Alameda Point Phase 1 Conveyance Ceremony: Navy Transfers 1,379 Acres to City

Gloomy weather was not enough to keep dozens of people from celebrating the Alameda Point Phase 1 Conveyance Ceremony at the former Naval Air Station Monday afternoon.

The Phase 1 transfer is the first step to moving Alameda Point away from public ownership into private tax rolls by taking advantage of the local and regional economic upswing, according to City Manager John Russo.

The City plans to turn the nearly 1,400 acres of land into a new mixed-use, transit-oriented community which will include 1,425 housing units, 5.5 million square ft. of commercial space and more than 200 acres of parks and open space, according to the City.

Monday's ceremony marked the transfer of 509 acres of land and 870 acres of submerged property—totaling 1,379 acres—from the Navy to the City of Alameda.

Although the Navy has paid for a majority of cleaning up the former Naval Air Station, the City is spending its own money on clearing the final regulatory requirements in order to break ground for Alameda Point as soon as possible.

For the rest of the year, the City will work on addressing these regulatory hurdles for development of Alameda Point, which include preparation of a base-wide zoning update Master Infrastructure Plan, and Environmental Impact Report, and a specific plan for the Town Center Waterfront area, according to Russo.

The City also is coordinating plans with the Department of Veteran's Affairs to move forward with plans to build a $200 million outpatient clinic and columbarium on the former runways at the Naval Air Station, Russo said.

These plans are expected to be completed by January 2014.

Check out the video above to hear what Mayor Marie Gilmore, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and City Manager John Russo had to say at the Alameda Point Phase 1 Conveyance Ceremony.