Alameda Point

News

Measure A Revisited

By Blake Brydon, Alameda Chamber President
FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009 – ALAMEDA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWSLETTER

On March 3, 1973, Measure A passed by a majority of Alameda voters after being placed on the ballot by a unanimous vote by the City Council and with 15 percent of Alameda registered voters placing their name on an initiative so it could be placed on the ballot. The measure stopped the building of multiple dwelling units within city limits with an exception for the Alameda Housing Authority replacement of existing low cost housing units and the proposed (now Independence Plaza) senior citizens low-cost housing complex.

An amendment to Measure A was approved in 1991. This change clarified 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. This requirement does not apply to reconstruction of damaged units or housing authority replacement. Several lawsuits have been filed over the years to contest Measure A, but have either been dismissed or settled by the parties involved.

We are now as a community looking at revisiting the Measure A issue since the planned development proposed for Alameda Point will require an exception in order to build multi-unit dwellings. Included in this newsletter is the ordinance from 1973 so that we can remind ourselves of the intent of Measure A and the overall language and definitions that became part of our City Charter. Many people have moved to Alameda since 1973 and should find the information helpful. For those who have lived here longer, it should serve as a review.

At the time Measure A was adopted, there were exceptions made which were understandable to address the need for workforce and senior housing. It reminds me that not everything can be black and white, that exceptions do need to be made for various types of housing. It was not a clear black and white issue back then and I believe it not to be that way today. I hate to think of the many Victorians that were destroyed earlier in Alameda in order to build multi-unit dwellings and can understand the outrage that occurred in Alameda.

However, since I moved to Alameda after the fact, I have always been impressed with the varied and diverse types of housing, architecture and design styles. So many towns and cities are so bland, but not Alameda. Our town has different styles evoking different times in our history. It seems like every decade has left its footprint throughout Alameda. From Victorians to Craftsman to yes, the multi-unit buildings, they have all now become part of our landscape and housing choices that we call home.

There are those who think that if we make an exception for Alameda Point that we would start down a slippery slope to unraveling Measure A. I would disagree with that assumption. The area at Alameda Point represents our future and our further design and housing diversity that sets us apart in the Bay Area. The housing styles that are going to be built in this section of the island continue on the path of building housing for the times we are now living in with a variety of choices and affordability. I myself have lived in a Victorian-style home, a multi-unit apartment, and now a townhome in Alameda. There is no reason that choices cannot be afforded to us in housing and an exception be made for just Alameda Point to build multi-unit dwellings while respecting and co-existing with Measure A.