Title
Public Hearing on Alameda Point - A Discussion of Planning and preservation issues at Alameda Point. No final action will be taken.
Body
DATE: October 3, 2013
TO: HONORABLE CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE HISTORICAL ADVISORY BOARD
FROM: Andrew Thomas
City Planner
Jennifer Ott
Chief Operating Officer - Alameda Point
SUBJECT: Provide Comments on Alameda Point Planning Documents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
On September 5, 2013, staff provided the Historical Advisory Board (HAB) with an overview of the work being done by the City to prepare Alameda Point for redevelopment. At the meeting, the Board requested that a number of documents be provided and that the item be scheduled for further discussion at the October Board meeting. On September 9, 2013, staff transmitted the additional materials to the Board members.
This report provides a description of the work currently underway concludes with a list of the most important issues that will confront the preservation community as the City works to realize the community's vision for the reuse and redevelopment of the former Naval Air Station (NAS Alameda) and the NAS Alameda Historic District. Staff will be available on October 3, 2013, to answer questions and record any direction or requests that the HAB may have on any of the documents described below. Any direction and/or recommendations from the Board will be transmitted by staff to the Planning Board and City Council to help inform the ongoing effort to improve these documents.
BACKGROUND
Alameda Point is approximately 878 acres of uplands and 1,229 acres of submerged lands (total of 2,107 acres) of the former (NAS Alameda) located west of Main Street at the northwestern end of Alameda. The United States Navy (Navy) transferred approximately 1,379 acres of the Alameda Point property to the City of Alameda on June 4, 2013, which included 509 acres of land and 870 acres of submerged property. Over the last months, staff and the community have been working on a number of planning documents in support of the redevelopment of Alameda Point. All draft planning documents are on the City's website at: <http://alamedaca.gov/alameda-point/current-draft-documents>.
They include:
1. Map of Phase 1 Conveyance of Alameda Point
2. Alameda Point Conceptual Planning Guide
3. Draft Zoning Ordinance Amendment for Alameda Point
4. Draft Map of Alameda Point Zoning Sub-Districts
5. Map of Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan Boundaries
6. Draft Conceptual Framework Options for Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan
7. Draft Master Infrastructure Plan for Alameda Point
Copies of the documents were provided to the HAB under separate cover. Additional copies are available upon request.
Now that the City owns significant portions of Alameda Point, the City is focused on facilitating near-term construction at Alameda Point, which has the potential of generating thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in tax revenue and over a thousand housing units. The civilian reuse of Alameda Point will result in important economic, environmental, social and health benefits to the City and region. In the interest of commencing near-term development at Alameda Point, is preparing for City Council consideration, in early 2014, a comprehensive zoning ordinance amendment (Zoning Amendment) and associated General Plan Amendments, a Master Infrastructure Plan (MIP), a Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan (Town Center Plan), and an environmental impact report (EIR) for Alameda Point (collectively, Planning Approvals). The Planning Approvals will be consistent with the 1996 NAS Alameda Community Reuse Plan (Reuse Plan) in compliance with the City's no-cost conveyance agreement with the Navy.
The Planning Approvals are designed to accommodate a mix of land uses, including approximately 5.5 million square feet of employment uses in existing and newly constructed buildings, 1,425 residential units, including 267 existing single family and multifamily housing units, and over 250 acres of parks and open space. The new housing units will be distributed within existing vacant and newly constructed multi-family and single-family buildings. The 200 existing supportive housing units at Alameda Point are planned for reconstruction on-site, and approximately 25 percent of the newly constructed residential units will be made available for lower income households. While it is anticipated that Alameda Point will be developed in phases over the next 20 to 30 years, the pace of redevelopment will depend on economic conditions, completion of the Navy's remaining environmental remediation activities, property conveyance, and other factors.
On July 13, 2013, the City Council endorsed a conceptual Planning Guide (Guide [Exhibit 2]) that presents the planning principles and vision for Alameda Point and will help guide the process of preparing and evaluating the Planning Approvals. The Guide integrates a broad vision statement with an explanation and depiction of the master planning approach and concepts for Alameda Point and detailed descriptions of each of the major sub-areas. The vision statement, master planning concepts, and sub-area descriptions were based substantially on the 17 years of previous planning documents and efforts, including the 1996 Reuse Plan, 2003 General Plan Amendment, 2006 Preliminary Development Concept, 2008 Calthorpe Plan, and 2010 Going Forward Community Workshops. The street and open space networks and sub-area delineations and character remained generally consistent throughout these community planning processes. The community and boards and commissions are encouraged to review the Planning Approvals in relation to the vision and master planning approach contained in the Guide.
DISCUSSION
The following provides an overview of each of the draft Planning Approvals and an outline of some of the key historic preservation considerations:
A. Zoning Ordinance and General Plan Amendments
1. Zoning Ordinance Amendment
Currently, Alameda Point is zoned M-2/G (General Industry/Government Overlay) to reflect the Navy's prior industrial uses at Alameda Point. Reuse and development of Alameda Point as a mixed-use, transit-oriented community requires that the City amend the zoning for the property in a manner that implements the Reuse Plan and General Plan.
The Zoning Amendment will establish the development standards and options for various sub-districts within Alameda Point. The draft Zoning Amendment proposes seven sub-districts, each designed to address the variety of new uses and improvements envisioned for Alameda Point. A map of the Alameda Point zoning sub-districts is provided online [Exhibit 4]. Although each sub-district permits or conditionally permits a variety of uses, each sub-district also emphasizes predominant land uses to address different needs and/or development constraints, such as the need for a retail center or major transit corridor, or the presence of Pubic Trust lands or the NAS Alameda Historic District.
The proposed Zoning Amendment provides a foundation for more detailed planning efforts for certain sub-districts. For example, the "Town Center" and the "Main Street Neighborhood" sub-districts require additional, detailed development standards. Staff believes that these areas in particular should be guided by detailed form-based design and development standards (e.g., master plans or precise plans) with more detailed standards and requirements to ensure that that the ultimate development of these areas reflects the transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly, environmentally sustainable, mixed-use vision described in the Reuse Plan and General Plan.
While the immediate opportunities within the "Adaptive Reuse" sub-district, due to the NAS Alameda Historic District, will be substantially limited to adaptive reuse opportunities for new business, the "Enterprise" sub-district will focus on new job-generating development opportunities that become available similar to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) 2nd Campus process.
In sum, the draft Zoning Amendment (Article 30-4.23) achieves the following objectives:
· Creates an Alameda Point Zoning District.
· Establishes a number of sub-districts within the Alameda Point District, each with its own regulations and standards.
· Establishes a table of permitted building types for each sub-district.
· Establishes development standards for each sub-district.
· Establishes a table of permitted and conditionally permitted uses for each sub- district.
· Requires preparation of a master plan, specific plan or precise plan for the Town Center area (currently underway - see below) and the Main Street Neighborhood area.
2. General Plan Amendments
As with all comprehensive planning efforts and zoning ordinance amendments, the City often finds amendments to the General Plan are necessary to maintain consistency between the Zoning Ordinance and the General Plan. In general, staff anticipates that General Plan amendments will be necessary to: (1) increase the employment projections for Alameda Point from 2.3 million square feet to 5.5 million square feet, and (2) reduce the number of units from 1,928 to 1,425.
B. Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan
The Reuse Plan, the City's General Plan, and the Guide envision a town center at the heart of Alameda Point with a range of uses, including recreational and visitor-serving uses, retail/commercial space, and multi-family residential housing, within close proximity to transit and within a convenient walk to the waterfront. Maritime commercial uses would be located within the public trust lands.
The purpose of the Town Center Plan is to adopt form-based, transit supportive standards and regulations for the arrangement of public and private streets, public open space and parks, infrastructure, and associated private development consistent with the City's goals and expectations for a transit-oriented, waterfront, visitor serving mixed-use community. The Town Center Plan will also address the phasing of development within the Town Center and Waterfront Area, and must allow for interim uses, changes of uses in existing buildings, and integration of near-term projects with long-term goals.
The City was awarded a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to prepare a precise plan for the 125-acre Town Center and Waterfront Area within Alameda Point. The City retained Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), an urban design consultant, to help prepare the Town Center Plan.
SOM has prepared a draft Conceptual Framework Options document for the Town Center Plan, which outlines:
· A network of public streets and open space, building footprints, and conceptual massing;
· An overall vision of the predominant land uses, and "look and feel" of the built environment for smaller sub-areas within the study boundaries;
· A presentation on key planning issues, such as the design of the core of the Town Center; building height and massing throughout the study area; the particular massing of the building form in front of the historic Seaplane Hangars; and an introduction of the concept of signature buildings; and
· Initial phasing strategies.
Upon further feedback from boards and commissions and the community, SOM will prepare a draft Town Center Plan for further public review.
C. Master Infrastructure Plan
The draft MIP presents a plan for new backbone infrastructure systems at Alameda Point, including new streets, transit improvements, flood and sea-level rise protection, shoreline stabilization, geotechnical mitigations, and wet and dry utilities. The replacement of aging infrastructure with new infrastructure systems is one of the single most important requirements for supporting new development at Alameda Point. The MIP will guide infrastructure development at Alameda Point over the next 20 to 30 years and is intended to be flexible and responsive to different disposition and development scenarios.
The majority of the existing infrastructure within Alameda Point was installed by the Navy over 70 years ago, and is beyond its service life. The Navy installed, maintained and improved the existing infrastructure on an as-needed basis. The active existing utility systems include wastewater, stormwater, potable water, electrical, natural gas and telecommunications. Many of the existing utility pipelines and associated facilities are located outside of the existing streets, within future development areas. The existing infrastructure is currently operable and services the tenants at Alameda Point. However, it is deteriorated and generally unreliable. Additionally, the existing infrastructure does not meet current codes or standards. The existing infrastructure cannot support the redevelopment of Alameda Point without replacement or rehabilitation for the following reasons:
· The existing stormwater system allows high tide waters to enter the system and flood low lying areas within Alameda Point.
· The sanitary sewer system allows infiltration and inflow into the downstream transmission system during wet weather conditions.
· The water system has been subject to breaks, repairs are costly, and existing tenants are sometimes without water service for up to several days until repairs can be completed.
· The telecommunications systems are unreliable and existing tenants have experienced disruptions in service for multiple days.
· The natural gas system does not provide service to portions of the site.
· The sidewalks range from good to poor condition throughout the site and many locations require replacement and do not meet accessibility standards.
The draft MIP establishes the requirements and standards for the infrastructure to support the redevelopment and reuse of Alameda Point.
The draft MIP describes the required replacement and/or rehabilitation of existing utility systems, streets and open spaces at Alameda Point. The draft MIP includes information regarding the stormwater, wastewater, potable water, recycled water, electrical, natural gas and telecommunication utility systems. Additionally, the draft MIP describes a "complete streets" internal transportation network to support a variety of modes of transportation and transit improvements. The draft MIP also outlines the required corrective geotechnical and flood protection improvements for Alameda Point. Corrective geotechnical measures are necessary to provide seismic stability of Alameda Point's shorelines and underlying soils. Flood protection improvements including site grading, perimeter improvements and establishing future adaptive measures are necessary to protect the site from the current 100-year tidal event and provide long-term protection for sea-level rise due to climate change.
For purposes of infrastructure planning, the MIP defines Alameda Point as two main areas: Development Areas and Reuse Areas. The infrastructure needs and requirements for each of these areas are unique, and as a result, the MIP describes the planned backbone infrastructure specific to each of the areas (see Figure 3 in the draft MIP).
The Development Areas are those areas within Alameda Point that are anticipated to consist of primarily new construction. Most of the existing structures, streets and utilities within these areas would be demolished. New infrastructure would be installed to support the proposed uses within the Development Areas. It is anticipated that development within the Development Areas would occur in cohesive areas and would be implemented in orderly phases.
The Reuse Areas include areas that overlap with the NAS Alameda Historic District, and include buildings and streetscapes that are intended to be generally preserved and adaptively reused. The preservation of many of the historic buildings, landscapes and streetscapes require specific infrastructure considerations and requirements. It is anticipated that development within Reuse Areas would be incremental and determined by market demand for existing buildings and highest priority maintenance and repair needs.
D. Environmental Impact Report
In June 2012, the City Council directed staff to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) required for action on future planning approvals for development at Alameda Point, including the Planning Approvals. The Notice of Preparation of an EIR for the Alameda Point project was issued on January 10, 2013, and two public hearings were held before the Planning Board in January and February, to provide an opportunity for the public to submit comments on the scope of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR).
The DEIR was released for public review in early September, and informs the community and City decision-makers about the potential environmental impacts of the reuse and development of Alameda Point consistent with the proposed Planning Approvals. City staff and its EIR consultant, Environmental Science Associates (ESA), prepared a comprehensive evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of all aspects of the project and project alternatives. Specifically, the DEIR addresses:
1. Transportation/Traffic
2. Aesthetics
3. Air Quality
4. Biological Resources
5. Cultural Resources
6. Geology, Soils, and Seismicity
7. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
8. Hazardous Materials
9. Hydrology and Water Quality
10. Land Use Planning
11. Recreation
12. Noise
13. Population, Employment, and Housing
14. Public Services
15. Utilities and Service Systems
16. Alternatives to the Project, including a No-Project Alternative
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on September 9, and the Planning Board and City Council will hold a joint public hearing on September 25, to provide an opportunity for comments on the DEIR. In addition, there is a 45-day review period when written comments may be submitted on the DEIR. Staff will then prepare a Final EIR that the City Council must certify before it takes any final action on the Planning Approvals. The DEIR will be on the City's website by September 4, 2013.
Historic Preservation Considerations
The following outlines some of the key historic preservation issues presented by the draft Planning Approvals:
· Redevelopment and replacement of infrastructure, and improvements to address sea level rise and other health and safety issues, will require significant changes to contributing features of the NAS Alameda Historic District, such as sea-wall improvements to the Seaplane Lagoon and estuary edge, and possible changes to the configuration of the streets and landscaping within the NAS Alameda Historic District.
· Certain contributing buildings may not be economically feasible to rehabilitate and reuse, especially considering the cost of installing new infrastructure. As a result, some buildings may not be viable to rehabilitate and reuse.
· Reuse and redevelopment of the Seaplane Lagoon with a marina, ferry terminal and possibly a natural western edge, and of the taxiways directly north of the Seaplane Lagoon with new streets, a waterfront promenade, and buildings will significantly change the existing character of the Seaplane taxiway, and lagoon, which are contributing features to the district.
· New guidelines for in-fill development within the NAS Alameda Historic District will be prepared before new in-fill development can occur and are being prepared for the Town Center and Waterfront Area as part of the Town Center Plan. These guidelines will help the City make decisions about new development in the NAS Alameda Historic District.
· The HAB will be an essential board in the Alameda Point development process. All future guidelines and all modifications and development within the NAS Historic District will require HAB review.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The HAB's review and comments on the draft Planning Approvals requires no environmental review at this time.
RECOMMENDATION
Provide comments on Alameda Point Planning Approvals.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas
City Planner
Jennifer Ott
Chief Operating Officer - Alameda Point