Title
Recommendation to Authorize the Interim City Manager to Execute a First Amendment with San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) for up to $44,200 for a Total Agreement Amount Not-To-Exceed $79,140 to Provide Additional Scientific Peer Review Services Related to Sea Level Rise Adaptation Projects.
Five items to be considered concurrently: Bay Farm Island adaptation project grants and funding and four agreements: Conger Moss Guillard Landscape Architecture, Greenbelt Alliance, Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda, and San Francisco Estuary Institute
This phase of the project involves planning studies for further actions, which are yet to be approved, and is thus exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review under CEQA Guidelines section 15262 - Feasibility and Planning Studies. Further environmental review will be conducted for the individual resilience projects upon development of infrastructure design work. (Planning Building and Transportation C71100)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Adam W. Politzer, Interim City Manager
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. The City with OAAC has been working on high-priority projects, including the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project (BFI Project), and leading development of a Shoreline Adaptation Plan (Adaptation Plan).
City Council first authorized funding for the Bay Farm Island Project to protect the area from flooding in 2020. The purpose of this agenda item is for the City Council to authorize amending the agreement with the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) to continue the work as the Scientific Advisor for the BFI project and Adaptation Plan, funded by Prop 68 and SB1 grants. Action to approve this item needs to be considered concurrently with three other consultant amendments (Conger Moss Guillard, Greenbelt Alliance, Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda).
BACKGROUND
This adaptation agenda item is a culmination of the following actions:
In 2019, City Council adopted Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP), which outlines an interagency collaborative approach to prepare for sea level rise and to address priority flooding locations.
In 2020, City Council authorized funding for initial studies to inform sea level rise adaptation plans for Veterans Court and the Bay Farm Island area.
In 2021, City staff initiated OAAC to plan for sea level rise adaptation in the Oakland-Alameda subregion.
In 2022 and 2023, City Council adopted the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan, and through a series of budget, grant and contract authorizations, enabled OAAC’s work on the BFI Project, Estuary Project and the Adaptation Plan.
In 2025, City Council endorsed the concept design for the BFI Project, authorized First and Second amendments to the Conger Moss Guillard (CMG) agreement to assist with project coordination and grant writing and to conduct a Geomorphology and Ecology Study for the South Shore area, respectively, and appropriated the California Ocean Protection Council grant funds to complete the Adaptation Plan.
DISCUSSION
BFI Adaptation Project
The purpose of this project is to remove the lagoon area of BFI from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100-year floodplain, bolster the northern shoreline and Bay Trail from erosion, enhance shoreline habitat with nature-based solutions and enhance public recreation, including improvements to the San Francisco Bay Trail. Given the complexity and cost, the BFI Project has been implemented in phases beginning in 2021 as follows:
• Phase 1 of the project developed a design concept to 30 percent design and included a comprehensive community engagement process. Phase 1 was funded with FEMA community project funding with matching City funds;
• Phase 2 of the project is in process and is initiating regulatory agency review and completing surveys and geotechnical studies to inform the next phase of design and environmental documentation. Phase 2 is paid for by Alameda General Fund; and
• Phase 3 has a two-year timeframe and continues the design to 60 percent, completes the environmental documentation, coordinates permitting, conducts community engagement and includes an Island Drive interim measure as an option to allow the lagoon areas of Bay Farm Island to be removed from the FEMA floodplain before the Doolittle Drive adaptation project is completed by Caltrans, which is expected to take longer. This phase will be funded by the State Coastal Conservancy Prop 68 grant which is being considered concurrently as a separate City Council agenda item. To complete Phase 3 of the BFI Project, staff recommends authorizing the agreement amendment with SFEI for the scientific peer review work partially funded by Prop 68 grant
• Future Phases of the project include completing design and permitting and construction. These phases will require additional funding from grants and local sources. Staff will consider all options available, including assessments for residents who will be removed from the FEMA flood plain because of the project.
Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program
This project was included in a $55.5 million BRIC grant to FEMA in February 2024, which was led by the City, on behalf of OAAC, to complete the design and construction of the near-term BFI Project. In July 2024, the City received news that FEMA recommended the project for further review; however, in April 2025, FEMA discontinued the BRIC program including the BFI Project. On December 11, 2025, the District Court ruled that FEMA’s unilateral termination of the BRIC program was void and illegal. The order required FEMA to reinstate the program. FEMA ignored the order and the States filed a motion to enforce. In a March 6 court order, the judge gave FEMA two weeks to comply with his ruling and reinstate the program. On March 18, 2026, FEMA announced it would relaunch the canceled grant program that had helped states invest billions of dollars in projects that made local communities more resilient to floods, fires and other disasters. On March 25, 2026 a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was issued with modifications from the previous BRIC program. Alameda and OAAC staff are reviewing the NOFO and working with the State to determine whether applying to the new BRIC program is desired.
Shoreline Adaptation Plan:
Separately, the City is required to develop a Shoreline Adaptation Plan to fulfill Senate Bill (SB) 272 (Laird) requirements with approval by the San Francisco Bay Area Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) by 2034. The first phase of this effort was completed in 2025 with funding from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP).
A second phase of planning is needed to fulfill remaining SB272 requirements and receive BCDC approval. In December 2025, City Council accepted SB1 state grant funds to complete the Shoreline Adaptation Plan. The SB1 grant for $1,140,000 includes $855,853 for consultants, $128,064 for community partners and scientific advisor, $128,563 for City staff, $17,400 for EBRPD staff and $10,120 for materials. Scientific Advisor funds from this grant are included in the SFEI agreement amendment.
SFEI Amendment
SFEI was hired under the previous sea level rise adaptation grants through a competitive process. The SFEI amendment totals $44,200.
• $24,200 for SFEI is funded by the Ocean Protection Council SB1 grant to provide scientific review to support inclusion of nature-based adaptation strategies in the Shoreline Adaptation Plan.
• $20,000 for SFEI is funded by the Coastal Conservancy Prop 68 grant to provide scientific review to support design development for the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project.
ALTERNATIVES
City Council may consider a range of alternatives:
• Authorize the Agreement amendment.
• Authorize the Agreement amendment with revisions.
• Direct staff to pursue a different approach.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
For the Bay Farm Island Project, a separate City Council item requests accepting $2,640,000 in state grant funds from the State Coastal Conservancy and appropriating $200,000 in general funds for Capital Improvement Project Fund (C71100)
for the BFI Project and will fund a portion of the SFEI Amendment.
For the Adaptation Plan, the SB1 state grant provides $1,140,000 for this second phase of the planning effort to comply with SB 272 and BCDC’s guidelines, which the City Council appropriated in January 2025 and will fund the other portion of the SFEI Amendment.
The table below summarize the SFEI agreement history.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The proposed actions described in this report are consistent with CARP (2019), the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan (2022), the Alameda 2040 General Plan (2022) and the Strategic Plan Priority to Build Resiliency to Climate Change and Water Level Rise (2023). This action is subject to the Levine Act.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This phase of the project involves planning studies for further actions, which are yet to be approved, and is thus exempt from CEQA review under CEQA Guidelines section 15262 - Feasibility and Planning Studies. Further environmental review will be conducted for the individual resilience projects upon development of infrastructure design work.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Successful completion of the adaptation project will improve the community’s resiliency to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the Interim City Manager to execute a first amendment with San Francisco Estuary Institute for up to $44,200 for a total agreement amount not-to-exceed $79,140 to provide additional scientific peer review services related to sea level rise adaptation projects.
Respectfully submitted,
Allen Tai, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
By,
Danielle Mieler, Sustainability and Resilience Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Ross McCarthy, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. SFEI First Amendment
2. SFEI Agreement