Title
Discuss the Draft Concept Designs for the Estuary Adaptation Project and the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project and a Status Update of the Subregional Adaptation Plan (Discussion)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Consistent with City Council direction, the City of Alameda (City) has been leading the Oakland Alameda Adaptation Committee (OAAC) to plan for sea level rise adaptation in the Oakland-Alameda subregion since 2021. OAAC has been working on two high-priority projects - the Estuary Adaptation Project and the Bay Farm Island (BFI) Adaptation Project - and the Oakland-Alameda Subregional Adaptation Plan (Subregional Plan). These planning efforts include analyses of conditions and recommendations for consideration by OAAC and the City the concept designs, funding, phasing and governance. The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss the draft concept designs for the two projects and to provide a status update of the Subregional Plan. The grant funding for this early phase of sea level rise planning and preliminary design expires in 2025 and more funding will be required to fully design and construct the two projects and implement the Subregional Plan.
BACKGROUND
This adaptation agenda item is a culmination of several City Council actions over the years with key direction as follows and details provided in the below webpage links:
In 2019, City Council adopted the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP), which outlines an interagency collaborative approach to prepare for sea level rise and address priority flooding locations, such as flooding on BFI that is hydraulically connected to the State Route 61 (SR-61)/Doolittle Drive Oakland Airport area and parts of the City of Oakland (Oakland).
In 2022, City Council adopted the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan, and through a series of budget actions and grant authorizations, enabled funding to support OAAC’s work on the early concept phase of sea level rise planning and project development. Currently, OAAC is working on the following planning efforts:
• Estuary Adaptation Project: www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationEstuary <http://www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationEstuary>
• BFI Adaptation Project: www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationBayFarmIsland <http://www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationBayFarmIsland>
• Subregional Adaptation Plan: www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationLongTermPlan <http://www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationLongTermPlan>
In February 2024, City Council held a work session on adaptation and approved the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant submittal for the BFI/Doolittle Drive project. The City, acting as lead agency, applied for the grant with a total cost of $55.5 million to fund the next phases of the project. FEMA would cover 90 percent of the grant totaling $50 million, and the City, Port of Oakland and the City of Oakland all made financial commitments for the pro rata portions of the required non-federal grant match, which totals $5.5 million.
The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss the request for City Council to endorse the concept designs for the Estuary and BFI projects and to provide a status update of the Subregional Plan (Exhibit 1).
DISCUSSION
The following section provides an update on the three planning efforts along with associated timelines, and important considerations including the request for City Council to endorse the concept designs for the Estuary and BFI projects. The request for City Council to endorse the concept designs is only for the Alameda side of the projects. The near-term concept designs recommend levees, seawalls or redevelopment at elevation 14 feet, which provides 2 feet of sea level rise protection and another 2 feet of freeboard to cover uncertainties. Long-term adaptation projects would build on the near-term projects and would protect to elevation 17 feet for 5 feet of sea level rise.
Estuary Project. This project consists of developing a design concept, which is equivalent to 10 percent design, to protect both Downtown Oakland/Jack London Square and the City’s northern shoreline near the Posey/Webster Tubes from sea level rise and flooding. Budget: $500,000 ($425,000 from Caltrans and $75,000 from the City). Grant funding expires February 28, 2025. OAAC and the City are taking initial steps to explore the potential for federal funding opportunities to continue this project beyond 2025, including requests for inclusion in the 2024 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation totaling up to $30 million depending on the WRDA authorization. Webpage: www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationEstuary <http://www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationEstuary>
• Key Milestones: Began September 2023; Alternatives analysis in spring 2024; Draft concept design in fall 2024; Ongoing outreach led by paid Community Partners; and Concept design request for City Council approval (this agenda item).
• Important Considerations: The concept design includes both coastal and inland recommendations. Inland concepts include potential locations for green and grey detention basins to improve the northside stormwater detention for today’s volumes with added capacity for future increases. The City of Oakland is in the process of finalizing the Estuary Park concept design with approvals. The Port of Oakland has begun an adaptation study with a recently awarded Caltrans grant, which includes further evaluation of the initial concepts on the Oakland side of the Estuary. To continue momentum on this project, more funding will be needed to complete environmental clearance, permitting, design and construction.
BFI Project. This project consists of developing a long-term adaptation plan for the entire BFI as well as developing up to 30 percent designs in the northern shoreline area of BFI for a near-term project. Budget: $2 million ($1.5 million FEMA and $530,000 City of Alameda). Grant funding expires September 29, 2025. The City submitted a BRIC grant on behalf of OAAC to ensure continued funding for the project. Webpage: www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationBayFarmIsland <http://www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationBayFarmIsland>
• Key Milestones: Began September 2023; Alternatives analysis in spring 2024; Draft concept design in fall 2024; Ongoing outreach led by paid Community Partners; Concept design request for City Council approval (this agenda item); and Up to 30 percent design on the northern shoreline of BFI by fall 2025.
• Important Considerations: The near-term concept design is for the northern shoreline area of BFI, and includes a levee to reduce coastal flooding, Bay Trail enhancements, nature-based solutions to improve the marshes and beach habitat, tide gate and pump station replacements and storm drain modifications. The concept will shorten Veterans Court and will allow for 20-25 parking spaces. City staff are coordinating with Caltrans on how to replace the wooden bicycle/pedestrian bridge, and it is not part of the near-term concept. To continue momentum on this project, more funding will be needed in October 2025 to complete environmental clearance, permitting, design and construction.
Subregional Plan. This project consists of developing a plan to protect the Oakland-Alameda subregion from near- and long-term sea level rise and associated shoreline hazards. Budget: $840,000 ($300,000 from San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) and $540,000 from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Grant funding expires October 31, 2025. Webpage: www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationLongTermPlan <http://www.alamedaca.gov/AdaptationLongTermPlan>
• Key Milestones: Began in September 2023; Feasibility assessment in spring 2024, Governance structure in late 2024; Ongoing outreach led by paid Community Partners; and Request for City Council approval is anticipated in fall 2025.
• Important Considerations:
o Governance: While a formal governance structure has not been established, potential funding from BRIC for the BFI/Doolittle project or from WRDA for the Estuary project has prompted the OAAC project partners to initiate project-specific memorandums of understanding (MOUs) negotiations per the Governance White Paper recommended next step. Currently, the City is working with members of OAAC under a common mission statement and guiding principles - the OAAC Charter - that are not legally binding. Staff recognizes it is not sustainable for the City alone to continue serving in a leadership role for the subregional partnership. The governance options that are outlined in the Governance White Paper include project-specific MOUs with partner agencies for the near term and the formation of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) or a hybrid/special district as potential for longer term phases of collaboration.
o Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP) Guidelines: The San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission (BCDC) is finalizing guidelines for local jurisdictions to follow when developing subregional adaptation plans per Senate Bill 272 (Laird 2023). The City, Oakland and the Port of Oakland submitted comments to BCDC in October as part of the public hearing process. BCDC expects to approve the guidelines in December. The current version requires extensive detail and substantial resources for local jurisdictions, which will necessitate further funding to complete. The Port of Oakland will be contributing additional effort towards RSAP compliance due to a recently awarded Caltrans grant of $3 million. Furthermore, City staff are writing grants to meet more of the RSAP guidelines, and also will show how the RSAP guidelines will be fully met by the required 2034 deadline with the Port’s supplemental work and with future Subregional Plan updates, which are required every five years.
Outreach Summary
The OAAC project partners - including the paid Community Partners - engaged community members as follows:
• Facilitated 10 monthly committee meetings for both the BFI and Estuary projects and 6 Alameda beaches committee meetings;
• Participated in 25 events with tabling and information materials;
• Held 7 steering committee meetings and 4 full OAAC meetings;
• Conducted 40 focus group meetings with key stakeholders including adjacent property owners and community members;
• Lead 3 rounds of workshops in May, August and December 2024;
• Created frequently asked questions (FAQ) (Exhibit 2); and
• Presented at Transportation Commission (November 2024), Planning Board (Jan 2025) and City Council (February 2024 and January 2025).
ALTERNATIVES
City Council can take any of the following actions:
• Endorse the concept designs for the Estuary and BFI projects;
• Endorse the concept designs with requested revisions; and
• Reject the concept designs and direct staff with another approach, which will delay project progress and may jeopardize grant funding.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact from endorsing the design concepts. The three adaptation projects total $3,690,000 and are funded with grant funds contributing $2,765,000, or 75 percent, and local match monies funding the remaining $925,000, or 25 percent (Table 1). The next phases of implementing the concepts will require additional funds, which staff are seeking through grants. Separate City Council action will be required to appropriate additional funds for further project implementation.
Table 1: Adaptation Project Funding
|
Sources |
Amount |
|
SFEP Grant (Subregional Plan) |
$300,000 |
|
NFWF Grant (Subregional Plan) |
$540,000 |
|
Caltrans Grant (Estuary Project) |
$425,000 |
|
Measure BB Local Match (Estuary Project) |
$75,000 |
|
FEMA Grant (BFI Project) |
$1,500,000 |
|
General Fund Local Match (BFI Project) |
$850,000 |
|
Subtotal Grant Sources |
$2,765,000 |
|
Subtotal Local Sources |
$925,000 |
|
Total Sources |
$3,690,000 |
|
|
|
|
Uses |
|
|
Subregional Plan |
|
|
Consultant Team |
$599,500 |
|
City Staff |
$20,500 |
|
Community Partners |
$185,000 |
|
Scientific Advisor |
$35,000 |
|
Estuary Project |
|
|
Consultant Team |
$391,500 |
|
Community Partners |
$108,500 |
|
BFI Project |
|
|
Consultant Team |
$1,676,000 |
|
City Staff |
$324,000 |
|
Community Partners |
$30,000 |
|
Subtotal Consultant Team |
$2,667,000 |
|
Subtotal City Staff |
$344,500 |
|
Subtotal Community Partners |
$323,500 |
|
Subtotal Scientific Advisor |
$35,000 |
|
Contingency |
$320,000 |
|
Total Uses |
$3,690,000 |
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The proposed actions described in this report are consistent with CARP (2019), Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan (2022), 2040 General Plan (2022) and Strategic Plan (2023), in particular:
General Plan Policy HS-16 Funding and Partnerships. Develop partnerships with local, regional, and state agencies to expedite adaptation projects and ensure a healthy watershed that protects and restores water quality, habitat and community vitality along San Leandro Bay and the Oakland-Alameda Estuary.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
These actions do not constitute a “project” as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 and therefore no further CEQA analysis is required. Further environmental review will be conducted for the individual resilience projects upon completion of infrastructure design work.
CLIMATE IMPACT
The project will improve the resiliency to the impacts of climate change as described earlier in this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Discuss the draft concept designs for the Estuary Adaptation Project and the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project and a status update of the Subregional Adaptation Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail Payne, Project Manager
Danielle Mieler, Sustainability and Resilience Manager
Exhibits:
1. Adaptation Presentation
2. Adaptation FAQs