Partial Disclosure

Seriously?  Did everyone check out the East Bay Expressthis morning?  It appears that the EBX has honed its laserlike focus on Alameda these past few weeks (I have been meaning to write about last week’s two-fer, but that can wait for another day.)  Today, Robert Gammon has decided to talk about the SunCal proposal for Alameda Point but, in true Full Disclosure fashion, it appears that Robert Gammon forgot the basics of reporting which is to try to talk to multiple sides in order to get the full story.   Say, oh, maybe trying to talk to someone at, oh, perhaps, SunCal?   Even though Gammon mentioned he was able to get a “subsequent interview” with Peter Calthorpe, a lot of the quotes referenced to Calthorpe came directly from the Alameda Point Task Force meeting presentation.

A few problems in just laying out the actual facts of the development plans of Alameda Point in the “article/commentary/op ed” I’m actually not sure what to call it really.   First up:

…But they did not disclose that their proposed 4,200 to 6,000 units of housing will either cost local taxpayers tens of millions of dollars or snarl traffic throughout Alameda and downtown Oakland…

Actually, SunCal mentioned that if they were to build out the 4,200 units or 6,000 in the PRT or other transportation solution scenario they mentioned the traffic impacts would be similar to that of the 1,800 Preliminary Design Concept sprawled out plan because of the ability to group higher density housing around transportation nodes like the ferry and bus routes.  Clearly Gammon was not at the meeting on the Hornet and rather has relied on, at best, the truncated presentation before the Alameda Point Task Force last Thursday (will talk about that some other time too) or, at worst, an email to Full Disclosure referenced in the article.

And then there is this:

…SunCal originally proposed building 1,800 single-family homes on the old military base, which the Navy decommissioned more than a decade ago…

Actually the originally proposed 1,800 plan is the Preliminary Design Concept which was developed by the previous master developer who was trying to stay within the limits of Measure A.   While SunCal presented a PDC-like plan at one of the first community meetings along with some other higher density plans, many residents at the meeting pooh-poohed the PDC (aka Measure A compliant plans) preferring the higher density plans to the 1,800 home plan.  Which the number is significant not because SunCal initially proposed it but because that is the number that is attached to the $108 million price tag that the former master developer negotiated with the Navy.   Any housing built above that 1,800 number would be charged per home.   Of course, for those that have been following the bouncing ball, SunCal is currently working on renegotiating with the Navy on that price.

Again, not SunCal’s original plan, but something that they had to develop in order to give folks an option of a Measure A compliant plan which residents who attended meeting prior to the one at the Hornet said that they did not like.

Certainly, what is a Gammon article without some mention of his favorite transportation whipping boy, Bus Rapid Transit?  He states the obvious that:

Nor is it clear that enough Alameda residents would ride Bus Rapid Transit to make it cost-efficient for the transit agency.

Really?  No kidding, however, there is something else that Robert Gammon missed in his summary overview of Alameda Point history and politics.   One of the key transportation solutions that will be in place at Alameda Point regardless of whether 1800 or 4200 or 6000 homes get built is that there will be a Transportation Demand Managementprogram where future Alameda Point residents will pay a yearly (monthly?) assessment like homeowner’s dues and receive transit passes in return.   Folks can opt to use these transit passes or continue on their merry single-rider car driving as usual, but the money used will be able to better manage transportation options.

Which is why I should just remember this blog post from V Smoothe at A Better Oakland whenever I am reading Gammon’s work.

And then:

Calthorpe conceded that SunCal would only pay the cost of the elevated electric line within its development. And again, he acknowledged that such a system would only work if it extended throughout Alameda, over the estuary, and into downtown Oakland.

Actually, I’m pretty sure that SunCal said that if they were to do the PRT that it would extend into Oakland to a BART stop, otherwise, what would be the point?  PRT is meant to be a solution to get folks off the island from Alameda Point not within the Island.   Gammon may want to rewatch that portion or perhaps interview someone from SunCal.

Then Gammon writes as though it is some revelation that SunCal is going to move forward with a ballot initiative to amend Measure A for Alameda Point, citing crack source Councilmember Doug deHaan, when they talked about it at a public meeting before the CIC/ARRA/City Council not less than a few weeks ago.   So even after all, this is what Gammon has to wrap with, recalling that he is supposed to be one of those smart growth progressives even though he is skeptical about transportation solutions like BRT:

At this point, the answers to those questions are unknown. But this much is clear. Calthorpe and SunCal are right: More dense urban development will curb suburban sprawl and lessen the number of long commutes that add to global warming. Plus, their plans for mass transit on the old Navy base and throughout Alameda are intriguing. But before they develop their vision further, they owe both Alamedans and Oaklanders a thorough, honest, and upfront accounting of exactly how much Alameda Point’s transportation needs will cost.

So pretty much all that bluster to say, hey, you know SunCal and Calthorpe are spot on, but we need to know how much everything is going to cost.   Except for the fact that all the plans are in purely conceptual stages right now and no plans have been approved and if Robert Gammon wanted to know, he could probably sit down with SunCal to talk about it.   But it’s much easier to just watch one meeting and talk to a handful (does three even constitute a handful?) of people to churn out a “ohmigod the sky is falling and traffic is going to bury us!” sort of piece prior to deadline.  Nice.