HOMES Newsletter: March, 2005
Welcome to the HOMES e-newsletter! HOMES is a grassroots advocacy group
dedicated to preserving Alameda heritage at the Alameda Point redevelopment
site. We believe that by offering a
variety of housing types in lively, mixed-use neighborhoods, Alameda Point will
preserve the historic feel, cultural richness and economic vitality that make
Alameda such a wonderful place to live.
1. Next Alameda Point Community Meeting – March
23rd, 6:30 pm, City Hall.
2. Positive and Productive March 3rd
Community Meeting
3. HOMES Notes
4. Historical Perspective
Next Alameda Point Community Workshop
The next Alameda Point
Community Workshop will occur on March 23rd at 6:30 PM in City Hall. The meeting will be televised live on Cable
TV Channel 15.
This meeting will focus on
transportation alternatives and will be hosted by APAC (Alameda Point Advisory
Committee) and the Alameda Transportation Commission. As with the other community workshops, the format for this meeting
will include a presentation followed by questions and comments from community
members. The presence and participation
from HOMES members and supporters at past workshops has made a difference! This is your chance to learn about
transportation alternatives for Alameda Point and provide more input on what
you’d like to see for Alameda. It is
also the chance to learn more about how housing types and mixed use
neighborhoods will affect public transportation options.
Here’s what the city says
about this meeting: “Your ideas and recommendations are needed to decide how
best to improve access to and from Alameda.”
Ideas to be discussed include:
underground rail connection to Jack London Square, aerial tram to west
Oakland BART and light rail connections to Fruitvale BART
Positive and Productive March 3rd
Community Meeting
The
March 3rd Community Workshop was at full capacity. The meeting covered land-use issues - how
the land at Alameda Point will be developed, especially the building of
residential units. Because of the input
from HOMES members and supporters, plans compliant and non-compliant with
Measure A were shown. “Trade-offs” were
presented around the correlations of housing types, traffic and economic
feasibility.
The
presentation also focused on historic preservation and open space. More historic preservation of existing
buildings would be possible under non-Measure A compliant plans. For example, the Bachelor Officers Quarters
could be used for their original purpose, as apartments.
Input
from the community was positive about continuing to explore Measure A
alternatives. In addition to historic
preservation and traffic benefits, there was input as to the increased
flexibility and livability of non-Measure A alternatives. The value of providing housing for Alameda’s
middle-income residents – young people, teachers, safety officers, etc. – was
discussed.
HOMES Notes
HOMES wants to spread the
word! Although our members and
supporters feel strongly that offering a variety of housing types in mixed-use
neighborhoods would have a long-lasting, extremely positive impact on Alameda,
we don’t want to make that decision for you.
Rather, we want to spread the word on what’s happening with Alameda
Point development and encourage the residents of Alameda to participate in the
decision-making process. With Alameda
Point representing one-third of our Island home and being one of the largest
urban infill areas in the entire Bay Area, the decisions we make will affect
Alamedans – and indeed the whole Bay Area – for generations to come.
We’re asking for your help
in improving our communication with all Alameda residents. Please pass this newsletter along let us
know of any individuals or groups you think would like to learn more about
Alameda Point development. Let’s make
the decisions about Alameda Point truly be a community-involved process!
Historical Perspective
Transportation has long been
vital to the development of Alameda. In
her book, Alameda, A Geographical History, Imelda Merlin states that “At
no time did Chipman (Alameda’s co-founder) underestimate the role that
transportation was to play in the development of Alameda, and indeed of the
entire coast.” Being an island, it was
vital to provide ease of transportation to San Francisco and the interior of
the state. Railroad and ferry
connections were the earliest forms of public transportation, with services
beginning in 1864. With these
transportation services, the growth of Alameda as a residential community could
begin in earnest and Alameda was able to become a more viable business
community. Soon, “Red Trains,” as the
Southern Pacific trains were known, and the “Dinkey,” a local street car to
Oakland were making loops around Alameda, stopping at every corner where a
passenger was waiting. Trains and
streetcars ran every few minutes during the rush hours and half-hourly in
between. It was boasted that Alameda
enjoyed the best transportation facilities of any city west of the Mississippi
River.
As with the early days of
Alameda, effective public transportation makes Alameda an enjoyable residential
community. And design at Alameda Point
that supports pedestrian and biking alternatives as well means safer streets,
cleaner air and a more active and healthier population.
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Please feel free to pass this e-newsletter along. To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: homesalameda@comcast.net
Tax-deductible contributions are always welcome! Make checks payable to: Ecoventure/HOMES
816 Grand St.
Alameda, CA 94501
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HOMES Steering Committee:
Helen Sause, Co-Chair –
510-521-3940
Joan Konrad, Co-Chair –
510-522-3789
Doug Linney, Strategic
Advisor, The Next Generation