Reduces required affordable housing units for Foundry phase of development
On May 26, the Planning Board considered a proposed amendment to the Alameda Marina Master Plan that would modify affordable housing requirements for the project’s final phase, known as the Foundry [1], decreasing the number of deed-restricted affordable units from 43 to 21 to facilitate the project’s feasibility.
[2]The proposed amendment is tied to recent revisions to the City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance [3], which change how developers can satisfy affordable housing requirements, offering developers affordability options and flexibility in allocating units among income categories.
City Planner Tristan Suire explained that the developer seeks permission to comply with the updated ordinance framework rather than the project’s earlier affordability obligations. The amendment would allow the applicant to provide 21 very low-income deed-restricted units instead of 23 very low-, 7 low-, and 13 moderate-income units. The 21 very low-income units represent 8% of the 259 rental units, consistent with the recently recommended amendments to the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance.
Very low-income units are affordable to households earning roughly 50% of the area median income ($159,800 for a household of four) [4]. While the proposed amendment changes the number of affordable units provided, it does not change the total number of housing units previously approved.
Suire said the request to reduce the number of affordable units in Phase 3 is consistent with General Plan and Housing Element [5] policies to facilitate housing construction in Alameda by reducing local constraints. The amendment would only apply to the Foundry phase and would not alter affordable housing obligations for completed or currently constructed phases.
The broader Alameda Marina project is a multi-phase housing development along the city’s northern shoreline. The Launch apartments phase has been completed and occupied, while the adjacent townhome phase is approximately halfway through construction with roughly 40 units built. The final Foundry phase has already received prior approvals.
Discussion and vote
Boardmembers questioned whether construction could begin by July 1 as planned. Developer representative Sean Murphy said the developer’s goal is “absolutely … to start construction in July.” Suire responded that the building permit application had already been submitted, fees paid, and multiple rounds of review completed. However, some approvals still needed to occur before construction could begin, including approval of the Alameda Marina master plan amendment and City Council adoption of the revised Inclusionary Housing Ordinance on second reading in June.
Murphy urged the Board to support the proposed amendment, arguing that the revisions are necessary to keep housing projects financially feasible and moving forward. He praised the Planning Board and City Council for advancing the ordinance revisions, noting Alameda faces a “critical shortage of housing” and that flexibility is essential because each development faces different economic conditions and construction challenges.
Murphy described the Foundry project as more complex than a typical infill housing development because it includes major public infrastructure and environmental work, including Bay Trail improvements, environmental remediation, deep soil stabilization, sea level rise protections, public open space, and a commercial parking lot intended to support the maritime area.
Murphy further argued that there was an urgency to approve the amendment because rising inflation and escalating construction costs could make the project financially infeasible if delayed. He described the project as “truly shovel-ready.”
Affordable units will be marketed through the Alameda Housing Authority, including a lottery and screening process for eligible applicants. Murphy indicated there is already a waiting list.
The Planning Board unanimously approved the Master Plan amendment, with Board President Xiomara Cisneros describing the Foundry project as a meaningful step toward helping the City meet its Housing Element obligations.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post [6]. Contact her via [email protected] [7]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen [8] and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen [9].