1,200 residential units proposed at Alameda's South Shore Center

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KTVU) - Some big changes are being proposed for a shopping center in Alameda. Jamestown is the name of the company that owns South Shore Center at Otis Drive and Park Street.  

Developers want to bring new stores and housing to the 46-acre land.  However, doing that can come at a cost.  

"They're not creating a community with this plan. What they're doing is their just shoving up some residential units in what they see is unused space at the present time," said Bob Feinbaum of Oakland.

Jamestown said in phase one, some of the businesses such as Sushi House will have the option to relocate into the interior shopping plaza. 

However, one business will not make the cut. Jamestown says there's no place to put Shoreline Car Wash.   

Those businesses would be replaced with 350 residential units, 536 parking spaces and some new retail stores. The plan is to have phase one complete in 2025.  
 

"We need something like this. We have to be willing to start looking at new ways to live here on our island.  In order to prevent the housing scarcity," said Alameda resident Anne McKereghan.  

"It's s a disturbing view of the future. I see it in other cities, the need for this higher density housing and the traffic that's going to happen," said Alameda Resident Eddy Lehrer.  

Phase two would bring in an additional 79 residential and 156 assisted living units. Plus 258 parking spaces by 2027.  

Later phases could have current large retail spaces replaced with hundreds more housing units. 

With so many more people slated to live on the island, some question the impact it will have on their commute.  

"Traffic is already impacted in Alameda with Shoreline Drive being one lane each way and Otis Drive being a main thoroughfare. I'm very concerned about the traffic this project could generate," said Alameda resident Tony Corica.  

Jamestown said before the plan can be a reality. They must first pass environmental impact and seismic planning. That alone could take anywhere between two to four years.