Title
Public Workshop to Review and Comment on the Draft Development Plan for the West Midway/RESHAP Project at Alameda Point
Body
To: Honorable Chair and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
BACKGROUND
On May 19, 2020, the City Council and entered into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with a joint venture including Brookfield Homes and Catellus (collectively, Developer) for the redevelopment of a 43 acre site that is owned by the City of Alameda at Alameda Point. The site is referred to as the “West Midway site.” One primary purpose of the agreement is to facilitate and support the reconstruction of the Alameda Point Collaborative housing (the “RESHAP project”) on approximately 10 acres within the 43 acre area. The West Midway/RESHAP project area is located immediately to the north of Site A and generally defined as the land located between Main Street, West Midway, Pan Am Way, and West Tower Avenue. The property is within the Main Street Specific Plan area. The Main Street Specific Plan is available on the City website at: <https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Base-Reuse-Alameda-Point>. The site is located adjacent to the NAS Alameda Historic District and includes several former navy buildings that were previously evaluated by determined not to be eligible for formal historical designation.
The Developer is working with staff and getting direction from the Planning Board on a draft Development Plan (Exhibit 1). A revised site plan was submitted by the Developer in October (Exhibit 2). Consistent with past practice, staff is inviting Historical Advisory Board to review and comment on major development interfacing the NAS Alameda Historic District.
DISCUSSION
Project Description
The proposed West Midway/RESHAP development project includes the following components:
RESHAP - The Rebuilding the Existing Supportive Housing at Alameda Point (RESHAP) component of this development project consists of 309 housing units for very-low and low-income households. 200 of the 309 units are existing supportive housing units at Alameda Point that will be reconstructed. Very low- and low-income households are households with income below 80% of area wide median income (AMI). The proponents behind this part of the development are called the Collaborating Partners (Alameda Point Collaborative, Building Futures with Women and Children, Operation Dignity and Mid Pen Housing) who will construct the housing and supportive services on approximately 10 acres of land improved by the Developer. The Developer will provide a finished pad and the necessary infrastructure to the pad for the Collaborating Partners.
The 309 apartment homes are distributed into three (3) four-story, elevator-served buildings with community serving uses, one (1) mixed use four-story, elevator-served podium building with ground-floor community serving uses and residences on three floors above. An active “kitchen farm” is located at the entrance to the RESHAP community on Pan Am Way with a new “barn” structure serving as a gathering space and services for residents, within close proximity to the Alameda Point Collaborative’s existing Ploughshares Nursery and farm, supporting the site’s “urban agriculture” image and identity. This component of the development project will interface the NAS Alameda Historic District as further discussed below.
Market Rate Units. There are 362 market rate for-sale units to be constructed by the Developer; these units will consist of townhomes and stacked flats up to four stories tall.
Moderate Income Deed Restricted Units. 51 deed-restricted moderate-income units for households with income under 120% of the AMI. These units will be constructed by the Developer.
Workforce Housing. 67 “middle income” units attainable for purchase by households with incomes in the range of 120% to 180% AMI, to be constructed by the Developer.
In total, the project will provide a total 789 housing units serving many segments of the community. In addition to the residential development, the draft Development Plan provides for construction of a small commercial building on a small site at the corner of West Tower and Pan Am.
Interface with the NAS Alameda Historic District
While a large portion of Alameda Point is designated as the National Register-listed NAS Alameda Historic District, the historic district does not include the 43-acre West Midway project site. Pan Am Way serves as the eastern boundary of the historic district and the western edge of the West Midway/RESHAP project site. One small exception to an otherwise clean boundary between the project site and the historic district is Building 35, which is part of the historic district but located on the same side of Pan Am Way as the project site. The building is currently occupied by a pre-school and is not part of the West Midway/RESHAP project.
The project site interfaces a part of the NAS Alameda Historic District that is not particularly distinctive or remarkable. There is a surface parking lot that serves the Alameda Point Collaborative, and immediately to the south of the parking lot are Building 82 (Alameda Food Bank) and Building 91 (Admirals Malting and Almanac Brewery). The two buildings are former Navy warehouses that have been converted to civilian commercial use. These rectangular buildings are oriented where the building ends face Pan Am Way and their front façades face intersecting streets. The RESHAP component of the project would serve as the primary interface to the existing historic district buildings.
The West Midway/RESHAP project anticipates demolition of all existing buildings within the project site. Because these buildings are not historically significant and they were not built before 1942, their demolition does not require Certificate of Approval by the HAB. There are 20 buildings within the project site. The majority of buildings on the site are two-story wood-framed residential buildings constructed after WWII between 1942 and 1983. The buildings are not particularly interesting by design as they were utilitarian buildings constructed by the Navy.
Recognize Past Contributions
As part of Navy decommissioning in the 1990s and leading up to the NAS Alameda National Register nomination, historic resource evaluations were prepared. While the project site included former Navy facilities including the commissary/warehouse, Navy exchange service station, temporary barracks, and family housing and services. Only two non-contributing buildings were documented. Building 152 is a large wood-framed building that served as the Commissary. It contained a loading dock, bays, retail entrance, with offices and storage on the second story, but it is otherwise unremarkable other than its past utilitarian functions. Meanwhile, Building 78 is the former WAVES barracks. WAVES stands for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service and consisted of the US Navy’s women reserve during WWII. Although past evaluations found the Building 78 as a standard Navy barracks design, and not historically significant, staff believes the WAVES contributions to the local war effort deserves recognition and commemoration. Hence, staff recommends the Developer identify ways to commemorate the WAVES as part of the development project. For example, an attempt can be made to incorporate the general building form, roof style, dormers and other exterior features into the design of the new buildings on this portion of the project site. Furthermore, the Developer may implement the mitigation measures previously identified in the Alameda Point Environmental Impact Report for the demolition of historic buildings as if this was a historic structure. These measures include creating a photographic archive of the building, developing interpretive signage, installing a commemorative plaque and/or public art. Staff also recommends the existing street names to be reused as part of the new development and new street names to recognize the women’s reserve.
Suggested reference/reading materials are available online at the following links:
Map of NAS Alameda Historic District
<https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/departments/alameda/base-reuse/previous-planning-docs/map_of_alameda_point_historical_distict-2.pdf>
Specific Building Survey & Evaluation Report for NAS Alameda Historic District 2011, PDF Page No. 10, 125, 130, 843, 1247, 1339 & 1834
<https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/departments/alameda/base-reuse/previous-planning-docs/specific_bldg_survey_and_evaluation_report.pdf>
Page & Turnbull Historic Assessment & Historic Preservation, PDF Page No. 8 & 89
<https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/departments/alameda/base-reuse/previous-planning-docs/page_and_turnbull_historic_assessment_and_historic_preservation.pdf>
Sally Woodbridge Historic Architectural Resources, PDF Page No. 8, 68, & 148
<https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/departments/alameda/base-reuse/previous-planning-docs/sally_woodbridge_historic_architectural_resources.pdf>
RECOMMENDATION
Review and Comment on the proposed West Midway/RESHAP Development Project at Alameda Point.
Prepared By,
Allen Tai, City Planner
Henry Dong, Planner III
Exhibits:
1. Draft Development Plan From Planning Board Meeting of September 26, 2022
2. Revised site plan from October 2022