Reviewing the City’s 2025 Annual Reports, Park Station Use Permit
On February 23, the Planning Board will review the 2025 annual updates on the City’s housing, transportation, and climate action plans. The reports show slow progress on the construction of new housing, but also approvals for major projects and continued ordinance updates and permit streamlining. The City advanced its transportation and climate action goals through projects such as the construction of the Pacific Avenue Greenway and Central Avenue roundabouts, electric vehicle and electrification programs, zero-waste and urban forestry initiatives, and sea-level rise planning.
The Board will also hold a public hearing to review Park Station [1]’s use permit, which allows an outdoor seating area for afternoon and early evening live music events. Park Station is a beer garden and tap room at 1200 Park Street.
[2]Annual Reports
The 2025 Annual Reports present the City’s annual update on the General Plan/Housing Element, transportation plans (Vision Zero, Active Transportation, and Transportation Choices), and the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP), including the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Broader economic conditions continue to impact the local housing market, resulting in very limited housing development. Since 2023, the City has issued just 663 building permits toward its 5,353-unit Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) requirement by 2031. In 2025, 65 new dwelling unit permits were issued, including 52 ADUs, with 32 units designated as low- or very-low-income housing.
Still, the City approved planning entitlements, the initial, discretionary approval that grants legal rights to develop land, for 166 affordable units at RESHAP [3] and 284 townhomes at West Midway [4], both at Alameda Point, as well as 356 units at Mariner Square Loop [5].
Staff also advanced the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance update [6], aiming to increase affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents, Universal Design Ordinance revisions [7], Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) streamlining, and continued work on a Short-Term Rental Ordinance. A new Express Permit track streamlined roughly 60% of routine permits, reducing review times by up to 30 days.
Progress continued toward safety and multimodal mobility goals. Accomplishments included construction of the Pacific Avenue Neighborhood Greenway [8], new Central Avenue roundabouts [9], sidewalk repairs at 8,000 locations, and deployment of a mobile parking payment system. In 2026, the Cross Alameda Trail will be completed, paving projects will integrate safety improvements, and the Oakland Alameda Access Project [10] will begin construction.
The City advanced climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, including public electric vehicle (EV) charger deployment, electrification rebates, updated building code amendments requiring heat pumps, urban forestry expansion, adoption of a Zero Waste Plan update [11], and sea level rise planning.
Staff recommends that Council accept the annual reports.
Reviewing Park Station’s Use Permit
Park Station, at 1200 Park Street, is a popular craft beer destination and restaurant. The Board will hold a public hearing to perform a required six-month review of Park Station’s Use Permit allowing outdoor seating and live outdoor music. The original 2023 approval permitted outdoor music up to three days per month, with a maximum sound level of 85 dBA. Indoor music is not regulated by the Use Permit but must comply with the City’s Noise Ordinance.
Since opening in August 2025, Park Station has hosted indoor jazz and salsa events during the week and outdoor performances three times per month. During the review period, Code Enforcement recorded two instances in which outdoor music exceeded the 85 dBA limit; one of those events also exceeded the permitted hours. Complaints were received from nearby locations, and staff observed that drums were the primary source of excessive noise.
The applicant now requests modifications to allow up to 10 outdoor live music events per month, extend hours to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, add Sunday 2-7 p.m., and increase the allowable noise limit to 90 dBA.
Staff does not recommend increasing the noise limit. Instead, staff recommends:
- Maintaining current patio hours (7 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday).
- Allowing outdoor music 4-9 p.m. Friday and 2-9 p.m. Saturday, with no monthly cap, but limiting performances to three hours per day, plus one hour for sound checks.
- Requiring drum dampeners and the installation of a professional sound meter.
- Maintaining the 85 dBA maximum at adjacent residential property lines.
- Providing that three verified violations could trigger Planning Board review.
Staff recommends adopting a resolution approving the modified Use Permit with those conditions.
How to participate
The meeting will be held on Monday, February 23, at 7 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, located on the third floor of City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue.
Members of the public may participate in person or via Zoom. They may comment on the Non-Agenda, Consent Calendar, and Regular Agenda portions of the Meeting Agenda [12] (link downloads document).
The Non-Agenda portion of the meeting provides an opportunity to address the Board regarding any matter not on the agenda over which the Board has jurisdiction. The Consent Calendar is for routine items approved by a single motion. The Regular Agenda is the central portion of the meeting, during which each issue receives a presentation and time for Board discussion and public comment.
Make requests for reasonable accommodation by completing an online form [13].
For Zoom registration, click here [14]. Information to assist with Zoom participation is here [15]. The Zoom phone number for telephone participants is 669-900-9128, and the Meeting ID is 815 3979 3319.
The meeting can also be viewed on the City of Alameda’s Facebook page, [16] but comments posted there are not monitored.
Community members may also email Board Members [17] before the meeting.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post [18]. Contact her via [email protected] [19]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen [20] and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen [21].