Title
Recommendation to Approve the De-Pave Park Vision Plan. (Recreation 280)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
De-Pave Park is an ecological park that was originally envisioned in the Alameda Point Waterfront and Town Center Precise Plan. The concept is a park in which all existing concrete is removed to create tidal wetlands and wildlife habitat. The park adapts to sea level rise by inundating over time while still offering public access and environmental education. City of Alameda (City) staff worked with CMG, a landscape architecture firm that provided partial pro bono services, to develop a De-Pave Park Vision Plan with feedback from a key stakeholder group throughout the planning process. This Vision Plan (Exhibit 1) will be utilized to apply for grant funding from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, and other possible grant partners, for more detailed planning and permitting efforts.
BACKGROUND
On March 3, 2020, the City Council approved a list of Park and Recreation Facility Project Priorities which included and prioritized De-Pave Park. This park is located on the western side of Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point and was originally envisioned and described in the Alameda Point Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan (Precise Plan) as seen in the relevant pages in Exhibit 2. The intent of this park is to convert the existing concrete surface (a remnant of the former Naval Base paved tarmac system) to passive parkland and a sustainable ecological area including tidal wetlands and wildlife habitat. De-Pave Park is designed to inundate over time with sea level rise and create a tidal ecology system, which has notable carbon sequestration benefits.
CMG is a landscape architecture firm that originally envisioned the park in the Precise Plan. CMG generously offered to develop the Vision Plan in a partial pro bono effort with City staff. CMG describes itself as as a “mission-oriented studio working to increase social and ecological wellbeing through artful design”.
On August 13, 2020, the Recreation and Parks Commission unanimously voted to recommend to City Council the De-Pave Park Vision Plan including the removal of both Building 29 and 25 and a request to relocate tenants in those buildings as is feasible.
DISCUSSION
City and CMG staff conducted an input process with local key stakeholders, including representatives from the Alameda Wildlife Reserve, Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA), SF Baykeeper, the local paddling community, and Alameda chapters of the Golden Gate Audubon Society and Sierra Club. This group had thoughtful discussions about the purpose and design of the park, how to develop wetlands, carbon sequestration, and developing wildlife and aquatic habitat.
The De-Pave Park Vision Plan envisions a park that embraces sea level rise and creates new habitats and tidal inundation. Over the next 50 or so years, the park will become a tidal marsh with a planned elevated boardwalk built on the existing concrete walk and bikeway.
Starting on the north side of the park design, there will be a parking lot and restroom at the corner where this park intersects with the future waterfront promenade park. Adjacent will be an elevated shaded picnic area which will be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible and well signed and managed for trash collection. It will provide an area for people to view and enjoy the habitat without a long walk in the park. A portion of the existing concrete will be repurposed for a bicycle and pedestrian trail that runs the length of the park with pedestrian only pathway offshoots throughout the park, made of decomposed granite or other natural materials. The bicycle/pedestrian path will also serve as access for park maintenance and emergency vehicles. At the far end of the park by the bay will be an elevated resting area, view deck looking into Seaplane Lagoon and fishing pier into the bay. Throughout the park, there will be several observation points including some with bird blinds to view birds across all of the wetlands. There will be habitat decks on the bay side for seal haul outs and other wildlife, plus habitat jetties and floating wetlands on the lagoon side. This design plans for crushing all existing concrete into gravel that will be used onsite to create these habitat jetties and build up the observation points.
This park design creates inner tidal habitats by connecting to the San Francisco Bay and existing Veteran’s Affairs (VA) wetlands. Staff met onsite with the VA, Army Corps, U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff to discuss their current project to expand the VA wetlands. Staff from all agencies agreed to collaborate to maximize the overall wetlands habitat in the area and ensure that both projects connect and work together, wherever feasible. De-Pave Park also creates subtidal and aquatic habitats with an increased amount of shoreline, habitat jetties and floating wetlands. There will be abundant environmental educational opportunities for this park for students and the public.
There are currently two buildings and associated small accessory buildings on the site. Per the Precise Plan, these buildings may be considered for removal as part of the De-Pave Park development. Below is an overview of information on both buildings.
Building 29
• Houses a variety of local crafters, artisans and makers, is closest to San Francisco Bay, and generates approximately $60,000 in annual lease revenues.
• Is not included in the Alameda Point Master Infrastructure Plan and therefore will not have an improved utility connections or be protected by the future planned levee.
Building 25
• Houses Brix, Tack Brewery (pending), Urban Legends and Dash Cellars, is located near the northwest corner of Seaplane Lagoon and generates approximately $270,000 in annual lease revenues.
• As one of the newer buildings at Alameda Point, it is included in the Master Infrastructure Plan for sea level rise protection behind the planned levee and new utility connections.
• Tenants have expressed interest in providing outdoor areas such as a beer garden which may provide enhancements for the adjacent Seaplane Lagoon promenade park.
• If this building were removed, there is an opportunity to expand the storm water basin to a larger freshwater seasonal tidal habitat.
Alameda Point lease management staff confirmed that there are currently no available buildings to re-locate tenants of Building 29 or 25.
De-Pave Park is an innovative park design that has the potential to be a climate adaptation model for other communities and is a competitive project for grant funding.
ALTERNATIVES
1) Approve the De-Pave Park Vision Plan as presented.
2) Provide feedback for revisions to the De-Pave Park Vision Plan.
3) Not approve the De-Pave Park Vision Plan to focus grant application efforts and future park funding elsewhere.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost estimate for De-Pave Park, including detailed design, permits, soft costs and construction is approximately $14,000,000. Staff is applying to the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Measure AA grant in October 2020 for funding to complete the master plan process, detailed design and construction documents and secure regional permits.
If Buildings 25 and 29 at Alameda Point are removed as part of the De-Pave Park development, lease revenues for the Base Reuse fund would decrease by approximately $330,000 annually. The current park development cost estimate includes demolition of Building 29. Demolition of Building 25 would cost an additional estimated $1 million.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code. Moving forward with the planning, and ultimately the construction, of De-Pave Park is consistent with the sea-level rise adaptation and greenhouse gas reduction strategies identified in the adopted Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (2019).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In 2014, the City Council certified the Alameda Point Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Alameda Point Waterfront and Town Center Precise Plan. The EIR analyzed the environmental impacts of De-Pave Park, which is a key open space recommendation in the Precise Plan. Development of De-Pave Park will be subject to the mitigation measures established by the EIR for the protection of the environment. The project will also be subject to environmental protections imposed by Regional permits from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and U.S. Army Corps for any construction impacts and in-water work. No further environmental review is required.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
The proposed De-Pave Park, when constructed, will have an immediate impact on reducing the carbon footprint of this site. The existing site will take more than 210 years to obtain carbon neutrality from its original construction. However, this park will minimize this impact and be carbon positive within 4 years from the park construction and will even offset the original construction carbon impacts within 23 years.
De-Pave Park directly applies to two initiatives within the Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plan (CARP). One identified CARP action is to apply compost to parks and open spaces throughout Alameda. Compost used in soils have numerous benefits such as flood reduction, organic enrichment to soils which promote soil moisture retention and decreases soil erosion. These benefits allow amplified carbon sequestration to occur and safeguards previously sequestered carbon sinks to remain in the soil which ultimately brings the City closer to overall carbon neutrality. De-Pave Park will include a significant amount of compost and planting of native species.
The second initiative is sea level rise and storm surge protection. De-Pave Park has the capacity to reduce tidal flooding due to the creation and enhancement of wetlands which protect shoreline from impeding tides and storm surges. Wetlands produce a natural barrier for rising tides and vegetation can quickly utilize the additional water content. Carbon sequestration is an added benefit through plant photosynthesis and sedimentation traps for runoff which allows atmospheric carbon to continually be mitigated. The beauty and innovation of De-Pave Park is that the design welcomes and adapts with sea level rise while continuing to function as a useable open public recreation area for the community to enjoy.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and approve the De-Pave Park Vision Plan.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager recommends reviewing and approving the De-Pave Park Vision Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Nancy Bronstein, Interim Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. De-Pave Park Vision Plan
2. Pages from Alameda Point Waterfront and Town Center Precise Plan
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager