Council authorizes lease with Gold Bar Spirits, approves building sale to Alameda Food Bank, discusses sideshow prevention
On March 5, City Council voted to authorize a lease with Gold Bar Spirits Company for a portion of Building 22 at Alameda Point. Plans include developing a tasting room presence in Spirits Alley.
Council also voted to approve the sale of 1.7 acres of land and Building 607 at Alameda Point to the Alameda Food Bank to construct a permanent Community Market. Also, City Manager Jennifer Ott discussed actions the City is taking to address sideshows at Alameda Point.
Background
The City of Alameda owns a former aircraft hangar built in 1941, Building 22, at 2505 Monarch Street at Alameda Point. The building is divided into two suites, with Faction Brewing occupying one and Gold Bar Spirits (Gold Bar) proposing to occupy the other with a lease of six years and an option to extend for an additional five years. The suite was formerly occupied by Hangar 1 distillery.
Gold Bar, founded in 2018, produces Gold Bar Whiskey, which is sold in packaging shaped like a gold bar with a replica “lady of fortune” coin. Thanks to partnerships with the San Francisco 49ers and Cal Bears football teams and the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team, its sales dramatically rose in 2023. The whiskey is sold in major brick-and-mortar and e-commerce retailers such as Total Wine, Costco, and BevMo. Its current distillery is on Treasure Island. Base Reuse Manager Alesia Strauch reported that Gold Bar’s financial information indicated strong sales, which support an ability to expand, invest, and pay rent.
Gold Bar plans to improve the facility by upgrading its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and installing a new kitchen to support a planned tasting room. It plans to install distilling equipment and refresh the public spaces, including upgrading the existing tasting room. Though the lease is expected to start April 1, Gold Bar does not anticipate opening for business in its first year of occupancy while it makes these improvements.
City staff proposed lease credits for the first year in recognition of Gold Bar’s building improvement expenses and as a contingency for risk associated with the permitting and licensing duration. The contingency credit would cease upon commencement of operation. Rents, totaling approximately $5.6 million over 11 years, would be deposited into the Alameda Point Fund.
Council discussion and vote
The exterior space west of the building is currently fenced, as is the trash enclosure along Monarch Street to the south. Gold Bar proposed a decorative stacked barrel enclosure to screen these outdoor operations. Councilmember Trish Herrera expressed strong concern about the solid enclosure blocking views and outdoor business equipment blocking views even if the enclosure was transparent.
Vice Mayor Daysog agreed that he preferred the existing, transparent cyclone fencing instead of a solid wall of barrels but didn’t want to “micromanage” what the tenant put inside their yard. Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft expressed that she was inclined to trust the separate review process as the enclosure was not proposed for approval as part of the lease.
However, Councilmember Malia Vella motioned to authorize the City Manager to execute the lease, stipulating that the enclosure remain transparent and no higher than what currently exists. The motion passed 4 to 1, with Councilmember Herrera Spencer voting against it.
Land and building sale to Alameda Food Bank
In another decision, Council unanimously voted to authorize multiple real estate transactions related to the sale of 1.7 acres of land and Building 607 at Alameda Point to the Alameda Food Bank. The resolution and ordinance make it possible for:
- Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) to move their services from Building 613 of the RESHAP construction site and their administrative office from Building 607 to Building 2 on West Midway Avenue so construction can proceed on the RESHAP housing project without disruption to APC’s services.
- The Alameda Food Bank to vacate their leased premises in Building 92 and purchase Building 607 and the associated 1.7 acres of land on Pan Am Way to construct a permanent Community Market for the distribution of food to vulnerable households.
- Structures operated by APC in the RESHAP and West Midway development footprint to be demolished, and residents of properties managed by APC, Operation Dignity, and Building Futures for Women and Children to ultimately relocate into new homes in RESHAP once they are completed.
- The City to list Building 92 for sale with the proceeds used to finance the next phase construction of infrastructure and utilities serving the Historic District at Alameda Point.
Teale Harden, Executive Director of the Alameda Food Bank (AFB), noted that the new facility is across the street from AFB’s current warehouse. “This new facility will help stabilize us financially and operationally … by allowing us to design it specifically for our needs while giving us the peace of mind that we will never have to move again. It will allow us to be more flexible with how we distribute food, should there be a rapid increase in need or if we have to go back to drive-through distributions.”
Harden added that the new facility will include space for partner agencies, so when a family comes in for food, they can also learn about employment, medical, and housing resources.
City actions regarding sideshows
Councilmember Tracy Jensen asked to consider directing staff to establish additional enforcement tools to address participation in and promotion of vehicular sideshow activity at Alameda Point. Jensen said she made the referral in response to concerns about the increasing number and danger of sideshows.
City Manager Jennifer Ott responded that the City has an interdepartmental team working to coordinate and collaborate on this issue, looking at prevention and enforcement. She said they were putting up fencing closer to the USS Hornet, where they’ve seen sideshows, and they are using intelligence and investigative skills to try to find out when these events are happening.
“If we know ahead of time, we can call in additional resources from the CHP (California Highway Patrol) and Oakland,” Ott said, “and then we can get ahead of it, have people out there, start ticketing right away, and prevent [sideshows] from growing into what happened a couple of weeks ago.”
She added that they were putting plans together to change the physical landscape and anticipated requesting drones to aid enforcement. They are scheduled to report on progress and plans at the May 11 City Council meeting. Councilmember Herrera Spencer added that if members of the public have ideas for prevention, they are invited to submit suggestions to the City Manager via email at [email protected] or by phone at 510-747-4700.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.
