Dec 15 2022

Piedmont Plans a Negative Environmental Declaration for Housing Element

Adding 587 new housing units –

COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 8, 2023 –

Piedmont officials in the notice below provide no mention of the City Charter requirement for voters to approve zoning changes permitting many of the 587 new housing units necessary for an updated Piedmont General Plan.  Zoning code changes are  required to incorporate the pending Housing Element into the General Plan. The City notes  the necessity of “changes to the land use categories” without mentioning the City Charter requirements.

Since the Housing Element was first considered and subsequently approved by the City Council for state consideration, residents have mentioned numerous concerns regarding the addition of the 587 new housing units.  NOW, until January 8, 2023 is the time to inform the City of Piedmont of any environmental or other concerns you may have.  See below for contact address. If you want your concern or interest to be part of the permanent record, note it in your communication and ask that a copy be sent to the Piedmont City Council.

kjackson@piedmont.ca.gov is noted as the primary contact.

Publicity in the PIEDMONT PLANNING DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER ,,,,,,,,,12.8.2022

“Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), City staff recently completed an Initial Study for the Draft Piedmont 6th Cycle Housing Element, after receiving direction from the City Council and community feedback regarding the sites inventory in November 2022. The City’s environmental consultants had been waiting for a stable sites inventory to complete a project description and proceed with environmental review.

After conducting the Initial Study, staff determined that the Housing Element alone will have no adverse physical impacts on the environment because the Housing Element is a policy document, and additional implementation steps must be taken before any physical changes can occur. The City has issued a Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration, available here. The Initial Study is published to the City website here and Piedmontishome.org hereThe Initial Study is available in hard copy at Piedmont City Hall and the Montclair Branch Public Library, 1687 Mountain Boulevard, Oakland.

The Initial Study-Negative Declaration public comment period is from December 9, 2022, to January 8, 2023. Public comments can be made in writing to Kevin Jackson, Director of Planning & Building, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611, or via email to kjackson@piedmont.ca.gov

City staff and consultants are also in the process of preparing a programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR), pursuant to CEQA, for the General Plan amendments and changes to the City Code, that are envisioned in the Housing Element. The EIR will be released for public review before the General Plan amendments are adopted by the Piedmont City Council, and before the City prepares the draft changes to the City Code sections. General Plan amendments will include changes to the land use categories in the Piedmont General Plan’s Land Use Element to facilitate the development of 587 new housing units. The EIR will continue to provide the streamlining benefits that prompted the City in 2021 to consider a programmatic EIR. The EIR will study the full build-out of the growth allowed by the General Plan amendments and City Code changes.”

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