Here’s a date for you: October 13, 2013. According to a construction update from Catellus that will be the opening date for Target at Alameda Landing. The sidewalk improvements for the Alameda Landing side of Stargell should be finished in August, although no work has commenced just yet on that part of Alameda Landing. It appears that the date to hear more about the retailing strategy for the remainder of Alameda Landing will be April 16 at the City Council. Hopefully they’ll reveal if they have signed any contracts yet and maybe we’ll find out about the grocery store. Those improvements are scheduled to start in the Fall.
As to the residential portion, Tri Pointe homes has been selected and have been actively working on the design for the residential section which went from really bad to pretty good. Design review (meaning this is where you get to bitch about the cookie cutterness of the homes) will happen on May 13 at the Planning Board and if all goes to plan — meaning that nothing is so viciously objectionable — they’ll start vertical development in the Fall as well.
The other big thing will the Planning Board deciding whether or not to endorse the new Alameda Point vision document, here’s the old vision document for reference. It appears that there are a lot more Alameda photos in the new document and they managed to shoe horn one super modern glass commercial building into the mix. Given that the majority of Alameda Point has been slated for commercial development it was surprising that the first version had no visual cue that would be the case.
Look, nothing was really wrong with the first vision document, it was, a “vision.” The problem lay in the fact that the “vision” did not translate into what was in the EIR and how the City had divided everything into huge blocks of uses. Their plan didn’t really fit into what the “vision” document said that they wanted from Alameda. So unless that has changed then the vision document will just be another document that will make everyone feel good about what we think we want for Alameda Point, but will be vastly different than the actual reality.
Blogging Bayport Alameda 
Lauren: “Tri Pointe homes has been selected and have been actively working on the design for the residential section which went from really bad to pretty good.
I had my first opportunity to visit Bayport over the weekend. As a resident, how do you (and your neighbors) feel about how the streets are laid out? It was maddening trying to find my way to Tuttle Lane, and then to find a visitor’s parking space within easy walking distance. Your point this morning I believe was more to the design of the homes, but can you give us a little insight as to the street layout? How do you have parties there, with the challenges of newbies finding your street and then trying to park? And eerily quiet- no one walking or riding their bikes or skateboards, very few cars moving around, no one out tending to their flowers. This is probably more a function of who is attracted to living in in a community like that (no slam intended, some people like 4 door cars, some prefer 2). I thought for the last several years the city was endeavoring to extend the street grid into new developments like Bayport, but they certainly didn’t do anything like a traditional Alameda street grid here. What are the plans for the homes by Target? Any thoughts?
Comment by Not. A. Alamedan — April 8, 2013 @ 10:45 am
If you click on the link to the redesigned street grid for Alameda Landing, it is a vast improvement from the first design and it’s probably an improvement from Bayport. But Bayport did extend the street grid from North to South as best as they could to connect to existing Alameda streets. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to extend new streets into Stargell and Appezzato to not have them actually cross the road. As it is Neptune Gardens on the East runs right into the College of Alameda, connecting to nothing on the other side of 5th. So extending the Alameda street grid is a function of what the street grid around the development looks like as well. But if you look at the overall structure of Bayport it has a grid-like pattern which differs from a cul-de-sac pattern.
Bayport is tricky when it comes to understanding the roads. The first thing is “Lanes” are always code for alleys and those are back loading garage alleys. For some people who face the smaller mini parks (Tuttle is one) those with Lane addresses won’t have streets running directly in front of them so their address will be those back lanes. It’s confusing, I know. When we had a birthday party for number 1 daughter last year, I made a little map and indicated where folks could park their cars. We live on a lane so it’s hard to find our house.
Last weekend was probably quiet everywhere in Alameda as it was Spring Break for AUSD schools. I know we were out of town and I imagine a lot of people were as well. I don’t know what the weather was like, but that often affects what people do out doors. I think folks, myself included, see what we want to see when we go into our neighborhoods and other people’s neighborhoods. For myself I note when I see folks out and about it my own neighborhood, like yesterday there was a couple walking in gusty winds around the block. I think some people like to see what is missing in a neighborhood and that’s fine too. But on nicer days, there are lots of people out doors in Bayport just like in other neighborhoods.
Comment by Lauren Do — April 8, 2013 @ 11:19 am
Thanks Lauren
Comment by Not. A. Alamedan — April 8, 2013 @ 11:55 am
I believe you, you do live there & presumably you know.
But each & every one of the couple dozen times I’ve been in Bayport, the lack of human activity has been weirdly unsettling. Not a soul out walking. No traffic except me & my bike. No dogs barking, no barbecues cooking, no kids at the park, no sound but the wind. For a while I made a point to bike through at different times of day just to see if anyone actually lived there.
Comment by dave — April 8, 2013 @ 12:49 pm
I’ll take some photos next time I have my camera with me.
Comment by Lauren Do — April 8, 2013 @ 1:11 pm
@dave, there’s always something going on at Bayport park during most weekends (winter, excluded).
Then there’s the school and all the associated foot/car traffic, surely you must’ve atleast seen that once if you’ve biked through there couple dozen times/at different times of the day, n’est-ce pas?
Comment by alameda — April 8, 2013 @ 1:46 pm
Haven’t been there at school pickup or dropoff, but a few times I’ve been there on beautiful sunny weekend afternoons — and the park was empty. Hey, I know it can’t be like that all the time, but it has been every time I’ve been there.
Comment by dave — April 8, 2013 @ 4:07 pm
When we go to school evening activities, there is always something going on at the park, and I do see people out walking their dogs, etc. True, not much foot traffic in the daytime, but these are mostly young families where everyone leaves for work or school in the a.m. and comes back in the evening, I think.
Comment by Kate Quick,. — April 8, 2013 @ 4:22 pm
Bayport is to Housing what McDonalds is to Fine Dining.
If McDonalds put it on it’s menu it would be a Baloney sandwich on wonder bread extra dry.They would Call it a Bayport Meal. Leaves you kinda Dry.
Comment by How most see it — April 8, 2013 @ 5:20 pm
The wealth of residential neighborhoods is inversely proportional to the number of people seen in residential neighborhoods.
Comment by Jack Richard — April 8, 2013 @ 5:44 pm
our family home was an early post war tract built in ’47, with a fair amount of yard, but 1/2 mile away were brick row houses with marble stoops. On summer evenings stoop sitting was and is a ritual. Surprising to me, it took way more time than I had planned to find these meager links. The one from Philly shows neighborhood much more gentrified than in my youth, and though it was not my intent, it occurred to me that the photos may challenge the assertion in #10. The blogger and folks in the street look like young urban professionals with some income. There are still plenty of old school stoop sitters in other blue collar neighborhoods.
http://www.phillylovenotes.com/love-note-93-tracy-levesque-watches-philly-in-all-its-glory-from-her-stoop-in-queen-village/
http://www.sfctoday.com/features/213-where-have-all-the-stoop-sitters-gone-.html
We live on a street with restricted auto access, but it is official ped and bike path to South Shore so I can sit on my stoop and see steady stream of people, but I think our street is otherwise pretty sleepy accept for weekend mornings and other times that kids are coming and going. A whole batch of little ones these days. Crop of skateboard kids a while back are now history.
I think dave’s neighborhood may have a bit more vibrant activity than mine if you subtract people headed to Southshore. There is a crop of older folks in his but lots of young families and being very near a school makes for above average buzz. I’ve actually had the same impression of Bay Port the two or three times I’ve passed through, but without through traffic from a connected grid it doesn’t seem that surprising because it’s a destination for residents as opposed to neighborhood which gets passed through by others in transit.
Comment by MI — April 8, 2013 @ 8:36 pm
11 and 12. Spam I am, answer: sure, but why you asking on this blog and this thread?
Comment by MI — April 8, 2013 @ 8:40 pm
Sam where in Panama are you Located.
We are committed to paying some of our administrators over 600,000 total compensation a year for retirement who have served the people. We really don’t have much left to even help those in need in our own county let alone Country.
Maybe the Churchlady will pass the hat at the League who have put us in this situation.
Domain daytondonations.com
Attn: daytondonations.com
Aptds. 0850-00056
Zona 15 Panama
Panama
Date Registered: 2013-4-3
Date Modified: 2013-4-4
Comment by Ask the Churchlady — April 8, 2013 @ 8:43 pm
13
Drive through the Gold Coast, drive through Bayport, drive through Piedmont, you won’t see anybody but Mexicans tending the landscape. Walk through any third world city and you’ll see tons of people on every street except the streets of the wealthy. Walk along Railroad Ave in Alameda and you’ll meet the denizens and hear the thumping of their inner city music.
Wealth buys peace, quiet and solitude.
Comment by Jack Richard — April 8, 2013 @ 10:41 pm
O.K. kids, who knows where “Railroad Ave.” is??.
Comment by John P.(L) — April 9, 2013 @ 8:57 am
Easy-peasy. Lincoln Ave used to have rr tracks running down the middle. That’s why it’s so wide. Southern Pacfic may still own or control an easement down the middle.
Comment by Not A Alamedan — April 9, 2013 @ 9:03 am
Lincoln/Tilden but not including the Eastern portion of Lincoln
Comment by dave — April 9, 2013 @ 9:00 am