Title
Review and Comment on the Historic District Principles and Infill Guidelines Section of the Draft Main Street Specific Plan at Alameda Point
Body
To: Honorable Chair and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse Director
Michelle Giles, Redevelopment Project Manager
Re: Review and Comment on the Historic District Principles and Infill Guidelines Section of the Draft Main Street Specific Plan at Alameda Point
BACKGROUND
Over the course of the last year, City staff and Urban Planning Partners (UPP), with funding from the Metropolitan Transportation commission (MTC), have been working on a Main Street Neighborhood (MSN) Plan for Alameda Point. Alameda Point is a designated Priority Development Area (PDA) in the Bay Area’s sustainable communities strategy (Plan Bay Area), which makes Alameda Point eligible for regional funds to plan and implement transit-oriented land use plans.
The draft MSN Plan (Exhibit 1) is a specific plan for development of the Main Street Neighborhood, which covers approximately 108 acres, comprising the community south of the Alameda Main Street Ferry terminal and north of the Town Center and waterfront land surrounding the historic Seaplane Lagoon. An approved Specific Plan is required before new development can occur in the Main Street Neighborhood Sub-district per the Alameda Point Zoning Ordinance (Alameda Municipal Code 30-4.24), which was approved by City Council on February 4, 2014 (MSN Plan Figure 0-1).
The MSN Plan provides an overall framework for the vision, guidelines and standards for development. The specific development objectives are determined by the City Council through the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process. The land in the Main Street Neighborhood is owned by the City and as such, the City Council has sole discretion to determine the timing and intensity of the development of the land.
The draft MSN Plan represents another major step in the public planning process that the Alameda community has undertaken to redevelop and reuse the former Alameda Naval Air Station, commonly referred to as Alameda Point. The planning and redevelopment process that pre-dates the release of the draft MSN Plan is summarized as follows:
o The adoption of the Alameda General Plan Alameda Point Element and a second EIR in 2003, which placed the Reuse Plan vision into the Alameda General Plan.
o The approval of the 2013 Alameda Point Vision Guide reconfirming the community's support for the vision and goals presented in the Community Reuse Plan and General Plan.
o The adoption of the Alameda Point Zoning Ordinance, Master Infrastructure Plan (MIP) and third EIR consistent with the Community Reuse Plan in 2014, which established the zoning and development regulations and the infrastructure improvement requirements necessary to support 5.5 million square feet of employment uses and 1,425 residential units, including the Main Street Neighborhood. These were adopted after receiving input from over 30 public hearings and community meetings.
o The adoption of the Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan in 2014, which creates a comprehensive program of strategies, measures, and transit services that support a transit-oriented development at Alameda Point; achieves the City of Alameda's General Plan goals to reduce automobile trips; and mitigates potential traffic impacts.
o The adoption of the Alameda Point Waterfront Town Center Plan (Town Center Plan), which established the form based development standards, height limits and pedestrian oriented development standards for the lands at the gateway and surrounding the Seaplane Lagoon at the heart of Alameda Point.
o Approval of the Development Plan and Disposition and Development Agreement with Alameda Point Partners for a 68-acre mixed use project at Alameda Point Site A.
The work on the MSN plan has been informed by:
• Interviews conducted by UPP with Stakeholders in June 2015, including:
- Alameda Architectural Preservation Society (AAPS)
- Alameda Point Collaborative (APC), Building Futures with Women and Children (BFWC), and Operation Dignity, referred to as the “Collaborating Partners”;
- Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WTA)
- Alameda Point Partners (APP)
- Bike Walk Alameda
- Existing Residents from Market Rate Housing
• Design workshops led by Mid-Pen, a highly qualified and successful Bay Area-based nonprofit affordable housing developer, and a team of architects with residents of the Alameda Point Collaborative on July 16, 2015 and August 20, 2015, which were each attended by over 125 residents.
• Individual interview and focus groups let by Mid-Pen from August - December 2015
• May 9, 2016 Planning Board Study Session on open space, street and building concepts.
• September 20, 2016 City Council meeting on the draft MSN Plan Phasing Chapter.
• October 24, 2016 - Planning Board Review of the draft Main Street Plan
• November 1, 2016 - City Council review and comment on Draft MSN Plan;
• November 10, 2016 - Recreation and Park Commission review and comment; and
• November 16, 2016 - Transportation Commission review and comment.
The MSN Plan is designed to ensure that future development projects in the area are consistent with the community’s vision in terms of building and street placement and design, building height, massing and scale, and building use. After the MSN Plan is approved, the Planning Board, and City Council will retain discretion over proposed development site plans, individual building designs, conditionally permitted uses, public improvement plans for streets, pedestrian areas, parking areas, parks and open spaces and other site-specific issues.
Staff is requesting that the Historic Advisory Board to provide comments on Section 5.5 Historic District Principles and Infill Guidelines.
DISCUSSION
The MSN Plan will implement the Reuse Plan, the Zoning Amendment vision, and the General Plan policies for a residential mixed-use, transit, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood at Alameda Point. The MSN Plan will implement this vision through the adoption of 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 existing plan and policies for Alameda Point and comparable to the already approved Waterfront and Town Center Plan.
The primary goal of redevelopment within the MSN Plan area is twofold:
1) To create a mixed-use and mixed income primarily residential neighborhood with an emphasis on small-scale neighborhood-serving uses, compatible specialty manufacturing and light industrial uses, urban agriculture, open space, varied housing, and community services that complement and support the sub-district and Alameda Point as a whole;
2) To ensure the existing supportive housing accommodations are rebuilt and well-integrated within the Plan Area and future development for the Collaborating Partners.
NAS Alameda Historic District Infill Guidelines
The MSN Plan (p. 5.21 - 5.25) ensures that new infill development and building placement is consistent with the character-defining features of the Historic District and the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, specifically in regards to siting, historic materials, features, scale, massing, proportion and landscaping. Approximately 20 percent (23 acres) of the Plan Area lies within the NAS Alameda Historic District, as shown in Exhibit 2 - Historic Properties Map.
In the MSN Plan, one of the key guidelines is that new development within the Historic District’s residential area will be limited to the replacement of the five existing non-historic buildings within the beehive portion of the Historic District and potentially replace a small number of NCO Quarters at the east end of Corpus Christie Road. The guidelines do not facilitate new construction in and around the historic structures, except for where there is a missing element in the historic fabric.
Examples of guidelines included in the Plan related to siting, scale, massing, and form, architectural style, entrances and fenestration and landscaping include:
• Matching the predominant front and side yard setbacks that exist within the historic neighborhood
• Maintaining the open lawn and park-like character of the beehive neighborhood with more sustainable options in lieu of lawn
• Compatibility with architectural influences that are already found in the neighborhood
• New buildings within the Historic District should be no more than two stories
• Set the heights of the foundation, floor levels, eaves, and upper roofline on a new building to be similar to the heights of those features on neighboring houses
• Historical design style buildings should have precedents in the neighborhood
• Doors and porches should relate directly to the public realm and support the historic character
• Traditional patterns of window and door opening should remain important influences
• Maintain existing mature landscaping
Conclusion and Next Steps
At this time, staff believes that the MSN Plan will meet the Alameda community’s need for a specific plan for the Main Street Neighborhood. Staff is requesting that the Historic Advisory Board review the draft Plan and provide any comments that will then be transmitted to the City Council with the Planning Board’s recommended changes or amendments to the Plan. If the Historical Advisory Board believes that significant changes are needed, staff will bring those changes back to the Planning Board for further review before scheduling the Plan for City Council review.
The Draft MSN Plan does not represent the last step in the planning process. The Planning Board and the City Council still will review the site-specific development plans and design review applications to ensure that the final details and designs reflect community expectation. The MSN Plan will ensure that those submittals are consistent with the community vision in terms of land use, building heights, street configuration and integration with the Historic District. Future planning applications in the Historic District may be required to see approval of a Certificate of Approval from the Historic Advisory Board.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On February 4, 2014, the City Council certified a Final Environmental Impact Report (State Clearinghouse No. 2013012043) for the Alameda Point project (including the Main Street Neighborhood), in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
RECOMMENDATION
Review and Comment on the Historic District Principles and Infill Guidelines Section of the Draft Main Street Specific Plan at Alameda Point
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Ott
Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Director
By,
Michelle Giles,
Redevelopment Project Manager
Exhibit:
1. Main Street Neighborhood Specific Plan
2. Historic Properties Map