aisle connecting to the adjacent parking lot for the College of Alameda Science Annex just east of the Project.
The Project would provide 10 long-term bicycle parking spaces in lockers located on the south end of the Project site. Short-term bicycle parking would consist of bike racks accommodating 100 bicycles, provided just east of the main facility entrance and adjacent to the parking lot.
Atlantic Avenue on the north side of the Project and the Cross Alameda Trail on the south side of the Project would provide pedestrian and bicycle connections for the Project.
The Project would provide a variety of programming throughout the year. Attachment A provides details on planned programming at the proposed aquatic center by time of year and day of week as estimated by the City of Alameda staff, and presents the estimated number of visitors and staff and hours of operations by activity. The Project would be open seven days per week from 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM with most activities occurring from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM on weekdays and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekends. The aquatic center would also host summer camp activities on weekdays from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM, and special events, such as swim meets and water polo tournaments, which occur a few times throughout the year.
Table 1 summarizes the hours of activity and number of staff and visitors for weekdays and weekends under typical operations. During non-summer months, the Project is estimated to have about 275 visitors on a typical weekday, about 315 visitors on a typical weekend day, and three full-time and about five to ten part-time staff on both weekdays and weekends. During summer months, the Project would host summer camp activities on weekdays which would result in about 620 visitors and 20 to 30 part-time staff in addition to the three full-time staff.
The Project would also accommodate several special events. These events, which primarily consist of swim meets and water polo tournaments, would generally occur a few times a year on weekends and can have up to 500 visitors throughout the event.
Alameda Aquatic Center Project – CEQA Transportation Analysis June 3, 2025
Table 1: Project Operation Characteristics
Season
Typical Weekday Typical Weekend
Hours of
Operations Visitors Staff Hours of
Operations Visitors Staff
Non-Summer
Main Activities
(lap swim, swim
lessons, youth
teams, etc.)
5:30 AM to 9:00 PM
with most activities
from 2:00 PM to 9:00
PM
275
3 full-
time and
5-10 part-
time
5:30 AM to 9:00 PM
with most activities
from 8:00 AM to 4:00
PM
315
3 full-
time and
5-10
part-time
Summer
Main Activities
(lap swim, swim
lessons, youth
teams, etc.)
5:30 AM to 9:00 PM
with most activities
from 8:00 AM to 7:00
PM
320
3 full-
time and
5-10 part-
time
5:30 AM to 9:00 PM
with most activities
from 8:00 AM to 4:00
PM
315
3 full-
time and
5-10
part-time
Summer Camps
(weekly camps,
water polo and
dive camps,
etc.)
8:00 AM to 7:30 PM
with most camps
occurring from 9:00
AM to 4:00 PM
300 15-20
part-time None 0 0
Total 620
3 full-
time and
20-30
part-time
315
3 full-
time and
5-10
part-time
Source: Data provided by City of Alameda and summarized by Fehr & Peers, 2025. See Attachment A for details.
2. VMT Evaluation
The effects of the Project on VMT is evaluated based on the guidance provided by the State’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) in their Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA. The OPR guidance recommends using an efficiency metric (such as VMT per person) rather than an absolute numeric threshold (such as total VMT) because an efficiency metric speaks to how efficiently the people at a given location travel. A project that contributes to a more efficient use of the transportation system would reduce the VMT per person.
According to the OPR guidance, screening criteria can be used to identify projects that can be expected to cause a less-than-significant impact without conducting a detailed analysis. Local- serving uses can be presumed to have a less-than-significant impact on VMT absent substantial evidence to the contrary. Local serving uses, such as grocery stores, local schools, and community centers, can be considered to have a less-than-significant impact on VMT because they would Alameda Aquatic Center Project – CEQA Transportation Analysis June 3, 2025
draw most of their users, customers, and/or visitors from a relatively small geographical area. The Project is an aquatic center that would host activities, such as swim lessons, summer camps, and lap swimming, that primarily serve the City of Alameda residents. Although the Project would also host events such as swim meets and water polo tournaments that have a regional draw, these are only expected a few times a year and represent a small portion of the overall trips generated by the site. Thus, most of the trips generated by the Project under typical conditions are expected to be local Alameda residents. In addition, the Project site is easily accessible by non-automobile modes. Class II bicycle lanes on Atlantic Avenue and the Class I Cross Alameda Trail provide non - motorized access adjacent to the site, and Webster Street, about 0.2 miles walking distance west of the Project site, provides high-frequency transit service.
Considering the Project use and availability of non-automobile modes, the Project can be considered a local-serving use and presumed to have a less-than-significant impact on VMT.
Please contact Sam Tabibnia ([email protected] or 510-835-1943) for questions or comments.
Attachments:
Attachment A – Planned Aquatic Center Programming