Title
PLN19-0095 - Alameda Marina Certificate of Approval - Alameda Marina - Applicant: Pacific Shops, Inc. Public hearing to consider a Certificate of Approval to allow demolition of contributing buildings (Buildings 1, 4, 6, 12, 22, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, and 34) and non-contributing buildings (Buildings 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 20, 23, 24, 35, 37, and 39) within the Alameda Marina Historic District to meet the objectives of the Alameda Marina Master Plan, and consideration of an interpretive signage and history walk program as a component of the mitigation measures required by the Alameda Marina Master Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The environmental effects of the proposed project were considered and disclosed in the Alameda Marina Master Plan EIR (State Clearinghouse #2016102064). No further environmental review is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Body
To: Chair Saxby and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Allen Tai,
Secretary to the Historical Advisory Board
BACKGROUND
On July 6, 2017, the Historical Advisory Board designated seventeen buildings located at Alameda Marina, Buildings 1, 4, 6, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, and the graving dock as contributing buildings and features to the Alameda Marina Historic District, which has been included on the Historical Buildings Study List. Three of the seven commercial buildings (Buildings 16, 19, and 27) have been determined to be individually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
In July 2018, the City Council approved the Alameda Marina Master Plan, which is a mixed-use plan that includes up to 760 multifamily housing units, up to 250,000 square feet of commercial and maritime commercial space, approximately 3.45 acres of open space, approximately 17.1 acres dedicated to marina operations, and a 530 slip marina. The Master Plan provides for retention of six (6) of the contributory buildings, including the three individual National Register-eligible buildings, and the graving dock. The Master Plan will also retain five (5) additional existing non-contributory buildings. Otherwise, the Council-approved Master Plan provides for the demolition of the remaining contributory and non-contributory buildings on the site:
Buildings/Structures to be Retained: Contributing - 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, and 27. Graving Dock. Non-contributing - 5, 13, 14, 18, 25, 26.
Buildings to be Demolished: Contributing - 1, 4, 6, 12, 22, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, and 34 Non-Contributing - 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 20, 23, 24, 35, 37, and 39.
The City Council also adopted the Alameda Marina Master Plan and certified a Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), including a Statement of Overriding Considerations regarding the loss of these historic resources. The City Council further approved specific mitigation measures including: Mitigation Measures CUL-1a (Treatment of Historic Properties), CUL-1b (Documentation), CUL-1c (Interpretive Display), CUL-2 (Archaeological Resources) and CUL-4 (Tribal Cultural Resources Interpretive Program) to reduce impacts to historical/cultural resources, to the extent feasible, by documenting the resource and preserving the history of the site and buildings.
On March 7, 2019, the applicant submitted a Certificate of Approval application to proceed with demolition of specific buildings identified in the Alameda Marina Master Plan (Exhibit 1). The application also requests HAB approval for an interpretive display and historic walk program as part of the required mitigation measures in the Alameda Marina EIR.
DISCUSSION
Certificate of Approval for Demolition
The Alameda Marina Master Plan contemplates the demolition of a number of existing buildings to allow redevelopment of the site. Demolition of the historic buildings on the site would result in a significant and unavoidable impact under CEQA, which is one of the reasons the Master Plan necessitated the preparation of an EIR. As part of approving the Alameda Marina Master Plan, the City Council also certified the Alameda Marina EIR as having adequately analyzed the Master Plan project’s impacts on the historic resources. The City Council made a conscious decision to approve the Master Plan and certify the EIR taking into consideration the HAB’s creation of the Alameda Marina Historic District in 2017. The City Council balanced the HAB’s preservation recommendation with other City priorities including rebuilding the City’s seawall (to protect public health and safety) and providing new housing opportunities. Per Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 13-21, demolition of resources on the Study List requires a Certificate of Approval by the HAB. However, because the City Council has already approved the Master Plan which identified specific buildings for demolition, the HAB’s action on the Certificate of Approval on demolition is considered a formality.
Historic/Cultural Resources Mitigation Measures
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provides the use of mitigation measures to reduce impacts to historic resources to the extent feasible (Exhibit 2). While it is widely understood that the permanent loss of historic resources cannot be completely offset, the implementation of mitigation measures is recognized to reduce the impact under CEQA. The Alameda Marina EIR requires the project applicant to implement several mitigation measures by documenting the resource and preserving the history of site and buildings in various forms.
Mitigation Measure CUL-1b (Documentation): Mitigation Measure CUL-1b requires extensive photo documentation and public interpretation of the Alameda Marina Historic District in accordance with the National Park Service’s Historic American Buildings Survey (“HABS”) and Historic American Engineering Record (“HAER”) guidelines. The applicant has retained a Secretary of the Interior’s-qualified professional to conduct the HABS documentation, which will consist of photographs of the District demonstrating views of the context, spatial relationships, facades, engineering features, and other building details. The applicant has also retained a qualified architectural historian and oversee the HABS documentation. Once complete, the documentation will be made available to the public at the City’s libraries and other historical repositories, and the Northwest Information Center of the California Historical Resources Information System. Some of the photo documentation will also be used in the presentation of a History Walk program to be integrated throughout the Alameda Marina site. On past projects requiring HABS documentation, staff would approve the scope of work to be performed by the professional consultants and subsequently perform quality review of the deliverables. The various forms of documentation would then be archived at corresponding State of California archiving institutions once the work is completed.
Mitigation Measures CUL-1c and CUL-4 (Interpretive Signage): Mitigation Measures CUL-1c and CUL-4 require the design and placement of the interpretive displays for historical and cultural (Native American) topics be reviewed and approved by the Historical Advisory Board. The applicant proposes the use of interpretive signage to create a history walk program for the Alameda Marina site along the Bay Trail and entrances along Clement Avenue. Conceptually, the interpretive signage program consists of 11 pylons, 11 historical building plaques, and one historic district entrance display.
Pylon Displays: The pylons are vertical double-faced signs with illustrative content on both sides. These pylons will be strategically placed at various locations of the site. The content on one side will focus on the site’s prior ownership by General Engineering & Dry Dock Co., and the site’s development and expansion between the 1920s and the 1940s where the demand for ferries and ship repair was surging. The provided example covers the World War II period, where General Engineering & Dry Dock Co. constructed dozens of cutters, minesweepers, and net tenders for the Coast Guard and Navy, as well as repaired thousands of battle-damaged vessels. The opposite side of the pylon will cover more generally the Alameda Marina site’s architectural history and functions, as well as Native American archaeological resources after consultation with tribal representatives.
Building Plaques: For the existing buildings that will be rehabilitated in the historic district core, the applicant proposes building plaques to identify the historic uses of those buildings. The intent is to highlight how the buildings operated together as part of the shipyard by identifying their past uses.
Entry Display: The entrance to the Alameda Marina site at Clement Avenue and Schiller Street will feature a larger gateway display to mark the entrance of the historic district.
The proposed interpretive sign and history walk program has been developed in accordance with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s Public Access Design Guidelines to assist of Bay Trail, which runs along the waterfront edge of the site. To reinforce the historical themes of the property, names for new streets at the redeveloped portions of the site will be based on historical names associated with the property’s past.
Other Mitigation Measures:
The Alameda Marina EIR also contains mitigation measures for the proper handling on archaeological resources onsite and future rehabilitation of contributing buildings (Buildings 16, 19 and 27). Mitigation Measure CUL-1a requires that alterations to the exteriors of Buildings 16, 19 and 27 conform to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Buildings 15, 17, 21 and the Graving Dock in the Alameda Marina Historic District will also be adaptively reused. Specific rehabilitation plans for these buildings are not available, but they will be reviewed for compliance by staff with the City’s Design Review and Historic Preservation ordinances when future building use and programming have been determined.
Mitigation Measures CUL-2 to CUL-4 requires an Archaeological Resources Management Plan that outlines steps for the preservation and proper management of archaeological resources that are likely to be encountered during demolition or excavation. The plan involves the work of an archaeologist to determine whether preservation in-place of documented archaeological resources is possible. Otherwise, the role of the archaeologist will be to guide future site demolition and excavation work to ensure that archaeological resources discovered would be handled properly and in compliance with state Native American tribal consultation requirements. Due to the sensitivity of archaeological resources, state law prescribes specific procedures for handling of archaeological matters generally outside of public view. This process is typically handled by the applicant and archaeological professionals in close consultation with state-designate tribal representative(s) and City staff.
PUBLIC NOTICE
A newspaper ad for this project was published on March 21, 2019. Property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project’s boundaries were also notified of the public hearing and given the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The environmental effects of the proposed project were considered and disclosed in the Alameda Marina Master Plan Final EIR (State Clearinghouse #2016102064). No further environmental review is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the proposed improvements.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Board approve the Certificate of Approval request to allow demolition of contributing buildings 1, 4, 6, 12, 22, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, and 34 and non-contributing buildings 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 20, 23, 24, 35, 37, and 39 within the Alameda Marina Historic District to implement the Alameda Marina Master Plan. Staff also recommends the Board approve the proposed Interpretive Signage and History Walk Program, with findings and conditions of approval set forth in the draft resolution (Exhibit 3).
Respectfully Submitted,
Allen Tai, Planning Services Manager
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans
2. Alameda Marina Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan
3. Draft Resolution