Alameda Journal: SunCal submits revised plan for Alameda Point

Excerpt:

SunCal has submitted its development plan for Alameda Point directly to the city for its consideration, a move that could allow the project to proceed even if voters reject it at the ballot box.

SunCal spokesman Joe Aguirre issued a statement confirming reports that the plan was submitted to the city and that it is the same land plan contained in Measure BSunCal's ballot measure to redevelop Alameda Point. It was defeated by a vote of 85 to 15 percent on February 2, 2010. , which voters are casting their ballots on through Feb. 2.

City officials have confirmed that a proposed development agreement that SunCal submitted with the plan would eliminate two key financial provisions contained in the ballot measure that they had voiced strong concerns about.

The plan is on the ballot because it doesn't comply with Measure A(1973) The actual text of what is known as Measure A is article 26 of the Alameda City Charter. It reads as follows: "Sec. 26-1. There shall be no multiple dwelling units built in the City of Alameda. Sec. 26-2. Exception being the Alameda Housing Authority replacement of existing low cost housing units and the proposed Senior Citizens low cost housing complex, pursuant to Article XXV of the Charter of the City of Alameda. Sec. 26-3. The maximum density for any residential development within the City of Alameda shall be one housing unit per 2,000 square feet of land. This limitation shall not apply to the repair or replacement of existing residential units, whether single-family or multiple-unit, which are damaged or destroyed by fire or other disaster; provided that the total number of residential units on any lot may not be increased. This limitation also shall not apply to replacement units under Section 26-2." , which effectively bars construction of apartment buildings and other multifamily housing in Alameda and which limits all housing construction here to about 21 units an acre. Measure A can't be modified without a vote.

But city officials could move the plan forward themselves by amending Measure A, which would require another ballot measure, or through use of the city's just-passed density bonus rules, wrote Pat Keliher, who has been managing the Point project for SunCal, in a letter submitted with the plan.