Title
PLN20-0431 - Delisting from Historical Buildings Study List - 620 Central Avenue - Alameda Federal Center. Applicant: Alameda Point Collaborative. Public hearing to consider delisting the Alameda Federal Center site at 620 Central Avenue from the Historical Buildings Study List. The property is listed on the Historical Buildings Study List with an “s” designation. The delisting of 620 Central Avenue from the City’s historic resources inventory is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. As a separate and independent basis, this action is not a project under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b) and Public Resources Code section 21065.
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Henry Dong, Planner III
Date: March 4, 2021
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A historic evaluation made by the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in 2003 concluded the property located at 620 Central Avenue (Alameda Federal Center) does not have any historical or architectural significance to be considered a historic resource. The request for delisting of the Alameda Federal Center site is being made as a clean-up removal of this non historic property from the Historical Buildings Study List consistent with the OHP determination. The delisting of the site will also allow the applicant to obtain demolition permits to facilitate the construction of the McKay Wellness Center Project without requiring a Certificates of Approval by the Historical Advisory Board. If the Board approves the delisting, Planning Division staff will proceed with the Design Review component of the McKay Wellness Center Project.
BACKGROUND
Alameda Federal Center History
The Alameda Federal Center site was part of a 100-acre federal facility developed in 1942 as the U.S. Maritime Officers Training School. The Officers training facility operated at the Alameda location from 1943 until 1957 after relocating from Coast Guard Island. In 1961, the federal government sold the majority of the federal facility to the State of California, retaining 7.6 acres as the Alameda Federal Center (Exhibit 1). The most recent predominant uses were as offices and a laboratory for testing meat and dairy products by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2011, the federal government consolidated the remaining operations at the federal facility onto the northerly portion (an approximately 3.65-acre property referred to herein as the Site) and placed the southern four acres (commonly known as Neptune Pointe) for sale. In 2015, the East Bay Regional Parks District (EPRPD) acquired Neptune Pointe which is currently vacant, and in 2016, the USDA abandoned its use of the federal buildings on the Site. The Historical Buildings Study List also identifies a separate boathouse as “620 Central Avenue - Boathouse”, which is a separate property and not part of this delisting request.
Mckay Wellness Center Site
In December 2017, the federal government conditionally agreed to convey the Site to Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) for assisted living, medical respite, and supportive service facilities for the homeless, subject to completion of an Environmental Assessment and removal of the City of Alameda’s G Special Government Combining District (G) overlay. In September 2018, the federal government entered into a lease with APC. The Site is located at 1245 McKay Avenue, and contains two main buildings, 5 accessory structures, landscaping, and parking (Exhibit 2).
This request follows decisions dating back to 2018 when the City Council, following the Planning Board’s recommendation, approved the rezoning of the Site to allow for private use of the Site for the McKay Wellness Center, and adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The MND has been upheld by a California court. A copy of the MND can be found at the following link: <https://alameda.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=6791934&GUID=4A834DC0-676F-47E4-880D-0D16849D0093>
On July 21, 2020, the City Council upheld the decision of the Planning Board to approve a Design Review application for the rehabilitation of an approximately 50,517 square foot existing building at the Site for adaptive reuse as a senior living convalescent home.
The applicant is now pursuing an application for Design Review for the new Medical Respite Center. As part of the application the applicant is requesting removal of the property from the Historical Buildings Study List based on the determination that there is no historical or architectural significance to this property. This would allow the applicant to obtain demolition permits without requiring a Certificate of Approval by the HAB.
DISCUSSION
Historical Buildings Study List
In 1978, the City of Alameda conducted a survey of Alameda’s architectural and historical heritage which included approximately 10,500 buildings and sites. Approximately 4,000 of the properties surveyed have been included in the Historical Buildings Study List based on field observation of potential structures that either had architectural significance, historical significance, environmental significance, or design integrity. The List serves as preliminary evaluation and constitutes a tool in the ongoing process of identification, evaluation, and preservation of Alameda’s architectural and historical resources.
Evaluation criteria used to determine significance was based on the following categories:
• Architectural Significance has to do with the style of a historic resource, the reputation and ability of the architect, the quality of the design, its uniqueness and its execution, and the materials and methods of construction.
• Historical Significance comes from an association with the lives of persons or important events which have made a significant contribution to the community, state or nation; or from an association with broad patterns of cultural, social, political, economic, or industrial history; or the urban development of Alameda.
• Environmental Significance has to do with the continuity or character of a street or neighborhood with a historical resource's setting on the block, its landscaping, and its visual prominence as a landmark or symbol of the city, neighborhood, or street.
• Design Integrity has to do with alterations, which have been made over time to the original materials and design features of the resource.
The Alameda Federal Center Property
The 1978 survey identified the Alameda Federal Center at 620 Central Avenue as potentially having historical merit due to its previous associations with the U.S. Maritime Officers Training Facility (Exhibit 3). It also noted that further study would be necessary to conclude whether the site has any historical or architectural significance. The surveyors made an initial judgement of the quality of the buildings and classified the site as a type “s” resource on the Study List. A type S resource is defined as:
A historic resource being distinguished by its architectural, historical, or environmental significance, eligible for inclusion in the State Historic Resource Inventory, and of secondary priority for inclusion on the list of Alameda Historical Monuments. Many of these are also eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Others would be eligible if design integrity were restored.
However, the survey listing of the Alameda Federal Center Property is no longer accurate.
Justification for Delisting
On April 4, 2018, a California Historical Resources Information System search was prepared for the Alameda Federal Center Property which included correspondence from the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in 2003 (Exhibit 4) stating the site and its structures are not eligible for inclusion on the Register of Historic Places because they have lost their historic integrity and association:
“Although the property has associations with World War II-era training of officers associated with the U.S. Maritime Service, it has lost considerable integrity of design, materials, setting, feeling, and association with its historic period of significance (1942-1957). Those structures that remain do not convey the special nature of the property's historic maritime training mission during and after World War II and therefore is not eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).”
The structures on the Alameda Federal Center Property have lost their historic integrity and association, as documented by the State Office of Historic Preservation. In summary, OHP determined that the property did not meet any of the criteria for inclusion in the NRHP, including not having any quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture present, nor possessing any historic integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, or association.
Additional historical research conducted by First Carbon Solutions in 2018 with the Office of Historic Preservation, the California Historical Resources Information System, the California Historical Landmarks list, and the California Points of Historical Interest also determined that there were no historic resources on the project site. This conclusion was incorporated into the MND, which was adopted by the Planning Board and upheld by the City Council and upheld by a California court. Based upon review of OHP’s determination, Staff believes the property is not eligible for inclusion on any national, state, or local register listing. Therefore, staff recommends the Historical Advisory Board remove 620 Central Avenue - Alameda Federal Center from the Historical Buildings Study List based on the findings in the draft resolution (Exhibit 5).
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS:
Property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project’s boundaries were notified of the public hearing and given the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal. Any written comments received will be distributed to the Historical Advisory Board.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
The delisting of 620 Central Avenue from the City’s historic resources inventory is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. As a separate and independent basis, this action is not a project under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b) and Public Resources Code section 21065.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing and approve delisting the Alameda Federal Center site at 620 Central Avenue from the Historical Buildings Study List.
Reviewed By:
Allen Tai, City Planner
Exhibits:
1. Site Plan
2. Photos
3. Excerpt from Historical Building Study List
4. Determination Letter from OHP
5. Draft Resolution