Title
Planning Board Study Session Regarding Encinal Terminals Site Plan, Public Streets and Public Parks.
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Assistant Community Development Director
Re: Planning Board Study Session Regarding Encinal Terminals Site Plan, Public Streets and Public Parks.
background
On February 29, 2016, the City of Alameda received an application from North Waterfront Cove, LLC (the “applicant”) requesting review and approval of a draft Master Plan for the 23-acre Encinal Terminals site located at 1521 Buena Vista Avenue.
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. (The February 2016 draft Master Plan is available upon request and on the City of Alameda website at <https://alamedaca.gov/planning/major-planning-projects>)
The project, as currently proposed, would include:
• Up to 589 housing units, including stacked flats (approximately 89%) and townhomes (approximately 11%) and 79 affordable units;
• A commercial marina with up to 160 boat slips and a harbormaster’s office;
• Up to 50,000 square feet of commercial/office and restaurant uses, with a minimum of 30,000 square feet; and
• Approximately three acres of waterfront-related public open space and parks, including locations for launching kayaks and other small watercraft launches, provisions for future public water taxi/water shuttle or ferry terminal facilities, and public parking.
The project requires approval of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), Master Plan, and a Tidelands exchange.
On April 27, 2016, the City of Alameda released a Notice of Preparation (NOP) and Initial Study notifying the community and public agencies that the City of Alameda has determined that the proposal requires preparation of a Focused EIR pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
On May 23, 2016, the Planning Board held a public scoping session on the EIR and held an initial Planning Board study session to discuss building heights. At the hearing, the Board generally indicated that 25 stories would not be acceptable. Since the May 23rd meeting, the applicant’s team has been working on revising the site plan and building heights to address the comments received from the Board and the public. The applicant is currently considering the feasibility of a variety of building heights from three to 14 stories.
At this time, the applicant would like to review the most current site plan with the Planning Board (Exhibit 1), which shows the location and configuration of public streets, public parks, public waterfront areas, and building footprints. Based upon Planning Board and public comments, the applicant will make additional revisions to the site plan for review by the Board at a future meeting. At that time, the Planning Board will have the opportunity to continue the discussion of building heights, as well as other important planning issues such as affordable housing, residential parking, the amount and type of commercial development proposed, phasing of the project, and the Tidelands property exchange that is proposed for the project.
DISCUSSION
The quality of a large mixed use project site plan can often be evaluated by examining the design, organization, and quality of the public spaces. The public spaces include the public streets, bike paths, public parks, public promenades, and other public spaces and areas that are experienced and enjoyed by the general public on a day-to-day basis. The public spaces are the parts of the development that will benefit all residents of Alameda, not just the residents and business owners on the property.
The site plan shows that of 23 total acres of land at Encinal Terminals, approximately 14 acres (approximately 60% of the land) would be devoted to public parks, plazas, promenades, bike paths, and public streets. The following paragraphs describe the primary features of the public spaces as shown in Exhibit 1.
The Central Boulevard: The primary access to the site for automobiles, bicycles, and pedestrians would occur at the intersection of Entrance Road and Clement Avenue. The new street would be designed as an extension of Entrance Road into the site, but it would be designed as an attractive, landscaped boulevard that provides access to all of the major public and private areas within the Encinal Terminals site.
As shown in Exhibit 1, the road is designed with a 34-foot wide landscaped “parkway” down the middle, two travel lanes, two parking lanes, 4-foot planting strips and 5-foot sidewalks. Bicycles would share space with the cars in the two travel lanes. Exhibit 1 Sheet B1, B2, and B3 provide more detail regarding the specific design of the central boulevard and the north waterfront park.
Staff is still considering, and the Planning Board may wish to comment on, the benefits of:
• Widening sidewalks to seven feet.
• Adding 6-foot wide bicycle lanes.
• Reducing lane widths to 10 feet.
• Reducing the 34 foot “parkway” to accommodate the needed space for bike lanes and the additional sidewalk space without increasing the proposed 90-foot width of the public right-of-way.
North Waterfront Park: A public waterfront park is located at the terminus of the central boulevard. Visitors will be able to look north across to Coast Guard Island and the Oakland Hills, and a future water shuttle dock that will serve the site and the larger Northern Waterfront district. Views of the park, the Oakland Estuary, and Coast Guard Island would be visible to visitors to the site along the full length of the street from its beginning at Clement Avenue. Positioned to the east of Building E, the north waterfront park will benefit from the wind protection provided by Building E. During the summer months, west winds blowing in from the Golden Gate and down the Estuary can be very strong. The north waterfront park includes a small public parking lot adjacent to the existing public parking lot at Fortman Marina at the northeast corner of the site.
Staff is still considering:
• The adequacy of the automobile access to the small parking lot, which is currently proposed to be provided from the Fortman Marina parking area.
• The size of the public parking lot, which may be adequate for the park, but not for the adjacent water shuttle service.
• The distance to the water shuttle dock from the closest automobile drop off point.
The Waterfront Promenade Spine and Waterfront Plaza: A second public access point to the site is provided for bicycles, pedestrians, emergency vehicles, and slow moving vehicles immediately adjacent to the Alaska Basin. Inspired by the “shared plaza” street recently approved by the Planning Board between the Seaplane Lagoon and Building 11 at Alameda Point, the waterfront promenade spine is designed to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to proceed along the water’s edge, past buildings A, B, C, D, and E, terminating at a major public waterfront plaza located on the northwest corner of the site. Sheets P1, P2, P3, and P4 provide more detail regarding the specific design of the waterfront street and the associated public plazas. As shown in the drawings, automobiles are permitted along the street, but at no point along the street are automobiles closer than 40 feet from the water’s edge and in most cases the automobiles are at least 48 feet from the water’s edge to ensure a pleasant, safe and quiet waterfront experience for pedestrians. The secondary automobile access is required for emergency vehicles in the event of a major fire on the site. In total, the public waterfront promenade spine and the North Waterfront Plaza along the western edge of the property encompass approximately 4.8 acres.
The most important public place on the site is the northwest corner of the property, with its views of the San Francisco skyline, Oakland skyline, Oakland hills, Oakland/Alameda Estuary, and evening sunsets. The waterfront plaza is designed to take advantage of these views with a public gathering place that is approximately 60,000 square feet (1.4 acres) in size.
Within the Alaska Basin, the public promenade is bordered by the 160-space marina that includes docks for public use and personal watercraft launching.
Staff is still considering:
• Whether non-emergency vehicles should be permitted on the promenade. Limiting vehicle access may improve the pedestrian experience. On the other hand, allowing slow-moving vehicles to share the space may ensure a more vital commercial environment along the Alaska Basin frontage and provide some pedestrians with a sense of security during evening hours or times when there are fewer visitors on the promenade.
• The adequacy of the public parking for visitors who may need to drive to the site to enjoy the promenade or wish to unload a kayak or canoe in the hopes of using the public dock.
• Whether the marina is too large, which forces all the boats to cross onto Wind River submerged lands to access the Estuary.
The Commercial Town Square: Located between Buildings C and D, the commercial town square is designed as a 32,000 square foot (0.75 acre) public landscaped plaza that fronts onto the Alaska Basin and is bordered by commercial uses, including maritime businesses, marina offices, and other visitor-serving uses. The applicant believes that kayak rentals may be an appropriate use within this area.
Staff is still considering:
• The adequacy of the connections between the maritime commercial spaces, the water, and the adjacent roadway network. To be successful, the commercial marina and the associated maritime uses and other commercial uses, such as restaurants and other businesses will need parking and adequate paved space to move boats and equipment between the water and the business, and between the business and the roadways. For example, the zoning code requires approximately 80 parking spaces for a 160-berth marina.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and comment on the site plan drawings shown in Exhibit 1.
Respectfully submitted by,
Andrew Thomas, Assistant Community Development Director
Exhibit:
1. Site Plan and Sections.