Whole Foods Project Development Agreement Meeting Set for Wednesday

After a two-month hiatus following of its last scheduled appearance before the Planning & Zoning Commission, a proposed mixed-use project at University Village involving a grocery store and senior housing development is once again up for discussion this week. 

The proposal, which many simply call the "," involves a 175-unit senior living facility south of Monroe Street, and an up to 55,000 sq. ft. grocery store north of Monroe. The 6.3-acre project site sits just west of San Pablo Avenue in . 

UC has signed a lease with Whole Foods Market to run the grocery store space, and a business named has signed on to run the of the development.

In January, the City Council of the project pending an agreement to set in writing various key aspects related to the development.

This agreement will be the focus of Wednesday night's public hearing. (The Planning & Zoning Commission will meet Wednesday this week rather than Tuesday. See the .) 

Key elements of the development agreement, according to the staff report prepared for Wednesday's meeting, include "a proposed zoning map amendment, planned unit development, development agreement, and an application for Density Bonus to reduce parking requirements, and change in parkland dedication requirements."

If the commission follows the staff recommendation, it will recommend that the approves the agreement, reduces parking requirements and reduces the amount of required open space for the project.

City staff note several reasons for making such exceptions to the city code.

According to the staff report: "This project in particular could serve as a catalyst for long-term upgrades and improvements in other nearby portions of San Pablo Avenue. With careful planning, the project could help to connect University Village into the fabric of the City, both in terms of urban design and as well as pedestrian, auto and bike access. Additionally, significant fiscal benefits to the City from the project that will help to sustain services throughout the City are expected."

The project is expected to generate a net increase to the city's General Fund of $204,000 a year.

KEY FEATURES

• The senior housing facility has been reduced from five stories (62 feet) to no more than four stories (52 feet).
• If Little League fields are displaced due to future development at University Village, the university will pay for their relocation. The university will commit to this promise in a letter to Albany Little League.
• Albany residents will be given a priority for 10 percent of the senior housing units. 
• The senior living facility will need to provide no more than 108 parking spaces.
• The senior living facility will not be required to provide affordable housing, "under current development standards," due to its status as a residential care facility for the elderly.
• The project will meet its parkland requirement via open space and trails on or near the site; this includes pathways along Codornices and Village creeks, and the Buchanan Street bike path.
• The project will meet its public art requirement through on-site objects that will be accessible to the entire community. (The city's Art in Public Places Ordinance requires any development that costs more than $300,000 to build to include a public art component equal to 1.75 percent of the total construction costs.)

Click the "Keep me posted" button below for an update when we publish future stories on the Whole Foods project. Learn about the proposed .

WEDNESDAY NIGHT DOCUMENTS (CLICK FOR PDFS)

2012-06-27 P&Z SR University Village
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 1 Oct 17 2011 SR
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 2 Jan 172012 SR
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 3 Density Bonus Application
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 4 Reso Density Bonus
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 5 P&Z Parkland Ordinance
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 6 Draft DA
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 7 UC Correspondence Urban Ag
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 8 UC EH&S FAQ
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 9 Clay Larson June 8, 2012
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 10 Clay Larson April 24, 2012
2012-06-27 UC Village Attach 11 Density Bonus - Parking Concession Request
2012-06-27 Attach 11a Parking Requirements for Other Bay Area Municipalities

If there's something in this article you think , or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email at albany@patch.com.