Alameda Landing – 124 townhouses proposed for Alameda Point

East Bay Times News

May 22, 2016

ALAMEDA — The public can comment on the design of 124 townhomes proposed for Alameda Point when the Planning Board meets Monday.

People can also offer input on the design of the “gateway” into what city officials call Site “A,” the 68 acres at the former Alameda Naval Air Station where master developer Alameda Point Partners plans to build a waterfront park and a mix of residential and commercial space, including the townhomes.

The homes are proposed for two blocks and would be within walking distance of the Seaplane Lagoon at the edge of San Francisco Bay, where efforts are also underway to build a ferry terminal.

One block, bordered by “G,” “A” and Main streets and Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway, would have 64 attached townhomes in 11 three-story buildings. Each unit would have a private two car garage, between two and three stories of living space and measure between 1,444 and 2,184 square feet. KTGY Architecture + Planning is the designer.

Kwan Henmi Architecture is designing the second block, which would have 60 townhomes in a similar configuration that would range from 1,521 to 2,357 square feet. Forty-four units would have two-car garages and 16 would have one-car garages. All the units would be three stories.

Andrew Thomas, the city’s assistant community development director, said he’s not recommending the board take any final action Monday.

Instead, Thomas wants the board to offer comments on the projects and provide direction after hearing from the public and the architects.

City officials also want to get input on what will be the gateway into the future neighborhood from the rest of Alameda, which passes the block where most townhomes will be located.

The gateway may include landscaped plazas and a monument that reflects the area’s history as a Navy base, according to preliminary design plans. Suggested street names for the residential neighborhood are Buckthorn, Ardent, Coronado, Skylark and Corsair.

Alameda Point Partners includes Madison Marquette and Thompson Dorfman Partners, which were involved in the Bay Street project in Emeryville. The group also includes SRM Ernst Development Partners, which was involved in building the VF Outdoor campus and the Peet’s Coffee & Tea roasting facility at the Harbor Bay Business Park.

Catellus proposes changes on waterfront

Also on Monday the Planning Board will host a study session on changes that Catellus Alameda Development LLC wants in the redevelopment of 41 waterfront acres that are part of its Alameda Landing project. The acres are north of Mitchell Avenue and directly across the Oakland Estuary from Jack London Square.

The developer’s master plan, which secured city approval in 2006, calls for 394,000 square feet of office space, 35,000 square feet of retail and an 8 acre waterfront park.

Catellus now wants to build 375 housing units, a 124-room hotel, 15,000 square feet of retail and 10,000 square feet of office space at the site. The park would remain the same size.

The changes are prompted by the need to increase the land value to cover the growth of redevelopment costs, including for the park, according to Catellus.

The overall Alameda Landing project totals 77 acres and includes the shopping center where Target opened in October 2013 and the adjacent residential neighborhood now being built by TRI Pointe homes.

Reach Peter Hegarty at 510-748-1654 or follow him on Twitter.com/Peter_Hegarty.

If you go

The Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday at City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda.