Alameda Point

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Voters To Have Final Say at Alameda Point

By DENNIS EVANOSKY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008 – ALAMEDA SUN

If everything stays on course at Alameda Point, SunCal will begin construction in 2010 and drive the last nail in 2025. However, Island City voters will determine whether they will allow SunCal's proposal to emerge from its paper cocoon and take flight.

Housing density in SunCal's plans does not comply with Measure A, which stipulates that, "the maximum density for any residential development within the City of Alameda shall be one housing unit per 2,000 square feet of land." As a result, Alamedans will get the final say whether to allow development at the Point denser than the single-family residences and duplexes that Measure A allows. This could appear on the Nov. 3, 2009, ballot.

"We question the rational and appropriateness of Measure A in the specific context of Alameda Point and propose that an exception be made just for development at the old Navy base," SunCal says in its report. SunCal points out that Alameda Point "is not an existing residential neighborhood that has an established residential scale that needs to be preserved."

SunCal also says that Measure A would eliminate residential reuse of several of the key historic buildings at the Point and prohibit the clustering of "higher-density development at the ferry and transit hub."

If Measure A standards were applied, "the site would not develop enough overall housing to support local retail and services of any consequence," the report says. "Providing a robust retail and service area is key to creating a walkable neighborhood, one not dependent on auto trips to off-site shops."

SunCal does not see an exemption from Measure A for Alameda Point construction as a threat to existing neighborhoods or their architectural character.

The report promises that SunCal will preserve the past at the Point. SunCal said that it "will identify buildings and landscapes of historic significance and incorporate their reuse amongst new development."

This would include much of the U.S. Navy's historic footprint. "Existing hangars and offices will be adapted and reused alongside the creation of new townhouses and single-family homes, built to reflect the architectural beauty of their historic neighbors," the report promises. "Design elements will be SunCal says it will establish design elements to help develop an architecture consistent throughout the base.

"Environmental and financial constraints will determine the feasibility of each building's rehabilitation and reuse," SunCal cautioned.

Voters will have ample opportunity to review SunCal's plans in coming weeks. Presentations begin at the Historical Advisory Board meeting tonight at City Hall. The meeting convenes at 7 p.m. in Conference Room 360 and will adjourn to the council chambers when chambers become available.

SunCal will also present the plan before the Recreation and Park Department on Oct. 9; the Housing Commission on Oct. 22; the Economic Development Commission on Oct. 16; the Transportation Commission on Oct.16 and the Planning Board on Oct. 27.