Piedmont planning commission recommends Moraga Canyon specific plan and EIR addendum to city council

The Piedmont Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan and an addendum to the housing element environmental impact report after staff and consultants presented the draft plan and its CEQA analysis and members of the public raised safety and traffic concerns.

Commission Chair Aradhna DeJodia opened the public hearing and Kevin (planning staff) outlined the plan's background and the process that must follow adoption, including surplus‑land designation, a developer solicitation and subsequent design‑review and development‑agreement steps. Consultant Andrew (Drew) Watkins of JZMK described two development options (north or south of Moraga Avenue) and said the plan anticipates a developer submittal for roughly 197 multifamily units including a minimum of 60 lower‑income units. Transportation consultant Sam Tabibnia told commissioners that existing counts from September 2023 show about 11,000 vehicles use Moraga Avenue on a typical weekday and that the plan's buildout would add an estimated 74 to 79 peak‑hour trips — roughly a 5 percent increase in traffic.

Public commenters were split. Several neighborhood residents urged the commission to pause or reject the recommendation because of wildfire and evacuation risks, limited parking and narrow roads. Vivian Mather said, "Again, there is nothing safe about this project," and Todd Kaiser warned of insufficient parking spilling into narrow side streets. Fire Marshal Mike Carlisle, who spoke for the public‑safety side, said the proposed engineering and fire‑safe design standards would "absolutely help us in protecting the city in case of a wildfire," emphasizing improved water supply, emergency access and coordination of reversible lanes and evacuation alerts.

Staff and consultants emphasized that the specific plan is a policy and regulatory framework, not a construction proposal, and that future projects will require development agreements, initial design review and additional CEQA review where necessary. Carly Kaufman of Rincon Consultants explained that the addendum tiers from the city's previously certified housing‑element EIR and concludes there are no new or more severe significant impacts compared with the program EIR.

After commissioners debated the planning commission's role (limited to evaluating consistency with the general plan and housing element), a motion recommending the addendum and the specific plan and proposed zoning changes passed on a roll‑call vote. The recommendation will go to the City Council, which is scheduled to consider the plan in October; the staff presentation noted that later steps include a public notice of surplus land and solicitation for developer proposals.