Title
Planning Board Study Session: Encinal Terminals Master Plan Sub Area Land Uses and Building Heights.
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Assistant Community Development Director
background
Encinal Terminals is one of the most interesting and exciting development opportunity sites in the City of Alameda. Over the years, the Alameda community and interested neighbors have spent a great deal of time discussing a vision for what Encinal Terminals could become. In 2008, the City Council amended the General Plan to include approximately 25 policy statements that describe the community’s vision for the property. Exhibit 1 includes the policies from the Alameda General Plan.
The General Plan policies describe the vision for the site, but they do not provide a specific plan for the site. The General Plan and Zoning for the property require preparation of a Master Plan to create the specific development standards and requirements for the site. North Waterfront Cove LLC, property owner and developer for the property (“the applicant”) has submitted a draft Master Plan for the site, which is generally consistent with the General Plan policies, but challenges the Alameda community to re-evaluate its assumption and its policies regarding building height and open space. The Master Plan is included as Exhibit 2.
At the June 22, 2016 Planning Board workshop, North Waterfront LLC would like the Planning Board and Alameda community to re-examine two specific policies in the General Plan:
To ensure design compatibility with adjacent developments and neighborhoods; limit new building heights to 60 feet. - General Plan Encinal Terminal Policy
Given that Encinal Terminals is surrounded by water on three sites, taller buildings should be located at the southern end of the site. - General Plan Encinal Terminal Policy
The height limits in the draft Master Plan range from 250 feet in height (approximately 22 stories) to 40 feet. The draft Master Plan permits the tallest buildings at the northern end of the property.
DISCUSSION
The draft Master Plan is currently under review by the City. It proposes construction of a new mixed use waterfront community on both land and water with up to 589 housing units condominiums, townhomes, lofts, stacked flats, live-work units, and high-rise view residences, a marina with up to 160 boat slips and a harbormaster’s office, between 30,000 and 50,000 square feet of commercial/office and restaurant uses, and over three acres of waterfront-related public open space and parks. Three existing wooden wharves and two concrete wharves on the site would be improved as part of development of the proposed waterfront open space, through a combination of demolition, rehabilitation, modification, and/or retrofit activities. Proposed improvements include establishing locations for launching kayaks and other small watercraft launches, provisions for future public water taxi/water shuttle or ferry terminal facilities, a new internal roadway system and utility infrastructure, and parking throughout the site.
Illustrative Drawing: Exhibit 1 includes the illustrative drawing from the Master Plan that is included to help visualize the completed development. (Exhibit 1, Illustrative Drawing). The drawing provides a useful starting point for a discussion on how best to plan for the site and include a mix of uses, including housing, non-residential, maritime, and open space.
Sub-Areas: Exhibit 1 also includes the draft Master Plan sub-area map, which can be used for planning purposes. The Master Plan divides the site into separate subareas (sub area A through M). Each subarea has a prescribed list of permitted and conditionally permitted uses, a height limit and setback requirements. The draft Master Plan establishes the following subareas:
Sub Area A: Waterfront Promenade: Permitted Uses: open space, commercial recreational, maritime, etc. Maximum Building Height: 40 feet
Sub Area B: Clement Frontage: Permitted Uses: entertainment, restaurants, stores, warehousing, etc. Maximum Building Height: 55 feet
Sub Areas C, D G and J: Public Roadways
Sub Areas E, F, H, I and M: Residential Pads: Permitted Uses: Multiple family residential, retail, hotel, office, recreation, etc. Maximum Building Height: 90 feet
Sub Area K: Northwest Corner Residential Pad: Permitted Uses: Multiple family residential, retail, hotel, office, recreation, etc. Maximum Building Height: 250 feet
Sub Area L: Public Open Space
Sub Areas N and O: Submerged Land: Permitted Uses: open space, recreational, maritime, etc. Maximum Building Height: 40 feet
To inform the public discussion and Planning Board direction regarding building height, staff recommends that the Planning Board consider the following assumptions and recommendations to frame the discussion:
Assumptions.
Housing: Although the total number of units needed to cover the improvement costs and support the development may continue to be open to public discussion and consideration, staff recommends that the Planning Board use the 589 units as a “working assumption” for the purposes of the June 22, 2016 Study Session. At later public meetings, the Planning Board will have an opportunity to discuss whether the total number of units should be higher or lower than 589. Staff is proceeding with the assumption that multifamily housing with ground floor commercial uses is preferable to single family housing on the Encinal Terminals site. The site is zoned for multifamily housing, multifamily housing is more affordable than single-family housing, and multifamily buildings allow for more publically accessible open space.
Open Space: Staff is proceeding with the following assumptions
ü All open space on the property and adjacent to the water will be accessible to all Alameda residents and visitors to the site. The open spaces will serve a “public open spaces”.
ü All open space will be constructed and maintained by the project occupants through assessments on the property. The City of Alameda Recreation and Parks Department and the General Fund will not be responsible for any cost to construct the parks nor maintain the parks.
ü The Alameda community is in support of public park land on the Encinal Terminals site. Plans for the site that include more parks and bigger parks are better than plans with less parks and smaller parks.
ü Any plan for the Encinal Terminal site that is approved by the Planning Board, City Council, and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) will maximum feasible public access to the water and include a perimeter public promenade.
Mixed Use: The General Plan and Zoning for the site requires a mix of use on the site. Staff is proceeding with the assumption that the site should provide for a mix of: residential use, maritime use, commercial or office, retail, and public open space.
Wind Direction and Views: The prevailing wind direction at the site is from the west. In the summer months, the westerly wind blowing in from the Golden Gate and down the Estuary can be strong. The Alaska Basin provides a protected access point for small boat and kayak launching. Parks facing the west will be windy, but they will have excellent views to the west. Parks behind buildings will be less windy, but they will be shaded by those buildings in the late afternoon/sunset hours. Views from the site are excellent. Views to the west feature the San Francisco and Oakland skylines, the Wind River campus, and the Estuary. Views to the north feature the Estuary and the future Brooklyn Basin project in Oakland with its planned 20 to 25 story buildings. Views to the east feature the Fortman and Grand Marinas. To the south, the primary view is of the future Clement Avenue extension and the Del Monte Building.
Preliminary Recommendations Re: Site Planning and Building Heights
To help inform the Planning Board discussion about how best to direct and shape the Plan for Encinal Terminals, staff submits the following preliminary recommendations: (Exhibit 1 includes a modified version of the Illustrative Plan prepared by staff to illustrate the following recommendations).
Residential Development: To maximize opportunities for public open space, parks, maritime uses, and other commercial uses, consolidate residential development along the eastern edge of the property adjacent to the Fortman Marina and Clement Avenue in multifamily buildings between 50 and 80 feet in height. The staff illustrative plan in Exhibit 1 shows the residential blocks as “R-MF”. 580 units can be accommodated in those four blocks without exceeding 80 feet in height. Only one block would need to exceed 60 feet. Exhibit 1 includes examples of multifamily buildings between 50 and 78 feet in height that were recently approved for Alameda Point site A. Exhibit 1 also includes an example of a 20 story building on Lake Merritt. If the Planning Board permitted a 20 story building, even more land could be preserved for open space and non-residential use than is shown on the staff illustrative diagram. The staff diagram assumes that no building would be taller than 78 feet and the General Plan policy might be amended as follows:
To ensure design compatibility with adjacent developments and neighborhoods; limit new building heights to 60 80 feet.
Given that Encinal Terminals is surrounded by water on three sites, Taller buildings should be located to minimize shade impacts on public open spaces to the extent practicable. at the southern end of the site.
Open Space: Preserve approximately 7 acres for public open space, recreational uses, a water shuttle/ferry landing, and a public kayak launch on the western and northwestern portions of the site. The best views of San Francisco and the best access to the water are along the west and northwest portions of the site. (The eastern edge is occupied by the Fortman Marina and its associated facilities, berths and parking areas.) The waterfront park shown in the staff illustrative diagram is approximately 4 acres in size. Little John Park is approximately 3.8 acres in size.
Maritime and other Commercial Uses: The General Plan and Zoning require that that the Master Plan or the site provide a mix of uses. The staff illustrative drawing shows approximately 3-4 acres of land along the Alaska Basin (shown as “Maritime Work” on the drawing) for non-residential employment uses, such as maritime, light industry, “maker” uses, and public parking. Provide public parking and small boat launching facilities in this area.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Encinal Terminals Master Plan is a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). On April 27, 2016, the City of Alameda released a Notice of Preparation (NOP) and Initial Study notifying the public and other public agencies that the City of Alameda has determined that the proposed Encinal Terminals Master Plan requires preparation of a Focused Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). On May 23, 2016, the City Planning Board held a public hearing on the scope of the EIR. Work is currently underway on the draft EIR.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public Planning Board study session to discuss the Encinal Master Plan sub-area uses and heights.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:
ANDREW THOMAS
Assistant Community Development Director
Exhibits:
1. General Plan Policies
2. Draft Master Plan