Sometimes it’s helpful to go back to one’s roots, in the case of Alameda Point the roots are the principles developed by the community to guide the future of this newest neighborhood.
When the Base was decommissioned in 1993, the Base Reuse Advisory Group (BRAG) was formed to help guide the conversion of the Base back to civilian use. In 1996, a Community Reuse Plan was created by BRAG that outlined seven key principles to direct the development. These principles are embedded in the City of Alameda’s General Plan and are as follows:
• Seamless integration of Alameda Point with the rest of the City. Policies in the General Plan encourage development that is community-oriented and in keeping with Alameda’s traditional character and scale.
• Fostering a vibrant new neighborhood. The General Plan seeks to create new and energetic areas, encompassing a variety of uses. However, policies ensure that new development will not unduly impact established neighborhoods.
• Maximizing waterfront accessibility. With an emphasis on a perimeter shoreline trail along the San Francisco Bay and Oakland Estuary, the policies aim to provide a publicly accessible waterfront.
• De-emphasizing the automobile and making new development compatible with transportation capacity. Policies promote the use of alternative modes of transportation—such as bicycles, shuttles and water taxis—to reduce present and potential future congestion.
• Ensuring economic development. The envisioned long-term reuse of Alameda Point will result in replacement of jobs lost due to cessation of Naval operations, and will foster economic growth and development that benefits the community at large.
• Creating a mixed-use environment. The General Plan encourages development of a variety of uses in Alameda Point that promote transit and a pedestrian-friendly environment. A mixed-use approach will allow for the development of transit friendly neighborhoods with a strong pedestrian character that will foster the development of the desired small town feeling.
• Establishing neighborhood centers. Each neighborhood in Alameda Point should have a neighborhood center as a focal point that allows for commercial, civic, community support services, cultural and recreational uses. Centers should allow for human interaction and public events. Centers should be distributed so all residents can walk to accomplish multiple purposes and have an access point to local transit. Integration of multiple forms of transportation is essential to a successful neighborhood center design. Similar to existing neighborhood business districts, these centers should provide critical local services, such as grocery stores, launderettes/cleaners and small restaurants that can rely mainly on customers who walk from their homes.
In 2008, SunCal created planning principles to guide the Revitalize Alameda Point plan. They are:
• One Island Character
• Job Creation and Economic Development
• Small Town Feeling
• Respect for History
• De-Emphasis of the Automobile
• Transit Orientation
• Mixed-Use Development
• Neighborhood Centers
• Open Space Network
• Sustainable Development and Design
The community of Alameda came up with a vision that promotes an environmentally sensitive, vibrant neighborhood that offers civic, recreational and economic benefits for Alameda. We believe the Revitalize Alameda Point plan does an excellent job of fulfilling these community principles.
