VA Unveils Plan for Alameda Point

The Department of Veterans Affairs Northern California (VA) will showcase its plan for an outpatient clinic, columbarium, and offices at Alameda Point. 

When:  Thursday, March 14, 2013 (1-3 p.m. or 6-8 p.m.)

Where:  USS HORNET Museum

707 W. Hornet Ave, Pier 3 (Alameda Point)

Alameda, CA  94501

510-521-8448

When: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
Where: Albert H. Dewitt Officers’ Club
641 West Redline Avenue (Alameda Point)
Alameda, California 94501
(510) 747-7529

The VA and Navy have drafted a Draft Environmental Assessment document that describes the purpose, need for, and evaluation of the potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on the human and natural environment.

The public is invited to attend the meeting sessions where the VA and Navy will describe this proposed undertaking and accept comments at the meetings and through Friday, April 19, 2013 (total 56 days). 

See: http://www.northerncalifornia.va.gov/planning/Alameda/

Alameda Point VA clinic design rolled out

On October 18, 2012, the residents of Alameda learned second-hand about the details of the Veterans Administration’s plans for a clinic and columbarium at Alameda Point.

According to an article published in the Oakland Tribune, the VA briefed the Alameda County Veterans Affairs Commission.  

“ ‘The clinic's design will feature a glass-fronted lobby that will face the skyline, plus an overhanging winglike roof that architect Greg Lehman said was inspired by the bird colony and the site's history as part of the Alameda Naval Air Station. People visiting the clinic will have views of San Francisco,’ Lehman said Monday, when the veterans commission was updated on the project. ‘We also wanted to capture as much of the natural light as possible.’"   

In addition, “The two-story clinic will measure 158,000 square feet on 30 acres and will replace the VA's current facility on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland.”

Meanwhile, Alameda residents have yet to be briefed. 

A better option for VA clinic at Alameda Point: The Lab site

The US Department of Veterans Affairs’ original plan for outpatient facilities and a columbarium at Alameda Point ran into strong opposition over proximity to the nesting site of the CA Least Terns on the wildlife refuge.  

Now, a new set of concerns is emerging. The new proposed location on the Northwest Territories will impact wetlands and natural habitat, is isolated from the main mixed-use area where redevelopment planning is underway, and will generate a stream of traffic through land designated for open space. 

A better site is available and should be considered.

VA’s 2013 budget request – Alameda Point commitment still alive

The VA’s 2013 budget request to Congress contains no funding request for Alameda Point.  The project was first funded in 2011 for design and planning.  Concerns over the proximity to a nesting site for an endangered bird, the California Least Tern, have led to delays in moving the project forward.  FY 2012 also did not receive a funding request. 

The VA, however, still remains committed to the project.

East Bay Regional Park District Spearheads City/VA Parkland Deal

It seemed as though the plans for a veterans’ facility at Alameda Point were moving full steam ahead. But no. Last year the project almost died until the East Bay Regional Park District stepped in to help.

VA Project Behind Schedule, But Making Headway

The VA clinic and columbarium at Alameda Point are behind schedule from the original timeline.  The property was expected to be conveyed from the Navy to the VA in November of 2011.  The transfer date is now expected to be in November of 2012. The construction completion date has been moved from December 2014 to December 2016, according to the VA.

Landing Zone Veterans' Clinic

          Excerpt: 

We haven’t heard much lately about the proposed veterans facility at Alameda Point, but it’s been moving full steam ahead. . . . 

As the project moves forward, our city council has both a challenge and an opportunity.  The challenge:  to become the advocate for a full-fledged urban wildlife refuge, fulfilling the responsibilities described in the base reuse plan.  The opportunity:  to partner with the VA in the construction of the roadway and infrastructure out to the site.  The adjacent 200-plus acres (the Northwest Territories) are under the city’s trusteeship of Public Trust Lands.  A regional park and Bay Trail have been planned there for 15 years, and wetlands and habitat restoration are being considered, but we need a road to get there.  Partnering with the VA could help build the roadway and infrastructure to the western shoreline and fulfill the promise of maximum public shoreline access.  ...

You can read the full article by Irene Dieter on Isle Say, published July 21, 2011.