$200,000 will go to analyze Point's Seaplane Lagoon

The city of Alameda was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) on Wednesday, June 27, as part of MTC's Planning Development Area (PDA) program.

The city will use the grant to prepare a detailed plan for the new Waterfront Town Center at Alameda Point along the Seaplane Lagoon.

"The grant was for important regional and transit oriented projects," said Andrew Thomas, city of Alameda planning manager. "We wanted this grant because Alameda Point is an important project not just for Alameda, but the region."

Thomas said the city would hire planning and transportation consultants to work on the plan along with the Planning Board and the Public Works Department.

In January, MTC put out a "call for applications" to cities around the Bay Area for grant proposals, according to Therese Trivedi, the MTC member who directed the PDA Planning program. "We judged each proposal on six different criteria," said Trivedi.

That criteria included location of planning area in a community of concern, potential impact, current city policies like innovative parking and affordable housing, quality of the proposed planning process, commitment to implementation and local commitment.

Sixteen cities submitted a proposal and 10 received grants.

A big component of the proposal was to show how the site would be accessed through mass transit.

"Buses and ferries will be the primary means of access by transit," said Thomas.

"The site will also be pedestrianand bicycle-friendly."

The grant will not be given out as a one-time payment, the city will instead inform MTC how much they are spending one phase at a time, and then MTC will reimburse the city.

"We'll follow the planning process with the city," said Trivedi. The grant will cover 80 percent of the expected cost of the plan, the other $50,000 will come from the city.

"This plan for our Waterfront Town Center area will lay the groundwork for the city to take advantage of key retail, restaurant, maritime, commercial, and housing opportunities at the heart of Alameda Point," said City Manager John Russo.

The city will start the plan later this year. Staff hopes to have it completed by the end of 2013.