Title
1100-1250 Marina Village Parkway Public Hearing to Review and Comment on the Shipways Residential Project Draft Environmental Impact Report and Project Design - Applicant: The Cavallari Group, Inc.
A public hearing to review and comment on the adequacy the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and project design for the Shipways Residential Project application. The Shipways Residential Project Draft EIR (State Clearinghouse No. 2017042021) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with the approval and construction of the proposal, and this public hearing is being conducted pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Body
To: Honorable Chair and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Linda Barrera
Planner II
BACKGROUND
Project Description: On March 15, 2017, the Cavallari Group, Inc. submitted an application to the City for a Development Plan and Design Review for the Shipways Residential Project at 1100-1250 Marina Village Parkway.
The applicant/property owner is proposing to construct a multi-family housing project with four separate structures of four to six stories, containing a total of 329 residential units including 54 deed-restricted affordable housing units and 515 parking stalls. The project also includes a 2.5-acre public waterfront park, including a dual purpose dock for ferry shuttle service and public kayak launch, showers, bathrooms, waterfront amenities and an extension of the Bay Trail. The project plans are included as Exhibit 1.
On April 4, 2017, the City of Alameda released a Notice of Preparation (NOP) notifying the public and governmental agencies that the City of Alameda has determined that the proposal requires preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
On April 4, 2018, the City published the Draft EIR that examines the environmental impacts of the proposed residential development. The Draft EIR is included as Exhibit 2.
The purpose of the May 3, 2018 public hearing is to provide an opportunity for the Historical Advisory Board and public to:
• Review and comment on the Draft EIR, with a focus on the Historical Resources evaluation and recommended mitigation measures (Chapter 4.E of the Draft EIR), and
• Review and comment on the design of the residential project and waterfront park, with a focus on design strategies that might represent and reflect the unique history of the site.
ANALYSIS
Site Zoning: The Shipways site is located within the Marina Village Master Plan planning area. On October 2, 1984, the Marina Village Master Plan was approved by the City Council for the entire 206-acre Marina Village site. The Master Plan defines the basic development concept and permitted land uses for the 206-acre Marina Village planning area. Since 1984, the majority of Marina Village has been developed as planned with the exception of the present-day Shipways site.
The 1984 Master Plan identified the shipways site for residential use. There have been several efforts over the last 20 years to develop the site for both residential and office uses. These efforts have included a variety of different residential proposals and an office building proposal. All of the prior efforts failed due to a combination of factors that included: 1) local and regional market conditions, 2) the difficult and expensive geotechnical conditions on the property that must be overcome to develop the property, and 3) the restrictions imposed by the City of Alameda’s 1972 limitations on multifamily housing, Measure A.
In 2012, the City Council adopted the 2007-2014 City of Alameda General Plan Housing Element and designated approximately ten sites in Alameda, including the Shipways site, as multifamily residential development opportunity sites. This action brought the City’s General Plan and Alameda Municipal Code into compliance with State Housing law, accommodated the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), and achieved Housing Element certification. As a designated Housing Element opportunity site that is zoned for multifamily housing, the City’s ability to reduce the residential density of the project or deny a residential project on the site is limited by State Law. Exhibit 3 is a recent City Attorney’s Memorandum to the City Council outlining these limitations.
Historical Resource Conditions: Upon receipt of the application in 2017, the City reviewed its historic resource inventory (Historical Building Study List) to evaluate if the project site or the existing structures on the site had been determined to be historical resources or had been added to the City’s Study List.
This review found that Marina Village was formally a regional shipyard that played a major role in the Second World War. In 1903, United Engineering Co. of San Francisco purchased and improved the property and built up an extensive business in repairing and dry docking steam schooners and other ships. In 1916, the yard was purchased by Union Iron Works, a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, which manufactured mining machinery, locomotives, and ships. In 1917, in response to the World War, Bethlehem Steel setup the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, and undertook a major expansion of their Alameda shipbuilding facilities, known as Alameda Works.
The Alameda Works was considered one of the largest and best equipped yards in the country. Their original complex spread over seventy acres and included the shipways, marine buildings for warehousing and construction of small parts, the power house, an employee cafeteria, several office buildings, employee hospital, and a turbine machine shop. After 1923, the Alameda Works ceased making ships but continued its dry docking and ship repair operations. At the beginning of World War II, the Alameda Works reestablished as the Bethlehem Alameda Shipyard, Inc. and was modernized and expanded. In March 1942, the Maritime Commission requested that Bethlehem build and operate a new yard to construct ten large troop transports and the shipyard was reconditioned to handle this massive project of clearing the old buildings, and the aged facilities were redesigned and reconstructed and resumed operation in December 1942 with work continuing through 1943. During that period, the existing shipway structures on the site were constructed, as part of the Bethlehem Alameda Shipyard.
The existing structures on the site are the remains of the 1942 Bethlehem Alameda Shipyard, which included four “shipways”, arranged in two pairs. Around the ends and sides of each pair were large preassembly and welding parks. Each pair of ways was served by three crane tracks, one in the center and one on each side, making six crane ways to serve four building ways. The ways were built of reinforced concrete. On the landside, offices, store rooms, locker rooms, lavatories, and specialty shops were constructed under each way.
The 2017 staff review also found that in 1984, despite the apparent historical relevance of the site, the City approved demolition of all the former boatyard facilities in the area to allow for the redevelopment of the property into what is now known as “Marina Village” office park, retail center, and residential neighborhood.
Finally, the review found that in 1990, the City completed an EIR for an office building proposal on the Shipways site, and found that since all other evidence of the shipyard had been lost as the result of the Marina Village development, the remaining remnant of the former shipyards was no longer considered historically significant.
Despite these prior findings, the current City staff and the applicant’s team decided that a re-evaluation of the site was warranted. The resulting study by Carey & Co, Inc. (Exhibit 4) determined that the Shipways is in fact a historical resource due to its association with wartime efforts at a national level and the development of steel ship building and repair at the local level. It was also determined that the shipways retains sufficient integrity to communicate its significance.
Based upon this finding, the City has determined that even though the property is not a designated monument and is not on the Study List:
• The site and its “shipway” structures are a historical resource under CEQA.
• Demolition of the existing shipways to construct new buildings on the site is a significant unavoidable impact to the environment under CEQA.
• Mitigation measures must be included in the project to minimize the impact, even though the impact cannot be mitigated to a level of less than significant.
• A Certificate of Approval will be required for the project.
Geotechnical Conditions and Structural Conditions of Existing Structures:
Given the unique historical resources represented by the existing structures, the staff analysis of the project has included consideration of options for reuse and/or reconstruction of the existing structures. Exhibit 5 includes an engineer’s report by Moffatt and Nichol, documenting the structural and geotechnical problems that would be encountered if an attempt were made to rehabilitate the existing structures for a residential development with a waterfront park. The report supports staff’s conclusion that rehabilitation of the existing structures is not a financially viable strategy for the redevelopment of the site.
Draft Environmental Impact Report
The Draft EIR evaluates the potential impacts of the proposed project on the physical environment. In addition to being included as Exhibit 2, the Draft EIR is also available for public review on the City Website at:
<https://alamedaca.gov/shipways-1200-marina-village-parkway-alameda>
The Draft EIR finds that the proposed project would result in significant and unavoidable impacts to Cultural Resources, due to the removal of the former “shipway” structures that appear eligible for listing in the National Register, California Register, and/or Local List of Alameda Monuments.
Although the impact of removal cannot be mitigated to a level of insignificance, the Draft EIR recommends that the project mitigate the impact to the extent feasible by preparation of:
• Photo documentation and public interpretation of the shipways overseen by a Secretary of the Interior-qualified architectural historian.
• Public interpretation of historical resources provided on the site. This could include a plaque, kiosk, or other method describing the historic importance of the shipways to the public.
The Draft EIR also finds that the proposed project would result in significant and unavoidable transportation impacts to the local transportation system, largely due to the limited remaining capacity for additional automobile trips on the local system. The Draft EIR recommends a series of mitigations to mitigate the transportation impacts, but acknowledges that these mitigations cannot completely eliminate the significant impacts for automobile travel.
The Draft EIR also finds that the proposed project would result in significant impacts to the following resources, but that those impacts can be mitigated to a level of less than significance with mitigation:
• Air Quality, Greenhouse Gases, and Climate Change
• Biological Resources
• Geology and Soils
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Noise and Vibration
• Utilities and Services
Project Design
The proposed project design is included in Exhibit 1. At this time, staff is requesting that the Historical Advisory Board comment on the design of the buildings and park, with a focus on design concepts that might be incorporated to reflect the unique history of the site. The applicant is proposing the following design strategies to achieve this objective:
• Three piers, a fixed dock, and open lawn in the location of the original shipways in the new waterfront park design.
• Custom ship play structures as a homage to the shipbuilding history in the children’s play area.
• Building materials that draw inspiration from the existing building structures and crane ways, including vertical board form concrete on the podium and corten steel wall cladding at portions of the building façade.
• Historical/interpretative signage throughout the site, such as historical and educational graphics.
• Sloped building roof forms inspired by the sloped roof of the existing structures.
• Industrial/nautical inspired building lighting throughout the project.
• Naming the four buildings to mirror the head houses - “Shipways 1-4”
• Public art to be ship-building, industrial or nautical in theme and possibly incorporate existing site building materials.
Staff would like the Board’s feedback on the building and park design. In particular, the project would benefit from the Board’s comments on strengthening the historic tribute to the site and how the project design can incorporate historic elements.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposal is subject to further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A Draft EIR (State Clearinghouse No. 2017042021) has been drafted and circulated per CEQA requirements.
PUBLIC NOTICE
This agenda item was advertised in the Alameda Sun and notices were mailed to residents and property owners within 300 feet of the project location. No comments were received by staff at the time this report was written.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing to review and comment on the adequacy the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and project design for the Shipways Residential Project application. No action on the proposed project is requested of the Historical Advisory Board at this time.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:
Linda Barrera,
Planner II
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans
2. Draft EIR
3. City Attorneys Memorandum
4. Carey & Co, Inc Historic Resource Evaluation
5. Moffatt & Nichol Technical Memorandum