homeless – Alameda Point Environmental Report

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.

The Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) served up gourmet meals at their annual Urban Farm Table fundraising event on Sunday, May 15, 2016. About 100 guests were seated under a canopy squarely in the middle of crops growing on the Alameda Point farm.

Keynote speaker Matthew Dolan, executive chef at Twenty Five Lusk in San Francisco, spoke at the Urban Farm Table fundraiser for the Alameda Point Collaborative.

This year’s menu was again created by Jeff Rosen, executive chef at Blue Heron Catering of Oakland. Some of the salad and entrée ingredients, such as arugula, strawberries and onions, were grown within a few steps of the table.

APC is the largest supportive housing provider for homeless families in Alameda County. Adults in the community can acquire new job skills and self-confidence in APC’s various enterprises – Ploughshares Nursery, Farm2Market farm production, and commercial kitchen. The Farm2Market program sells produce through a subscription service. Continue reading “Dining on the farm at Alameda Point”