Excerpt:

BACKGROUND

The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) Central Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility is being planned and developed to serve as one of two maintenance bases for WETA's existing and future ferry fleet. Staff has been working with WETA on this project for four years. The location of the facility is in the City-owned area known as Term-1 which also is in the State Tidelands. This property has always been City property and leased to the Navy in the 1940s. The Navy returned the property back to the City in 2001. Tidelands leases can be up to 66 years in term.

Because of Alameda's unique geography as an island, staff felt there was an immediate benefit to the community to house the maintenance hub of the WETA fleet. During recent meetings with federal and regional representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), ferries were highlighted as an important mechanism for providing services and supplies to the region. Having Alameda serve as home base for maintenance and operations for WETA will position Alameda as a priority for providing our residents with assistance during a regional emergency.