Fill in the Blanks at Encinal Terminals

Posted on August 31, 2018 by

We’re almost there.  The Master Plan for the Encinal Terminals project near Clement Avenue will be back before the city council on September 4.  This time the controversial swap of public tideland is off the table.

The revised and improved master plan calls for reserving the 6.4 acres of public tidelands, now dubbed the Tidelands District, for marine, maritime, commercial, recreational, and visitor services.  The plan also keeps all the key elements in last year’s plan, including the 589 housing units.  And the aging concrete wharf will now be the owner’s, not the city’s, responsibility in perpetuity.

The problem is that the proposed master plan does not say what or when anything will be built in the Tidelands District.  It only lists what could be built.  But no promises, not even doubtful ones. Continue reading →

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Another One Hits the Road

Posted on August 23, 2018 by

What a shame.  What a loss.

The latest person to give their departure notice to the city is Alameda’s Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Director Jennifer Ott.  She is going to serve the City of Hayward as their deputy city manager.  She takes with her thirteen years of institutional knowledge and experience that will be sorely missed in Alameda.

Morale is obviously low at city hall.  In a Hayward press release, Ott summed up the reason for her move to Hayward this way:  “I am incredibly honored to … join an organization that … is committed to caring, openness and integrity.”  The indirect reference to what is lacking in our city hall is not hard to miss. Continue reading →

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Missing the Boat

Posted on July 9, 2018 by

Current policy decisions are shaping our shoreline’s future, and Alameda is missing the boat.

On May 30, the planning board unanimously approved a plan for the Alameda Marina that provides protection for three feet of sea level rise, even though the State of California says we should anticipate six feet.  The project calls for increasing the sea wall’s height in the future “should it be necessary.”  No one from the board bothered to address this concern or ask who will pay for the adaptive measures should a three-foot wall prove inadequate. Continue reading →

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A Missing Thank You

Posted on May 31, 2018 by

On May 23, a lot of kudos were handed out at the Site A groundbreaking ceremony for the first new neighborhood at Alameda Point.  One individual was not mentioned, but certainly deserves much of the credit:  John Russo.

As city manager from 2011 to 2015, Russo paved the way for the city itself to develop the base using a parcel-by-parcel development approach. Continue reading →

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Medical Respite Facility planned for McKay Ave

Posted on April 12, 2018 by

Those who prefer housing for senior citizens, over other types of housing that generate more traffic, will welcome the proposed dwelling units on McKay Avenue near Crab Cove.  Former federal offices now located there will be rehabbed to create a medical respite care and assisted-living facility primarily for seniors who are homeless.

Medical respite care is for people coming out of the hospital who still require medical assistance.  Patients are referred by a hospital. The McKay facility could become permanent housing for homeless seniors with chronic and/or end-of-life medical conditions.  There will be no limit on how long they can live there, and for many it will be their final home. Continue reading →

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Palestinians Tell Their Stories at Alameda Library

Posted on March 1, 2018 by

Everyone has a life story, and many are being told at Alameda’s Main Library at 1550 Oak Street.  An exhibit that combines black-and-white portraits of 26 Bay Area Palestinians with audio recordings is on display.  The library’s largest meeting room was filled to capacity with well over one hundred people for the opening reception on February 11.

The multimedia storytelling project “Home Away from Home:  Little Palestine by the Bay” showcases recorded interviews with Palestinian-Americans that reveal the complexities of living with hopes for Palestine in a country that is often hostile to those aspirations. Continue reading →

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Breaking News … stands

Posted on February 18, 2018 by

Over a decade ago, banks of newsstands were installed in the Park Street business district to replace the hodgepodge of shabby-looking newsstands.  Unfortunately, the spiffy new newsstands came on the scene just as newspapers were giving way to digital media like smartphones and laptop computers.  Today, the mostly empty and vandalized newsstands are the new eyesore.

Photo Essay:

A sign of The Times

Park Street at Lincoln Avenue Continue reading →

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Coulda Woulda Shoulda at Encinal Terminals

Posted on December 15, 2017 by

On December 19, the city council will decide whether to approve the proposed Encinal Terminals project located behind the former Del Monte warehouse at Buena Vista and Sherman streets.  The project calls for 589 homes with commercial uses and public shoreline amenities.  But before approving the proposal, we should solve its problems now, or we may later wish we had.

The proposed project falls short in affordable units, climate adaptation features, sustainable design requirements, infrastructure guarantees, and an equitable public land swap. Continue reading →

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Drive your Chevy to the levee in Alameda?

Posted on October 12, 2017 by

Alameda is in the process of updating its local climate action plan, and sea level rise will be on the agenda.  Much of our shoreline will be impacted.

Will we need sea walls, levees and dikes?  A new system of pumps for storm water diversion? Continue reading →

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Sierra Club speaks out on Encinal Terminals Project

Posted on October 9, 2017 by

The Encinal Terminals project was originally scheduled for approval at the October 17 city council meeting. However, it has been postponed.

According to city staff:  “There was interest in getting the project on the October 17 City Council agenda but there are still a few issues staff is hammering out with the developer and we weren’t ready.  The project is an active one and we are continuing to work on the final documents including the Master Plan, Development Agreement and Public Trust Exchange Agreement.  When everything is completed and we have a package to go to the City Council for its consideration it will be placed on a meeting agenda.”

Meanwhile the Sierra Club published an opinion piece in the local newspapers.  It reads: Continue reading →

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