Looks like the entry signs for Alameda Point got a fresh new design but it’s not a whole lot better. It has a very Disneyland land feel with the super saturated colors and the mix of materials. But if it’s a question of selecting between this new sign and the old one, this one is a whole lot better
And the close up shot with shadow hipster for reference:
Also on the Planning Board’s agenda tonight is the review for the draft of the Waterfront Town Center plan which is weird that we are approving this AFTER the RFQs for developers have already gone out, but whatever.
Here’s a slide that folks might be interested in detailing the maximum and minimum heights for certain blocks in the Town Center plan.
And a look at the historic heights for the hangars, which top out at a little less than 60′ tall.
Oh, also apparently the seal colony at Alameda Point’s Seaplane Lagoon keeps disappearing. It’s unclear what is happening and according to the City they’re not doing anything at the Seaplane Lagoon to affect the seal colony. This week though, apparently WETA divers will be inspecting the sea wall for future reference (could be part of their maintenance facility plans or even plans to move the ferry terminal). If anyone knows what could be happening to the float where the seals typically hang out, you can post about it here. Perhaps the WETA divers would be willing to take a quick peek to see if there’s some trouble with the float or dock or whatever the seals generally hang out on.
Blogging Bayport Alameda 
The short answer is that the “T” dock at the end where most of the harbor seals would haul out has either broken loose or been cut loose. Two giant timbers that look like they once served as gangplanks have drifted eastward and lodged against the riprap along the Bay Trail. What happened prior to the dock timbers leaving their mooring is unclear. A floating boom was laid out from the nearby maritime ship to the end of where the ferry facility will go prior to when the dock came loose. The boom has been removed, and the dock beams have moved. Did someone deliberately cut the beams loose? It would be nice to know the answer. The boom didn’t get there by itself and then leave by itself. The good news is that for the time being we still have a harbor seal family. They can haul out on the main structure, and there were seven there yesterday.
Here is a video made earlier this year before the dock/beams came loose:
Comment by Richard Bangert — May 12, 2014 @ 7:53 am
Oh, maybe you asked the wrong question and you got an artful answer. The seals are (now were) not clustered in the Seaplane Lagoon, they are/were down the coast from the Hornet.
Comment by Jack Mingo — May 12, 2014 @ 8:28 am
Just to clarify terminology, the body of water where the harbor seals hang out, and where the ferry maintenance facility (not the ferry terminal that is proposed for the Seaplane Lagoon) is called the Inner Harbor. It’s on the south shore of Alameda Point. The body of water that this Inner Harbor is connected to is called the Alameda Point Channel, which leads into the Bay. The Seaplane Lagoon is a place unto itself.
Comment by Richard Bangert — May 12, 2014 @ 8:54 am
I guess the sign is as big as it is so that when you are stuck in that traffic gridlock coming out of the tunnel, you can be reminded why.
Comment by Denise Shelton — May 12, 2014 @ 9:23 am
Even at the pier over in SF, the seals come and go and the speculation is that they are where there is food. If the food source becomes scarce, they follow it to where it is abundant. Smart seals! In SF they have come and gone several times.
Comment by Kate Quick — May 12, 2014 @ 1:46 pm
Kate, The issue here is not the availability of food. It’s the availability of a haul out on which to rest. They’ve been hauling out at the old recreational dock for many years. It’s not the food that is leaving. It’s the haul out.
Comment by Richard Bangert — May 13, 2014 @ 7:01 am
We use to walk the dogs by that dock, and it was half dilapidated back then. I would be very surprised if it would hold the weight of a bunch of seals.
I like the new signage as compared to what they planned before…at least this one has color. I hate the baby diarrhea yellow and rust that most of the base buildings are currently painted.
Comment by Joseph — May 13, 2014 @ 7:30 am
# 4 Denise indeed hell of a gas chamber ………
Comment by John P — May 13, 2014 @ 10:56 am