Independent Alameda News. Support us!

Council Endorses Designs for Estuary, Bay Farm Island Sea Level Rise Projects

Central Avenue Safety Project starts on January 27

On January 21, City Council unanimously endorsed concept designs for Alameda portions of the Oakland Alameda Estuary and Bay Farm Island Adaptation Projects to address sea level rise. The Estuary Project aims to address coastal, stormwater, and groundwater flooding along Alameda’s northern shoreline with treatments such as levees, seawalls, and detention basins. The Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project aims to remove Bay Farm Island’s lagoon from the 100-year floodplain and bolster the northern shoreline and Bay Trail from erosion.

City Manager Jennifer Ott reported that after more than a decade of planning and community engagement, construction of the Central Avenue Safety Project will begin on Monday, January 27, with the most significant impacts expected to result from the construction of three roundabouts. She also announced that the East Bay Small Business Development Center now offers free small business counseling.

Alameda Post - a map of Alameda and Bay Farm with three highlighted areas for the Subregional Adaptation Planning Area, the Oakland Alameda Estuary Adaptation Project, and the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project
Oakland Alameda Adaptation Committee project areas. Image presented at the January 21, 2025 City Council meeting, Agenda #7-A, Presentation.

Oakland Alameda Adaptation Committee

The City of Alameda has led the Oakland Alameda Adaptation Committee (OAAC) since 2021. OACC is a coalition of shoreline communities, agencies, and stakeholders working to coordinate Oakland-Alameda flood and adaptation projects.



The coalition includes government agencies such as the cities of Alameda and Oakland, non-profit community partners such as Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA) and the REAP Climate Center, and expert consultants. While OACC is primarily concerned with flooding due to sea level rise, it is also addressing groundwater intrusion and stormwater flooding, all of which are predicted to intensify in the coming years.

OACC is coordinating three sea level rise projects: the Subregional Adaptation Plan, the Oakland Alameda Estuary Project, and the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project. City Project Manager Gail Payne provided a brief update on the Subregional Adaptation Plan, which describes strategies for Oakland and Alameda shoreline communities as the climate and shorelines change over time.

Payne said the current plan does not comply with new Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)  guidelines, so the City is seeking additional funding to update it. The goal is to gain BCDC approval and go public with strategies later this year to obtain feedback.

Alameda Post - plans for the shoreline protection with the Oakland Alameda Estuary Adaptation Project. An image of the shoreline indicates the number of feet of protection per area, from 7.5 to 12.
Oakland Alameda Estuary Adaptation Project concept design from Bohol Circle Immigrant Park to Extended Stay America Hotel. Image presented at the January 21, 2025 City Council meeting, Agenda #7-A, Presentation.
Alameda Post - plans for the shoreline protection with the Oakland Alameda Estuary Adaptation Project. An image of the shoreline indicates the number of feet of protection per area, from 9 to 12.
Oakland Alameda Estuary Adaptation Project concept design from Shipways to Marina Village. Image presented at the January 21, 2025 City Council meeting, Agenda #7-A, Presentation.
Alameda Post - a diagram of a sidewalk along Alameda's shoreline with a levee and slope enhancement
Concept design for levee with Bay Trail and habitat improvements. Image presented at the January 21, 2025 City Council meeting, Agenda #7-A, Presentation.

Oakland Alameda Estuary Project

The Oakland Alameda Estuary Adaptation Project is a near-term (35-50 years) adaptation project to address coastal, stormwater, and groundwater flooding for up to two feet of sea level rise with an additional two feet to allow for uncertainty. It will protect Alameda’s northern shoreline between Bohol Circle Immigrant Park at Alameda Landing and Shoreline Park at Marina Village and the Downtown Oakland/Jack London District. City Council evaluated the concept design for the Alameda portion only. The project would protect to an elevation of 14 feet. Long-term projects will build on this near term project protect to an elevation of 17 feet.

The Estuary Project consists of shoreline treatments, including seawalls, levees, and redevelopment at higher elevations, as well as inland treatments to store water and prevent flooding. An inland treatment example is the green detention basin behind Target. Potential locations for new detention basins include areas around the Webster and Posey Tubes. Levees, which are wide embankments, are planned along the northern shoreline where space allows, while more expensive seawalls are planned where space is constrained.

Current grant funding for the project expires at the end of February. However, President Biden’s Water Resources Development Act legislation, which passed in December 2024, totaling $30 million, includes the Estuary Project. The City is working with federal lobbyists and congressional representatives on appropriations to obtain funds.

Alameda Post - a map of the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project areas, as well as photos of damage from flooding
Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project near term project area. Image presented at the January 21, 2025 City Council meeting, Agenda #7-A, Presentation.
Alameda Post - a map of Veterans Court and the proposed changes from the Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project
Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project, the current state of Veterans’ Court and proposed plan for expanded marsh habitat. Image presented at the January 21, 2025 City Council meeting, Agenda #7-A, Presentation.

Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project

The Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project encompasses Bay Farm Island’s northern shoreline in the near term and all of Bay Farm Island in the long term, along with the North Field of the Oakland Airport, and State Route 61/Doolittle Drive, aiming to get the entire area out of the 100-year floodplain and address erosion and flooding.

The near-term concept includes nature-based solutions such as groins and feeder beaches to reduce erosion and a levee with a bay trail to reduce coastal flooding. Groins are barriers, often made of large rocks, built perpendicular to the shoreline to hold sand in place. Feeder beaches are artificially widened beaches designed to replenish sand on down-drift beaches. They combat beach erosion by providing a sediment source to areas experiencing sand loss. More immediately, the Department of Public Works is requesting BCDC approval for temporary sandbags to protect erosion hotspots along Bay Farm Island’s northern shoreline.

The Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project also includes upgrades to the lagoon, including a new tide gate and pump station. The project will shorten Veterans Court Road, allowing for more marsh expansion and habitat enhancement while accommodating 20 to 25 parking spaces.

Current grant funding for the Bay Farm Island Project expires in September. However, the City has applied for a $55.5 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to fund subsequent phases, including environmental clearance, permitting, design, and construction. FEMA expects to make a decision in 2025.

Council comment and vote

Council praised the designs. Vice Mayor Michele Pryor called the projects “the right thing to do.” Referencing the recent damaging effects of the king tide, she added, “The sooner we address climate change and its impacts, the better.” Councilmember Tracy Jensen affirmed that the  designs represent “a critical step in addressing our community’s most pressing environmental threat.”

Councilmember Tony Daysog supported the concept designs but recommended community engagement to help decide whether to invest in seawalls or allow water to reclaim parts of the city, like the area near Veterans Court. He considered this crucial to ensuring resources are allocated cost-effectively.

Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft responded that she would want to defer to subject matter experts as to which manner of addressing sea level and groundwater rise is used. She praised the Oakland Alameda Adaptation Committee for being forward-thinking, saying that “other cities are scrambling to catch up to where we are.”

Council unanimously voted to endorse the concept designs for the Estuary and Bay Farm Island Adaptation Projects and accepted the status update on the Subregional Adaptation Plan.

Alameda Post - Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project
City of Alameda’s map for the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project.

City Manager’s report

City Manager Jennifer Ott reported that:

  • After more than a decade of planning and community engagement, construction of the Central Avenue Safety Project will begin on Monday, January 27. The project includes a road diet with two motor vehicle travel lanes; a two-way left-turn lane as a center lane; bikeways; three roundabouts at Main/Pacific/Central, Third/Taylor/Central, and Fourth/Ballena/Central; resurfacing; improved bus stops; enhanced pedestrian crossings; and street trees/rain gardens. The project spans 1.7 miles. The most significant impact will occur during the construction of the roundabouts, which will be completed in phases.
  • The East Bay Small Business Development Center now offers city-sponsored advising services. Small business owners can receive free business counseling at the Alameda Chamber and Economic Alliance office at 2215A South Shore Center on the first and third Tuesdays of the month from noon to 4 p.m. Email [email protected] or call 510-884-4801 for an appointment.

Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.

KQED Curated Content
Thanks for reading the

Nonprofit news isn’t free.

Will you take a moment to support Alameda’s only local news source?