Title
Alameda Point Historic District Design Guidelines for New Building
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Steven Buckley, Historical Advisory Board Secretary
BACKGROUND
In 1999 the City of Alameda first designated the historic core of NAS Alameda as a local Historical and Cultural Monument, referred to as the NAS Alameda Historic District (“Historic District”). The Council resolution and supporting documentation is available at:
<https://docs.alamedaca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=358280&dbid=0&repo=CityofAlameda>
and
<https://alamedapointinfo.com/sites/default/files/sally_woodbridge_historic_architectural_resources.pdf>.
In 2012 the Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places (“NRHP”). The NRHP nomination is available online at:
<https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/departments/alameda/base-reuse/previous-planning-docs/draft_national_register_nomindation_-_nas_alameda.pdf>.
In 2013 the City of Alameda certified the Alameda Point Project Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) (SCH No. 2013012043), which identified the environmental impacts of future development at the former NAS Alameda base, now referred to as Alameda Point. The EIR is available online at <https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Alameda-Point>.
Impact 4.D-1 from the EIR concluded that development within the Alameda Point project area could potentially have a significant adverse impact on Historic Resources within the NAS Alameda Historical District. To address this significant impact the EIR’s Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) provided Mitigation Measure 4.D-1b, which states:
“Prior to approval of new buildings within the Historic District the City shall complete and adopt Guidelines for New Infill Development within the Historic District. All new buildings will be reviewed for conformance with the guidelines.”
Up until this time, development in Alameda Point has consisted of rehabilitation of existing buildings - both inside and outside of the Historical District, demolition of buildings outside of the Historical District, new buildings built outside of the Historical District, and public infrastructure built according to the Master Infrastructure Plan (MIP) contemplated in the Alameda Point EIR. In preparation for an upcoming application by the Alameda Food Bank to build a new building within the Historic District at 677 W. Ranger Avenue, City staff has prepared the Alameda Point Historic District Design Guidelines for New Infill Development (“Design Guidelines”) for consideration and adoption by the HAB (Exhibit 1). These guidelines will be applicable to all new buildings proposed within the boundaries of the NAS Alameda Historical District.
DISCUSSION
Guide to Preserving the Character of the Naval Air Station Alameda Historic District
In 1997 the U.S. Navy commissioned the document “Guide to Preserving the Character of the Naval Air Station Alameda Historic District” (“Guide”). The Guide’s purpose was to provide the HAB and City staff with guidance on long-range management of the buildings within the NAS Alameda Historic District after the property was transferred to the City. The Guide focused around issues of Design Review for the private, governmental, and non-profit organizations that will re-use existing buildings. The Guide used the same boundaries for the NAS Alameda Historic District as the earlier City designation and further divided the Historic District into four sub-areas: Administrative Core, Shops Area, Hangars Area, and Residential Area (Exhibit 2). A copy of the Guide is available online at <https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/major-planning-projects/alameda-point/guide-to-preserving-the-character-nas-alameda.pdf>.
The Guide summarizes the character defining architecture of each sub-area. The Guide notes that the Administrative Core is the only sub-area where contributing structures have a predominant architectural style, the Moderne architectural style. For all four sub-areas the Guide looks at three different components of each sub-area’s architectural vocabulary:
1. Surface, Roof and Building Forms
A review of the predominant siding materials, roof types and building forms.
2. Doors and Windows
A review of the types, operation, materials, scale, and organization/layout of doors and windows.
3. Design Features and Elements
The Guide uses the terms “features” and “elements” to refer to components of buildings. Features are smaller, generally non-structural parts of buildings, such as decorative horizontal bands across buildings. Elements are major parts of buildings, such as the entry pavilion of City Hall West (Building 1).
Existing Alameda Point Guidelines and Plans
Since the certification of the Alameda Point EIR in 2013 the HAB, Planning Board, and City Council have conducted many public hearings and ultimately adopted several different precise and specific plans for areas of Alameda Point, some of which include portions of the Historic District. The proposed Design Guidelines are meant to be supplemental to these adopted plans. Specifically, the Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan, adopted in 2014, and the Main Street Neighborhood Strategic Plan, adopted in 2017, include portions of the Historic District. Excerpts from each plan’s Historic District sections are included as Exhibit 3.
The Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan includes the Site A development, the majority of which is located outside of the Historic District. However, a portion of the precise plan includes the Seaplane Lagoon Taxiway located within the Historic District’s Hangars Area, directly south of the hangars along West Tower Avenue. The Town Center Precise Plan does not prescribe its own design guidelines for such things as building features and elements, doors and windows, or surfaces, roof and building forms. The Precise Plan’s guidelines for the Seaplane Lagoon Taxiway focus on the layout and size of future development in service of preserving building layout and view corridors deemed to be contributing spaces to the Historic District. The design guidelines incorporate those requirements from the Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan.
The Main Street Neighborhood Strategic Plan covers the northeastern corner of Alameda Point. The entirety of the Historic District’s Residential Area falls within the Main Street Neighborhood Strategic Plan. The design guidelines incorporate the requirements from the Main Street Neighborhood Strategic Plan.
Alameda Point Historic District Design Guidelines for New Infill Development
Staff has relied on the contents of the Guide when drafting the proposed Design Guidelines (Exhibit 1). The Design Guidelines are applied to all new buildings proposed within the boundaries of the Historic District (Exhibit 2). Use of the Design Guidelines follows a three step process. Below is an excerpt of the Design Guideline’s Methodology section:
1. Identify the project’s sub-district
The NAS Alameda Historical District divided into 4 sub-districts based on the historical operational functions of each sub-district. These sub-districts include:
1. Administrative Core
2. Hangars Area
3. Shops Area
4. Residential Area
Thus, the first step requires identifying in which of these four sub-districts the proposed infill development is located.
2. Identify character defining features and elements of contributing buildings in the project site’s sub-area.
In 1997 the U.S. Navy commissioned the document “Guide to Preserving the Character of the NAS Alameda Historic District” (“Guide”). The Guide identified the predominant architectural style within each sub-district, if one existed, and identified the character defining features and elements of contributing buildings. Section 1 provides a summary of this information.
Therefore, the second step requires using Section 1 to itemize the predominant architectural style and character defining elements and features of the project’s sub-district.
The Guide found that the Administrative Core was the only sub-area with a predominant architectural style, which is Moderne. All new buildings proposed within the Administrative Core shall be consistent with the Citywide Design Review Manual’s Architectural Style Guidelines for the “Streamline Moderne” architectural style. Section 2 provides excerpts from the Citywide Design Review Manual for reference.
3. Design infill development that incorporates character defining elements and features and is consistent with the Citywide Design Review Manual’s Architectural Style Guidelines.
Step three requires using the information gathered in step two to inform the design of new infill development. Section 3 is the draft NAS Alameda Historic District Supplemental Design Review Questionnaire for Infill Development that would be required as part of any entitlement application that includes new infill buildings within the historic district. Applicants are required to submit a narrative explanation of how their proposals are consistent with the Design Guidelines, which is found in Section 3 of the Guidelines.
Implementation
The Alameda Point EIR identified the environmental impacts of new development and the reuse of existing buildings at Alameda Point. Projects that are consistent with the Project Description from the Alameda Point EIR and implement the appropriate mitigation measures from the document’s MMRP can rely on the Alameda Point EIR to satisfy the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Since the MMRP requires the creation and implementation of the Design Guidelines, decision making bodies are required to make the finding that a project is consistent with the Design Guidelines as part of that reliance on the Alameda Point EIR.
Historical Advisory Board and Planning Board Roles
Under Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 13-21.5 the City of Alameda Historical Advisory Board (HAB) is responsible for the review and approval of any demolition, removal, or alteration of the City’s designated Historical Monuments (including districts), an entitlement referred to as a Certificate of Approval. Under AMC Section 30-37 the Planning Board is responsible for the review and approval of Design Review for all new buildings.
Within the NAS Alameda Historical District there are 98 buildings and 1 structure that are contributors to the district and 58 buildings that are not contributors to the district. Additionally, the overall layout and landscaping of NAS Alameda itself is considered a contributing resource to the district. Throughout the district there are areas where the integrity of the original layout and landscaping were not extant when NAS Alameda was decommissioned. These areas are referred to as “non-contributing spaces.” Non-contributing structures and spaces within the NAS Alameda Historical District are not considered to be included on the City’s list of Historical Monuments. Demolition/removal of, and alterations to, contributing structures and new buildings in areas considered to be contributing spaces require the issuance of a Certificate of Approval by the HAB. Demolition or alterations to non-contributing structures and new buildings in non-contributing spaces do not require approval by the HAB.
The Alameda Food Bank is proposing the first new building to be constructed within the NAS Alameda Historical District next to 677 West Ranger Avenue, at the northwest corner of West Ranger Avenue and Pan Am Way. 677 West Ranger Avenue is a non-contributing building and the project site; bound by West Ranger to the south, Pan Am Way to the east, West Midway Avenue to north, and Building 114 to the west, is a non-contributing space. Therefore, the Alameda Food Bank project is not subject to HAB review. The project is subject to Design Review by the Planning Board, who will be required to make the finding that the project is consistent with Guidelines for New Infill Development that are adopted by the HAB.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
Property owners, tenants, and residents inside and within 300 feet of the NAS Alameda Historic District’s boundaries were notified of the public hearing and given the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal.
ALTERNATIVES
Provide staff with comments and direction to modify the Design Guidelines for consideration at a future public hearing.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
None.
MUNICIPAL CODE / POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The Design Guidelines will be applied to projects proposing new buildings within the Historic District during the Certificate of Approval process (AMC Section 13-21.5) and, if applicable, and Design Review process (AMC Section 30-37).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Design Guidelines fulfill Mitigation Measure 4.D-1b of the Alameda Point EIR Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Adoption of the Design Guidelines will not have a direct climate impact. Projects where the Design Guidelines apply may have a climate impact which will be reviewed at the time of consideration.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Historical Advisory Board hold a public hearing and approve the Alameda Point Historic District Design Guidelines for New Infill Development per the draft resolution (Exhibit 4).
Respectfully Submitted,
Steven Buckley, Secretary to the Historical Advisory Board
By,
David Sablan, Planner II
Exhibits:
1. Draft Alameda Point Historic District Design Guidelines for New Infill Development
2. NAS Alameda Historic District and Sub-Area Boundaries
3. Excerpts from Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan and Main Street Neighborhood Strategic Plan
4. Draft Resolution