ALAMEDA

The city of Alameda is taking another step toward addressing vacant storefronts on Park and Webster streets, the city’s two important commercial corridors.

The Alameda Planning Board was to hold a public hearing this week on proposed zoning changes intended to improve the process for opening a business in the city’s two main commercial streets. The proposed changes would simplify and streamline the approval process for a variety of commercial uses, including retail, personal services, offices and other commercial businesses.

The effort is part of the city’s vacancy-reduction strategy and follows a review of zoning regulations that may create unnecessary barriers for businesses looking to open or expand on Park or Webster streets. The proposal would update the Community Commercial Zoning District, the North Park Street Gateway Zoning District and related sections of the municipal code.

The proposed amendments reflect input received through three subcommittee meetings and a Planning Board workshop. City staff are asking the Planning Board to make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the zoning text amendments. Staff will then present the Planning Board’s recommendation to the City Council for consideration and adoption.

For more information or to submit public comment on the proposed zoning changes, please visit the city of Alameda Planning Board meeting webpage at bayareane.ws/4AfhVbh.

— city of Alameda

Volunteer for California Coastal Cleanup Day this weekend

Volunteers and East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) staff will come together from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday to clean and protect local shorelines and waterways during California Coastal Cleanup Day. The EBRPD is facilitating events at nine sites across Alameda and Contra Costa counties, including shoreline trails, inland lakes and bayside beaches such as Alameda’s Robert Crown Regional Shoreline.

Staff and volunteers will work together to collect and dispose of litter and recyclables, beautify the shorelines and help maintain delicate ecosystems. At last year’s event, volunteers collected an estimated 9,295 pounds of trash from East Bay regional parks. Volunteers are welcome in all locations listed below, although registration is appreciated. Sign up at ebparks.org/coastal-cleanup or call 510-544-2229 for more information.

Coastal Cleanup Day sites in the EBRPD this Saturday are at Alameda’s Crown Regional Shoreline, near the Native Plant Garden and Bath House; Oakland’s Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline (near Alameda’s Bay Farm Island) at the Arrowhead Marsh Staging Area; Del Valle Regional Park, lakeside cleanups at the Visitor Center and Fiesta Grande Picnic Area; the Hayward Regional Shoreline at West Winton Avenue; Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, Giant Staging Area; Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, end of Rydin Road; Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area, Isherwood Way — Ensenada North Picnic Area; Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline, main parking lot off North Court Street; and Waterbird Regional Preserve, near the pavilion by the parking area.

The Park District will provide garbage bags and gloves, and volunteers are welcome to bring their own additional trash-hunting gear such as long-handled grabber tools. Participants are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle, hats, gloves and sunscreen and must wear closed-toe shoes. Layered clothing is recommended. The Park District will also provide snacks and water throughout the event. Please note that parent participation is required for children under 18.

Each year at Coastal Cleanup Day, volunteers discover unusual items during cleanup events. Past items include a boombox, statues of the Hindu gods Ganesh and Shiva, a sparkly high heel and a functioning 1980s-era ThighMaster. Participants who find an odd or interesting item will receive a Park District-themed cooling towel (while supplies last).

This year’s Coastal Cleanup Day also marks the 50th anniversary of California’s Coastal Act, the 1976 law that established a lasting commitment to protecting California’s coast and ensuring that it remains accessible to everyone. Over the past 50 years, the Coastal Act has helped protect thousands of acres of open space and habitat, create public access to the coast and open hundreds of miles of the California Coastal Trail.

— EBRPD

Tequila & Mezcal Stroll happening downtown Sept. 25

Sip and savor a curated selection of premium spirits — ranging from crisp, unaged blancos and smooth reposados to complex añejos and artisanal, small-batch mezcals — at the Downtown Alameda Business Association’s (DABA’s) inaugural Tequila & Mezcal Stroll from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 25.

Tickets include a collectible tasting glass, artisanally crafted tequila and mezcal tastings at unique downtown locations, small bites at some host locations and a commemorative guide. Ticket purchases for this fundraising event support programs that will keep downtown Alameda “clean, green and safe” for all to enjoy. Also, $1 from each ticket sale will be donated to the Alameda Education Foundation.

For tickets or more information online, visit bayareane.ws/4AeF1Pc.

— DABA

To submit an item for the Alameda Journal’s “In brief” section, which is now usually published in print on each month’s third Friday, please email it, at least three days before print publication, to njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com. Each item should be 90 to 180 words and include a short headline along with the name of the group or individual to credit for it.