Excerpt:

ANALYSIS
The Town Center Plan implements the General Plan policy objectives for a transit- and pedestrian-oriented, mixed use transit village at Alameda Point and the WTC Sub-district Master Plan requirement contained in the recently approved zoning amendment for Alameda Point. The Town Center Plan implements this vision through a wide variety of regulations, standards, and guidelines for both public improvements and private investment. The four major characteristics of the Town Center Plan are:

I. Form Based Regulations: The Town Center Plan provides specific regulations, standards, and design guidelines to shape the form of the public and private physical environment and the use of land to create a waterfront-oriented transit village that is pedestrian, bicycle and transit friendly and supported by unique regional recreational and open space opportunities.

II. Seaplane Lagoon: The Town Center Plan establishes the Seaplane Lagoon as the center of the Town Center Plan area and Alameda Point, with water and land-based transit services (ferries and buses), recreational opportunities (kayaking, sailing, bicycling, walking), visitor services (waterfront restaurants, commercial services, museums, and hotels), and parks and habitat conservation areas (promenades, public plazas, wetlands and open space).

III. NAS Alameda Historic District Guidelines: The Town Center Plan provides guidelines for in-fill new construction within those areas of the Town Center Plan area that overlap with the boundaries of the NAS Alameda Historic District (e.g., taxiways between the Seaplane Lagoon and Hangar Row).

IV. Criteria for Future Decision Making: The Town Center Plan provides guidance and standards for evaluating future development and construction plans for the area. The Town Center Plan is designed to ensure that the area can develop incrementally over time without sacrificing the overall vision for a transit-oriented, waterfront district. The Town Center Plan development standards provide certainty and predictability for both the Alameda community and future private investors and developers.