Title
Adoption of Resolution Approving the Acceptance of $800,000 Grant Funds from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority for the De-Pave Park Planning Project and Allocate $50,000 of General Funds as Grant Matching Funds. (Recreation 10051400)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
De-Pave Park is a 12-acre ecological park in which all existing concrete (from the former Naval Base airfield/runway system) is planned to be removed to create tidal wetlands and wildlife habitat. The park adapts to sea level rise through inundation and includes public access and environmental education as shown in the approved De-Pave Park Vision Plan (Vision Plan), Exhibit 1. City of Alameda (City) was awarded $800,000 from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority (SFBRA) Measure AA grant. The scope of the work funded by this grant includes a Master Plan process with broad community outreach using the Vision Plan as a starting point and finalizing the design through this public input process and development of 30% complete construction documents. The grant requires matching funds in the amount of $50,000 and these funds were approved by City Council provided that the grant was awarded.
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. 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.
On September 15, 2020, the City Council approved the De-Pave Park Vision Plan and on October 20, 2020 the City Council heard and commented on a detailed community outreach effort for the De-Pave Park Master Plan effort which was included in the work scope for the Master Plan Process funded by this SFBRA grant.
On September 21, 2021, the City Council approved a resolution to apply for the SFBRA Measure AA grant and allocate $50,000 in matching funds if the grant were awarded.
DISCUSSION
De-Pave Park is a 12-acre urban ecological park and tidal ecosystem in which all existing concrete from a World War II-era runway at Alameda Point, previously Naval Air Station Alameda, will be removed to create tidal wetlands and wildlife habitat. This ecological open space is designed to adapt to sea level rise by inundating over time, creating additional wetlands. De-Pave Park will be a model for Climate Positive design by recycling existing concrete materials onsite and will have a very low carbon footprint, combined with native plantings to maximize carbon sequestration. A raised boardwalk, accessible to people of all physical abilities, will provide opportunities for viewing shorebirds, waterfowl, and marine mammals in their natural habitat, as will trails and observation areas. This park is within walking and biking distance for many low-income residents, including a housing development for seniors and Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) for formerly homeless families. Additionally, De-Pave Park is adjacent to Veteran’s Administration wetlands that are not accessible to the public with the goal to connect the two areas to create a wildlife corridor.
In the spring of 2020, the De-Pave Park Vision Plan was developed with input from 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.
A public tour of De-Pave Park and listening session was held in September 2021 with APC and other Alameda Point residents. The Park Master Plan process funded by the SFBRA Measure AA grant will include significant outreach and input from APC residents, Alameda Housing Authority residents, Alameda Unified School District families and students, Youth Activist Alameda, Alameda Youth Committee, Commission on Persons with Disabilities, the Center for Independent Living, Alameda Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc., CASA and other local non-profit organizations. This planning process will also include broad community discussions regarding whether Buildings 25 and 29 should remain or be removed as part of the park design.
ALTERNATIVES
• Adopt the resolution to approve the SFBRA grant and allocate $50,000 of General Funds for grant matching funds.
• Adopt the resolution to apply for the SFBRA grant and provide direction to allocate $50,000 from a different funding source.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The $800,000 in SFBRA grant funds are included in the previously approved FY 2022-23 budget. Staff is seeking City Council approval to appropriate $50,000 in General Fund Residual Fund Balance in Excess of Policy to allocate to the De-Pave Park Capital Improvement Project (C55200) in order to meet the local match requirement of the grant award.
Once De-Park Park is fully constructed and open to the public, it will require ongoing park maintenance funding. The annual maintenance cost is not yet determined and will require financial contributions from the City that would be subject to future City Council approval.
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 IMPACT
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
Adopt the resolution approving grant funds from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority for the De-Pave Park Planning Project and allocate $50,000 in matching funds from the General Fund.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. De-Pave Park Vision Plan
cc: Nancy Bronstein, Interim City Manager