Alameda Islander Motel Makeover Underway

Downtown neighbors of the are likely cheering this week as renovation of the blighted 40-year-old complex began on schedule. 

A joint project of the City of Alameda and Resources for Community Development, a nonprofit affording housing developer, the structure will be transformed into affordable housing, with 61 studio apartments for one- and two-person households. 

"This is a great project and the City has been wanting to do it for over 10 years," said Debbie Potter, housing and development coordinator for the City of Alameda.

Coming in just under the wire, with the partnership agreements for the project made before the recent California Supreme Court decision which eliminated redevelopment funding (a primary funding source for the project), Potter said work will proceed as planned.

"The Islander renovation is an 'enforceable obligation,'" said Potter, meaning that commitments to a third party (in this case the City's partner, Resources for Community Development) had been made before the recent court decision on redevelopment funding.

Construction, which is slated to take about 11 months, began Monday with the demolition of illegal units that had been built toward the back of the property. 

"There were seven illegal units. It had started as a carport and kind of evolved," Potter said. The units will be replaced, she says, with a community room and community garden.

When the property was acquired by Resources for Community Development and the City of Alameda's Housing Authority last fall, Mayor Marie Gilmore hailed the purchase of the property and planned renovation as a major step toward providing needed affordable housing downtown.

“Alameda is committed to promoting sustainable, well-planned housing for its residents and workers and this project is a critical piece of that effort," Gilmore said.

Eligible Relocated Residents Will Be Able to Return

All the residents of the complex were relocated, said Potter, in compliance with state and federal regulations. Some of the families will meet the income level requirements for eligibility to live in the renovated structure, she said, and they will be able to return.

The new Alameda Islander will serve one- and two-person households with incomes from 20 to 50 percent of the area median income. Nine of the units will be fully accessible to people with disabilties, Potter said.

"There are about 10 or 11 households who were previously living at the Islander who will be eligible to return," Potter said. "So that's a nice opportunity for the people who had been living there. The rents will be maybe a third of what they were paying."

Rents will be determined in part by residents' income, but will be between $464 and $929 a month, Potter said. Because of the weekly rents charged by the previous owner, Potter said some residents, some of whom had lived in the motel for a decade, were paying close to $1,200 a month. (Yelp reviews on The Islander, all negative, can be read here.)

"It's definitely going to be a better physical plant, it's going to be much better managed and its going to be more affordable rents," Potter said. "It will be an improvement at all levels."

Those interested in applying to live in the New Islander can call 510-865-2229 for updates. The waiting list for the building will open up some time this summer.

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony at The Islander on Jan. 31 at 1 p.m.

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