At its May 29 meeting the Planning Board unanimously approved the Alameda Marina master plan and the adoption of the plan’s Environmental Impact (EIR); the vote was 5-0. Pacific Shops, Inc. owns the property, which consists of 27 acres of land. The City of Alameda owns the 17 acres of waterfront property, which it has leased to Pacific Shops, Inc. The combined properties are located on the north side of Clement Avenue bordered by Willow Street on the east and the Alameda Municipal Power offices on the west. 

In 2012, the City Council amended the city’s General Plan and its Municipal Code to designate the 27 acres of land as a multifamily housing opportunity site. The 2012 lease to Pacific Shops, Inc. required Pacific Shops to prepare a master plan for the entire site. The lease called for Pacific Shops to find higher-value uses for the property so it could to fund improvements that include seawalls, bulkheads, public access and the supporting infrastructure. Last year, a consultant estimated that Pacific Shops would have to spend some $17 million for seawall improvements alone. 

In addition to these improvements, the city’s mixed-use designation for the property would allow housing that Alameda needs to bring the city in compliance with state housing laws. Two years ago, Pacific Shops submitted its draft master plan and began hosting meetings — some 75 in all, according to city files. The Planning Board hosted four public meetings to evaluate and improve the draft master plan. 

The plan submitted to the Planning Board on May 29 provides for:

• 17.74 acres of residential development.
• 7.35 acres of maritime commercial land with 180,972 square feet of maritime and commercial building floor area and dockyard space.
• 3.59 acres of public open space.
• 12 acres of submerged maritime commercial land with marina facilities.

Residential development at the site calls for the building of 760 multifamily housing units, which will vary in size from 700 to 2,300 square feet. About 500 of these are planned as rental units, the remainder, 260, would go on the market. The plan calls for Pacific Shops to make 103 of the 760 units available as low-income units. This would include 32 units for very low-income households, 26 units for low-income households and 45 units for middle income or “moderate” income households. 

In addition the master plan provides for improvements to the property accomplished in three phases over the course of seven to 15 years. These include the complete reconstruction or rehabilitation of 4,009 lineal feet of shoreline embankments, seawalls and bulkheads, most on city-owned tidelands property. These improvements include the necessary upgrades to address three feet of anticipated sea level rise over the next 50 years. 

Required improvements also include shoreline rehabilitation, which would create a 530-slip marina with dredging, pier and dock improvements. It also calls for improvement or replacement of the sewer, water, power and sanitary infrastructure and construction of three parking lots.

If all goes as scheduled, the plan and the environmental impact report will come before the City Council for a first reading on Tuesday, July 10, and for a second reading on Tuesday, July 24. If the plans clear the Council, federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers and state bureaus that include the Bay Conservation and Development Commission will scrutinize them. If Pacific Shops, Inc. clears these hurdles, work should begin in July 2019.