Alameda planning board forwards 2024 housing progress report after staff flags sharp drop in issued permits

Alameda Planning Board members voted March 9 to recommend the city’s 2024 general plan and housing element annual progress report to the City Council after staff outlined a notable year‑over‑year decline in issued building permits and answered extensive board questions about project timelines and program performance.

Tristan Swear, the planning staff presenter, told the board the housing element is reported on an eight‑year RHNA cycle and that the city’s reporting breaks projects into units applied for, permits issued and units finaled. “In 2024, we issued … permits for 243 units,” Swear said. “That number has decreased significantly to 65 this year.” He cautioned that reporting lags mean one year’s issued permits do not always reflect a permanent slowdown but said there has been a meaningful drop in activity amid broader market conditions.

The board used the presentation as a prompt for detailed clarifying questions. Board member Ruiz asked staff to correct an apparent arithmetic discrepancy in the report’s housing authority line (82 plus 25 did not appear to sum to 109); staff agreed to add manager units and clarify the text before it goes to council. Members pressed for details on specific projects: Block 11 at Alameda Point was placed in an economic‑force‑majeure extension pending financing; the Foundry (a 260‑unit apartment proposal) still has a pending building permit from 2024 and developer representatives said the project is shovel‑ready; Mariner Square and other projects lack firm timelines because developers are seeking financing.

Board members also drilled into program performance. The presentation relied on ABAG assumptions to break ADU units into affordability bands; staff said the table’s “15 units” reference is a breakdown of the 52 ADUs reported (not 15 additional units) and agreed to add a legend and clearer wording. Members discussed program 22 — the housing element item that requires the city to review and consider adjustments if programs are not producing expected results — and urged staff to expand the report’s analysis of potential programmatic and ordinance changes the city could use to spur production.

Public commenters reinforced the urgency. Reverend Sophia DeWitt of East Bay Housing Organizations urged the board to redouble efforts “to meet the housing needs of everyone in our community, particularly the lowest‑income folks.” Sean Murphy of Pacific Development, representing the Alameda Marina/Foundry project team, said the Foundry is ready to build and warned that any further delay risks losing momentum; he said the project would generate almost $10 million in impact fees.

Several board members pressed for stronger local incentives to accelerate permitted but unbuilt projects. Board member Wayne pointed to temporary fee reductions, phased impact‑fee payments, and other policy tools used elsewhere in the Bay Area to encourage construction, saying the city should “push harder” rather than rely on market forces alone. Members discussed doing comparative work on impact fees and the value — and limits — of a nexus study versus an economic feasibility analysis.

On motions, the board voted to approve the consent calendar (development agreements including Del Monte, Alameda Point Site A and Boatworks) and later moved, seconded and approved a recommendation that the report be forwarded to City Council with staff revisions: clarify the manager‑unit counts, add legends and page‑number corrections, and expand the discussion under program 22 of measures the city might consider to facilitate construction. Staff said it will present the corrected report to council next Tuesday and submit to HCD before the April 1 deadline.

The board closed with staff announcements about recent design‑review decisions (in the appeal period) and previewed the next planning board meeting agenda, including the Radium Theater, Hornet Museum and an Encinal Terminal temporary use permit. The meeting adjourned at 8:24 p.m.