The Gull's Call - Jan/Feb/Mar 2025

CommunityNews Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Underway on Bay Farm Island by Lauren Eisele T HE CITY OF ALAMEDA (CITY) HAS BEEN LEADING the Oakland Alameda Adaptation Committee (OAAC) to plan for sea level rise adaptation in the Oakland-Alameda subregion since 2021. OAAC has been working on two high-priority projects - the Estuary Adaptation Project and the Bay Farm Island (BFI) Adaptation Project – as well as the larger Oakland Alameda Subregional Adaptation Plan (Subregional Plan). These planning efforts include analyses of conditions and recommendations for adaptation, the concept designs, funding, phasing and governance.

on January 21, 2025. The BFI community’s input and support of this project at these meetings will help ensure its’ successful funding and implementation. Please attend these meetings and show your support. The Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project is a near-term sea level rise adaptation project to address two feet of sea level rise over the coming decades. Current FEMA flood maps show the northern shoreline of Bay Farm Island as an entry point for coastal flooding at the 100-year flood event. An existing aged concrete seawall currently protects lower magnitude flood events from entering Veterans Court from the Bay. However, the top of the seawall is at a lower elevation than the 100-year event. Many properties on Bay Farm Island are lower in elevation than the northern shoreline and would be potentially subject to flooding in the event of overtopping or failure.

Adaptation Alernative - Lagoon Outfall to Veterans Park

On December 4th, the City hosted an online community workshop to discuss the draft concept designs for the Bay Farm Island (BFI) project and to solicit community feedback. The notes and presentation materials from this workshop can be found at www.oaacadapt.org. The City has solicited outreach to the community via three workshops, online meetings, door to door neighborhood outreach and has presented the project concepts at several Alameda Commissions. The City plans to bring the final conceptual plans to the City of Alameda Planning Board on December 16, 2024 and City Council

This project consists of developing a long-term adaptation plan for the entire BFI as well as developing up to 30 percent designs in the northern shoreline area of BFI for a near-term project. The near-term project concept design is for the northern shoreline area of BFI, and includes a levee to reduce coastal flooding, Bay Trail enhancements, nature-based solutions to improve the marshes and beach habitat, tide gate and pump station replacements and storm drain modifications. The concept will shorten Veterans Court and will allow for 20-25 parking spaces. City staff are coordinating with Caltrans on how to replace the wooden bicycle/pedestrian bridge, and it is not part

8 January | February | March 2025

The Gull’s Cal