The Alameda City Council on Oct. 20 unanimously approved a new traffic signal, bike crossing upgrades and a median diverter at Pacific Avenue and Wilma Chan Way, and moved forward a lease that would bring an autonomous cargo-aircraft company into a vacant Navy hangar at Alameda Point.
A safer crossing
The diverter will ban all left turns at the intersection and stop drivers from crossing Wilma Chan Way on Pacific, limiting cars to right turns in and out. People walking and biking, and emergency vehicles, will still be able to cross, the Alameda Post reported.
Staff said prevailing speeds on Wilma Chan Way were about 30 mph despite a 25 mph limit, and the intersection has a history of broadside crashes. The signal will stay green for Wilma Chan Way until someone needs to cross; pedestrians push a button and bikes are detected automatically. Construction could start in summer 2027.
Poseidon Aerospace lease
The council also introduced a seven-year lease, with two five-year options, for Poseidon Aerospace to occupy Building 11 at 1190 W. Tower Ave., a hangar empty since the end of 2020. Staff estimated nearly $13 million in rent over the first term, according to the Alameda Post.
The deal includes a rent credit of about a year's rent and an $828,905 broker commission, and the city keeps responsibility for a future roof replacement; the estimate for the larger building complex is $10.6 million, The Alameda Pulse reported. Poseidon says engine testing happens in Oregon, not Alameda. The final vote is set for Nov. 4, with the lease starting Dec. 5 if approved.
In a 4-1 vote, the council also moved to double the city manager's contract approval limit from $75,000 to $150,000, unchanged for 36 years.