Weekday update

These periodic Alameda Point updates are generally super helpful to follow along if (1) you’re new to all this or (2) you conveniently forget what has already happened and what plans have been presented thus far.

There’s a whole section on the commercial portions and business stuff which (most) people seem to want and don’t have a lot of objections to.  Of course I caveat that with “most” since as we saw from the whole WETA facility discussion apparently there are people in Alameda who don’t want business and ended up voting against the approvals to pave the way for the WETA facility which would bring with it many jobs in the form of construction jobs first and foremost and then maintenance and administrative jobs once the complex is complete.

But, I digress, anyway good update on the whole project overall, but I wanted specifically to highlight the information about the housing because that’s the stuff that the community tends to have strong feelings about.

From the staff report:

• Of the 800 units, approximately 630 of the units will be in stacked flat buildings over parking and approximately 170 of the units will be in attached townhomes and row houses.

• To create a comfortable transition between the adjacent Bayport neighborhood and the commercial center at the Seaplane Lagoon, the height and residential density of the eight residential blocks increases along RAMP and across Site A from Main Street to the Seaplane Lagoon. The blocks facing Main Street and the Bayport neighborhood are the lowest density blocks with three-story townhomes. The blocks closest to the Seaplane Lagoon and the commercial center of the project will provide space for the higher density multifamily housing units with up to six-story buildings that will support the commercial uses and waterfront activities.

…

• To provide for a mixed income, transit orient community, the Site A Development Plan ensures that 200 of the 800 units (25%) are to be restricted to very low-, low- and moderate-income households. The other 600 units will be market-rate units.

• One hundred twenty-eight (128) of the 200 affordable units will be permanently restricted for very low- and low-income households. The very low and low income units will be constructed by the nonprofit affordable housing developer, Eden Housing, in two buildings on a shared podium on Block 8 in the first phase of the development. Eden Housing will also provide long-term property management.

• Eden Housing is exploring two possibilities for the project. In one scenario, all 128 units are designed for family housing, in the second scenario, 50% of the units (approximately 64 units) are designed for low and very low income seniors. In addition to the 128 very low- and low-income units on Block 8, the Site A development will include 72 moderate income units that will be dispersed throughout the market rate buildings on the other residential blocks.

Eden Housing is the non-profit affordable housing developer.

Alameda Point Partners has already sought a waiver from Measure A based on the Density Bonus ordinance, but in a twist they are not asking for any additional density bonus units to be awarded, only the Measure A waiver.

Just to make perfectly clear, APP will be using the Density Bonus application not to get additional market rate units to build because they are already providing 25% affordable units only to get a waiver from Measure A.  There’s the full application at the agenda item link.

By the way, I’m always consistently impressed by the detail of these staff reports.  Ostensibly it’s for the benefit of the public, but if it can help keep some of the members of the City Council informed as well, win!