Alameda – Alameda Point Environmental Report

Handling Alameda’s beach erosion problem

The City of Alameda had just endorsed concept designs to address sea level rise for its north shore, when recent storms shifted attention to the south shore.

The erosion of sand from our shoreline yet again raises an important question that the city is not considering in its adaptation planning: Should maintaining the beach be the primary objective in dealing with sea level rise and increasing powerful storms?

On the shelf sits a 1981 environmental assessment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) that could help answer the question. A hardcopy is located in the reference section of the Alameda Free Library, 1550 Oak Street.

Mountain bikers sideline environmentalists in local Sierra Club

It’s not only the federal government that’s undergoing a purge of experienced, dedicated workers. It appears to be happening in the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club as well, as the interests of mountain bike enthusiasts continue to clash with the club’s established environmental policies.

On February 10, the chapter’s recently elected Executive Committee (ExCom) removed a slew of longtime environmentalists—without giving any reason—from chapter committees working on certain issues.

The East Bay Public Lands Committee, which monitors policies such as vegetation manageme nt, tra ils, and planning for regional parks and EBMUD watershed lands, was one victim of the purge. Three of those removed are from Alameda.

Affordable housing construction begins by unearthing history

Heavy equipment arrived in early November at the corner of Lakehurst Circle and Mosley Avenue, two blocks away from Target, to begin construction of the first block of North Housing, a planned 12-acre affordable housing site owned by the City of Alameda Housing Authority.

The massive 10.5-foot-thick concrete base of the building, though dramatic in scale and ready for earthquakes and gro undwater rise, is only part of the story. The excavation and exposure of 13 feet of soil layers is a reminder, both figuratively and literally, of the 200 years of social, political, and geographical events that directly influenced what is happening here today.

This article highlights the history:

The days when the whole area was marshland;
Industrialization that brought pollution;
Filling in the marshland;
Navy ownership; and
National priorities and a social movement that laid the groundwork for today’s affordable housing plans.

Housing limit under review

Part of the vacant military housing near Alameda Landing, formerly known as North Housing, fetched a winning auction bid of $38 million.

In order to complete the sale, the current “government” zoning designation must be removed. At the same time, the city recommends removing the government zoning from two adjacent parcels that will soon be transferred to the Alameda Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity. The residential, multifamily zoning will remain intact. Continue reading “Housing limit under review”

Navy to sell vacant housing

On Wednesday, April 12, the Navy will auction off part of its long vacant military housing known as North Housing. The opening bid for the 14.9-acre parcel is $5 million. The online auction is being conducted by the federal General Services Administration.

In the coming months, another part of the North Housing neighborhood will be given to the Alameda Housing Authority and to Habitat for Humanity, and the former Island High School and Woodstock Child Development Center in the neighborhood will be given to Alameda Unified School District.

A complicated land disposal process for the area began about 10 years ago when the Coast Guard decided not to accept the housing site. Continue reading “Navy to sell vacant housing”

Parking shortage dogs Main St. Ferry Terminal

Ferry riders driving to the Main Street Ferry Terminal began using an extra parking lot in May. The city-owned O Club parking lot across the street from the terminal provides 121 spaces under a temporary license agreement with the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). Despite the added parking lot, the street shoulder and unpaved lot west of a dog park continue to absorb overflow.

O Club parking lot on Main Street for ferry riders. Licensed for use by WETA.

“Ridership has grown 29 percent since May, the month we opened the lot,” said Kevin Connolly, WETA’s manager of planning and development. “Given that the street and dirt lot were basically full at that time, it makes sense that the O Club has absorbed the additional riders.”