Housing Element review, part 3

The next part of the Housing Element are the specific programs the City intends to implement to realize the lofty policy objectives from the Goals portion.

Program 1 is Alameda Point, of course. It is the largest parcel of available land in Alameda and therefore will be at the centerpiece of any future discussions about development.

These are not new units, so this has nothing to do with the recent cries to work with the Navy to remove the additional unit penalty. Those discussions would, as staff has said, would never be concluded in time to be included in this Housing Element cycle. This particular program (and the resulting units from the program) can only be included and counted if the City Council votes to for a Site A entitlement update which will require four votes. Are there four votes for the current developer currently? Hard to say but, much like the Encinal Terminals site, without that fourth vote the City will have to find 610 units somewhere else in Alameda.

Program 2 is the Shopping Center Zoning Amendments which would have a minimum density of 30 du/ac and remove the multifamily housing prohibition which makes this overlay yet another A/26 work around. Staff thinks that between all of the interested shopping centers they could accommodate 1200 units. This only covers four shopping centers and so does not include Neptune Center at the end of Webster Street even though that property owner was VERY interested in the overlay. The uses that will be allowed in these four shopping centers include by-right: multifamily housing, shared housing, transitional housing, supportive housing, senior assisted living, and low barrier navigation centers. By-right is the key here because it will not require a conditional use permit which will reduce the number of hoops to be jumped to actually get housing built at these shopping center sites. The shopping center overlay gets Alameda 1200 units to count and, based on the interest from some of the shopping centers previously (coughsouthshorecough) this one might end up being more than just units on paper.

Program 3 is the Commercial Transit Corridor Zoning Amendments which is a fancy way of saying up-zoning Park and Webster Streets. Much like the shopping center overlay this throws A/26 out the window again with a removal of A/26’s multifamily prohibition and sets a floor for the minimum site density to 30 du/ac. This is a density minimum. That’s a huge step forward for Alameda even in light of the vote to retain A/26. What this Housing Element document has become is an acknowledgement that A/26 cannot stand in the face of State requirements. In order to be compliant, the City of Alameda is saying they have to violate the charter. Much like the shopping center overlay multifamily housing, shared housing, transitional housing, supportive housing, senior assisted living, and low barrier navigation centers will be allowed by-right on Park and Webster Streets.