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Alameda Point Historic District - Infill Development Design Guidelines. Public hearing to consider adopting Infill Development Design Guidelines for all new buildings within the NAS Alameda Historic District at Alameda Point. The City completed an Environmental Impact Report (State Clearinghouse No. 201312043) for the redevelopment of this area of Alameda Point in 2013, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These Design Guidelines are required by Mitigation Measure 4.D-1b of the Alameda EIR for application to new buildings within the NAS Alameda Historic District.
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To: Honorable Chairperson and Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Steven Buckley, Historical Advisory Board Secretary
BACKGROUND
On June 6, 2024 the Historical Advisory Board (HAB) held a public hearing to consider adopting infill development guidelines for the NAS Alameda Historical District. The staff report for that meeting can be accessed online at:
<https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6709899&GUID=14CCD66E-B240-4177-B55E-E3FB2725623B&Options=&Search=>
At that hearing the HAB heard a presentation from staff and received public comments before discussing the proposed draft infill development guidelines. The HAB provided direction to staff on revisions to be incorporated into the guidelines and brought back for HAB consideration. Staff has revised the guidelines based on the feedback from the HAB and public and is recommending adoption of the Guide to Infill Development the NAS Alameda Historic District (Exhibit 1). A copy showing the edits to the draft presented on June 6, 2024 has been included as Exhibit 2.
DISCUSSION
As discussed in the staff report for the June 6, 2024 HAB meeting, the impetus for creating infill guidelines stems from the Alameda Point Project EIR (“EIR”) (SCH No. 2013012043), certified by the City Council in February 2014. The EIR’s Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) requires the City adopt design guidelines to apply to all new development within the NAS Alameda Historic District (“Historic District”).
HAB Comments on June 6, 2024
Comments provided by HAB on June 6, 2024 focused on ensuring that infill development within the Historic District did not overpower the Historic District’s contributing historic resources, that new buildings related favorably to the Historic District’s contributing historic resources, and that the guide comprehensively provided infill developers with all of the proper resources to design the desired type of infill development.
In response staff has reworked the proposed document from being a collection of design guidelines based on the “Guide to Preserving the Character of the NAS Alameda Historic District” (“Guide”), to instead a resource that compiles all of the existing development regulations for the Historic District that is then supplemented by key design elements described in the Guide. Additionally, HAB members noted that the requirement for infill development in the Historic District’s Administrative Core comply with the Streamline Moderne architectural style described in the Citywide Design Review Manual was inappropriate, specifically because the Administrative Core was originally developed in the Federal Moderne architectural style. In response staff has removed reference to the Streamline Moderne style in the guidelines.
Existing Development Regulations at Alameda Point
Since the Alameda Point EIR’s certification in 2014, the City adopted instruments that regulate development at portions of Alameda Point and partially satisfy the MMRP, including:
• The Alameda Point Zoning District was created in 2014 to establish development regulations for all of Alameda Point, see Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 30-4.24. This zoning district is further divided into nine (9) different sub-districts. The NAS Alameda Historic District overlaps three (3) of these zoning sub-districts; Adaptive Reuse (AP-AR), Main Street Neighborhood (AP-MS), and Waterfront Town Center (AP-WTC). See Exhibit 3.
• Also in 2014, the City adopted the Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan (“WTC Precise Plan”), which provides policy regulations for the entire AP-WTC sub-district. The southern portion of the Historic District’s Hangars Area overlaps with the boundaries of the WTC Precise Plan. Section 5.D of the WTC Precise Plan established infill guidelines that includes portions of the Historic District’s Hangars Area, and thus met the requirement of the EIR’s MMRP for that specific portion of the Hangars Area.
• In 2017 the City adopted the Main Street Neighborhood Specific Plan (“MS Specific Plan”), which provides policy regulations for the entire AP-MS sub-district. The Historic District’s entire Residential Area is within the MS Specific Plan’s boundaries. Section 5.4 of the MS Specific Plan established policies for the Historic District’s Residential Area, which also included design guidelines. Therefore Section 5.4 of the MS Specific Plan meets the requirement of the EIR’s MMRP for the Historic District’s Residential Area.
AMC Section 30-24.b required the creation of both the WTC Precise Plan and MS Specific Plan. The majority of the AP-WTC and AP-MS sub-districts are located outside of the Historic District, and therefore it is where the majority of Alameda Point’s infill development will take place. Infill development outside of the Historic District would not create an adverse impact on Alameda Point’s cultural resources.
The AP-AR sub-district covers the remainder of the Historic District, including the entireties of the Administrative Core and Shops Area and portions of the Hangars Area. Since the Historic District is both on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and is a local monument, infill development is not anticipated to take place at the same intensity as in the AP-WTC and AP-MS sub-districts. For this reason AMC Section 30-24.b does not require any development plan specific to the AP-AR sub-district.
Within the AP-AR sub-district there are 34 contributing historic resources to the Historic District; 33 contributor buildings and the overall landscaping and layout of the original NAS Alameda base. Conversely, within the AP-AR sub-district there are 16 non-contributor buildings and five areas that are not considered intact and thus are not part of the historic resource that is the base’s overall landscaping and layout; these areas are referred to as non-contributing spaces. Per the NHRP nomination form for the Historic District these non-contributing buildings and spaces are not considered to be a part of the Historic District. Infill development within the AP-AR sub-district will take the form of new buildings either replacing these non-contributing buildings or located within the non-contributing spaces.
The Alameda Point Zoning District’s development regulations for the AP-AR sub-district anticipated infill development taking the form of individual buildings mixed between contributing buildings. The chief goal of these development regulations is to ensure that new buildings do not overpower contributing buildings. This goal is accomplished through regulations such as:
• Height restrictions that require all new buildings’ overall building height not exceed the building height of the nearest contributor building.
• Infill development shall maintain the building front setback of adjacent contributing buildings on the block or the adjacent blocks. Exceptions can be granted by the HAB through the Certificate of Approval process when a smaller setback supports a more pedestrian-oriented site plan.
The Alameda Point Zoning District also prohibits incompatible building types within the AP-AR subdistrict, mostly various forms of residential-only building types like single-family homes, courtyard housing, and row houses.
Conclusion
Staff has revised the infill guidelines to be a more comprehensive resource of the previously adopted ordinances and development plans that provide protections for the integrity of the Historic District, specifically AMC Section 30-4.24, the WTC Precise Plan, and the MS Specific Plan. The infill guidelines provide a summary list of prominent design elements described in the Guide.
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.
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 Guide to Infill Development Within the NAS Alameda Historic District per the draft resolution (Exhibit 4).
Respectfully Submitted,
Steven Buckley, Secretary to the Historical Advisory Board
By,
David Sablan, Planner II
Exhibits:
1. Draft Guide to Infill Development Within the NAS Alameda Historic District
2. REDLINE FORMAT - Draft Guide to Infill Development Within the NAS Alameda Historic District
3. NAS Alameda Historic District Sub-Area Boundaries and Alameda Point Zoning Sub-districts
4. Draft Resolution