HOMES Newsletter: May, 2005

  1. Next Alameda Point Community Meeting – Wednesday, June 8, 2005.  Mastick Senior Center, 1155 Santa Clara Ave., 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
  2. May 7th Community Meeting Presents Development Concepts
  3. The Other Measure A
  4. HOMES Notes
  5. Historical Perspective

 

Next Alameda Point Community Workshop

The next community workshop will take place on Wednesday, June 8th, 2005 at the Mastick Center, 1155 Santa Clara Ave. from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.  This is the final meeting to discuss the preliminary design concept for the Alameda Point Master Plan being developed by the City and ROMA. 

 

It is urgent that we attend and support the best plan!  Alameda can have the optimum development at Alameda Point if it’s not constrained by Measure A.  While there may need to be tweaks to this plan, it provides a package that makes it by far the plan that is in the best interest of our Alameda community.  This package includes:

 

Let’s attend this meeting and work together to support the plan that best meets the overall needs of our community.

 

 

 

May 7th Community Meeting Presents Development Concepts

Saturday morning’s workshop at the Alameda Point Tower Building began with the current thinking on the transportation plan which has short and long term goals.  In the short term it provides an augmented bus system and routes modified to serve all of Alameda and facilitate access to Oakland.  In the long term the strategy is to explore light rail service and create ways to have it extend to Oakland and all of Alameda.

 

The group had an excellent overview of the Land Use plans.  One proposes a plan with large for-sale homes and neighborhood retail.  The other plan also includes large for-sale homes but also includes a variety of other housing types such as condos and rental units clustered around the neighborhood transit stops, mirroring the historic landscape of Alameda’s early “stations.”  This latter plan with varied housing types not only provides life style options at Alameda Point but reinforces the likelihood that neighborhood retail and good public transportation can be achieved.  When one looks at the Bayport homes along Ralph Appezzatto and imagines 1600 units of that type at Alameda Point, one realizes what a change in character and tradition that would be for our community.

 

The Other Measure A

Much of our discussion around Alameda Point involves Measure A, Alameda’s 1973 charter amendment prohibiting the building of multiple dwelling units.  HOMES has stated that this constraint prevents the best of Alameda values and traditions from being reflected at Alameda Point.

 

However, this spring there is a very different Measure A – the parcel tax supporting our public schools.  Quality education for all of our Alameda children is another important value and tradition of Alameda.  HOMES urges its supporters to thoughtfully consider the parcel tax Measure A and its impact on the quality of education we provide in our community and to vote on June 7th. 

 

HOMES Notes

We are on a roll!  We’ve been having excellent turnouts at the public meetings; have been producing a monthly, informative newsletter; and are developing a very comprehensive web site.  We will be needed more than ever to be a source of information as the APAC (Alameda Point Advisory Committee) is terminated.  But we need your support!

 

In order to continue producing our newsletter, updating our web site and meeting with interested groups and organizations, we need financial support.  Please make a donation by sending a check to HOMES, 816 Grand St., Alameda, CA  94502.  With a little bit of support from a lot of people, we can continue to advocate for optimum development at Alameda Point.

 

Historical Perspective – Alameda Point Collaborative

Alameda Point is not just a blank slate.  In fact, a thriving community of nearly 500 residents already exists here – The Alameda Point Collaborative.  This is a community of residents dedicated to rebuilding their lives, sharing their resources with the larger community and being engaged in common interests with their neighbors.

 

Established in 1997, the Collaborative residents are largely women and children who have experienced domestic violence situations.  In fact, over 60% of the residents are children under the age of 18 who live with their mothers.  At the Collaborative, children and adults are offered the services they need to rebuild their lives and to become contributing members of our community.

 

One of the projects the Collaborative has started is a community garden and the Ploughshares Nursery.  Harkening back to the early days of Alameda when the area around Fernside was comprised mostly of orchards, Ploughshares will grow and sell fresh, organic produce.  Ploughshares will enable residents to gain valuable job training and employment while the revenue generated will help support Collaborative programs.  And all Alamedans will benefit by being able to purchase local, homegrown fruits, vegetables and herbs.  In fact, HOMES is a proud recipient of a “feverfew” from Ploughshares!

 

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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:  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

 

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