On the city of Alameda’s north shore, there is an abandoned former shipping terminal that sits behind a long chain link fence. This 32-acre lot, known as Encinal Terminals, has been empty for a decade and consists of a dilapidated dock, deteriorating buildings, and a large pile of dirt. Despite being in a dense and bustling community, the site has remained abandoned. However, a recent deal between the state of California and Alameda will finally see the property developed. The plan includes 589 housing units, with 15% of them being affordable. While the development aligns with Alameda’s housing goals, opposition to new housing is typically strong due to concerns about traffic congestion and limited access to and from the island. Surprisingly, there was no major local opposition to the Encinal Terminals project. This success in Alameda is not a result of a shifting mindset towards building new housing, according to Michael Lane, the State Policy Director of the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association. He states that housing opposition remains strong and any changes to existing neighborhoods are often met with resistance. To counter this, Alameda has employed a strategy of building on abandoned land. This approach helps maintain open space and allows for the creation of denser, walkable, and bike-friendly communities. While building on existing sites has its advantages, housing advocates argue that it is not a long-term solution. Abandoned sites often require extensive remediation, may be further from services and parks, and are limited in availability. Nonetheless, Alameda celebrates the development of Encinal Terminals as a win, considering the challenges it faced due to property lines and land designations. The public will benefit from waterfront parks and an extension of the Bay Trail, the city makes progress towards its housing goals, and the developers are able to proceed with the project. However, as the strategy of building on industrial land continues, concerns remain about resistance to construction from wealthy residents in high-income areas. These areas often have access to amenities, such as parks and grocery stores, that future residents of affordable housing developments would miss out on. Despite the difficulties, housing advocates are determined to combat exclusionary housing policies and find solutions, even if they are politically challenging.
Potential use of abandoned land in Alameda may aid in achieving city goals
Denial of responsibility! Swift Telecast is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – swifttelecast.com. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.