Catellus - Community Relations

Generating Support for a Mixed-Use Development On Former Navy Land

Background
Catellus Development Group was selected to be the master developer for nearly 200 acres of land formerly occupied by the U.S.Navy in Alameda, CA . About 80 acres of the property was authorized for the development of more than one million square feet of office and R&D space.

However, due to a sharp increase in vacant commercial space in the San Francisco Bay Area, Catellus requested that a mixed-use development (retail, residential, office, R&D and open space) be approved to replace the original approved plan. That request led to an extended period of public outreach to Alameda residents regarding the project, called Alameda Landing.

Objectives
The goals of the outreach program were:

To inform Alamedans about the proposed new development plan.
To obtain input regarding the community’s reaction to the plan.
To build consensus among residents in support of the new development plan.
To demonstrate to local government officials that there was strong public support for the the development.
To obtain necessary approvals for the new development plan.

Target Audience
The program was directed to Alameda residents and business owners, local and regional government officials and prospective commercial space users and home buyers.

Actions
The program included the following elements:

Identifying and informing proponents.
Identifying opponents and determining their concerns.
Initiating an extensive series of presentations and workshops for community input.
Developing and placing advertising and publicity that encouraged public participation.
Revising of the proposed plan based on input.
Developing presentation materials.
Making presentations to community groups and organizations.
Creating media kits.
Conducting press briefings and media site tours.
Placing feature stories in local media.
Encouraging proponents to speak at public meetings and write letters to the editor.

Results
There was a high degree of public participation in the outreach process. At one meeting, there were 120 participants, a much larger turnout than usual for such a meeting. Catellus responded to input and revised the plan accordingly. When the revised plan was reviewed by the City Council, 33 citizens made comments. All but three supported the project. The council voted unanimously to approve the Alameda Landing project. Development will begin later this year.

>> back to case studies