A Pop-Up Community Meeting will take place this Saturday, May 17, to discuss the proposed Neptune Beach Surf Club, a surf pool on the land near the Encinal Boat Ramp.
The project is being proposed by William Duncanson, an architect and avid surfer. He explained to the Alameda Post that the Neptune Beach Surf Club would consist of a large pool that would mechanically generate waves so that people could surf.
“You can ride surf boards or boogie boards or stand up paddle boards on those waves so it replicates an ocean surfing experience in a controlled body of water,” Duncanson said. The facility would also include a rental station and changing rooms.
Duncanson’s architecture firm, BAR Architects and Interiors, would be the designers and planners of the surf pool. According to Duncanson, the surf pool “would be privately financed and privately operated.” Once built, the surf pool would be operated by Pro Swell, an advisory firm for surf parks that, according to its website, has experience in “design, development, operation, and investment in surf/beach-inspired developments.”
Duncanson is one of five people who run Pro Swell, which is also the proposed developer of the project along with UrbanMix Development. The land would still be owned by the City of Alameda, and would be leased to Pro Swell in a long-term agreement.
Duncanson is not an Alameda resident, but his San Francisco-based architecture firm has worked on several projects in Alameda, including the Star Harbor luxury housing in the former Del Monte cannery and Little John Commons which provides affordable housing to seniors. BAR Architects and Interiors was also the Master Planner for Site A at Alameda Point and the architects for Alameda Point Block 11.
The Pop-Up Community Meeting is designed to get community feedback on the proposed project and gauge public interest. Reactions to the surf pool were mixed in a May 7 post on the Alameda Peeps Facebook group, ranging from from excitement to opposition. “This is amazing and it would get my kids and myself back into surfing,” one commenter posted, while another remarked, “This would be right next to the soccer field. I’d much rather have expanded soccer/athletic fields or nature.”
Others questioned the impact of the surf pool on the surrounding community with one member commenting, “I really want to hear more from people with experience with these parks. I feel like right now there’s a ‘surfing? I love surfing!’ vibe and not so much a ‘what does this actually mean for the community’ vibe.”
Because the project is in the very early proposal stage, neither Duncanson nor the City of Alameda could comment on the environmental/community impact or specific lease terms of the surf pool.
According to Communications & Legislative Affairs Officer Sarah Henry, “The City is a long way out from talking about lease terms. This is a big-picture community meeting organized by the project sponsor simply to gauge if there is any community interest in the project.”
Duncanson also wanted to clear up a rumor surrounding the surf pool, stating via email, “We are not proposing to touch Hornet Field. I know there is misinformation brewing about this out there.”
The Pop-Up Community Meeting will take place on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to noon at 150 West Hornet Avenue (at the intersection with Skyhawk Street). Those who cannot attend the meeting can express their opinions through an online survey.
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
