Demolition of former Navy apartments begins

The demolition of 16 former Navy apartment buildings at Alameda Point has begun. On January 5, 2016, the City Council awarded a $547,000 contract to Asbestos Management Group of Oakland to perform the demolition.

Demolition of Navy apartment buildings at West Tower Avenue and Orion Street, Alameda Point.
Demolition of Navy apartment buildings at West Tower Avenue and Orion Street, Alameda Point.

In April of 2015, the city council directed city staff to come up with a plan to address safety and blight issues after KTVU Channel 2 aired a story about unsafe conditions at the abandoned housing area.

The structures are located on Orion Street, West Tower Avenue, Stardust Place and Pearl Harbor Road. Demolition began during the second week of March and is expected to be completed within 60 days. The job is being paid for out of Alameda Point base reuse funds.

In 2011, eight apartment buildings in the same neighborhood were demolished using federal Housing and Urban Development Block Grant funding. After the eight buildings were demolished, the foundations were fenced off as a safety precaution, but the remaining structures were not. The remaining structures continued to be a magnet for vandals and trash disposal. Following the 2015 KTVU report, carports full of trash were hauled away, and the buildings were fenced off.

New neighborhood being planned

The city is currently working with a team of consultants to draft a plan for the entire northeast area of Alameda Point were the abandoned structures are located. The area is dubbed the Main Street Neighborhood in planning documents. The detailed specific plan will include a range of housing types, small-scale neighborhood serving retail, urban agriculture, and public parks.

Alameda Point Zoning Map.
Alameda Point Zoning Map.

The area will also include reconfigured and re-built supportive housing on a smaller footprint for Alameda Point Collaborative, Building Futures with Women and Children, and Operation Dignity. The housing groups currently lease 34 acres. They are proposing to purchase 13.2 acres along Main Street near Ploughshares Nursery and the ferry terminal. On December 15, 2015, the City Council approved a negotiating agreement between the City of Alameda and a consortium of four developers made up of MidPen Housing, Alameda Point Collaborative, Building Futures with Women and Children, and Operation Dignity.

No timetable has been set for new construction.

Additional information

City staff report on demolition contract.

KTVU Channel 2 report “Alameda Point Abandoned:”

April 2011 video showing previous demolition:

Planning process for new Main Street Neighborhood at Alameda Point.

New supportive housing – background and negotiating agreement.

View from Orion Street looking east at abandoned Navy housing in the Main Street Neighborhood sub-district.  Eight buildings were demolished on both sides of Orion Street by the city in 2011 to reduce the attractive nuisance level of the area.  Remaining 16 buildings being demolished in March and April of 2016.
View from Orion Street looking east at abandoned Navy housing in the Main Street Neighborhood sub-district. Eight buildings were demolished on both sides of Orion Street by the city in 2011 to reduce the attractive nuisance level of the area. Remaining 16 buildings being demolished in March and April of 2016.

Author: richard94501

My blog is Alameda Point Environmental Report covering environmental issues from wildlife to cleanup at the former Navy base in Alameda now called Alameda Point. Articles on my blog are frequently printed in the Alameda Sun newspaper. I also host a Twitter site and a Flickr photo site. I hope you find my stories and photos of interest. Richard Bangert Alameda, California

One thought on “Demolition of former Navy apartments begins”

  1. this is total bs!!!!!!!!
    these old buildings NEVER should have been torn down using taxpayers money!!!!!!!!!!!
    these buildings should have been fixed and used to fix the homeless problem in San Francisco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Like

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