke, Penelope Starr, Mike Foley; Associates In Consultation With Ornni Means, Traffic Engineering Illingworth & Rodkin, Acoustical Consultants Antonnen & Hee, Geotechnical Consultants TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 1 PURPOSES OF THE GENERAL PLAN ..................................... 1 LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ................................................ 1 ORGANIZATION OF THE PLAN .......................................... 2 THE PLANNING PROCESS .............................................. 2 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER CITY PLANS AND PLANNING PROJECTS ........ 3 ADOPTION OF THE GENERAL PLAN AND FINAL EIR ...................... 3 PLAN SUMMARY ........................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION AND FUTURE ASSUMPTIONS ........................... 5 MAJOR POLICY FEATURES OF THE PLAN ................................ 5 Community Character and Housing ................................... 5 Protection of the Natural Environment ................................. 6 Concern for Public Health and Safety .................................. 6 Circulation ....................................................... 6 RELATIONSHIP TO LOCAL AGENCY PLANS. 6 ADOPTED GOALS, POLICIES AND PROGRAMS ........................... 7 LAND USE ELEMENT ...................................................... 23 INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 23 RESIDENTIAL LAND USE .............................................. 23 Low Density, Single-Family Housing ................................. 24 Medium Density, Multi-Family Housing .............................. 24 High Density, Multi-Family Housing ................................. 25 Planned Residential Commercial ..................................... 25 Albany Hill Planned Residential Development .......................... 26 Second Units .................................................... 26 Residential in Commercial Districts .................................. 26 Population Density ................................................ 27 RESIDENTIAL LAND USE GOALS AND POLICIES ........................ 27 COMMERCIAL LAND USE ............................................. 27 San Pablo Avenue General Commercial ............................... 27 Solano A venue Community Commercial .............................. 28 COMMERCIAL LAND USE GOALS AND POLICIES ........................ 29 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL LAND USE ........................................ 30 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL LAND USE GOALS AND POLICIES ................... 31 PUBLIC LAND USE .................................................... 31 Public / Quasi Public Land Use ...................................... 31 University of California Land ....................................... 31 The United States Department of Agriculture Facility .................... 32 PUBLIC LAND USE GOALS AND POLICIES .............................. 32 OPEN SPACE ................................................. " ...... 33 Public Open Space ................................................ 33 Private Open Space ............................................... 33 THE ALBANY WATERFRONT .......................................... 33 COMMUNITY SERVICES & FACILITIES ................................. 34 Fire ............................................................ 34 Police .......................................................... 34 Schools ......................................................... 34 Recreation ...................................................... 35 Library ......................................................... 35 Corporation Yard ................................................. 36 Medical ........................................................ 36 Solid Waste Management and Recycling .............................. 36 Water .......................................................... 36 Sewer .......................................................... 37 Gas & Electric ................................................... 37 Cable TV ....................................................... 37 COMMUNITY SERVICES AND FACILITIES GOALS AND POLICIES ......... 37 COMMUNITY DESIGN ................................................ 38 Gateways and Edges .............................................. 38 Views .......................................................... 38 Architecture ..................................................... 38 Landscaping ..................................................... 39 COMMUNITY DESIGN GOALS AND POLICIES ........................... 39 CIRCULATION ELEMENT .................................................. 41 INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 41 CIRCULATION FACILITIES ............................................ 41 Street Network ................................................... 41 Transit Services .................................................. 42 Bikeways ....................................................... 43 PARKING ............................................................ 44 TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS ............................................... 44 MINIMIZING RELIANCE ON THE AUTOMOBILE ......................... 45 CIRCULATION GOALS AND POLICIES .................................. 45 HOUSING ELEMENT ....................................................... 49 INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 49 11 EXISTING HOUSING CONDITIONS AND NEEDS .......................... 49 Brief Profile of Albany Housing ..................................... 49 Population and Employment Trends .................................. 50 Housing Characteristics and Needs ................................... 51 Special Needs .................................................... 55 Albany's Share of Regional Need For Low Income Housing ............... 57 RESTRAINTS ON SOLUTIONS TO HOUSING NEEDS ...................... 57 Governmental Constraints .......................................... 57 Non-Governmental Constraints On Solutions to Housing Needs ............ 61 DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES ...................................... 62 Infill Opportunities ................................................ 62 Redevelopment Opportunities ....................................... 64 Manufactured Housing ............................................. 66 Conservation of Affordable Housing .................................. 66 RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES ............... 66 PROGRESS EVALUATION ............................................. 66 HOUSING GOALS, POLICIES AND PROGRAMS (1990-95) .................. 70 CONSERVATION, RECREATION, & OPEN SPACE ELEMENT .. ................ 77 INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 77 ALBANY'S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT .................................. 77 Geology ........................................................ 77 Hydrology, Water Quality, and Erosion ............................... 78 Climate & Air Quality ............................................. 79 Vegetation & Wildlife ............................................. 80 Archeological Resources ........................................... 80 Albany's Creeks .................................................. 81 The Albany Waterfront ............................................ 82 Albany Hill ...................................................... 83 CONSERVATION GOALS AND POLICIES ................................ 83 RECREATION, PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ................................ 84 Strat~gies to Increase Parkland and Open Space Areas in Albany ........... 85 Park Facilities ................................................... 86 Community Facilities .............................................. 87 Albany School District Facilities ..................................... 87 Joint Use Facilities ................................................ 88 Other Community Facilities ......................................... 88 Recreation Programs .............................................. 88 Community Service Programs ....................................... 88 Other Community Programs ........................................ 89 Future Park & Recreation Development ............................... 90 Pathways ....................................................... 91 RECREATION, PARK AND OPEN SPACE GOALS AND POLICIES ........... 92 11l COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY ELEMENT ............................. 95 INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 95 FLOODING ........................................................... 95 SEISMIC HAZARDS ................................................... 96 FIRE HAZARDS ....................................................... 97 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ......................................... 97 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ............................................. 98 CRIME PREVENTION 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