A Report on the Special Piedmont Planning Commission Meeting

– by Jordan Wong, a Piedmont Resident and PHS Student

The City of Piedmont Planning Commission met  on Thursday, October 30, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers for a special session.  This meeting’s purpose was to provide an update on the progress  on the state-mandated Draft Housing Element that all cities in California are required to comply with and submit.The Housing Element document’s purpose is to spell out the housing policies for all California cities from 2015-2022.

The City of Piedmont is small and has no land to further develop for any new housing. With the help of a private consultant, Barry Miller, the Planning Commission is able to include the addition of second units as a way to comply with the Housing Element. Part of the draft process is to allow residents to have the opportunity to provide comments or suggestions. There was no opposition from the Commission or audience about the progress and content of the draft at that meeting.

Barry Miller, a consultant  for  the City of  Piedmont, presented a detailed explanation of the draft and the Commission concurred with his findings and recommendations. Director of Planning, Kate Black, reported that she was happy with the working draft with Barry Miller’s work thus far in finding a way to comply with the State and preserving the landscape of Piedmont. Piedmont resident, Dimitri Magganas, from the audience, commended the Commission for their work on the Housing Element draft and wanted to bring to their attention that there was a lot of unused public space. It is unclear if this comment meant public space could be considered to add more housing or if there was a way to open up some of these public spaces for development.

In an interview with the Director of Planning, Kate Black, she said it was important for the public to be informed about the Housing Element’s progress. The special meeting was an update on the progress of the draft and if the public wanted to make any suggestions on what had been presented, that evening was a good time to do it. The next action of the Planning Commission is to present the Housing Element to the City Council for further action.

The topic I presented was on security cameras and the need for guidelines and/or regulations for their placement and installation. This is an ongoing issue in my neighborhood and I really feel that there is a privacy issue that should be addressed by the Planning Commission.  Director of Planning, Kate Black, acknowledged my concern and said that they will be reviewing and updating the Code soon and will add my request to their agenda. I was a little nervous about speaking in public, but the Commission members were very nice and appeared to pay attention to what I had to say about the security cameras. Personally, I think they were surprised that I was there and had an issue to present.

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The following is the text of Mr. Wong’s comments to the Planning Commission.

“Hello, my name is Jordan Wong, I am a senior at Piedmont High. This is an item that is not on your agenda this evening. I observed the Planning Commission uses design review for home remodeling and fences. Do you foresee adding design review for home security cameras in the future? There is a proliferation of security cameras on so many homes in Piedmont. I suggest there should be some guidelines for placement. They are not only unattractive but they stick out like a sore thumb which some may find interesting because there is so much input needed for a fence but nothing for a camera.  I bring this up particularly as I feel there is an invasion of privacy in my own backyard. A home for sale behind my house, currently unoccupied, had security cameras installed. One in particular looks down into our backyard. As you can understand, I feel it is an invasion of privacy and I would like a review of security camera placement requirements of either a permit or a design review. Thank you.”

The Public Safety Committee will meet Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont.  There are no broadcasts of the proceedings.  Interested individuals may attend the meeting and participate.  The meeting agenda includes:

2. Discussion of Managing Solicitors

3. Review of Piedmont Night Out Activities

4. Update on School Liaison Activities

5. Review of Public Safety Outreach at Harvest Festival

6. Update on Neighborhood Meetings

7 Discussion of Possible New Outreach Approaches

8 Discussion of EOC and City Emergency Plan Upgrades (Information Only) – Current information provided by Fire Dept.

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What should you to do when solicitors come to your door!

Piedmont residents often complain about unwanted solicitors coming to their door. While many solicitors are working on behalf of reputable causes, others are misrepresenting themselves for personal gain, and a few have posed as solicitors to determine if residents are at home prior to breaking into homes. Residents should be aware of the following:

1. They should be cautious in opening their doors to persons they do not know.

2. Residents should not be reluctant to ask direct questions about the nature of the charity or purpose of the solicitation.

3. The Piedmont Police Department issues permits to persons selling goods or services of a non-charitable nature. (Charitable and political solicitors do not require a permit.)

4. Residents should ask the person to show a solicitor permit issued by the Piedmont Police Department. The solicitor is required to show their permit.

5. Posting a “No Solicitor” sign on the front door or other prominent location prohibits all solicitors (including charitable and political groups) from coming to that residence.

6. Residents are encouraged to contact the Piedmont Police Department at 420-3000 if they have concerns about solicitors.

Read latest crime report.

Information on hosting an Emergency Preparedness meeting in your neighborhood. On the link scroll down the page.

Road diets, designated routes to school, bike lanes, and the crosswalk at Wildwood Avenue and Grand Avenue will be considered. 

The Piedmont Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan will be considered by the Council on Monday, November 3, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue.

One of Piedmont’s most comprehensive community based planning projects has resulted in an extensive Piedmont Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan (PBMP). Funding for the plan has come from an Alameda County Transportation Commission (CTC;www.alamedactc.org) grant and through the City’s existing funds for pedestrian and bicycle improvements (pass-through Measure B funds), also distributed by the Alameda CTC.

Great interest and participation by Piedmont’s many walkers, bikers, teachers, students, and residents have brought concerns and issues to the discussion.

On August 20, the Piedmont School Board was presented with the plan by planning consultant, Niko Letunic and Director of Planning Kate Black. Board President Andrea Swenson told the presenters that the School District would wait until the City completed their projects to improve sidewalk and street safety before further encouraging families to walk and bike to school.

At their October 13, 2014 meeting, the Piedmont Planning Commission considered the final draft plan.  Based on discussions at the meeting, the Commission recommended the Council approve the plan with specific additions and amendments.

Will “Road Diets” solve a perceived problem in Piedmont?

Road diets:

 The second paragraph on page 79 was amended to read: “While the PBMP includes general concept drawings for road diets (on pages 79 and 81), detailed design and traffic engineering drawings will need to be made before the projects are implemented, and shall be reviewed by the Planning Commission and Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The design for Highland Avenue could consider the possibility of landscaped islands and it will need to ensure the turn lane accommodates left-turning AC Transit buses at Oakland Avenue.”

Planned road diets would eliminate two lanes of through traffic on both Highland and Grand Avenues.  On Grand Avenue, increased congestion in the area around the ACE Hardware store with vehicles stacking up and blocking traffic, plus a possible elimination of one or more parking spaces are concerns.  On Highland Avenue, the island medians could create problems for large buses making turns and create traffic congestion around the Mulberry driveway entrance. Prior concern was expressed over a median in the middle of Highland Avenue impeding the Fourth of July parade activities and preventing homeowners from turning left to enter their driveways, creating multiple U-turns at the intersections.

According to the Federal Department of Transportation, “Road Diets” became increasingly popular in the 1990’s, “with installations occurring in both rural and urban states such as Iowa and Minnesota. A classic road diet typically involves converting an existing four-lane, undivided roadway segment to a three-lane segment consisting of two through lanes and a center, two-way left-turn lane.”

Hazardous crosswalk at Wildwood and Grand Avenues:

 Last paragraph on page 101 be amended to read: “Coordinate with Oakland staff on the funding, planning, design and implementation of bikeways connecting the two cities, and other roadway improvements of importance to both cities, including the intersection of Wildwood and Grand Avenues.”

Repeatedly mentioned in prior hearings, the crosswalk at Wildwood and Grand Avenues is long, hazardous creating pedestrian difficulties. The crosswalk is actually in Oakland and consequently Piedmont does not have control of the design. The new language requires Piedmont to work with Oakland to improve the crosswalks.

At the November 3 meeting –

The City’s consultant will make a presentation to the Council on the development process of the plan and the contents of the Draft PBMP, and will be available for questions. Members of the public are welcome to speak at the meeting. The City Council may choose to adopt the Draft Initial Study/Negative Declaration and October 13 version of the Draft PBMP, or may wish to make further modifications.

As with other Master Plans, if conditions change, adjustments can be made to meet changing needs and funding sources.

Read the staff report to the City Council.

Hard copies of the Draft Plan and draft CEQA Initial Study/Negative Declaration document are available for review between the hours of 8:30 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Monday through Friday at the Public Works counter at City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611

The Draft Plan and Draft of the CEQA document can also be accessed at the following links:

Draft Piedmont Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan dated October 13, 2014

Appendices: Comments received through the two online surveys on the needs assessment and on the improvement options

Draft of the CEQA Initial Study/Negative Declaration

You are invited to attend the City Council meeting and express your opinion.  You may choose to write your opinion and address your comment to the entire Piedmont City Council, c/o City Clerk, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA  94611 or send an e-mail to jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us. All comments submitted will become part of the public record and may be posted to the City’s web site.

To watch the public hearing on KCOM, cable channel 27. Alternatively, if you want to watch the meeting live or later after the meeting, you can do so by logging on to the City’s website at www.ci.piedmont.ca.us: on the right hand side of the homepage under the “KCOM” heading, click on the “On-line Video” link, then scroll down under the “Sections on this Page” heading, click on the “City Council” link, then on the “October 13, 2014″ link, and click on the “Video” or “In Progress” link and start watching!

Planning staff contacts:

Janet Chang, Assistant Planner, 510-420-3094      janetchang@ci.piedmont.ca.us

Kate Black, Director of Planning, 510-420-3063        kblack@ci.piedmont.ca.us

The following is a press release of October 24, 2014 –

Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Scam

The Piedmont Police Department would like to warn the citizens of Piedmont about a phone scam in which the perpetrators portray themselves as employees for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

On October 23, 2014, the unknown suspect(s), who portrayed themselves as Alameda County Sheriff’s Office deputies, contacted two different Piedmont residents by phone and demanded a transfer of cash which they claimed was owed to the agency. The suspect(s) informed the victims that they had missed jury duty and there was an outstanding warrant for their arrest. The suspect(s) then told the victims to place the amount owed for the warrant onto a prepaid card known as a “Vanilla” card to avoid being arrested.

Please note the following:

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office never asks for a credit card number over the phone or requests the use of a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer.

No law enforcement agency will call you and propose an immediate money transfer to avoid arrest.

Anyone who receives these type of calls is advised to contact their local law enforcement agency.

Anyone with information and/or inquiries related to this specific Piedmont case should contact:

Detective Willie Wright at (510) 420-3013.

Want to learn more about City/School mutual issues?

The City Council and School Liaison Committee meetings are a great way to find out about matters such as: the No Smoking Ordinance; City and School District Capital Facilities Projects; City and School Agreements; Turkey Trot; and Emergency Preparedness.  The Liaison Committee will meet on:

Friday, October 17, at 8:30 a.m. in the Piedmont Unified School District, Administration Office, 760 Magnolia Avenue.  

The meeting is open to the public.  There will be no broadcast or recording of the meeting.  Interested individuals should be present for full information.

The Committee’s agenda includes:

An opportunity for the public to speak on items not on the agenda. (Total Time allotted = 10 minutes. Speakers may be asked to limit their comments.)

Regular Agenda – The public may speak on any of the following items:

1. Discussion of Emergency Preparedness

2. Discussion of Turkey Trot

3. Discussion of District / City Agreements

4. Discussion of City / District Capital Facilities Projects

5. Discussion of No Smoking Ordinance

1. Discussion of Schedule of Future Meetings – Agenda Topics

Committee Roster:

Drivers advised to take other routes between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

The Piedmont Public Works Department will be conducting sewer work on Moraga Avenue between Highland Avenue and the eastern city limit on Wednesday, October 8th from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. There will be one way traffic control, which will cause delays in the area. Please use alternate routes.

Contact the Public Works Department at (510) 420-3050 with questions.

2013 Harvest Festival scarecrows

Piedmont’s Harvest Festival returns on the last Sunday of September. The festival was founded 16 years ago by enthusiastic gardeners Susan Hill and the late Bill Drum to showcase and encourage the produce from neighborhood gardens. The festival includes: food vendors, jazz, growing and cooking contests, scarecrows, Farmers’ Market, carnival, art show in the Tea House, disaster preparedness fair, fix-it clinic, as well as local foods and lemonade.

“Unlike earlier festivals, this event will run until 4 p.m. to accommodate the food/artist vendors, but many other festival activities will terminate at 3 p.m.”

For additional information go to  http://piedmontharvestfestival.org/

On Sept. 15, 2014 the Piedmont City Council voted to consider adopting secondhand smoke protections in outdoor public spaces and in common areas of multiunit housing. This was great news to me since I have had asthma for much of my adult life, caused by being exposed to heavy smoking during my childhood. I now take daily medication to control my asthma, but I remain highly allergic to tobacco smoke which literally takes my breath away. Rather than quietly accept my asthma diagnosis, I chose to put my efforts into volunteering for over 30 years for the American Lung Association and work towards supporting their fight for healthy air and lungs – from combatting air pollution and secondhand smoke to preventing children from ever starting to smoke.

By adopting these secondhand protections Piedmont will be joining the rest of the County as well as San Francisco and over 100 California cities which already have these protections.

The evidence is clear. Secondhand tobacco smoke kills 42,000 non-smoking Americans every year and sickens hundreds of thousands more, causing asthma attacks and worsening other conditions like diabetes, cancer, lung and cardiovascular diseases.

Most vulnerable are young children whose growing bodies absorb twice the toxins than adults do.

Children exposed to secondhand smoke are absent from school more frequently and are more likely to do poorly on tests than are children who are not exposed.

While smoking has been prohibited in most indoor workplaces since 1995, outdoor protections statewide have been limited to doorways of government buildings and around play structures in parks. It has been up to local cities to adopt additional protections like smoke-free parks, bus stops, dining, and doorways, to ensure that residents can safely enjoy public spaces.

Researchers have found that outdoor smoke, depending on proximity and weather conditions, can reach harmful levels to nearby non-smokers. All of the cities in Alameda County with the exception of Piedmont have adopted some outdoor smoke free air protections.

I was also pleased to see that our city leaders have agreed to consider including a smoke free buffer zone around our schools and electronic smoking device emissions in the smoke protections. While it is illegal to sell or furnish these devices to anyone under 18 in California, their use among children as young as 11 has tripled over the past three years, threatening to undermine 25 years of tobacco prevention education and policies which have cut the smoking rate in half in Alameda County.

Over 65 local California communities have added e-cigarette regulations into their existing secondhand smoke protections including Hayward, Dublin, San Leandro, Berkeley, Union City, El Cerrito, Walnut Creek, and Richmond.

I not only urge Piedmont residents to support the Council’s efforts to protect all residents from outdoor secondhand smoke, but to also urge the school community to explore how they can partner with the City in keeping tobacco and nicotine out of our shared air and out of our lungs.

Michael Gardner, Piedmont Resident and Member of the Piedmont Public Safety Committee

Editors’ Note:  The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.

USE OF LAND LINE PHONES NOT POWERED BY PG&E: Think twice before totally eliminating your home land line.  When the electricity is off because of an emergency, earthquake, fire, etc., many of today’s phones will not operate.  If you have a land phone line that operates totally with the power available from the phone service provider, you might be able to continue to make phone calls.

CELL PHONE CALLS: Typically when there is a major emergency, everyone uses their cell phones; however, this causes the service to be overwhelmed rendering most cell phones useless. Additionally, cell towers may be damaged in the emergency.

TEXT MESSAGES: Your cell phone can generally be used to send text messages to others. During the recent earthquake in Napa, text messages continued to flow when cell phone call service failed.

HAVE A PLAN TO CALL SOMEONE OUT OF THE AREA:  Local phone numbers are frequently jammed during an emergency.  If you have a relative or friend residing outside your immediate area or state, you can delegate this person as the point person to call during an emergency.  This person can then relay messages to others.

CITY PAY PHONES:  The City Council at their September 3, 2014, meeting voted to remove pay phones from all Piedmont public facilities with the exception of the Police Department reception area pay phone.  This phone will be available 24 hours 7 days a week.  The staff has found the other phones located throughout the City on public property are rarely or maliciously used costing taxpayers thousands each year to maintain the unneeded phones.

Piedmont has benefited from residents identifying activities that appear suspicious.  It’s important to report suspicious or unusual behavior.  Your eyes and ears expand the ability of our police to reduce crime.

Do not hesitate to call the Police Department at either 911 or 420-3000.