The Planning Board on Monday night has lots of neat renderings to look at, so I’m breaking this up into two posts to get the full graphic goodness. The first set of plans are for Alameda Landing’s affordable housing development which was handed off to veteran non-profit housing developer RCD to take the lead on.
If you have not visited the Alameda Landing side of the island recently, you will not have noticed the construction going on at both the residential housing site and the retail side. Close to the Target, Tri Pointe homes is chugging along and has the frames of one of its larger buildings erected. Safeway’s exterior metal shell has been built up giving you a clear idea of the massing of the eventual building. The smaller units fronting Fifth Street have also started going up as well. At the remnant parcel, the underground storage containers have gone in for the gas station.
Located on a .94 parcel of land on Stargell Avenue between Shinsei Gardens Apartments and the TRI Pointe multifamily buildings on 5th Street, the project will provide 32 housing units for very-low and low-income households within walking distance to future parks, retail services, and transportation services. The City’s Housing Authority will own the land and lease the land to a limited partnership entity. As the project’s developer and owner, the limited partnership will consist of RCD and the Housing Authority as general partners, and a tax credit investor. RCD, in cooperation with the Housing Authority and John Stewart Company, a private property management company, will manage the 32 apartment units. John Stewart Company also manages the nearby 52-unit Breakers at Bayport Apartments, the adjacent Shinsei Gardens project, and Park Alameda (2428 Central Avenue).
The unit details:
…25 very low-income units, six low-income units, and one manager’s unit. All the units will be rental apartments, with a mix of single-story flats and two-story townhomes. Four of the units are single-story, ground floor, accessible units and nine additional units are adaptable for households with disabilities. The project includes five one-bedroom units, 16 two-bedroom units and 11 three-bedroom units ranging in size from approximately 585 to 1,165 square feet in size.
I really like how all the parking is tucked inside the development itself, making the visual from Stargell Street a lot more appealing. I think it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood and it looks like the design is not too much different than both Shinsei Gardens and Tri Pointe designs.
Blogging Bayport Alameda 
I see the Crackerbox School of architecture is enjoying a resurgence. Why do they always assume that people with little money have little taste? Sigh.
BTW, I overheard a longtime City inspector discussing his exit strategy from Alameda the other day. He’s convinced all this development is going to have a negative impact on quality of life. This is someone with an informed opinion. He isn’t just guessing. “Thank God I’ll be long gone,” he said, referring to when the Point gets built out.
Comment by Denise Shelton — July 25, 2014 @ 7:35 am
Denise, we will all probably be long gone before the base gets built out.
Comment by John P. — July 25, 2014 @ 7:40 am
That may be true, John, but what consolation is that? Aren’t we charged to leave this world a better place than the one we were born into?
Comment by Denise Shelton — July 25, 2014 @ 7:51 am
In the plan above, I count 39 parking spaces for 32 units. Is that accurate? Curious that they would provide that many spaces for a development within spitting distance of shopping, parks, transport etc, as opposed to the Delmonte plans where I think there is being planned something like 1 space for only about 70 percent of the units? Do I have that figure close to accurate? And no nearby shopping, within spitting or reasonable walking distance? I wonder if the city required that many spaces for the low income development or if that’s what the developer originally proposed?
Comment by Not A Alamedan — July 25, 2014 @ 8:02 am
According to the staff report there are parking formulas for affordable housing developers in order to receive tax credits or however affordable housing developers cobbled together funding. The ratio is 1.56 parking spaces per unit. If memory serves I believe Del Monte is 1.2ish parking spaces per unit, but I’d have to go back and check.
As to the design, personally I like it. Perhaps I like the “crackerjack” school of architecture or maybe I just like more modern and clean looking architecture with industrial touches as opposed to gilded flourishes.
Comment by Lauren Do — July 25, 2014 @ 8:42 am
This doesn’t look bad at all for low-income housing. Hopefully they will put something like this (smaller scale, since it’s a smaller lot) on the old Island High site on Eagle.
And– a street named after Frank Bette! Wonderful!
Comment by Kristen — July 25, 2014 @ 10:01 am
Just to circle back, I rechecked the numbers for Del Monte. There is a total of 412 spaces for the residential portion of Del Monte (not including on street spaces). Number of residences in Del Monte is 308. The parking ratio is 1.34 spaces per unit.
Comment by Lauren Do — July 25, 2014 @ 10:58 am
Thank you Lauren
Comment by Not A Alamedan — July 25, 2014 @ 11:05 am
I actually don’t like it, but you can never tell until it is built. The design is okay but the windows are smallish. It is too bad they are putting all the low income housing in the same area… Shinsei Gardens, Breakers and this one. I guess they picked out the parcels which were the least valuable to build on. With all that being said all 3 developments are walking distance to Safeway so hopefully it will reduce grocery carts on the streets. I just hope that Safeway will have some sort of radio locking device on their carts like Nob Hill so you can’t take them out of the parking lot. Actually Safeway will be close enough for me to walk which will be nice. Get exercise and get food1
Comment by Joseph — July 25, 2014 @ 12:28 pm
I’m perfectly happy with this housing here in the West End, GOD FORBID ANYTHING LIKE THIS BE BUILT IN THE EAST END, IT COULD ACTUALLY MEAN THE END OF THE WORLD.
Comment by John P. — July 25, 2014 @ 10:57 pm
At a time when demand is high for affordable rentals in Alameda, this project comes at the perfect time. It would be nice to see Alameda residents get first preference. It also would be nice if we can come up with another name for projects like this — other than “low income housing”. I ask, why give it a name at all? This project serves an important need at a time when we’re experiencing a major housing crisis in our city, and we should show as much care and concern about the design and landscape as any other project in town.
These affordable home projects could also be the answer to those who are being forced to leave the Island because of rising rents — yet we choose to call them “those low income people”, but they are in fact our teachers, single moms, seniors, grocery clerks, gardners, handymen, nannies, etc.
I plan to show up at the planning board and support this project — because I see projects like these as the answer to our local housing crisis.
Comment by Karen Bey — July 26, 2014 @ 7:34 am
TRI Pointe says prices for there new homes are anticipated to start at $500,000 for the new Condo’s and $700,000 the homes . In my experience you can expect them to start at $100,000 to $200,000 more than that and that is without any upgrades. It looks like the models will be ready soon. The biggest drawback is older people won’t want a 3 story house and the other drawback is who wants to live next to Target? It will be interesting to see what happens. Also it will be nice if the Coast Guard took down the fence.
Has anyone heard when they will start on the office space?
It appears that the sewer building which is just off Stargell and close to the Coast Guard housing will be in the parking lot of the low income housing although it is not a big building but I really can’t tell by the map.
Comment by Joseph — July 26, 2014 @ 10:23 am