The effort to transform what was once U.S. Navy property into a neighborhood of homes and businesses with views of the San Francisco skyline reached a milestone early Wednesday, when the Alameda, California City Council greenlighted the $500 million project.
The 68 acres at Alameda Point will also feature 15 acres of parks and possibly a new ferry terminal. The 800 homes will be a mix of flats, condominiums and townhouses. Each will be within a five-minute walk of the ferry terminal and within a two-minute walk of shops and shuttles that will offer service to downtown Oakland and BART, according to Alameda Point Partners, the developer team.
About 530 housing units will be rentals and 200 will be designated affordable. Commercial space will total about 600,000 square feet.
The project is expected to generate 2,570 construction jobs and 1,472 permanent jobs.
“It will jump-start sorely needed infrastructure,” former Mayor Marie Gilmore said. “We are talking sewers. We are talking water. We are talking telecom.”
“It creates a gateway that allows us to have an attractive entry to Alameda Point,” said Jennifer Ott, the city’s chief operating officer for the former Navy base.