Live on the interwebs.

Okay.

Let's uh let's bring it into uh into session.

Start with poll call.

Good evening for the historical advisory board meeting Thursday, March 5th.

Board member Bevan present.

Board member Brito.

Present.

Board member Crowdy.

Present.

And uh Chair Hernandez.

Present.

We have a quorum.

Beautiful.

Uh let's start with non-agenda public comments.

Anyone can speak for up to three minutes regarding anything that is not on the agenda.

Any here in the audience or online with raised hands.

Yeah, we've got one hand raised online.

Todd Hickman should be able to speak.

Yes, thank you.

I'd like to commend the board for coming together this evening and actually attempting to focus on certificate of approvals and trying to comply with CEQA and general federal, state, and local regulations.

I think you're a far departure in general away, not talking about tonight's project in no way, shape, or form, speaking in general terms to the board's performance, um, which has been non-existent up to this point on all related manners to certificate of approvals.

Um I think there's some written public comment that um breaks out all the laws and regulations for anybody that's interested um to read and see how far from compliance the board actually is.

Um but again I would like to commend the board on making an attempt this evening to begin the process of compliance, even though you're a long way um from compliance in general on all things related to CEQA and certificate of approvals.

Let's call it that for now.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Any other uh non-agenda item comments?

No other speakers.

Okay, swell.

Uh let's go to item three minutes.

Uh so we're looking at the minutes from our last meeting.

Any comments or addition to those minutes?

Any motions about those minutes.

I motion that the minutes from our previous month's meeting be entered into the record.

And approved.

Second.

Second.

All in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Okay, great.

So now that we've dispensed with that, let's get into a regular agenda.

Uh first up is item four A.

This is a certificate of approval for the Radium Theater Performing Arts Center.

Um there'll be, I believe, a number of attachments that we'll be discussing, but there is first a presentation.

Take it away, Brian.

I think we got the right one.

Good evening, Chair Hernandez and members of the historical advisory board, Brian McGuire, planner two, here to present the Radium Theater Performing Arts Center project.

Um requesting uh certificate of approval.

Um I'll be giving the staff presentation.

The applicant also has a presentation um that they would love to give after mine, um, before or after any questions.

Um tonight staff's recommending that you hold a public hearing um and adopt the draft resolution.

Project is several years in the making now.

Just a little refresher.

You first saw this project in a workshop, at least maybe no.

I think of the last I think our chair saw the project and valiantly served on the joint subcommittee in the summer of 2024 when we sort of were talking some of the big picture site sighting and some of the considerations that the project was going through in that earlier phase.

Spent uh most of last year refining some of the little details as well as uh negotiating the ground lease and purchase option, which is sort of the land deal side, not really the purview of us tonight, but um running in parallel with this um entitlement process.

So brings us to tonight where we're asking the HAB to approve the project by issuing certificate of approval before it goes on to the planning board for a development plan consideration, as well as uh next month to the city council to approve the ground lease and purchase option.

Um little land use context here.

The the project site is basically the heart of what in numerous documents are is referred referred to as the waterfront town center.

Um some of the things that the waterfront town center is is intended for is you know terms like mixed use, transit-oriented development, vibrant waterfront experiences, entertainment, etc., as well as being a catalyst for future transformation of the rest of Alameda Point.

Um the site is zoned is uh designated mixed use in the general plan.

It's zoned Alameda Point Waterfront Town Center zoning district.

Um it's within the Alameda Point Town Center and Waterfront Precise Plan as we narrow in, and then it's also within the site A development plan, which consists of most of the new development along West Atlantic that you've seen in the last number of years.

Um drilling in to the uh town center plan a little bit.

The town center plan you can see here in purple and the site looped in red here, um, anticipated a lot of development along the seaplane lagoon taxiway.

Um I mean, this this was adopted 12 years ago.

Um it's worth noting here also uh in red.

I I've noted the sort of street alignment in the town center plan has evolved by the time the site A development plan moved forward on the right, um, sort of eliminating that diagonal piece of the roadway and bringing Panam and West Atlantic all the way down to sort of the entrance to that seaplane lagoon promenade park there.

So it kind of changed the configuration in that in this area a little bit, sort of eliminating that uh that entry plaza, which gets discussed quite a bit in the town center plan, but uh didn't really survive into the site A development plan.

Um the project, however, as you'll see, does sort of re-establish that that entry plaza, albeit within the framework of the uh the new uh roadway network.

Um just make sure.

Yeah.

The project's also located within the NAS Alameda Historic District, which we'll talk a lot about.

Um the historic district was designated uh is on the National Register since 2013.

Um it was you know eligible under sort of the fact that it was uh its role during World War II and that effort during that period, as well as the architecture and design criterion for sort of this interwar, what they called total-based design with the streamlined modern architecture and the sort of hierarchy and and orthogonal layout and and other features we will may talk about further.

Um of the character defining features in the vicinity of the project.

We're gonna talk a lot about views, um, all kinds of views, some sort of axial linear views, north-south, east, west, but also some panoramic views.

Um building 77, which is the Naval Air Museum.

Um, you know, it talks about uh the nomination and the studies talk about its deep setback with the low ground cover, landscape ground cover, obviously the orthogonal layout, this sort of rigid right angle roadway network and the way the buildings are arranged, and then of course the wide open paved spaces of the taxiways and the airfields and in between the hangars.

Obviously, the orthogonal layout, this sort of rigid right angle roadway network and the way the buildings are arranged, and then of course the wide open paved spaces of the taxiways and the airfields and in between the hangars.

Before it was listed, and that sort of talked about the historic design landscape, whereas there was a new numerous studies prior that talked a lot about the buildings and the history of the site, but didn't really study the landscape.

And within that, which will become relevant, is uh the in fill design guidelines for new construction within the that historic landscape, which is is going to be relevant to your findings tonight.

This diagram from the town center plan shows a number of those views.

Um the character defining views are in the heavy purple lines here.

Um includes those east-west views along West Tower and along uh south of the hangars, um, along the northern edge of the seaplane lagoon.

Um not shown here among the character defining views are the panoramic views, sort of hard to hard to diagram.

Um so those those the most relevant one here is the the sort of panoramic views from the south side of those that row of seaplane hangars looking southward towards the seaplane lagoon and across.

Um that's a you know, not any ones from any one spot or to any one spot, but it's just the general um panoramic views in that area.

The precise plan also calls out a number of other views to consider when um planning new development at the base in this area, including along the face of the hangars.

You see these these lighter blue lines going on either side of each of those hangars.

Um and the precise plan anticipated new infill development between those hangars, sort of along the center, the midpoint between each of the hangars.

Um and that preserves some of the views from West Tower down towards seaplane lagoon.

Um that was the vision, and also it you know, speaks to preserving the views of the the hangars themselves in those majestic uh hangar doors, which are so you know imposing and impressive out there.

The image on the left here is from a package that will be part of the city council um city council's approval for the purchase option.

Shows a few things that I think are relevant.

Um it shows the proposed new parking area, interim parking area west of the building on the taxiway that would serve the site and surrounding area.

Um it shows a new north-south roadway, sort of down the middle between the hangars, um, which was not originally included in the precise plan.

Um, which we sort of will aid in circulation for this project, but also we've we've come to the consensus as a staff that we really wanted to break down the sort of megablock scale of Alameda Point to a little bit more human level.

Um so it's one of the reasons we're we're anticipating adding this road, which was not in the the 2014 master infrastructure plan, which planned the all the infrastructure for the entire base, but that was sort of a framework, and then this is this would be added on to that.

Um it also shows that when building 40, the the balladium, former Balladium building was sold, that it placed the property line essentially right down the middle of where the precise plan, you know, we go back to this image, imagine new buildings, right?

Um and in practice, I think you know, we're anticipating putting a new roadway there, and we would essentially be establishing a new view corridor down the middle here.

Um, and given what we've experienced between storage yards, parking, pickleball, etc.

Um, those users out there, uh we think those sort of views of the hangar doors and the buildings themselves are pretty safe.

Um if there is any infill development, it'd likely be small in scale and along along that new roadway that we are proposing.

The town center plan also specifically called out the view centered on building 77 here on the right, um, the Navy Museum, which served as a radio and radar repair facility during the war.

Um, some years later it it morphed into the what became a passenger terminal starting in the 60s for flights that were sort of serving the base.

Just zooming in a little bit, this perspective that was prepared shows shows that view from building 77, respecting that minimum 40 foot view corridor centered on the museum building.

So the primary tool at the HABS disposal when considering to whether to issue a certificate of approval for alteration of the historic monument is whether the project meets the Secretary of Interior standards for rehabilitation.

At staff's direction, the HAB had architectural resource group present here tonight if you have questions to perform a standards analysis to see if the project is consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards.

In those 10 standards, since standard nine is really the only one that deals specifically with new construction, the analysis spends most of its energy there.

Standard 9 essentially says two things when it relates to new construction.

Says one, it won't destroy the character defining features, in this case of the historic district.

And two, simultaneously, it would differentiate itself from the from the old while being compatible with the historic district at the same time.

So that's kind of the needle it has to thread.

The rest of the standards touch upon bits here and there, but include a lot of repetitive analysis.

So the staff report and the presentation focused on that.

So can't, you know, the analysis shows that it does not sort of destroy the historic materials.

They're still prevalent throughout the base.

Regarding historic features, this is all new construction.

So the features like the hangars, building 77, the seaplane lagoon, these key elements of the historic district are preserved.

Big one here is the space relating to spatial relationships.

Project, you know, does have a limited effect on those spatial relationships, but does not destroy it.

So in detail here, you know, um the project is built within the strong orthogonal and reinforces that orthogonal layout.

Um it preserves those east-west views and the panoramic views south from the seaplane hangars, while partially affected, the majority of that view is not affected, right?

This building is proposed to be on sort of the east end of the taxiway, partially tucked behind building 77, um, and it's not any one single view.

Um, so the majority of that view is preserved.

So uh we found that the project is consistent on that standard.

Umly, again, the project design achieves the goal of differentiating while being compatible with the historic district.

The draft resolution also asks HAB to find the project compliant with California Environmental Quality Act.

Um the Alameda Point EIR evaluated the impacts of redevelopment at Alameda Point, including demolition of historic structures and character defining elements, right?

The Alameda, the EIR is sort of acknowledged that that very well could happen.

Um it adopted mitigation measures to alleviate those impacts whenever possible, um, including requiring projects to go through the certificate of approval process tonight, as well as that new buildings can are reviewed for conformance against adopted in fill guidelines, including those in the cultural landscape report and the uh town center, the precise plan.

Um, it it should be noted that the EIR found that some impacts with the redevelopment of the point could be significant and unavoidable.

Um, and the city council at that time said when they approved the when they adopted the EIR and the mitigation program that that those impacts that remain after attempting to mitigate are acceptable because there are overriding considerations, whether it's economic development or or what have you, and replacing those jobs lost, et cetera, um from when the Navy left that might have an impact on the the sort of character defining features.

We're not saying that that's happening tonight in terms of reaching that level of significance, um, but it is something that was studied and acknowledged could and would likely happen as the base redevelops.

Um, but it is something that the was studied and acknowledged could and would likely happen as the base redevelops.

Try to wrap up here.

Um the project.

So, you know, basically conclusion the project is consistent with the adopted guidelines, including those in the guide to preserving the character of uh the historic district as amended, which is important because that guide mostly focused on the buildings, et cetera, and as amended refers to those design guidelines in the cultural landscape report.

Basically were adopted as an amendment to the quote guide.

So that's where the that connection comes in.

Also consistent with the town center and precise plan infill guidelines.

Um we talked about the Secretary of Interior Standards and is compliant with CEQA.

So next steps will be going to the planning board, um, then city council, and then at some point when the project is closer to construction, they'll come back for the official design review and uh tentative parcel map, et cetera.

Just to reiterate the recommendation, we're asking the board to hold a public hearing, adopt the resolution, issuing the certificate of approval, finding it consistent with the standards and the guidelines, and make the necessary CEQA findings.

I'm available to answer any questions if you want, if you like.

Otherwise, um we could also have the applicant give their presentation first if you prefer.

Yeah, I'd keep going with the presentation materials.

Yes.

Thank you, Brian.

We'll roll all the questions back to you after you.

Um so yeah, uh, if the um second presentation wants uh step forward, we'd be happy to hear uh from y'all as well.

Uh I'll be brief.

Uh, my name is Christopher Seiwald.

I'm the uh uh the the founding member of Radium Presents, which is trying to bring this performing arts center to Aldamita Point.

Thank you uh for your time tonight.

Um we've uh happy to uh share with you again our our plans.

Uh we we've done a lot, we think to try to accommodate um all the concerns that people have had about uh about the project out there.

Um, but I'm gonna let the the people who've done all the work actually talk about it.

So uh thank you again.

And I think is it Michael that's up next?

Yeah, uh he's zooming in from Portland, I think.

Okay, so thank you so much.

All right, ready for you, Michael.

All right, members of uh the historic advisory board.

Uh thanks for listening to our presentation this evening, considering this project.

We spent considerable time uh working with staff and uh uh sharing the evolution of the design with the uh with the board previously.

Uh just gonna give you a brief overview of the project, some of the things that we've uh presented in the past, considerations that uh we've made in relationship to feedback that we've received both from the uh historic advisory uh board as well as the planning board.

Next slide.

So this is the original site plan that we presented in uh May of 2024.

It sounds like uh there was only one member of the present board who was uh there for this presentation.

Uh, but at that time, the uh the project envisioned uh the um placement of the performing arts center to align with the uh the um western side of the performing arts center to align with the western side of the hangar directly uh north of building 7-7 or the Naval Air Museum.

And that was uh because there was at that time envisioned a view corridor aligned with the uh backside of that building.

Uh we got feedback from the historic uh board at that time that uh the prioritization of the view corridor to building 77 was much more important than the other view corridor, and that really they wanted us to go back and study relocating the building to preserve that uh view corridor uh to uh the sort of center arrival point on building 77.

Next slide.

So uh we took the feedback that we got from the historic advisory board on that June 6th meeting.

We made some adjustments, uh, which also considered input that we got from the planning board just a few days later.

Uh and this was both about uh how the building impacted this uh relationship to the Naval Air Museum, uh, what the uh character of the building was on all four sides, both you know, to the uh arrival point, but also to the seaplane lagoon and to the rest of the runway to the west, uh, as well as concerns about how traffic and uh pedestrian and vehicular arrival and service was going to be accommodated.

Uh so um we came back to the board in November of 2024 with a relocated footprint for the building, and uh got some enthusiasm from the board for how we had addressed their primary concerns.

There was some desire to see some modifications to the landscape and better integration of um historical references and artifacts, but uh in general, the uh historic advisory board at that time was relatively favorable to how the project had evolved.

Next slide.

Uh, some of the things for those of you who have not seen this project previously.

Uh, this is a performing arts center that has a lot of complex aspects that making it function appropriately.

The footprint for the theater is at the center of the building and is a fairly large and defined footprint with very strict relationships between the stage or performance area and the audience.

We've got some surrounding uses around the uh side of the sides of that uh theater that provide support spaces for performers and for um the uh storage of equipment and other things that serve the um the performance area.

And then on the east, we have the lobby and arrival point to the building.

And one of the things that we've come to learn about this site is that there are very strong winds that come down across the uh runway that get funneled from the opening to the golden gate, and those provide a lot of uh kind of heavy breezes and um cool winds many times of the year.

So the building footprint serves to kind of shelter the public space that we're proposing to develop on the eastern end of the site.

So there's an arrival plaza that will be uh help the climate kind of experience of that plaza will help to be mitigated by the presence of the building and create a really nice sheltered uh uh outdoor public space that's going to be open for a variety of uses and events, including outdoor performances, uh use on a daily basis, uh, gatherings and uh informal uh art performances, et cetera.

Uh, we're also very concerned about the relationship of the building to the seaplane lagoon and the waterfront park that the City of Alameda has begun to develop along the length of the seaplane lagoon and the relationship we want this to be an amenity that connects to that waterfront park as well.

Next slide.

So, subsequent to uh our original proposal in the last 18 months or so, we have been spending quite a bit of time working with the City of Alameda staff on a whole variety of uh considerations related to arrival, uh uh the development of the roadway between the Naval Air Museum and the uh new performing arts center, how service vehicles are going to arrive on the site, how parking is going to be accommodated, uh, how stormwater is going to be accommodated, uh, what impacts this is going to have on the uh development of the waterfront park that exists there today, and uh have really been working to refine a lot of uh details.

So the current project boundary that you see here is dashed in red.

That is the area that's gonna be impacted by the project and the project development.

The black dotted line or the property line is the area that uh we are actually looking to purchase from the city, or uh, I should say, get a uh long-term ground lease from the city to accommodate the development.

Next slide.

So uh this current site plan uh attempts to show both the uh view corridors to the west of the building site, which is the sort of peach color uh that sits a little bit um in the middle point between the two hangar buildings and the view corridor uh that centers on the Naval Air Museum that is just to the uh east of the building footprint, uh the development of the um landscape and uh the accommodation for service vehicles and parking and uh the uh elements that are gonna serve the new uh theater building.

Next slide.

Uh, this shows you some images of the early design thinking about the building.

Uh the thought has been to draw inspiration from the character both of the Naval Air Museum and the rest of the buildings on the base.

So uh sort of streamlined art modern kind of references in the soft curves, but also references to the large scale and massing of the hangar buildings that are really prominent in this section of the uh of the base.

A big symmetrical sort of opening facing the plaza where you arrive with a large canopy over it that recalls the character of the hangar doors that open onto many of the hangar buildings directly adjacent.

And an exterior material that is anticipated to be some sort of a fluted solid sort of concrete material that differentiates itself from the character of the other buildings on the base, but also is referential to those and recalls the idea of maybe a draped curtain or something like that that makes reference to the activity that's taking place inside the building.

You can go to the next image.

Next shows a view looking from Waterfront Park toward the Naval Air Museum, where you can see the development of the facade that faces to the waterfront park.

It's got a number of large openings that allow activity that's taking place inside the building to be visible from Waterfront Park as well as views inside the building back to the seaplane lagoon and waterfront park.

So the building should be an animated and engaging presence for anyone who comes to approach it.

You can begin to see the sort of reference along the main facade that faces the arrival to the building that recalls some of the character of the hangar buildings on the site.

And in general, you get a sense of how this building is drawing inspiration from the character of many of the buildings on the Naval Air Base.

Next slide.

So we've got the center portion of the building, which houses the main audience chamber, has a roof height of about 50 feet.

Adjacent to it on both the north and the south sides are flanking support areas.

This also relates to the lobby side that are scaled down.

They are closer to 43 feet in height.

But it is surrounded on all sides by areas that are lower in height, ranging from uh 35 to 43 feet.

Next slide.

So in November of 2024, this was our proposed uh site plan and project boundary.

The dash red shows that we were extending work all the way to the front door of the Naval Air Base.

It shows a very um fixed sort of straight line road running between uh the performing arts center and the Naval Air Museum, and it shows a landscape that is actually coming quite close to the front of the Naval Air Museum and uh beginning to maybe encroach or be present in the view corridor.

One of the feedback that we got from the um that meeting was to honor and open up that view corridor more intentionally.

And uh, and there was a lot of interest in making sure that the Naval Air Museum felt like it was also a fronting presence on this shared plaza.

So the plaza doesn't just serve the new performing arts center, but it also serves the Naval Air Museum.

These two uh prominent buildings share a presence on this public outdoor space.

Next slide.

So the uh uh revised uh uh project boundary and site plan show the in uh addition of this space on the west side of the building that's there for accommodating service and delivery vehicles, accommodating uh stormwater retention and treatment spaces.

It shows the landscape development uh on the east side of the building.

Those planters and planted areas have been pulled away from the face of the building to open up the view corridor.

Um it also shows uh some um additional development on the um north side of uh the roadway between the Naval Air Museum and uh the new theater building.

Uh and that is intended to make it a um for especially vehicles entering this site for them to feel like they are entering into the midst of a public space and not along the edge of a public space to bring the Naval Air Museum more into conversation with the building and to help slow down traffic and create the sense that you are entering into a pedestrian zone that's shared between all of these buildings.

And at this point, I am going to turn the rest of this presentation over to our landscape architect from the firm surface design, Tim Kirby.

Uh, will uh continue this presentation and then we're available to answer any questions you have after we finish.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Good evening.

I am going to uh continue the spirit of the before and after series of slides.

So, Brian, we can go to the next one.

Um, and we'll continue to help represent and talk through this story from what it was in 2024 to um where we've arrived today.

On this one, it's it's worth noting that the bones of the site design remain similar to what 2024 was and where we're going to go in 2026.

It's really about the spirit of place, this dialogue of history and purpose.

So we emphasize runways, right?

The runway, in a sense, is that connection from the air museum to the water, this relationship of land and water and dialogue.

Kind of start to see the spirit of that even through some pattern making on the ground plane.

We're also thinking of performance, right?

So a kind of signature runway is part of this promenade and procession.

You come from Atlantic, and you start to look at the address of the performing arts theater.

We think that's kind of a grand point to recognize as a celebration of runway and performance.

And then a diversity of spaces.

We want to see that some bigger, bigger lawn areas, um, maybe generous terrace seating, but also intimate spaces for gathering and private breakout areas.

Next slide.

And so you could start to see some of that shaping that uh Michael was touching on here uh with the road geometry shifting.

It still accommodates the service needs uh from fire access, um, the dimensions of that.

But it uh starts to reprioritize and shift what drop off was on both sides previously, and now it says, hey, let's really address the performing arts theater.

That's where it's needed and allow the views to be less obstructed from the vehicles on that um air museum side.

It kind of celebrates that connection from tower to um kind of a long pan Am activities of tower that are taking place.

This celebration almost as a as a boulevard between community and activity spanning through and allowing people to feel that they're they're welcomed into this site.

Anybody can come here, anybody can use this open space and feel that they're welcome and see performances happening out there.

In the center, you'll see some adjustments to actually just shaping the performance spaces a little bit more.

So we've added dedicated zones that are blocked out, kind of one in yellow there in the middle, or in and gray as well.

And then through conversations with um planning um shaping some of the landforms that address the waterfront park.

We added a more dedicated performance area allocation there and shifted around some of the stormwater management zones as well.

Next slide, please.

So, of course, I was mentioning uh the history of that.

And I think that's we intend that to be very truthful and really embrace the authenticity of place.

I think it's a priority for this project and ourselves and on any of the work we do.

And so recognizing the movement patterns and the relationships of form and purpose through all of this.

Hopefully, you can start to see that in the shapes that we've developed, and then the integration of elements throughout the site.

Go through a series of perspectives and um show you what we've proposed and how they've evolved over the past year and a half.

Next slide, please.

So this is before this is 2024, what we have.

Um it shows that integration, you're starting to see some hints of artifacts represented.

So in the kind of foreground, we're seeing a large propeller wing in the distance and some of the areas we're seeing hints of lights that uh kind of recall the runway lights that could have been there, but even also the terracing.

That's that's intentional about just multiple purposes, historical about how to acknowledge form and airplane wings, if you will, and aviation, but also like site purpose, right?

It's windy out there.

We want to recognize climate comfort is important to really celebrate and make sure people enjoy this place.

So that starts to buffer and calm the winds in um when they're coming in from the shore.

Let's go to the next one.

We can see the difference here.

It's really starts to open up visibility into that road on that kind of lower portion of the page is primarily where the shift is happening in this view, and then that connection plaza across the um the road there, the cross through road.

Next slide, please.

So this is the view off from West Atlantic.

No changes here, but I think it's good to pause on to say that no obstructions happen from the current existing waterfront park kind of throughway that that people bike and run along.

And then we can also kind of turn our lens to the arrival and look at the architecture there in the front door, and that's where you can start to see that kind of nod to the history of um lighting and illumination that happens on runways, and then the different landscape um forms that help to provide a softness to the to the plaza, but also that um environmental comfort protection.

Next slide, please.

So a little bit on character.

Um we think it's a place that has multiple scales.

I mentioned so a performance uh experience kind of foremost, if you will, um, but it does have a sense of diversity in terms of the paving treatment will have character and be interesting.

We want to have different colors and tones, a quality to the planting that's thoughtful, that's um responsible in terms of climate and its place in terms of water use, and then um kind of more on the left side, kind of the artifact integration, recalling um where we are in our place, and then these um private nodes for seating and gathering and educating, even please.

So we'll walk through a series of um points that we've shown this to you before, but I think it's good to go through it and I'll even kind of highlight some of the changes to the site through it.

So on the top left, a historical historical artifact.

I think this is a conversation.

These are shown here as prompts and opportunities, points of interest that we think we can develop and continue a dialogue through the process of the design project.

But you know, oversized anchors.

We've done that in um some of our work in Mission Bay, kind of looked at what was found, what are the artifacts that are available to us, and how can we integrate them into the site.

I think would be fantastic.

Um, we're seeing that again also with the large propeller there on the opposite side.

Uh directional lighting is something we think can be integrated into the design.

So it could be at the ground plane as well as potentially kind of a light uh light fixture above.

I think that would really provide a unique uh sense of place to this character.

Um, we think that there's an opportunity for even informational signage, some we call it wayfinding panels.

Sometimes it's referred to as didactic um educational information.

But I think it's uh a real great opportunity to help broaden the story and the conversations that are happening at the air museum and bring them out to the forefront.

Y'all are already doing it at the um at the ferry terminals, and and I think that can continue to expand here and help inform what has taken place on the site in the past, and then uh recognition of uh monument to say where we are in place, and then this notion of even reusing the concrete.

We'd love to see if there's a way to integrate that in, potentially is some of the terraces and find a way to kind of keep that legacy of the site uh still integrated and represented through it.

And if if possible, we could even do a topographic model that helps uh demonstrate some of the relationships of the marina and adjacent landscape.

Next slide.

So Brian went through some of this, and I think it can help uh kind of sequence through these.

We're gonna show you three views.

The first view is going to be from if you're on the lower level or kind of the primary door of the Naval Air Museum and the view corridor.

The second view will be as if we're on the upper balcony of that view corridor or of the building looking through the view corridor.

And then the third one will be turning our head our direction back towards the air museum and see that vantage point.

Let's go ahead there, Brian.

Next slide.

So this is that first view whereas if you're standing at the door and you start to look out in the distance and see the the sculpture and the water beyond.

I'll point out where there's a couple there, and in terms of they're wearing red and yellow, and there's an anchor on the left.

That's the piece that we've pulled back and opened up.

So it's it's quite a bit more grand.

Before it was enclosed, the terracing came up to where those people are, and that has been pulled back, and now you can see much further into the distance here.

Next slide, please.

We start to step up as if we're on the high point of that upper balcony and really seeing the span of the water and the horizon in the distance.

And we're seeing the sum of the landscape terracing, those tilted planes, and then the water beyond.

Yeah, for you.

Next slide.

We've turned back to show you this portion of the view corridor and how you can see the uh recognition of the air museum in the distance, and then some of the dialogue through the landscape features and terracing that happens and kind of provides a place for congregation and spill out from the theater and activation that can happen.

Next slide.

I want to touch on the the through road that connects through between uh Pan Am and the connector to West Tower.

Um what we're showing here is uh they're 26 foot wide roadway, uh 13 foot lanes, two drop-offs on each side, and a series of street trees.

It did have a section that was kind of seeing at the top how we did um have a four percent slope that was going towards the air museum there, and um on the next slide we'll look at the change to that.

So we we've changed the the toning on that getting from tan to gray is helpful just to understand that both of them had curbing systems.

This this one is just helping you read the demarcation of that road lane more clearly.

We think of this almost like a chicken, it starts to slow traffic as the there's a slight bend in the road geometry that I mentioned earlier.

13 foot lanes equal 26, and that still accommodates the fire truck access, but it does squeeze to 24 as we go back towards Pan Am there at two 12-foot lanes, and then prioritizing that drop off on that um on the side of the theater and opening up that connection to the museum.

Uh I touched on the the connector plaza here that you can see uh that's a place where we think there can be recognition of arts, culture, history, kind of a four-point and kind of acknowledgement to that as you're walking along or driving in to this um new zone.

Next slide.

So we're shifting to the southern portion of the project, uh, the interface at the waterfront park.

Showing you two views.

I I wanted you to see how this relationship works as we slowly we kind of gently tilt up this lawn and look back towards the water and how it can be used for picnicking um light performances, and then how these terracing works kind of on the right image.

Um, that terracing works and still allows your view to be open um to see the water, see through the corridor, and how we could have some integration of um artifacts and elements into the site landscaping.

A couple minor updates to the plan that you guys may or may not pick up on, but it's that we have existing bike racks on both sides that were there addressing the waterfront park.

Um, there is uh a connection there to a potential cafe.

So we have some cafe um outdoor seating under an orchard there, and then um we acknowledge that performance area request from Parks and Rec has come in there.

Next slide.

So I'll stop there and leave it as the uh conclusion of this presentation.

We're happy to participate in questions.

Super, thank you so much.

Um is that the end of presentation?

Okay, great.

Um, do you guys have you want to entertain questions right now, either for Brian or for uh the second part of the presentation?

Or yeah, yeah.

I mean, yeah, we could just go straight to public comment, get that out of the way.

Uh to you.

Yeah.

Um what do you think, Brian?

Maybe uh we could look online.

Are there uh public comments uh waiting online or perhaps even in the we have a number of speakers in person, and we do have a couple of hand uh at least one hand raised online at the moment.

Okay.

Uh maybe we start with the online if there's only one, and then uh Todd Hickman.

Yes, pleasure to be here tonight.

Nice presentation by the promoter of this um complex.

I just don't understand why everybody doesn't follow Sequa and actually go through the process as required.

This appears to be another attempt at circumventing Sequa and the law, and it's only gonna come back to bite everybody involved.

She has submitted a public comment written.

I believe this is a comprehensive review of all the laws involved and how the process is supposed to work.

Um I believe everybody should take a peek at that and um again just follow the sequel law.

I'm all for this project.

It appears to be a great project.

However, it does not appear to comply with Sequo at this time and would need to go through the process.

Um again, this is going to significantly alter the historic district.

Um so some consolidation and some um basically some effort would need to be made to make this comply with the law.

So again, if you looked at the written comments submitted, it will give you a thorough breakdown of the law and how it's supposed to work, and that would help everybody again just follow the law.

Um, I would be really concerned if I was a planning board and I was listening to Mr.

McGuire.

Um, I think he used the word sort of 39 times in his um presentation recently.

So again, sorta follows the law, um, sorta complies, um, sort of matches the EIOR, um, sorta is a view corridor.

I mean, sorta, sorta, sorta.

So it almost was a comedy presentation.

Perhaps Mr.

McGuire should stop comedy and maybe focus on something um more lucrative for somebody in his position, um, maybe whistleblowing, something like that.

I don't know though.

It just appears to me that he should stop the comedy routine and maybe nail down his facts and stop misleading you, um, particularly using the word sort of.

I mean, if I were you as a board member making a vote on the word sorta, I would be very, very concerned about my reputation, my liability, um, everything involved.

And again, this is a great project.

Let's get it done.

But let's just go through the sequel process and do this right once and for all.

Um, I know Alameda is adverse to doing things correctly, but why don't we start with this project since so much is on the line?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other online speakers?

Um, the only other hand raised is also here in person, so unless they want to do it via the computer outside.

Um having no other online uh comments, we'll switch to in-person.

How many do we have in person?

I've got four speaker slips.

Four speakers.

Okay.

Great.

So uh let's go ahead and uh uh take them alphabetically, I guess.

Or I've got them in the order they were submitted.

Uh if that works.

Yeah, whatever works.

Um I've got uh Tara Pilbro.

Good evening, committee.

I am Tara Pilbro.

I am the executive director of West End Arts District.

I'm also on the board of Radium, and I am, as of the last 20 years, a working artist.

When I moved to Alameda in nine years ago as a dancer and a choreographer, I looked around and realized that if I wanted to continue my work performing and creating in theaters, I wasn't gonna be doing it in Alameda.

Determined as I was to stay on the island, I've spent much of the last nine years making quirky and interesting site-specific work and cultural festivals across the island.

And proud as I am of all of that work, it'll be really nice to have a roof and some lights.

That sounds flippant, but in all honesty, I strongly believe that this project has the power to transform the arts ecosystem of Alameda and also that of the East Bay.

Critics have said that radium could block our access to our stunning waterfront to our beautiful San Francisco skylines.

I would count to that over the last four or five years.

I would counter that over the last four or five years, the cultural programs brought by Radium by West End Arts District and by a number of other arts organizations have breathed life into this area.

Through opera performances, dance performances, photography festivals, cultural festivals, we have brought people of all ages from across Alameda and from across the bay to discover Alameda Point.

It is through the arts and culture that Alameda Point is able or will be able to transform into a new and vibrant district, all the while paying homage to its fascinating history.

And I believe that radium is going to be at the absolute center of that transformation.

I urge you to approve the proposal.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Nick Winkworth.

Hello.

My name is Nick Winkworth.

I'm a resident at the West End.

I'm just speaking for myself as a resident.

I moved here to Alameda in 2019.

And one of the reasons that really attracted me to this area was both the incredible history and the incredible potential of what is now Alameda Point.

And I have to say I've been disappointed in the speed of that transition.

And while the potential is not being realized, I'm watching some of those wonderful historic buildings crumble and decay.

And I think I think that this is this is a critical project that will drive vibrancy people revenue into that and realize the potential that there is there.

It'll bring businesses in.

This is really critical.

And I think that the uh you know, the plan that we still didn't know, by the way, this is the first time I saw those renderings, and I think it looks absolutely fabulous.

Um I think the views from that building are fantastic too.

So uh as a supporter of you know the arts in Alameda, somebody who really wants this area to become exciting and uh a home for the arts.

This is this is the Keystone project that will start that happening and finally will get some of that potential realized, I think, um, at Alameda Point.

So I want to support this project wholeheartedly.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker's Ben Mikis.

Hello, my name is Ben Mikus.

Um, thank you to the board for giving us time to speak tonight.

Um, I am an architect of about 25 years in practice.

I'm a West End resident of about 15 years, and I'm also a member of the Radium Board.

Um, I want to kind of cut right to the chase, the task at hand and some of the changes that have been made through the productive discussion between Radium and the design team and the historic advisory board over the past several years.

The shifting of the theater to the West has done three really interesting and positive things.

One, it's created about a quarter acre of additional public open space that will be made available to the entire city of Alameda, quarter acre.

That's huge.

Secondly, it has cleared the view corridor in front of Building 77, which the 40-foot width of the view corridor is completely clear.

Um, and third, it has aligned or kept clear the new view corridor down the center line to coordinate with the way the property lines have been moved, as has been discussed today.

It's also worth pointing out that the way the Alameda Precise Plan was devised along the seaplane lagoon, there's a band of public open space, which has started to take shape with the park that is there today.

Set back from that band of public open space is a band designated for infield development, which radium represents the first piece of many that will march down along the taxiway parallel to that band of public open space.

The views of the city, the views of the seaplane lagoon will forever be preserved in that band of public open space right along the water, while allowing the in-field development to happen set back from it, which will enable businesses and culture and people to have a reason to come here and enjoy those public open spaces.

So I think the fact that radium represents the first installment of that development together with the public open space in front of it is a huge accomplishment for the city, which everyone in this room should be proud of.

And I think the uh the negotiation process that's happened and the back and forth between the team and the board and other stakeholders has been really tremendous and has made things better.

More public open space, more preservation of history, more preservation of view corridors, and just a better overall space uh for culture in Alameda.

So thank you.

I support this project.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Shelby Sheehan.

Um we can't hear you.

Sorry.

I just respectfully request a couple extra minutes because I was unable to do the um public comment because I was online, but I could not, they could not give me uh audible access.

And if you could put the um cover page of the plans up on the screen, I would appreciate it.

Um we're we're not gonna be able to uh grant up uh grant you the extra minutes.

We have a pretty big agenda, so everybody's gonna have the same amount of time.

Okay, so I love this project, I think it's a beautiful building.

However, you cannot violate superior law.

The hit does degrade this historic district.

They said so themselves, that it alters it.

That means that it does not comply with the secretary standards, it either complies or it doesn't.

If it alters it, it does not comply with the secretary standards, and further environmental review is supposed to be made.

I gave you a comprehensive over 20 page because it has exact excerpts and page numbers from the governing standards.

It does not comply with the Alameda EIR because you have to do an alternative analysis.

It does not comply with a site A because it's supposed to be low, low development, not big one, not a big building that overtakes the massing of the entire taxiway.

You have to go around the the uh the theater to get to the waterway.

That's not what the site A applies, and moreover, it violates the public trust, which is a state law that you can't violate because uplands adjacent to the public trust must be kept clear for unfettered access for the public visually and um and physically.

And it does it destroys every single character defining figure, a feature of the taxiway.

So to say that this complies with the preservation requirements in historic district is absolutely false.

Not sort of okay.

I put I put every single law in there.

I put links to the documents, I put quotes and page numbers.

It does not comply with the zoning code.

The the city cannot break its own zoning code, okay?

That makes the approval ultra viries and it confers no vested rights, which I would be very afraid of if I were you guys, because the the uh the uh um challenge to that is to say, but we got rights.

No, when you do an alter varies approval that the law doesn't allow you to do, it doesn't confer rights.

And you can you'll you'll have to re you'll have to unbuild it at anything you've built, and you're subject to challenge your project to challenge, and the whole thing is void.

You guys have a food is fiduciary duty to protect the historic resources.

This project must undergo an alternatives analysis, it must go to go undergo a finding of the significance under sequel 15062 B1, I believe it is, it's all in there.

You can read it from start to finish.

It's long, it's worth it.

It should be your reference guide, not we like this project.

I'm a performing arts person.

It shall not be located in this historic district.

Thank you.

State law, public trust.

That's your big one.

Any other speakers, Brian?

No other speakers.

Okay, great.

Um, thanks everybody who uh commented both online and in person and for the presentations.

Let's move now to questions.

Uh we want to start with you, Brian, if we could rewind you.

And I'll open it up to my colleagues.

Questions for Brian.

Sorry.

Yeah, start this way.

So you re so I'm gonna ask some questions about the project just so I can get my head around it a little better.

You referenced an interim parking lot, which I saw in some drawings, but I didn't see in others.

Can you help me understand that a little bit better?

Yeah, so the uh the current expectation, and this is some of this obligation is gonna be um written into the agreement for with the applicant when in terms of the ground lease and the purchase option is to provide some interim parking on the taxiway.

What's the shape of the vehicle turnaround?

You know, is a little bit TBD and will be addressed during the design review phase and tentative map phase.

This area has not been sort of fully parcelized for development yet.

And so the Alameda Point basically was envisioned in 2014 when they adopted the zoning and and the project.

It's trying to build a transit-oriented development on the base as a whole.

And the idea was that the city would have there would be less than what maybe people were used to at that time.

We're getting a little more used to it these days.

And so the city, as the site A develops, and then the rest of the base continues to develop, is looking at where there's there's some preliminary, you know, anticipated parking areas in the precise plan.

Pardon me, Brad.

Um Shelby, I'm gonna have to ask you to hold your comments.

It's rude and inconsiderate.

So please hold your comments while uh presentations are going on.

You're out of order.

You're out of order.

Please, please hold your comments.

Thank you.

Um, in the meantime, as we sort of are doing this bit by bit, right?

We're not doing the whole precise plan development all at once.

Um, we think that this area is a appropriate sort of interim step, potentially as site A phase two or some other spaces are identified as we continue to redevelop the base.

There, you know, we'll continue to study and and figure out where the right places for those more permanent, whether it's surface parking lots that are integrated into development or potentially structured lots that are in between some of the developments that would serve the area.

But this is basically what the for now, right?

So it could be a long time before the rest of that taxiway redevelops.

There's a lot of lot of big infrastructure required out there.

So would it be safe to say that you'll be providing, and I think it was like 160 spaces, you'll be providing a certain amount of spaces initially, and then as things develop, if it if if there's a better use for that space, it may no longer be a parking lot that you might just provide it someplace else, or I saw some plan for a shuttle, uh, you know, to the parking over at the ferry.

Yeah, I think it the idea is that um uh it's and and I won't speak to what's going to be in the sort of agreement with the city council, but the this is we would see it as an interim facility, but it would be part of sort of a phased approach to management of parking as a whole for the entire base.

Got it.

I again I'm I'm gonna have to ask you to hold your comments.

You're interrupting the meeting.

We're trying to ask questions.

You had your you had your time at the mic, so please hold your comments.

You've also you've you've also submitted a very lengthy written uh comment, which which we are gonna review or and uh we're gonna discuss.

But for now, we need you to hold we need you to hold your comments.

Do you understand?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, let's continue with questions.

Any other because I have some as well.

Okay, I don't have any right.

So, Brian, um, if we could roll back to the timeline, uh, I just wanted to sort of uh uh look forward a little bit.

I mean, I understand because I was here in June of 24, and you know, some of the meetings uh that we were able to do as a subcommittee.

Could you talk about at least in theory the process from us forward?

Sure.

I think um, you know, we're asking the HAB to approve, issue the certificate of approval tonight for the project um before you.

Um if the project comes back in basically its current form, I mean, you know, some substantially compli consistent with what's before you tonight.

Um they may only need to get that design review approval from the planning board in the future.

Typically, what we do with with projects like this historically is we would bring that design review application to the HAB for review and comment uh for anything that you might want to have the planning board consider.

If the project changes a lot, like the building looks completely different, and the analysis as relates to the Secretary of Interior Standards or something, um, changes to a degree that it's it's not the same project, and the same analysis doesn't apply, they would have to come back to the HAB for a fresh uh certificate of approval.

So this is doing a couple different things right now.

It's sort of it's it's vetting the project to an extent.

It's also proving to the applicant and to the city council that you know the community is the advisory boards have reviewed it from a historic point of view.

There's a certain level of comfort, and people could raise issues if they see any.

And they have a project that they know is approvable or has been approved when they go work to finish their fundraising and bring it to construction.

So uh from here, you you know, again, hypothetically speaking, uh, it would next go to planning board.

They're gonna have their process around it.

Then from there it goes to city council.

Right.

So the next step is gonna be to take the essentially this package um to the planning board as an amendment to the site A development plan, um, which sort of, you know, as we go from the general plan to the zoning to the precise plan to the site A development plan, and now to a block level amendment to that site A development plan.

We're getting more and more detailed about like what are the uses?

Where are the big pieces gonna go?

There's a road here, there's a plaza there, there's a theater there.

You know, there's some conceptual elements um here that are relevant for your review because you need to kind of review an entire project.

But the planning board really is looking at the big picture right now.

Um, and the level of detail that you're considering today is more going to be what they really dig into at the design review phase in the future.

Correct.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Can I add on to your question there, please?

So how long do you expect the review process to take?

And how long do you expect sort of the you know the design and construction?

So when do we anticipate this thing being done?

And I know it's kind of a fuzzy math.

Yeah, but you know, um uh it's a big project.

Um I think uh if the applicant wants to speak to it, they can.

I think uh, you know, I would anticipate that after the development plan approval, they're gonna have some number of years of um potentially even fundraising and developing those plans further, and then they come back for that design review approval, which then leads to probably a year to put the building permits up together and get them approved, and then construction.

So, you know, if if somebody if they break ground in five years, I'll be um impressed uh at a very high level.

That's a little frightening.

I see nods.

I see nods.

Yeah, so my I won't be able to attend my daughter's dance recitals uh in the theater.

But this is one of the the challenges.

We only have one board member that was here previously, and now we're all learning about the project for the first time, and it's gonna keep going on and on and on.

And on this is a voluntary position for us.

So, you know, there's gonna be turnover here, there's gonna be turnover, just life.

Yeah, yeah.

Thank you.

That was my that was my thank you, Brent.

Any other questions for Brian?

I appreciate that.

Um for the second presentation.

Do we have any questions from the applicant?

Yeah.

And yes, just to follow up on Member Crady's comment about as as someone who wasn't here in in 2024, I appreciated the uh going through the history of the the layouts and the different concepts.

And I was gonna ask uh what the inspiration for the diagonal and boomerang shank pathways, but that uh the the photo of the the airplane sounds like oh that's extremely clever.

Um in one of the layouts, and I believe it was from uh June of 2024, the red boundary extended up to the entry of the uh Naval Air Museum.

Um, and then I don't think I caught why that part got taken out, but then the there was a triangular piece off to the to the east that was added, and I understand the concept for that and appreciate that.

Um I just wanted to know if if I guess why that part was taken off because that seemed to be fairly consistent with the the view corridor, um which I appreciate the building getting moved um because I did see when I was out there, yeah.

We turn around, you put your back to the to the Naval Air Museum and that center line runs you to the big steel sculpture and even across the the water to the to the USS Hornet.

Um so I like how that kind of ties all these amazing pieces that we have in this area.

Um but yeah, so my question would be what I guess kind of what changed and and yeah, why we're why we're not kind of looping that little little bit in to tie the the building in a bit more.

I'm I'm happy to speak to that.

Uh Tim might be able to add some context.

Um you may uh you may or may not know that uh one of the issues with this site is that it needs to be elevated in order to uh raise it above the new uh flood level um for the bay.

So the um waterfront park steps up as you move away from the um seaplane lagoon about three feet above the existing uh uh runway surface or paved surface uh where the uh planes were parked.

And we are raising uh our site uh similar amount so that it is out of that floodplain.

So as you move towards the Naval Air Museum, um in the original uh plan, the idea was to have a sloped surface from this roadway down to the front door of the uh existing naval air museum uh that would allow you to uh access that uh more directly via wheelchair.

Um of course when you arrive at the Naval Air Museum, you're immediately confronted with a series of stairs.

So that doesn't really give you great access to the point of entry for someone who's in a you know who has mobility challenges to the existing Naval Air Museum.

Secondly, that sloped surface serves to direct any kind of water runoff against the face of that existing building.

And we don't want to do anything that could damage the building.

So in lieu of that, we have now a series of steps that take you from the elevated roadway and the elevated surface of the plaza uh down to the existing elevation there in front of the Naval Air Museum.

And in this uh triangular shape that we have uh adjacent to Pan Am Way, we have incorporated a ramp that is the uh mobility access to the uh existing grade and actually directs you uh more more directly to the uh accessible entry to the Naval Air Museum.

Tim, is there anything I missed?

No, that's well said.

Thanks.

And that I think that's a great question.

I had I had the same question, and I think it's kind of a missed opportunity to not continue to at least attempt to develop that.

You've created this connection between the air museum and the new uh art center, but you're missing the main point of that connection, which is that main entry to the to the Naval Um Air Museum.

So my opinion is is that it's a missed opportunity uh to create a greater connection there.

And I also think that there's maybe a missed opportunity on the southern side of the plaza, and it's where it connects up to the lagoon, the new.

Can you go back?

You had the slide up when it was just sort of pulled out a little bit further.

It looks like so there's a pretty specific this one right here, thank you.

It looks like there's a pretty specific design to the existing waterfront park promenade there.

You know, they've got very serious G geometric plans in the in the paving there.

And then in the performing arts center, it's almost like there's just a line drawn between the two, and that the geometries completely change once you cross that imaginary line, although we all know it's because it's the property line.

So I think that I think there's uh another missed opportunity there where there could be a better cohesion between what's existing, the sort of new improvements that we have, both on the northern entry and on the southern portion there.

And and as the board member who was around through the conversation so far, we actually spent quite a bit of time uh discussing the elevations, and was it high enough given sea level rise and other considerations?

And I know the stormwater uh topic was a part of our discussion, and like, well, how you're gonna handle you know potential damage to the building.

So uh, you know, it's it's a sticky wicket, right?

Well, and I imagine the soils out here are uh trouble.

Yeah, it's it's all fill.

That's all.

If I could add to that, I think you can see here um the project actually proposes to go beyond the proposed property line and and rework the northern portion of the seaplane lagoon park.

So I'll bring in the the exhibit from the um plan set here that that shows sort of the existing condition to the south with this row of trees, this little uh turf uh performance area in the middle.

Um and so the the design actually attempts to basically redo part of the existing park in order to integrate it um more uh holistically.

But there is sort of this this bay trail element at the project boundary here where the it creates sort of a hard hard cutoff between the project.

Super, thank you.

Uh other questions.

Josh?

Uh well I I wanted to say to uh the applicants, having come this far with you, how impressed I am with uh the professionalism and care and thoughtfulness that has gone into this you know morphing plan uh and uh attempts to respond to all these you know different uh viewpoints and perspectives and uh it must be uh very trying at times.

So uh stick with it.

Uh would be my um my overall uh response.

I did also want to say um just as uh uh point of reflection that I've heard and seen demonstrated consistently this idea of the performing arts center as that of a catalyst or a keystone feature uh as a spark for more development.

Um and I think that rings loud and true uh in what I've seen uh in these uh revised plans.

So thank you for that.

Uh uh time for public comments is already uh already been closed.

But thank thank thank you.

Again, I I have I I underst I understand you uh I understand I I understand you have perspectives on this matter.

There is a process that we're trying to follow.

We need to give equal time to e I'm gonna ask staff for some advice on uh interruptions of the public meeting.

Sure.

So you could find her out of order and give her a warning that if she's out of order again that she has to leave, and if she doesn't leave, we can think about calling the police or something.

Okay, but she's disrupting public meeting.

So I I have already pointed out to you that you are out of I have pointed out that you are out of order.

I have already I've already pointed this out.

Okay.

One more time and thank you.

Thank you.

Um other comments or questions from the committee members.

Do we want to talk about any of the other materials?

I uh just bear with me here for a second.

I do have a question.

I'm curious about if there were like an economic analysis that was done for this.

I know this is a P3 project, and so presumably there's people that do have a real financial interest in this being successful.

I I saw someone nodding their head, yes.

There's been some economic analysis done on that.

I'd be interested just to hear very briefly about sort of how this works out, just concerned about the longevity of a project like this, because we all know these performing art centers can be difficult to uh be profitable.

Uh I'll I'll let the applicant you know answer for themselves.

I I have some of the history and we've asked similar questions.

Okay.

All right.

Well, thanks for for you you've asked some question we all ask ourselves.

Um but uh this is this is entirely uh intended to be driven by philanthropy.

Um no one has any financial interest in it other than contractors and employees and things like that.

Um as you noted, uh, if you have experience with performing art centers, yes, they don't always pencil out.

It takes a whole lot to make that to make that work, in particular because we're trying to cater to a certain size uh of performance with a 600 seat theater, it's much smaller than then the larger performing uh art center places where you can bring in you know really large name brand acts and and and and possibly make the make it balance.

It's also much larger than the hundred seat theaters, which can kind of come and go.

So it is a it is a balancing act.

Uh you heard you know, breaking ground in in five years, part of that is identifying you know who is going to be able to support uh you know the a project of this size.

Um but uh yes, it's it's entirely uh philanthropy-driven.

It is uh intended to be a a good thing for everyone around.

Does it think that help?

Yeah, absolutely.

And and I would just chime in because we had a lot of conversation about this.

Is it is it big enough?

You know, we get one tilt at this windmill as a community to build a performing arts center.

You're not gonna build one and then like, oh, we needed a bigger one.

Right.

Is it designed for expansion?

But but there was a lot of conversation and a lot of uh detail that the applicant provided about why this is a right sized center as far as how sustainable it is, the types and kinds of performances that it can house, how it would differentiate itself from other venues in the area.

So it was uh a robust to speak to that, um a 600 seat theater uh accommodates a certain size performance.

Um that said we envision a lot of the secondary spaces in the building and around the building to be able to accommodate more.

So uh with the help of surface, they've designed this plaza so that we could possibly have more than a thousand people, you know, in an outdoor performance.

And uh as uh as Michael explained, you know, the the doors at um the front doors that would roll open like the hangar, we would be able to uh uh blend the lobby in the outside as well.

So it's uh meant to be able to be completely flexible in in many different ways.

Thank you.

It's gonna be hard to meet Title 24 with those windows.

Maybe there's technology yet.

Triple pairings, yeah, triple pairings.

Um we have recommendations versus questions.

Can we move in?

Yeah, yeah, we want to move into our our uh discussion discussion.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um thanks so much everyone for your presentations.

It's really great to see um I I was a member of the public who saw this right before I got appointed.

Um so it's nice to come back and see it now in this capacity.

And obviously, a lot of uh consideration of past comments have gone into refining this, and I really appreciate that.

Um I I just have a couple of suggestions.

Um if we can go to the cover page of the plan set.

The um yeah.

I think I think this is the same picture that's on the top of the plan set.

Um I would recommend uh amending, adjusting this rendering to show the current condition of the water front park next to the proposed theater building.

Right now it shows the park pushing past seaplan ramp three versus its current location, which is just before ramp four.

Um I did see several helpful renderings in the presentation tonight that weren't in the plan set that I recall, uh, particularly that help show how this building relates to uh building 77.

Um just so we can provide a realistic perspective of how those masses compare.

Um let's see.

Um I agree with ARG's standards analysis.

I I do want to highlight that the rehabilitation standards, which are used are the only standards or of the four different treatment approaches that allow for additions and they're specifically designed to help address alterations.

So they're appropriate.

Again, you're out of order.

Yeah.

So what I what I would suggest though, um just for lay audiences, I think it may be easier to interpret those if they're included in order.

Um I do appreciate highlighting standard nine um as an important one for new construction.

I agree with ARG's recommendations regarding the tower cladding.

I think if the cladding is consistent with whatever's on the rest of the building, that would be great.

Um I was even thinking, hey, what if the fly tower had uh sort of uh transparent glazing element that might help reduce some of the visual weight of that that 70 foot element of the building?

Um let's see.

I also agree with the uh consultants' comments regarding the terracing, and I encourage you to consider a balance of providing that public amenity, addressing sea level rise, but also trying to trying to balance that with the flat nature of the runway.

Um the west elevation, um, I actually I don't mind the current fenestration pattern too much.

Um I could see something like a horizontal band going across, um, but I think I also see how that what is right now, I guess the rear or west elevation.

Uh it does continue uh a pattern that starts on the west side of the the north and south elevation.

So um that's my other comment there.

Um can we pull up there's a historic photos exhibit, I think it's called.

I don't know.

I'll try and keep this brief.

Um there's a lot of attention placed on views in this area, and rightly so.

It's a in terms of a space and in terms of the buildings that are here, um, it's it has a monumental quality to it.

This view is from 1945.

It also appears in the National Register nomination.

And uh when we're thinking of character-defining features and uh uh retaining the character of a district, historians will go to the period of significance to think about what those features are.

So for NAS Alameda, 1938 to 1945, think of this as peak World War II, right?

You've got a full taxiway, you have varying types of seaplanes, flying boats positioned along the edge of the seaplane lagoon and adjacent to the hangars.

There is a discernible gap between them, but you also have clear north-south axes that line up between the hangars and go to those seaplane ramps.

Uh, if you look at what is currently Pan Mway, that that is actually where some planes were parked next to building 41 and what is currently West Atlantic.

Um that was actually this interesting uh road that kind of came into the base.

You can tell there was a rail line there and this kind of almond-shaped median.

Today, a portion of that is left, and there's a jet positioned in there.

But the the point I'd like to make is that up until about 2017, the current uh experience that you have going into this portion of the base was a lot different.

You may have seen parts of the skyline, which I love seeing as much as anybody else, but when we're thinking about what what was the base like during its period of significance.

Um today is quite a bit different when you're entering from the from the east.

Can we go to the next slide?

So here in 1945, this is a typical day at the seaplane lagoon and on the taxiway.

What I think is important about this view is that yes, the taxiway was busy, but there's an element of transparency where you can still see the hangars in the background, right?

Depending on where you're standing, more or less.

The further you get away, you'll see those 50-foot buildings a bit more.

Um can we go to the next?

Uh, this was last year when the Mariana SMARS made a pit stop before it was uh formerly taken to a museum and and kind of decommissioned.

This was the busiest day I've seen at seaplane lagoon.

And um what you can see, there are clear horizontal datums with the uh the seawall, pardon me, the seawall on the north side of the lagoon, you can still see the hangars.

You can even see the the kind of vertical element of the sculpture.

Can we go to the next?

Uh and then here's today, kind of looking from a sea from a seaplane ramp.

So the the point I'd like to make with this digression is I think that one of the opportunities, since we have not extended the park and development further west yet, is to really reinforce the circulation and the relationship between the hangars, building 77, the ramps, and the lagoon.

If development does occur westward, we can be really careful about how that's ironed out.

We've seen from the the town center plan that it was made what 10 years and a pandemic ago, if you think about it, right?

Different economic situation, uh different world.

So the plans can evolve and change.

Look for opportunities to interpret them, which I'm glad I'm glad to see there's uh some movement there for this project.

Um but let's not let's not worry so much about these views as much as what the experience is like when you're on the ground here.

Um thank you.

Any other um comments the materials or analysis?

You know, I I was interesting that you were mentioning the what is it called the fly tower, the material for that.

So I think the majority of this building is uh precast concrete, which I think is obviously very thoughtful and appropriate for this environment.

And then the the fly tower, I think was a like a it was a it was a stainless steel metal cladding, which yeah, that's that's a nice view of it there.

So I thought that the in a way that that would be pretty appropriate, because it is still a very industrial material, but it's just like a it's like a top shelf industrial material, right?

It it makes it makes reference to maybe the hangar doors, which are also made out of metal, but I think it just it sort of elevates it up a little bit, even though it's this complementary background item.

You know, the the precast is clearly the main show here.

I like that little complementary, you know, stainless steel metal cladding.

So that's just to give an opposing view to I wouldn't like to see it go into precast, which is uh you know, so such a heavy material.

I think it's nice to have something floating there, you know it inside of the the precast.

So just an opposing perspective, I guess.

I I actually would would agree with you about the the material for the the fly tower.

I like that it was, I think in the notes it was saying it was referencing the the airplane material.

We've already got those kind of angled uh planters and angled walkways, which are are referencing the materials.

I I like that we it the design of this building is echoing the surrounding buildings, it's paying homage to the to the hangars with the layout of the doors on that uh east side.

Um and you have the the streamline streamlined modern uh curves.

So it's it's touching on different important buildings, but then I think it's still okay to have to bring in a new material if it's still uh relative to uh the historic things that took place.

Um so I actually actually really I got kind of excited when it said it was gonna be clad in stainless steel.

Um generally speaking, I I just do really appreciate the the overall design of the building um and the layout, like I was saying earlier about the um maintaining those those axes of view.

Um excuse me, it is not your turn to speak.

You are out of order.

Thank you.

Um I think that was about it.

Thank you.

Um I I just wanted to touch base because uh it's been brought up the ARG analysis, which I think is where the suggestion for the alternate uh I think it's their third, their third suggestion.

I thought the analysis was overall very compelling, and I appreciated that they took the extra effort to say, oh, and here's a couple of things while we're at it that uh we might suggest.

Um of the things that came to my mind as that uh initial slide is like a uh sort of a semi almost dark, you know, the the name of this thing is the Radium Theater, and the idea of a projecting light and you know, shining as a beacon, you know, we're talking about it as a catalyst and as a cornerstone, it should be something very visible.

So whether it's stainless or not, whether it's glass, but the fact that this building should radiate, come here, look.

This is amazing.

This is uh, you know, a sight to behold.

Like that's the kind of energy that that tower presents, an opportunity for.

Um so um I I would I would encourage you know, thinking along those lines.

Uh this should be something you can see from San Francisco and say, hey, what's that?

Let's go there.

I always uh think of it as like the um what is the church on the hill here?

Uh the Mormon Temple.

So my kids growing up would always be like, can we go there?

What is that shining white thing on the hill?

And so we did, you know, to look at their Christmas decorations.

But um don't underestimate the you know, can be seen from a far aspect.

Well, and I think you hit on something really important.

Is and that rendering I think does a pretty nice job, but I've seen renderings at the concept level that don't quite make it to actually being constructed, but lighting is essential for this thing, right?

Uh especially at night.

And if you are going to be able to do all that glass there, now you'll be able to light it up on the inside and really have show some activity, right?

Let's show people that Alameda is alive.

So I think lighting is gonna be one of the it's it's oftentimes undervalued, but it will be so important for the design of this facility.

And I I would like to see that stainless steel tower with some nice lights on it.

Um also as part of uh my comments around the revised design, and I know that there's uh already uh more of the artifacts uh brought in.

Um I don't know if this suggestion is in the nervous system somewhere, but to the degree that you can engage with the Naval Air Museum on what those artifacts are, and uh you know, again to make a bridge connection.

They have some stuff out front already.

I'm sure they know where more stuff is.

Uh but talk to them so that it becomes more our shared place than you know the the Naval Air Museum, the line stops here, then it becomes radium.

I'm curious, and maybe one of my board members know the answer, but how how utilized is the Naval Air Museum?

That was actually gonna be my question too, because like I know it's closed.

Uh I've been to it once um as part of an Alameda Architectural Preservation Society award ceremony.

It's a really interesting spot if you can get in there.

Um I see that as being, you know, it it will inevitably be, you know, after Radium Theater exists, the bar and grill, it like it's gonna be something, and it's gonna be really popular.

So the intention is that we're creating opportunity for this building to thrive a little bit more in the future.

It'll give it a new lease on life by association, is far as I could see.

But it's a great spot, and they even would host uh I think it was like a brunch, so there's like a viewing uh that on that second level, you can you have quite a view from there.

Um I would I would also add that Annum in particular was uh instrumental in helping prepare the seaplane lagoon signage, and when you're thinking about interpretation and kind of like what is the heart and soul of this district, those volunteers that are there are part of a generation that worked at the base when it was still active, and so they've got oral history, they've got nice photos, they've got models of planes and things like that.

So that they're a great group to engage with, and I'm all I'll always be grateful for them.

That's why there's A N A M on all those panels down there.

Um but yeah, look them up.

Um, do we want to discuss anything else as far as the exhibits?

Um we talked about the ARG analysis.

Uh we also have a draft resolution that we should be looking at.

Any comments on the draft resolution?

Okay, so I'm on the top of page six.

This is the only comment I have.

And I'm looking at the second to last sentence in that top paragraph where it says I'll let you scroll down to it.

Yeah, right there.

So the second to last paragraph, or sorry, the first paragraph, second to last sentence.

Um where it says the project maintains building 77's visual relationship to the seaplane lagoon with the 40-foot view corridor.

I would just suggest uh revising this a bit to say um the project does reduce visibility of building 77 uh from the seaplane lagoon, but does not completely obscure visibility of these contributing buildings.

I think that more accurately describes how there is a reduction, but there is there is some retention of that view that was deemed important, and um certainly from Pan Amway you can still see both buildings mentioned other comments about the draft we move to approve, yeah.

Do we have any motions?

I will move to approve certificate of appropriateness with the change to the uh resolution discussion second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye, aye.

The motion carries.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh really appreciate you guys coming out.

And again, everybody for their comments and participation.

This is an amazing opportunity for Alameda, and we wish you all the best of luck.

Thank you very much.

Uh now moving on to item 4B.

Some very exciting uh recent local adaptive reuse uh presentations.

What's the order of operations?

Are we gonna do 1200 Park Street or 500 Central Ave first?

Who wants to go first?

Do we have a presentations?

We'll put the improv people on the spot.

Uh I don't I don't I don't know that there's a timer for this portion.

We're just excited to hear about what you what you guys have done.

Well, I just lost most of my audience, and I'm okay with that.

Um there's still lots of folks here.

Hi, my name's Claire Slattery, and I was very excited to be invited tonight.

Thank you, Josh, and the rest of the board, um, to tell a little bit of an uplifting story about an adaptive reuse project that is very recent here in Alameda on the West End.

I am the founder and creator of Improv Central, which is I'm gonna tell you a little bit more about as I tell you and start at the beginning around what this building is, 500 Central Avenue as we're looking at it right now.

So go ahead and next slide, please.

Oh, yeah, great.

Control?

Love it.

Got it.

Okay, thank you.

So uh most of what information I have come into uh knowledge of uh came from the um-in-law and the daughter of the owners of this property.

It's a very unique double lot that uh goes up to the front of uh to the waterfront on Bayana Bay, and we actually fun fact live upstairs.

So we live on the top flat as residents, and then short after moving back after having not lived here for 20 years, uh we moved back to the top flat, and then there was the opportunity to uh look at the bottom floor.

But the building itself uh is incredibly fascinating.

So some of the documents that was shared with me, I wanted to share here tonight to talk a little bit about this really incredible historic building.

So this 500 central building, the entire two-story building was uh put on a large barge and transported across the bay uh in its entirety to be placed right there at Fifth's uh Fifth Street and Central Avenue.

And uh in it's a there's an article in the Alameda Argus from March 17th, almost uh the anniversary of that, uh back in 1886.

And so this was a very exciting time because it would become one of the two buildings that would be placed right there at the Fifth Street Station and be part of the Fifth Street Station neighborhood.

Um the picture that I have there that's uh circled with the red ink, that's the announcement in the Alameda Argus.

And then the other image is a photograph taken of the 500 Central Business uh building um in 1979, when it was a neighborhood small business, which it became yet again recently.

So a little more about what do I mean when I say Fifth Street station?

So uh we are in the era of cars, as we all know, um, but bikes more lately, if you've been to Fifth and Central Avenue.

But this used to be a corridor for the uh South Pacific Coast Railroad.

And so this was uh after the closure of the Sixth Street station uh in 1885, they opened it just one block down, the Fifth Street Station.

So these two buildings still very much exist, still look almost exactly the same, maybe with some different treatments to the building, the exterior's slightly different, but the storefronts uh on the ground floor are almost identical to the 1886 buildings that they were.

Um and so it's remained a small um neighborhood business and is zoned as such.

Let's see.

Great.

So this is uh uh another map from um the Alameda Post um article that talked about um the different stations and F is me.

I'm now F.

So that is the 500 Central building at the Fifth Street station.

So a lot of people ask me, well, how did you come to call it Improv Central?

That is the name of the new business that exists on the ground floor in this historic 1886 building.

And well, I'm an improviser and I very much uh am inspired by my environs and choose not to overthink but to let the environment inspire me.

And so it was on Central Avenue.

It was the historic location of a railroad, and I find that improv itself is a very essential and central gathering place, an essential and central skill for us as humans.

And so it very much um felt like when this historic information was given to me, it felt very like an aha, like of course that is the name.

This is now the the new moment that this building is experiencing in its adaptive reuse history.

Now this is what is meant to be here, or so I like to believe.

So what does an 140-year-old building teach me?

Well, keeps me humble.

There were a lot of discoveries along the way.

Yes, the building leans uh pretty substantially.

We learned that in our facade uh upgrades and refurbishments.

Uh inside, uh wildly uneven floors, very interesting uh um foundation, very high levels of cement on the sides, walls leaning out in, um imperfect in every way, which again felt very um fitting for an improvisation community hub.

We were being asked to improvise at every step.

So here uh we are.

I got the keys.

Uh that is uh Peter, who is the son-in-law and did a lot of the contracting there on the property, and his wife, Cecilia, the daughter of the owner and their brand new uh baby Charlotte.

And this was back in May 2025 when I got the keys to the place.

Now, here's some before photos of the interior.

I'll talk a little bit about the exterior and perhaps um maybe more of why Josh invites me, invited me here tonight.

Uh, but the interior, this is what it was.

So, to my understanding, the last time this was an active used building was um about a decade ago.

And it's been a real delight to meet lots of neighbors along the journey of refurbishing and creating a reuse and opportunity for this building because it's been very fun to notice all the different stories of people showing up from the neighborhood saying, Oh, I my hair, I got my hair cut at this place, or I took a sewing class in here back when I was a kid, or oh, this used to be this comic book shop.

That's what it was.

It's everybody's slice of experience kind of brought back into the moment.

Um, and you can see them recalling the images and what this space meant to them.

Um similarly, so many people along the journey have been so excited that something is back here.

Um comments like, oh, it's alive, there's something alive here.

Oh, you've given this energy, the space is happening, something's happening here again, has felt very humbling to be part of that piece of this continued building's history.

So this is what it looked like before.

And then I had the opportunity walking around the neighborhood.

Again, I mentioned where the residents that live upstairs.

I walked around the neighborhood and I saw in a window in one of the Webster Street um businesses, uh facade grant program.

And I looked closer and I was like, what is what does that mean?

What's that?

Um, yay for non-digital advertising and promoting of great uh city services and opportunities for small businesses because I looked at that, pulled it up on my phone and saw that the deadline for the last opportunity of 2025 was in about a month to apply.

And so again, in the very improv spirit of the emergence of this place and the new adaptive reuse of the space, I said, okay, challenge accepted.

I really want to use the exterior and take this opportunity and this great program that the city offers to help small businesses really understand the value of the impact of the facade of a building.

That breathing new life to the inside would only be part of the way I wanted to really honor the history and meaning and placement of this important historic building in this corridor on the west side of Alameda.

And so I applied.

Uh, if any small business owners are listening right now.

Um it was a great application process that helped me really spur and get my ideas out there and work with an amazing designer friend.

Um, and we we short short uh answer is that we we got the money, and the grant funded custom backlit channel letter sign, custom metal work, exterior refurbishment to the building, exterior painting, uh, exterior gooseneck lighting, and exterior sconce lighting.

So, really taking into consideration the history of the building as we were doing some of these renewed designs, right?

That idea of uh metal work, the fact that it was a rail line, um, this idea that some of the lights and gooseneck lights having to be similar to what you would find inside of a really beautiful historic uh train uh building or lobby of a train yard.

Um, not a train yard, a train station, thank you so much.

A train station.

Uh, and so it was really, it was again a really wonderful prompt and creative container to um envision what and how we could honor that history of the building as we were building something new.

Uh initially uh we awarded a 50-50 grant of um about $7,000, and then after the and during the reimbursement process, we actually got it increased.

So that was wonderful.

Um they were such a fan of us uh at this at City Hall that they actually featured us as a little bit of the model of how this facade grant program could work.

Uh and as Jackie uh spoke said, she said, the after image really shows how you brought the building to life.

Great job.

So here, what we've all been waiting for, the before and after.

Here we are.

The before, that's right.

Oh my gosh, yes.

Um, a lot of work, a lot of people, a lot of different local businesses went into the image you see on the right.

Um, and very it was a very proud day that Jackie emailed us and said, Hey, by the way, we're we're featuring this in our city report, and when we talk to people and fewer future grantees, we're gonna show your business.

And I felt incredibly humbled.

Um, it's been a real delight and a real opportunity to connect with community members in this process of reusing a historic building.

Um, I think it would the conversation, the connection with the community, both as a new and returned resident to Alameda myself, um, the conversation would be very different if it was a brand new building or if it was um in uh a different kind of space.

The conversation would be very different if it was a brand new building or if it was in a different kind of space.

But the fact that this is such a historic building with so many memories and such a presence on the West side.

It's just caused so many more moments of interaction, moments of possible even business as well.

So that's been a real partnership.

What we say in improv that the building has been a scene partner to me and has been a great one as well.

So remember these photos, yes, yes.

Well, now it looks like this.

So we did a ton inside.

Um new lighting, new uh LVP flooring, built-in benches, um, paint, electrical, um, plants, uh, bringing more color and life inside.

A lot of the design elements were about creating curvature and some of um again looking at some amazing train stations, some of those um beautiful benches that have a curved edge on it, built in wood, um, and some of those natural uh wood elements to match some of the exterior uh metal work as well.

And we're super proud.

Um, you saw Tara earlier.

She was there at the grand opening in Bourbon Cutting, also with Council Member Bowler just about five months ago.

We've been in business five months.

We've already worked um with and welcomed over 400 unique uh customers into our doors.

We just recently uh got second place in the Alameda Posts contest um for uh best uh arts organization and also for best website.

And there's been a lot of neighborhood support and um a lot more is possible.

So I'll briefly touch on what improv central is, and then I can't wait to hear more about Park Station.

So I'll pass it over there in a moment.

Umprov Central, as I've been mentioning, is hopefully the new iteration of this building's history and honoring its legacy.

It's the first community space where real life improvisers gather in person to build the courage, and confidence to navigate our unscripted lives together.

This is, as was very clear in the zoning process, not a performance space.

This is not for performances.

This is for workshops, events, gatherings, classes, um, a space for us to put down the performing and be present, to not aim for comedy, to not aim to impress, but to aim to really connect in our post-COVID world and in a way in an opportunity in a time when often we don't know our neighbors, when we want to know our neighbors, and we do that in a really beautifully uh way um through improvisation.

It's joyous and powerful uh and connective approach.

So those are the experiences we're hoping to have, and these are pictures from our opening weekend, which was um also featured on the front page of uh the Alameda Journal as well.

We offer classes that are all about connect, improv for folks and families who want more ease, play, and community in their everyday lives.

We have classes like improvise connection, that's our pay what you can class on Tuesday nights.

We have a Friday Connect class, Family Frolic, and Monthly Guests pop-ups for all of us.

I think we probably all want to feel a little more present, a little more playful, a little bit more connected, a little bit more ready for the unknowns and unpredictable parts of our daily lives.

We have classes for career, people who want to speak more confidently, who uh maybe want to feel more themselves in their chosen careers, feel more creatively lit up, feel more authentic, and feel more ready to respond when it goes off the rails, pun intended, and historical nod to the building.

Finally, we have craft classes, uh, opportunities for folks to explore the foundational skills of improv, right?

In a more performative sense, but still with that idea that we can create scenes, uh, improvised worlds, build characters, tell stories without the pressure to perform, but the opportunity to have an incredibly rewarding sense of imagination and creativity that we get to just enjoy, not have to entertain.

We've had the likes of Jeff Raz and many more, and we're excited for more special guests ahead.

Here's a little bit more.

We're a member supported space, again, with that opportunity to be rooted as a neighborhood business and to be part of the journeys of people that will come and go.

And hopefully the many, many Alamedans who will walk through our doors and experience something transformational, but experience something that is both bringing them more of themselves into the moment and their history with them.

So thank you for the opportunity to talk a little bit about what I have been neck deep in for the last year.

Thank you for the opportunity.

And let's get some coffee and talk more.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Brian, does this evening?

Um thank you.

That was wonderful.

Um Terra Hernandez, members of the board, it's great to see you all this evening.

Thank you for having me and inviting me to share our project with you for the park station and Southie restaurant.

Um I'd like to point out here from the very beginning, if you look at our team, uh our team of consultants there on the bottom line, you may recognize uh board member Brito was part of our team, so uh he's uh intimately familiar with this project as well.

Um, and then for those of you that are are not familiar with uh park station, I'll just use this rendering briefly to give a little bit of a sort of introduction.

Uh they're looking at San Jose Avenue on the right hand side, Park Street on the left-hand side.

Um, the small building fronting Park Street is um is now Southie Restaurant, and the larger uh taphouse building, which runs north-south, fronts San Jose, and then as we get into the slides here, we'll see there's an interconnecting uh new building that houses the restroom, and then of course the outdoor dining area.

Okay, next one.

So this um this property, unlike our your previous presentation, um, went through a lot of iterations from its and from its original inception.

So the um the building was constructed in 1922.

Um it served as a one-story car storage garage, and then quickly went through a series of expansions.

Um the owner who owned it, um uh Mr.

Winkler had uh, excuse me, Mr.

Garfinkel had a uh produce store across the street on Park Street as well.

And through uh trying to solve a problem in his business, he was trying to develop a way to display prices for his items.

And so he came up with a tag system for his shelving that he then patented and very quickly moved away from selling groceries and developed and built a factory on this property.

So we believe that the fit image that we're seeing here, which was given to my clients, the current owners by the original owner's family, um, dates to around 1925 when he had received his patent and had now added a second story to the building.

Um so as I mentioned, uh a series of expansions occurred in 1925, 1929, 1937 were all expansions.

Um the building that houses Southie, the restaurant, the fronts park was built in 1928.

Um that was purpose-built for a gas station that was leased by the owner to uh to the operator of the gas station.

Um in 1956, uh the clamp swing company apparently was outgrowing its current space, and so they actually moved to blanding and moved into what is now the Rhythmics building.

So a little bit of connection there with some of the performing arts.

Um then the building then went through several remodels and uh over time.

I believe it was in the early 70s that big O'Tires moved in there.

Uh they went through uh remodel in 1982, they changed some storefronts.

So all that to say is that when Woody Minor performed his historic inventory in 1990, he deemed that although there was a compelling history behind the ownership of the building, there wasn't really any character defining features or anything that merited um recommending it for registry uh for recommendation for the national registry.

Okay, next image, please.

Okay, so from the image on the top left is showing it's looking north, and so we can see there that the um the original windows appear to be wood double hungs.

Uh there were carriage house doors, presumably for the cars uh for the car storage.

Um at this stage, there was already a second floor, so we assumed that this was part of and this was probably circa 1929 or 1936.

We can see that construction and expansion was happening.

The lower right image is looking towards the south towards San Jose.

So this building at this stage would have been a U shape, and that new um brick wall that's being built is what gave it its current shape, which is a rectangular building.

Uh next image, please.

Okay, so this is now on the top.

We're seeing uh the last uh the last tenant before my clients purchased the building.

So big O tires was in operation.

We see San Jose on the right, um, and the long tap what's now serving as the tap house building fronting San Jose.

We see they had a marquee sign on the corner there, um, parking lot in between the two buildings, and then they had a service.

So basically the tires were handled in the large building, oil changes and mechanical repairs were handled in the small building.

Um the lower image, we see sort of the condition that my clients received the building in.

So it had been vacant for I believe close to 10 years as well.

Um a lot of work was being done to evaluate what remaining cleanup needed to happen for the site.

Okay, next image, please.

Okay, so just a quick shot of the aerial uh here.

So on the um on the top here, we see the white roof here is the small building.

There is a metal shed that was a storage shed that sat between the two buildings, and then the current building now as it sits in its new rectangular configuration.

Um the images on the top here are the existing, so that's what the restaurant building looked like.

Um, so that was the former service station.

Important to note that that building was really a light steel building with um metal cladding on the outside and a metal roof.

And sometime in the 80s, we believe when Big O did their remodel, they uh added a brick veneer to the building.

So that is not a true brick building, it's a it's a veneer over a metal shed.

Okay, thanks.

Uh so again, just looking sort of around the site.

So the top row, we see the the restaurant building.

Uh the image in the middle shows the original restrooms.

There were two single occupant restrooms.

There was the storage shed that was uh just built in between the two buildings, and then we see um we'll get into some of the images uh or some of the items that we uh that were non-historic that we removed, and then some of the things that we added in their place.

Um so a couple things here just to note uh the you see these red semicircular bands, those are actually concrete headers.

They were part of the original construction.

Um this building had a fire in 1957.

It was originally two stories after the fire when they rebuilt, they made it into a single story with a larger volume.

Uh, all of the wood windows by this point had been replaced.

So all of the upstairs uh claro stories now are uh steel windows, and then the lower story had some steel windows and a combination of um aluminum storefronts.

Um, all of these awnings you can see were canvas awnings that were added much uh much later, and there was a marquee sign that was added to the building that apparently covers up a uh painted sign that probably advertised the business that was there previously.

Next image.

So this is our site plan.

Um I'll try to be brief here.

Uh we added our bicycle parking is on the south side of the property along San Jose.

Uh again on the right here is the long building which services the tap house.

Um, this gives us a little bit of a look.

So the large open area here is the bar and the seating area for the bar.

Uh the rectangle down here at the bottom is the back of house, so the uh cold storage occurs there in the and the kegs, and then this lower left rectangle is the uh private event space.

Then we have the restaurant building at the top, so kitchen on the right hand side, uh cooking area in the middle, cafe area in the front, facing park, and then the one intervention that we did is we we built a new building that connects the two uh for the restrooms.

So we have men's and women's restrooms, the service alley in the back, and then a breezeway that allows access into the restrooms.

And then you can see from this vantage point, just a couple things to point out.

Parking lot obviously went away, gets replaced with outdoor dining.

We added a fence around the perimeter of the of the site, and at the corner, we we basically radius the fence to kind of open up that corner and open up the views around the street.

Also to increase the landscape area on that particular corner so that we could kind of soften those edges.

Okay, next image, please.

So these are some of the images showing some of the materials.

This was from our original application for design review.

We were looking at the materials that we wanted to apply to the new building.

So replacing some of the existing roll-up doors with glass front doors, uh reincorporating the painted signage for the buildings, uh, some accordion doors to kind of accentuate the indoor outdoor uh of the event space.

Uh we replaced the canvas awnings with metal canopies.

Uh the wall outside of the restroom was designed to be a green wall, and then we had uh metal gates and fencing to kind of maintain the transparency from the public into the into the space.

Okay.

Next one.

Yes.

Um so just our elevations kind of showing uh the project as it took shape.

Um the upper elevation is showing uh focusing mainly on the southeast building and its um its frontage on Park Street.

Uh this shows sort of from across the view from across the street with the fencing in the foreground, the large building in the background.

It just gives you a sense of the size.

Um I should point out that the large building needed a completely a new roof.

And so one of the things that that gave us the opportunity basically to put all of the new electrical and anything that we could get up on the roof, we put up on the roof so that we wouldn't have any of that stuff showing on the interior of the building.

So it allowed us to insulate and it allowed us to add all of our um electrical on the top.

Okay, next one.

Uh so this is showing the um, so this is kind of a split elevation.

So we're looking at the at the south facing elevation of the restaurant in the top.

Um, it's kind of hard to make out from the uh rendering, but that's our green wall there on the face of the of the restroom, and then the lower elevation here is showing the street frontage along San Jose.

So uh the painted signage starts to show here as we designed it, um, trying to kind of bring back the spirit of the original building and the way that it was advertised.

Okay, next image, please.

So then here we get into some pictures.

I'll try to be brief.

Um, on the left-hand side is our bicycle parking on San Jose.

Um, on the right hand side, um, the clients contracted a uh an artist who is related to their family or friends with their family, and uh he was available and willing to come and do some murals, so he uh did the mural for the roll-up door facing San Jose.

There you start to see some of our painted signage advertising the park station and the new canopies.

Next image.

Um this is sitting looking at the um, this is one of the few photos that we have, but that is the wall that's prepped to be the green wall.

So there's a planter strip in front of it.

We've got a trellis to train the um plantings to grow up.

Um hopefully Arthur promised it was gonna be done, but that's it's coming.

It starts slow, but it ends up being amazing.

Yeah.

Um the image in the center is the breezeway that leads to the hand wash.

So there's a hand wash station that's both for men and women, the men's rooms in the far end, women's room is on the near end.

So one of the neat little features is the glass in these windows was replaced with colored glass.

We went to bullseye glass, they had just opened, and we went and uh bought some glass from there.

And really, the idea was to so that those windows that sit behind the bar would still have some translucency, but you wouldn't be seeing people standing there washing their hands.

And then a couple skylights up above to kind of borrow some light into that space as well.

Okay, next image.

Uh so this was the sign uh the signage.

Uh we worked with another artist, local artist who does uh signs.

Um he was actually incredible.

He he helped actually shape the final color selection for the logo.

Um so he worked with the clients.

Uh the logo itself kind of, you know, you see the tap, the park station evolved.

The name changed many times, but park station, they settled on that because partly because of the train stations, partly because this had been a gas station, and the colors of the logo wound up being sort of the Le Mans racing striped colors.

So that was sort of the evolution of the signage.

Um the artist did a little bit of sleight of hand here.

So you that was where that old marquee was, and the paint that was on the brick behind it uh was really difficult to get off.

So he wound up saying, Don't worry, you don't have to sandblast it, I'll paint in the brick.

And so some of that bricks actually painted by this sign artist to to recreate the original masonry and the grout lines.

So this looking at the inside, so you see uh the two large bay uh roll-up doors.

So those replaced service doors and their exact openings.

Um they just became glass roll-up doors.

Uh the Claristory windows up above, we replaced the factory glass that was there with translucent glass.

Um, again, to be able to kind of bring more light into the space and be able to see the trees beyond.

Uh the mechanical system is new, so that was one area where we did uh bring those items in, but we worked carefully with the mechanical subcontractor to try to lay this out in a way that it worked well with our lighting pattern and it was as discreet as possible.

Um on the right hand side, you see the tap.

Um, so this is what brings everybody to the space, right?

So it's the beer.

So this uh tap pipe fitting that they bought on day one uh was sort of a major sort of element that they were were very excited about that they would be able to pour 32 beers at once, and then it had kind of this industrial feel that kind of brought it back to the factory uh feeling.

And then we see the in the background, we'll see another image soon of the uh of the mural in the background.

Next one.

Uh so yeah, so again, there on the left-hand side you see the seating area at the bar.

You see uh the Claire Story windows opened up so that we can catch the glimpse of the sky beyond.

And then on the right hand side, the bar seating and the mural that was done.

So again, that was designed by the artist.

He flew out here from Paris, was here for a weekend, and left us with this.

So that's pretty amazing.

Next one.

Okay, and then finally uh the outdoor dining space.

So I think really this project, aside from the buildings, you know, having a really kind of cool uh historic uh feeling to them, really it's the outdoor space that makes it, right?

Our our biggest goal in this whole project was really to tie the site to the surroundings.

Um, I think that this kind of shows really well how that corner got activated.

It was really one of the things that our clients were really after.

So uh the outdoor space really kind of brings the two buildings together and is really uh the fact that we were able to replace what was once an asphalt parking lot with something that brings a lot of life.

Uh the clients work very hard to make sure that their liquor license allowed them to bring children.

So by having food and and uh alcohol, the the liquor license that they uh were able to get allows them to have uh people of all ages, which was great.

They're also very dog friendly, so it's really just a community kind of um attribute that we're we're very happy with.

So thank you very much.

Thanks, Ryan.

Thank you, Norman.

Super.

We should have our next meeting there.

All in favor?

Well, uh great projects, uh, and we really appreciate you guys taking the time uh to not only sit through our previous agenda but uh to explain uh what happened with your with your unique journeys.

Uh it's great to see the reuse of such great historic uh buildings and uh revitalization of you know people's memories and what you know what could be is now once again.

So thank you.

Keep up the good work.

Ah we have a public speaker on the back one.

Would you like to take that now?

Yeah, uh Ben Mickis.

Hello again.

Um Ben Mikeus.

Architect, West End resident parent.

Um, just wanted to say some words about Claire and the work she's done at Improv Central.

It's been incredible.

As one of the people she mentioned who lives around the corner and wandered over to see it when it first opened, that was me.

Um, and I can't say enough about the transformational effect it's had on on the West End kind of a big West End night here.

Um but uh talking about view corridors and beacons from some of the conversation earlier.

Um on the outside, it accomplishes both being at the end or the beginning of Fifth Street.

Um and being a lighting nerd myself, the the the choice of the lights, the the warm glow.

Um her her pictures didn't really capture how much of a beacon it is that is visible from blocks away, all the way down Fifth Street, because it's it's it's right there at the end of that of that T intersection.

Um and then as a parent, um I can also say how much of a transformational effect her work has had um on so many in the community.

I've taken classes with her, my daughter who was in one of the photos with the hot pink hair, she's taking classes with her.

Um can't say enough good things.

So it's been amazing to see the uh the new addition to the neighborhood.

So well done, Claire.

Uh indeed.

I I drive by it at least three times a week, and you are you're definitely doing your lighting public service.

So hopefully Alameda uh municipal power has a grant for that.

Yeah, if if I could just add, um I I think both of these projects are great showcases and these presentations about part of the role of this board is engaging with community and offering opportunities for interpretation, education, um that comes right out of our duties in the code.

Um at 500 central, I I remember seeing that and the building next to it and thinking, wow, what a what an interesting pair.

And I hope one day that that that building is is reactivated.

And sure enough, I I think I was riding my bike down the partially completed bike lane and I went, oh, and it was not ostentatious by any means, but it was like really refreshing just to see that pop of color and activity.

And one thing that you learn working with old buildings that is that if they sit too long, they die.

That's just a fact.

There has to be activity to help them last a long time.

And um park station reactivating uh what is certainly uh a commercial district anchor now at the south end of Park Street.

Um I think they're both great examples of adaptive reuse um in varying degrees.

So you're here.

I think we had a couple other things on our agenda.

Board communications staff communications, adjournment.

Let it let it be that we are adjourned.

Thank you all.

Thanks.

And I think this was our our record long story.