Alameda NIMBYs tried to use state historical commission to shut down voter-backed wellness center for homeless seniors

Group previously used the courts and ballot box to stop the state and federally-funded wellness center from being built in Alameda

Previous rendering of the proposed Alameda Wellness and Medical Respite Center on McKay Avenue. Neighbors claimed the facility would attract an unsavory element to the area.

CITY NEWS

ALAMEDA

—NIMBYS TAKE ANOTHER LOSS—An ongoing effort by Alameda NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) to block construction of a wellness center for homeless seniors took another beating last Friday when the State Historical Resources Commission swatted away a bid to have the World War II-era cluster of buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places.

—The site at McKay Avenue, near Crown Beach in Alameda, was once used for the U.S. Maritime Service Officers School, a training facility for Merchant Marines during World War II. Proponents of the move to gain historical status argue the site and its story has been “under-acknowledged.” In addition, the building were designed in the 1940s by historically prominent architects, the application states.

—For roughly 15 months, the application had languished at the State Historical Resources Commission. The City of Alameda registered opposition to the plan citing the condition of the buildings.

—Last Friday, Julianne Polanco, executive secretary of the State Historical Resources Commission, said she understood the historical value of the site to the state and nation’s history. “These stories, this history, these men who faithfully discharged their duties are deserving of commemoration,” she said.

—After touring the site, Polanco determined the set of remaining building were part of a hierarchy of structures typical for military sites. In addition, the application for the National Register was for the district, not individual buildings.

—“I do not believe there remains sufficient integrity for the proposed historic district to convey the significance for which it is being nominated.” Polanco then moved to pull the item from last Friday’s agenda, effectively ending any further discussion on the matter by the commission.

—Supporters of the National Register proposal slammed the state commission last Friday, and suggested political interference applied from Alameda officials led the commission to pull the item.

—Alameda Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer referenced a letter sent by Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft that urged the commission not to move forward with the application. Spencer told the commission that under Alameda’s City Charter, the mayor’s power is no greater than individual councilmembers.

Steven Tavares @eastbaycitizen

Alameda CM Trish Spencer protesting the State Historical Resources Commission’s decision last Friday to remove an application from its agenda to consider National Registry status for fmr military bldgs at Crab Cove now slated for homeless senior housing and medical services.

—In April 2019, the question of the wellness center was placed on the ballot in Alameda. The special election cost the city roughly $500,000 to administer. Opponents of the wellness center focused on planning and zoning issues while some asserted the property would become a haven for the county’s homeless.

—At the time, then-Alameda Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer infamously disputed that neighbors living in apartments near the proposed wellness center were NIMBYs. “The term NIMBY, I’m not sure it applies if you don’t have a backyard,” she said.

—Proponents labeled the ballot measure as an opportunity for Alamedans to affirm their support for the least fortunate. The latter effort was successful at the ballot box.

—Then, in August 2019, the group then called Friends of Crab Cove, unsuccessfully went to court to stop the facility from moving forward on the grounds the city did not properly study the environmental impacts of the wellness center. An Alameda County Superior Court judge disagreed.