Chapter 17.135 SPECIAL USE PERMIT REVIEW PROCEDURE FOR THE OS ZONE

No change in use or improvement, as defined in Section 17.09.050, shall occur on land designated OS unless the following process has been followed:
A. Pre-development Neighborhood Meeting. At the discretion of the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, a neighborhood meeting may be convened in the vicinity of the park or open space land affected by the proposed change in use or improvement. If such a meeting is held, notice shall be given by posting an enlarged notice on the premises of the park or open space land. At the discretion of the Director, the meeting notice may also be posted on utility poles within three hundred (300) feet of such park or open space land. Notices shall also be mailed to neighborhood organizations and individuals who have expressed an interest in the subject park or project area.
B. Administrative Project Review. Once preliminary community feedback has been received and considered, the project sponsor shall submit a request to the Director of City Planning, including a project description and cost estimate. The Director shall coordinate preliminary review of the project with the project’s operating department and any other City department or agency likely to be interested or involved in the execution, operation, or maintenance of the project. These requirements shall include, but are not limited to, formal CEQA review of the proposed change in use or improvement. A written summary of comments shall be prepared prior to the scheduling of the public hearing.
C. Public Hearing. A public hearing shall be required for any change in use or improvement and shall be conducted and heard by the City Planning Commission and/or the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, as provided by subdivisions 1 and 2 of this subsection.
1. Major Conditional Use Permits.
a. An application for a major conditional use permit, as required by Sections 17.11.060 and 17.11.090, shall be considered first by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (PRAC) and second by the City Planning Commission. Each commission shall conduct a public hearing on the application. Notice of the PRAC hearing shall follow the procedure outlined at Section 17.135.030(C)(2). Notice of the City Planning Commission hearing shall be given by posting an enlarged notice on the premises of the subject property. At the discretion of the Director, notice of the public hearing may also be provided on utility poles within three hundred (300) feet of such park or open space land. Notice of each hearing shall also be given by mail or delivery to all persons owning real property in the city of Oakland within three hundred (300) feet of the property involved; provided, however, that failure to send notice to any such owner where his or her address is not shown in said records shall not invalidate the affected proceedings. All such notices shall be given not less than seventeen (17) days prior to the date set for the hearing. Notice shall also be provided to those community or neighborhood groups included in the Planning Department database that are within the service area radius of the impacted park. Additional outreach shall be provided through press releases and other notification as warranted by the size and location of the project.
b. The PRAC shall schedule its public hearing within forty-five (45) days after receiving the application for consideration. The PRAC shall make a recommendation to the Planning Commission at the conclusion of the hearing. In the event the PRAC has not acted on the application within forty-five (45) days, the project shall automatically be forwarded to the City Planning Commission.
c. The City Planning Commission shall determine whether the proposal conforms to the use permit criteria set forth in Section 17.11.110 and to other applicable criteria, and shall make a recommendation to grant or deny the application, or recommend such changes or impose such conditions of approval as are in its judgment necessary to ensure conformity to said criteria. The determination of the Commission shall become final within ten calendar days after the date of the decision unless appealed to the City Council in accordance with Section 17.134.070.
2. Minor Conditional Use Permits.
a. An application for a minor conditional use permit, as required by Sections 17.11.060 and 17.11.090, shall be considered by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission prior to a final decision by the Director of City Planning. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission shall hold a noticed public hearing on the application and shall make a recommendation to grant or deny the application, or recommend such changes or conditions of approval as are in its judgment necessary. Notice of the public hearing shall be provided by posting an enlarged notice on the premises of the park or open space land. At the discretion of the Director, the meeting notice may also be provided on utility poles within three hundred (300) feet of such park or open space land. Notices shall also be mailed to neighborhood organizations and individuals who have expressed an interest in the subject park or project area.
b. The Director of City Planning shall determine whether the proposal conforms to the special use permit criteria set forth in Section 17.11.110 and to other applicable criteria and shall grant, deny, or conditionally grant the permit. The determination of the Director of City Planning shall become final within ten calendar days after the date of the decision unless appealed to the City Planning Commission in accordance with Section 17.134.060. If no action is taken by the Director of City Planning within thirty (30) days of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission’s recommendation, the project shall be deemed approved.
D. Appeals. Any interested party may appeal a decision of the Director of City Planning or a decision of the City Planning Commission in accordance with the provisions outlined in the conditional use permit procedure at Sections 17.134.060 and 17.134.070. In the event the last date of appeal falls on a weekend or holiday, the next date such offices are open for business shall be the last date of appeal. (Ord. 12776 § 3, Exh. A (part), 2006: Ord. 12237 § 4 (part), 2000; Ord. 12078 § 4 (part), 1998)

Any project in the OS zone requiring a major or minor conditional use permit shall be subject to review by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board if that project is located:
A. Within the S-7 zone;
B. On a site that could potentially impact a structure, site, or feature that is listed on the State or National Registers, or that has been formally designated as an Oakland landmark.
For projects requiring a minor conditional use permit, this review shall be made after the public hearing of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission and before the final decision of the Director of City Planning. For projects requiring a major conditional use permit, this review shall be made after the public hearing of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission and before the public hearing of the City Planning Commission. The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board may recommend modifications to the project that it deems necessary to ensure that the historic value of the structure, site, or feature is not adversely impacted. If no action is taken by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board within thirty (30) days of its receipt of the application, the project will be forwarded to the Planning Commission (for major conditional use permits) or Director of City Planning (for minor conditional use permits). (Ord. 12078 § 4 (part), 1998)

A. Projects in City-Owned Parks. Any improvement or change in use that is consistent with a Park Master Plan that has been adopted by the Oakland City Council shall be subject to these provisions. However, in accordance with Section 17.11.060, such projects shall be subject to the Minor Conditional Use Permit process only, even where they involve facilities or activities that would otherwise require Major Conditional Use Permits. Projects shall be eligible for this provision only if the Master Plan in question has been adopted within ten years of the date of the application, or has been amended or updated with Council approval within ten years of the date of the application. The determination that a project is consistent with a Park Master Plan shall be made by the Director of City Planning.
B. Projects in East Bay Regional Parks. Any improvement or change in use on land owned by the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) shall be subject to the development standards contained in this chapter. However, in accordance with Section 17.11.060, such projects shall not require a conditional use permit if they are park, recreational, or civic uses that are consistent with a Park Land Use Plan or equivalent land use planning document adopted by the EBRPD Board. In the event a land use plan or equivalent document does not exist or must be amended to accommodate the facility, preparation/amendment of such a plan by the EBRPD will be required prior to issuance of a building permit for future improvements. Such plans and plan amendments shall require public notice to abutting property owners and to the Oakland Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, City Planning Commission, and City Council at least forty-five (45) days prior to adoption by the Park Board in order to ensure opportunity for public comment from Oakland residents. (Ord. 12078 § 4 (part), 1998)

A. Beginning on the effective date of the OS zone regulations, the Oakland City Administrator’s Office shall establish an open space tracking system. The tracking system shall be maintained in a publicly accessible format and shall be updated on a continuous basis as additions and subtractions are made to the city’s park system. Beginning on the effective date of these regulations, all enclosed facilities in urban parks which exceed one hundred (100) square feet shall be tracked and recorded as “subtractions” from a baseline figure of zero. All acquisition of parkland or creation of new useable public open space shall be tracked and recorded as “additions.” Only land which is improved or intended for improvement to urban park standards may be counted as “additions”; acquisition of Resource Conservation Area land is excluded. The city shall strongly encourage actions which result in a net gain of open space; in other words, a condition where the “additions” of open space in the tracking system exceed the “subtractions” resulting from new buildings and structure coverage.
B. Unless overriding considerations exist, approval of any increase in structure coverage within the OS zone shall be contingent on a finding that there has been no net loss of urban parkland from the time of the baseline date. If this finding cannot be made, approval shall be conditioned upon provision of replacement open space of comparable value and of an area equal to or greater than the space covered which shall be made available concurrently. Land within the jurisdiction of the Port of Oakland is exempt from this requirement and shall be excluded from this calculation. (Ord. 12776 § 3, Exh. A (part), 2006: Ord. 12078 § 4 (part), 1998)