Title
PLN23-0390 - Development Plan and Use Permit for Building 607, Alameda Point, 677 West Ranger Avenue. Applicant: Alameda Food Bank and City of Alameda. Public hearing to consider approval of the Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit for the development of a Community Food Market on 1.7 acres of land located at 677 West Ranger Avenue. The streamlining provision of Public Resources Section 21083.3 and Section 15183 of the CEQA Guidelines apply and no further environmental review is required.
Body
To: Honorable President
and Members of the Planning Board
From: Steven Buckley,
Planning Services Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Alameda Food Bank and the City of Alameda are proposing the development of a Community Food Market for Food Bank clients on 1.7 acres of land facing West Ranger Avenue, Pan Am Way and West Midway Avenue at Alameda Point across the street from their current location on West Ranger Avenue. The proposal includes sale of the 1.7 acres of City owned land containing Building 607 and an adjacent parking lot to the Alameda Food Bank and development of a permanent 18,000 square foot facility and site improvements for the distribution of food to Alameda’s most vulnerable households by the Alameda Food Bank. The project will involve the rehabilitation and expansion of Building 607 and the construction of an addition which will house food storage and related operations.
The Food Bank is currently providing their services from approximately 18,000 square feet of leased space in Building 92, which is located immediately across West Ranger Avenue from the subject site. The Food Bank is a subtenant to the Alameda Point Collaborative, which leases Building 92 from the City of Alameda.
The proposal will require a variety of City permits and agreements including, but not limited to:
• Approval of a Purchase and Sale Agreement by the Alameda City Council.
• Approval of a Development Plan, Use Permit, and Design Review for the site improvements by the Planning Board.
• Approval of a Certificate of Approval by the Historical Advisory Board for construction of a new building within the NAS Historic District. Building 607 is not a contributor to the NAS Historic District, but the City of Alameda Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the development of Alameda Point requires a Certificate of Approval for any new buildings constructed within the Historic District to ensure that the new structure does not impact the character defining features of the NAS Historic District.
To conserve limited resources, the Food Bank is pursuing the entitlements and agreements sequentially. At this time, the Food Bank is requesting Planning Board approval of the Development Plan and Use Permit for the project to confirm that their development plan is in compliance with City land use and development standards prior to entering into a Purchase and Sale Agreement for the land with the City Council. If the Planning Board approves the Development Plan and Use Permit, the Food Bank will proceed with the Purchase and Sale Agreement with the City Council. If the Council approves the Purchase and Sale Agreement, the Food Bank will then invest in the architectural plans for the project and submit for Design Review approval from the Planning Board and Certificate of Approval from the Historical Advisory Board.
Staff is recommending approval of the draft resolution approving the Use Permit and Development Plan (Exhibit 1) in support of the Alameda Food Bank Development Plan (Exhibit 2). The necessary CEQA findings are supported by a CEQA Checklist prepared for the project (Exhibit 3).
BACKGROUND
The Alameda Food Bank is currently serving the Alameda community from its leased premises in Building 92 on West Ranger Avenue. For the past year, City staff has been working to respond to the Food Bank’s request to purchase land to develop a permanent facility at Alameda Point. The Food Bank is a non-profit organization that supports Alameda residents experiencing food insecurity. During the COVID pandemic the operation served customers by pre-boxing food and placing it into car trunks in a drive through line. This led to food waste since customers could not pick what they wanted and discarded preselected items they did not want. Now the operation has been reconfigured in a grocery store format with food arranged on shelves in aisles. Produce is displayed in a produce section. Available food is still dependent on donations but is displayed as it would be in a grocery store. Grocery carts are provided for customers. The “community market” serves approximately 700 customers per week and is open to the public on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There is a paid staff of four and they are supplemented by volunteers.
In July, the City Council approved the RESHAP project, which allows for the conveyance and development on 8.5 acres of property across the street at the corner of West Midway and Pan Am Way for the construction of over 300 units of supportive, service enriched housing for Alameda’s most vulnerable households by the Collaborating Partners. To facilitate the Collaborative’s need to move some existing service facilities currently located on the RESHAP construction site, City staff and the Collaborative are working on a draft lease for Building 7 at the corner of Saratoga and West Midway. Building 7 is currently vacant and has space for the relocated facilities currently located on the RESHAP construction site and space for the Collaborative’ s services that are located in Building 607. (All these services will ultimately relocate to the RESHAP campus, once it is complete.) By consolidating their services in Building 7 until the RESHAP project is ready, the Collaborative is clearing the RESHAP site for construction and helping the Food Bank expedite its renovation and move to Building 607.
In March, the City Council approved the Alameda Point Disposition Strategy, which recommends that the City of Alameda coordinate the sale of property at Alameda Point with the construction of new infrastructure at Alameda Point. The City of Alameda is nearing completion of the first $30 million dollars of new infrastructure in the Historic District which serves the subject site and other properties facing West Midway (between Pan Am and Saratoga), Pan Am (between West Midway and West Tower), West Tower (between Pan Am and Saratoga) and Saratoga (between West Tower and West Midway).
Pursuant to the Disposition Strategy, the proceeds from the sale of land served by the new infrastructure should be used to fund the construction of the next phase of the infrastructure to serve the businesses in the Historic District. The next infrastructure phase will extend the new facilities and utilities out to Monarch Street. Therefore, once the Food Bank is able to vacate Building 92, which is served by the new infrastructure, staff will recommend sale of Building 92 to a commercial user. Sale of the structure and associated land will then result in private reinvestment in the property, similar to the reinvestment and improvements that occurred at the adjacent Building 91 (currently occupied by Admirals Brewery); Building 9, currently occupied Firebrand Bakery and Kairos, and Building 8, currently occupied by Saltbreaker Restaurant, Humble Sea Brewery, and a variety of work/live businesses. The sale of these properties helped finance the first phase of infrastructure currently under construction by the City in the Historic District.
DISCUSSION
Development Plan: The Food Bank’s proposed Development Plan for the 1.7 acre site on Pan Am Way includes the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing one story, 9,500 square foot metal structure at 677 West Tower (Navy Building 607), reconfiguration of the adjacent parking lot, and addition of trees, landscaping and impervious surfaces to accommodate the Community Market and a variety of operational areas, including food receiving, warehouse areas for dry and cold storage of food, food sorting and preparation areas, and related volunteer and staff operational areas. With its addition, Building 607 will be approximately 18,000 square feet in size.
The site improvements include reconfiguration and landscaping of the existing parking lot to provide for approximately 70 automobile parking spaces, as well as parking for food bank delivery vans and vehicles. The Food Bank has agreed to allow neighboring commercial uses to share in the use of their parking lot, subject to use limitations that prioritize food bank uses during scheduled operational times, similar to how a typical grocery store parking lot is used in commercial areas. The development plan also includes the installation of new curb, gutter and sidewalk facilities along the associated frontage on West Ranger designed to connect to newly installed curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements along the frontage with Pan Am and West Midway.
The project site is located on AC Transit Route 96 and in close proximity to a planned network of bicycle facilities and sidewalks. The project will also be served by Alameda Transportation Management Association services and programs consistent with and in compliance with the Alameda Point TDM Plan.
Finally, the site plan is designed to accommodate the existing cell tower facility on the site. The sale of the property to the Food Bank to be approved by the City Council includes the cell tower lease.
The construction of the facility is designed to be completed in phases. It is anticipated that Phase 1 (the renovation of Building 607) will take approximately 3 months to complete. Upon completion, the Food Bank will move the market operations into Building 607. Warehouse operations will continue to be hosted in Building 92 until the temporary storage facilities can be constructed on the Temporary Use area located to the immediate west of Building 607. During this time, the Food Bank will be completing the detailed design documents for the new warehouse addition. It is anticipated that this 10,000 square foot addition will be a custom pre-engineered steel building, and that from the time of receiving necessary approvals it will take approximately 12 months to complete. Upon completion of the warehouse building, the Food Bank will temporarily move the community market into part of this building to allow for Phase 2 of the renovation plan of Building 607. This will include further refinement of the community market, build out of offices and related operational areas, and completion of the final exterior client receiving areas.
Development Standards and Use Permit: The proposed use and Development Plan is consistent with the Alameda General Plan, the Alameda Point Zoning District Zoning Regulations for the site, and the NAS Historic District. The General Plan Mixed Use Designation for this area of Alameda Point and the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) encourages and supports the use of this land for commercial and institutional uses, including but not limited to uses that provide public services similar to the services provided by the Food Bank currently in Building 92 across the street. The AMC Alameda Point Adaptive Reuse Zoning district (AMC 30-4.24) “provides lands for employment and business uses, including office, research and development, bio-technology and high tech manufacturing and sales, light and heavy industrial, maritime, commercial, community serving and destination retail, and other uses that support reinvestment in the existing buildings and infrastructure within the NAS Alameda Historic District….” (AMC 30-4.24.c.7.)
Pursuant to AMC 30-4.24, warehouses and distribution facilities are permitted by right and grocery stores are permitted with a Conditional Use Permit to allow for any necessary conditions of approval. Staff has determined that the Food Bank Community Market is more similar to a grocery store than a warehouse and distribution use and therefore is recommending approval of a use permit for the project.
Pursuant to AMC 30-7.3.e., a use permit is required to exceed the maximum allowed parking spaces on the site. The proposed 70 space parking lot exceeds the 61 space maximum standard by 9 spaces. Staff is recommending use permit approval to allow the exception for the additional spaces because the Food Bank agrees to allow neighbors to use the parking lot and the adjacent properties at Building 92, Building 9, and Building 8 are parked at a ratio that is significantly under the maximum allowed under the Code.
Pursuant to AMC 30-4.24:
• Height (AMC 30-4.24.e.1.).
Standard: The maximum building height in the adaptive reuse sub-district shall be determined by the height of the adjacent NAS Alameda Historic District contributor buildings. In cases where the adjacent buildings differ in height, the tallest adjacent contributing building shall be the determining building height. The height of the new building shall not exceed the height of the adjacent contributor buildings.
Analysis: The proposed addition to Building 607 (not a contributor) will be approximately 33 feet, which is similar to the height of Building 92 and less than Building 8 both of which are across the street from Building 607 in the Shops subdistrict of the NAS Historic District.
• Setbacks (AMC 30-4.24.d.3(a)).
Standard: Building setbacks for new buildings in the Historic District should be consistent with the setbacks of adjacent buildings in the District.
Analysis: The addition to Building 607 will be consistent with Building 607’s setback, which is consistent with the setbacks of the other “shops” buildings in the Shops Subdistrict of the NAS Historic District. The setbacks facing public streets will be landscaped consistent with the Cultural Landscape Guidelines. Along Pan Am and West Midway, the Development Plan proposes a short 3-foot wall set on the setback line to screen the cars in the parking lot and set a uniform setback along those frontages that would be consistent with the setback that would be required if a building were constructed on those frontages.
• Design (AMC 30-4.24.d.7.).
Standard: Within the NAS Alameda Historic District, new building design and architectural detailing shall be compatible with adjacent structures and complement the historic character of the NAS Alameda Historic District.
Analysis: The conceptual design is a simple warehouse structure of similar form and materials to the existing building on the site. Additional information is provided below.
The subject site is located within the Shops subarea of the NAS Historic District; however, neither Building 607 nor any other structure on the subject 1.7 acre site are contributing structures to the NAS Historic District. The NAS Alameda Historic District Guidelines make the following observations about the historic and architectural character of the Shops area:
• “The Shops Area was given the least attention of all the areas of the original NAS Alameda, at least with respect to its architectural detail. The Shops Area buildings were tucked away from view, behind the Administrative Core, and had little public use or utility. The shops in short were designed strictly for function rather than appearance.”
• “A first measure of the strictly functional nature of the Shops Area is the fact there is no uniformity of design there.”
• “As strictly utilitarian buildings relatively few of the Shops Area buildings were fitted with architecturally distinctive features or elements.”
The redevelopment and reuse of the site with a “utilitarian” building for use as a Community Market and warehouse is consistent with the character defining features of the Shops Subdistrict of the NAS Historic District. Furthermore, the Food Banks’ proposal to construct a custom pre-engineered steel building addition to the existing steel Building 607 at a height and setback consistent with the neighboring contributors to the District ensures that the development plan and use permit will not impact the character defining features of the NAS Historic District.
Although the buildings in the Shops District were “designed strictly for function rather than appearance”, the final architectural design of the proposed addition should and will be subject to review and approval by the Planning Board and Historical Advisory Board to ensure that the final architectural design is attractive and supports the City of Alameda design standards for new construction in the City of Alameda.
Conclusions: In conclusion, staff is in support of the proposal to sell 1.7 acres of land to the Alameda Food Bank to enable the Food Bank to construct a permanent facility at Alameda Point and enable the Food Bank to securely provide their services to the most vulnerable members of our community. Furthermore, staff believes that the community market use is an appropriate and compatible use with the existing and planned uses in this area of Alameda Point. Finally, staff is confident that the Food Bank design plan for the site will result in redevelopment and improvement of the land in a manner that is fully compatible with its location within the NAS Historic District. Staff recommends the approval of the draft resolution (Exhibit 1) approving the Food Bank’s Development Plan and Use Permit (Exhibit 2).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Pursuant to the streamlining provision of Section 15183 of the CEQA Guidelines, no further environmental review is required because the project is consistent with the General Plan and Zoning Regulations for the land. The environmental impacts of the development of the area were considered in the Alameda Point Project (APP) Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) adopted by the City Council on February 4, 2014, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and in the General Plan Update EIR adopted by the City Council on November 30, 2021; and as documented in the project CEQA Checklist, the Community Market project would not result in significant impacts that: (1) are peculiar to the project or project site; (2) were not already identified as significant effects, cumulative effects, or off-site effects in the FEIR; or (3) were previously identified as significant effects but are determined to be substantially more severe than discussed in the EIR.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a Public Hearing and adopt a resolution (Exhibit 1) approving the proposed Alameda Food Bank Development Plan (Exhibit 2) and Use Permit.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Special Advisor, City of Alameda
Exhibits:
1. Draft Resolution Approving Alameda Food Bank (AFB) Development Plan
2. Alameda Food Bank Development Plan
3. CEQA Checklist