Gateway to Alameda

With a name like that, the last thing you expect to see at one of the major entrances to the city (just as you exit the Webster Tube) are neon signs for In-N-Out along with a Safeway gas station and alcohol kiosk. Unfortunately, this is precisely the “vision” that city planners have for the West End. In the past, community input clearly indicated that additional fast food joints are not welcome in the Webster District (saturated as it is with several such establishments).

There are also concerns about gridlock on Webster/Stargell from traffic entering/exiting the In-N-Out (we all know just how devoted the In-N-Out afficionados are).

There is a petition requesting the Alameda Planning Board reject the applications are currently under review for this gateway location and prevent it from becoming a Gateway to Anywhere.

We acknowledge that Alamedans are excited about In N Out coming to Alameda, but this parcel is not the right location for that. This is our community’s opportunity to create a gateway to Alameda that is attractive to potential residents, investors, and visitors, and showcases our city as a unique place to visit and live.

Target at Alameda Landing

Coming soon …

Alameda Landing Update

With a special City Council meeting scheduled for Dec 5th, the Chronicle has an article on Alameda Landing. Having been to one of the early workshops, it is clear that a significant amount of planning and community input has gone into the proposed design. Alameda Landing is expected to eventually contribute nearly $5m in annual property and sales taxes. The city could definitely use this extra income.

Some highlights from the article:

Alameda Landing is described as a tribute to environmentally friendly design. Nearly all the buildings would be constructed from recycled, reused and nontoxic materials. Bike and pedestrian paths would weave past East Coast-style walk-up duplexes, outdoor restaurants and rehabilitated warehouses.

Catellus has made a number of concessions to the city, such as agreeing to clean up the contaminated soil, build the infrastructure and help promote local businesses that might be adversely affected by the influx of retail. The company also agreed to set aside 25 percent of residential units as affordable housing and to design the development to blend with its surroundings by extending streets and using matching streetlights, signs and other features.

“We got everything we asked for, certainly,” said David Brandt, Alameda’s assistant city manager. “We think it’ll bring more people and activities to the waterfront, and we’re happy about that.”

The article also mentions that traffic mitigation still remains an important issue.

Clif Bar moving to Alameda

I was pleasantly surprised to hear Alameda pulled out all the stops and offered many incentives for Clif Bar. As reported in the Chronicle:

In addition, Alameda lured Clif Bar with its access to renewable energy, ample parking and public transit, and a building big enough to accommodate an extensive solar-panel system. Workers will also be able to send their children to Alameda public schools, even if the parents don’t live in Alameda.

I am not sure how the city is going to handle the logisitics of (non-Alameda resident) Clif Bar employees sending their kids to Alameda public schools. I reckon the school district will have this all figured out in due course 🙂

Clif Bar (annual revenue: $150m; 150 employees) will relocate to Alameda Landing in 2008.

Alameda Landing

Although not very imaginatively chirstened, Alameda Landing is the 1.3 million square feet of property located along the Alameda/Oakland estuary in Alameda’s west side. A large portion of the property faces Jack London Square and the Port of Oakland.

The city has ambitious plans to convert this space into a mixed development of residential, retail and office space (the plans also include an open park). As has been mentioned earlier, Alameda suffers from a significant amount of revenue leakage due to the limited retail opportunities on the island. A recent study estimates that 27% ($260m) of the retail dollars were spent elsewhere.

Projected 2006 retail leakage ($million):

• Automobile Dealers: $105.5
• Discount Stores: $43.2
• Furniture and Home Furnishings: $31.9
• Specialty Apparel: $28.9
• Household Appliance and Electronics: $11.5
• Specialty Retail and Specialty Foods: $7.4

The proposed retail stores will primarily consist of the above categories (there are no plans to include any automobile dealerships or discount stores). The city planning board recently approved the master plan for the project, and the wheels are in motion. This project augurs well for Alameda and has the potential to plug the retail revenue leakage.

Additional information (including project renderings) are at the Alameda Landing website.