Title
PLN23-0518 - Development Plan Amendment, Use Permit and Design Review -- 2000 Ardent Way - Applicant: Equity Residential. Public Hearing to Consider Amending the Development Plan and Design Review Approvals for Block 9 at Alameda Point Site And Approving a Use Permit to Convert a Portion of the Previously-Approved Retail Space into Work/Live Studios. General Plan: Waterfront Town Center. Zoning: Alameda Point - Town Center. CEQA Determination: On February 4, 2014, the City of Alameda certified the Alameda Point Final EIR (State Clearinghouse No. 201312043) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Final EIR evaluated the environmental impacts of redevelopment and reuse of the lands at Alameda Point consistent with the Town Center Plan, which included Site A. No further environmental review is required for this approval.
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Allen Tai, Planning, Building & Transportation Director
BACKGROUND
Previous Approvals
In June 2015, the City Council unanimously approved the Site A Development Plan for a 68-acre area within Alameda Point that extends generally from the Main Street entrance to Alameda Point to the Seaplane Lagoon and the eastern edge of the Naval Air Station Alameda Historic District (Historic District). The Site A Development Plan implements the Community Reuse Plan, General Plan, the Zoning Ordinance, and the requirements of the Master Infrastructure Plan (MIP) and Waterfront Town Center (WTC) Precise Plan.
In 2017, the Planning Board approved a development plan, including design review and land uses for Block 9, now known as the Aero project (permit PLN17-0252). This site includes 200 dwelling units in a series of four-story buildings that wrap a parking garage and central courtyard, and occupies the entire block, with approximately 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail space along the West Atlantic Avenue street frontage. This commercial space has remained vacant since the building was completed in 2021.
In 2022, the Planning Board approved an amendment to the Site A development plan converting Block 10 from the originally envisioned urban commercial park into a residential development site. Block 10 is planned for affordable multifamily units along West Atlantic Avenue with ground floor retail and townhomes on the rear. The development plan shows Block 9 with “adaptable” ground floor space.
Exhibit 3 provides a collection of documentation of the precise plan, development plan, and design review for the prior approvals.
Proposed Project
The proposed project would convert the majority of the ground floor retail space on Block 9 to eight (8) work-live units, retaining a corner area of about 1,850 square feet of commercial space (Exhibit 2). Pursuant to the Alameda Municipal Code, the proposed modifications require an amendment to the approved Block 9 Development Plan, Use Permit for the Work/Live Studios, and Design Review for the storefront building modifications.
DISCUSSION
The applicant’s request must be evaluated against the planning framework for the site, the original development approval, and the zoning, work/live and design review criteria and findings.
Block 9 faces onto the West Atlantic Avenue gateway to Alameda Point, transit corridor, and Cross Alameda Trail cycle track to the south. The Alameda Point Site A Neighborhood Park is located behind the building to the north, and the West Atlantic Park with the NAS Alameda fighter jet is located across the street. Block 10 borders the building to the west, and the two affordable housing buildings on Block 8 border the building to the east. Block 9 provides 200 market rate, 2-bedroom, 1-bedroom, and studio rental units and 8,700 square feet of ground floor retail space along West Atlantic Avenue as part of the Site A development.
Site A Development Plan
When originally approved, staff noted several key project design characteristics that provided consistency with the General Plan, Alameda Point Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan, and zoning code. Several factors discussed then remain relevant to the current request:
a. The precise plan permits residential uses by right and requires “adaptive ground floor space” with 12-foot clear heights and “no-step” entry on the front of the block.
b. To create a pedestrian-friendly environment, provide a minimum 85% street wall requirement on West Atlantic and the 75% requirement on the side streets.
c. Street facing facades should include architectural elements such as canopies, awnings, overhangs, projections, shading devises, recesses, signage, lighting, varying façade element depths, material and surface variety and texture intended to provide interest to the pedestrian environment.
d. Building facades exceeding 50 feet in length should include modulation or articulation to the street wall. This may be achieved with one or more material, texture or fenestration pattern change, recessed building entries, recessed balconies, enclosed building area encroachments and projections, and minor setbacks of 2 feet or less.
e. The scale and rhythm of the façade should express the height and configuration of a residential unit through techniques such as architectural detail, color, massing, and fenestration.
f. Fenestration should be simple, human scale, elegantly proportioned and generous. Circular, trapezoidal and triangular windows are discouraged.
g. Exterior elements to control solar heat gain such as fins, overhangs, and horizontal sun shades are encouraged.
h. Buildings should use “cool” exterior siding, roofing, and paving material with relatively high solar reflective index to minimize solar heat gain.
i. Ground level facades should be designed with high-quality materials that offer color, variety, wear resistance, and visual interest to the pedestrian.
Existing Commercial Space
The WTC Precise Plan and Site A Development Plan identified the Block 9 street frontage as “adaptable” commercial space, which requires visual connection to the street and adequate ceiling height to accommodate typical commercial tenants. The applicant indicates that leasing efforts have been extensive, but to no avail. See Exhibit 2 for the applicant’s narrative.
This is understandable because the area to the south of the site across West Atlantic Avenue, planned for commercial uses under the Site A Phase II, remains under the control of the US Navy and will require extensive, time-consuming remediation before any development can occur there. Although the new ferry terminal is located in that direction, there is no direct line of sight or connection to that area. This context and the slower pace of development to the west, at Block 10 and 11, means that there is a dearth of foot traffic in the area and no critical mass of conventional retail or dining supply or demand. The seaplane lagoon park and the residential development may support a limited café use, but there are more prominent enterprises taking shape nearer the Spirits Alley corridor at this time.
Proposed Work/Live Units
Work-Live Studios are regulated in Section 30-15 of the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC). This code section includes specific definitions, addresses development standards, and establishes requirements for the operation of the units for primarily commercial activity. Living space includes a bedroom, food preparation and bathing facilities. This living space can be no more that 30% of the gross floor area and only the sleeping and bathing facility can be separated from the work area by walls, though mezzanines may be used as living space so long as they do not exceed the allowable floor area. The space must meet commercial occupancy codes and be used as such by at least one of the occupants, who must continuously conduct activity allowed in the zoning district under a business license, such that the residential activity must be incidental to the commercial activity. Each unit must be at least 500 square feet in area and must be provided with no more than 1-1/2 parking spaces. A use permit is required to establish the units and conditions of approval to protect health, safety and welfare, and to ensure compliance with the zoning standards, including limits on dust, glare, heat, noise, vibration, gases, smoke, etc. These requirements must be recorded and included in lease agreements (no units may be sold separately) and notices to other occupants. The units may not be changed to exclusively residential use unless otherwise allowed by the zoning.
Design Review
Along West Atlantic, the building provides a continuous 15-foot high floor-to-floor at the retail frontage with three stories of residential units above. The building façade is currently designed with a nearly continuous aluminum and glass storefront system along the ground floor. Walking along the West Atlantic Avenue sidewalk, there is a 20-foot wide sidewalk and street trees bordered by on-street parking, with planters and pavers along the project frontage. Along the face of the building, there is an almost continuous band of approximately 12-foot high glass storefront windows facing the street. Overhead, a six-foot wide metal awning provides shade along this south-facing elevation of the building.
Design interventions for the conversion to work-live units will be minimal. Additional planters and benches are proposed along the street front where the existing sidewalk is widened on the private property side, providing a buffer area between public and private space. The storefront will be modified to include operable windows and additional doorways to the units in the same material and style as the existing façade. Signage will be limited to identification of the business tenants and street addresses. These improvements could be reversed or repurposed as fully commercial activity in the future.
CONCLUSION
The adaptable quality of the ground floor space facing West Atlantic Avenue at Block 9 seems suited to the proposed work-live activity, leaving open the possibility of more intensive uses as the area continues to evolve. As set forth in the draft resolution (Exhibit 2), staff believes that the Planning Board may find that the Development Plan amendment, Design Review amendment, and Use Permit application is consistent with the General Plan, Waterfront Town Center Specific Plan, Alameda Point Zoning District, and the findings for Development Plan amendment approval required by AMC Section 30-4.13, Design Review approval required by AMC Section 30-37 and Work-Live Use Permits required by AMC Section 30-15.
PUBLIC NOTICE
This agenda item was advertised in the Alameda Journal and public notices were mailed to property owners and residents/tenants within 300 feet of the project site and posted on-site as required by the Alameda Municipal Code. No public comments have been received as of the writing of this staff report.
CLIMATE ACTION
The amendment of the development plan and design review and the approval of a use permit for work/live studios does not have any climate impacts. All pertinent energy and sustainability requirements will be met as part of the building code review.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On February 4, 2014, the City of Alameda certified the Alameda Point Final EIR (State Clearinghouse No. 201312043) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Final EIR evaluated the environmental impacts of redevelopment and reuse of the lands at Alameda Point consistent with the Town Center Plan, which included Site A. No further review is required for this approval. CEQA documentation is included in Attachment 3, Context Documents.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing and adopt the draft Resolution to approve the Block 9 Development Plan Amendment, Design Review amendment, and Use Permit to convert ground floor commercial space into eight (8) Work/Live units (Exhibit 2).
Respectfully submitted,
Steven Buckley, Planning Services Manager
Exhibits:
1. Application Documents
2. Draft Resolution
3. Context Documents