This case was a challenge by Asian Health Services, Inc. and the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce
to the City of Alameda's approval of a programmatic EIR for redevelopment of Alameda Point, formerly the Alameda Naval Air
Station. A parallel lawsuit was filed by the City of Oakland.
The crucial issue was traffic to and from the project, almost all of which would be handled by the
Webster and Posey Tubes. These two-lane tunnels are already at capacity during peak travel hours, yet the EIR claimed
that thousands of additional cars could be added without any significant traffic impact. Needless to say, the plaintiffs,
both concerned with the health and well-being of the Oakland Chinatown community, did not believe this.
Both lawsuits eventually settled, with Alameda's agreement that any future project in Alameda Point
could not rely on the programmatic EIR, but would instead need to have a new EIR prepared "from scratch". In addition
Alameda, Oakland, and the Oakland Chinatown community agreed to establish a cooperative process to resolve future planning
issues for Alameda Point.
The project that was, at that time, planned for Alameda Point later failed, and the future of Alameda
Point's development is currently a question mark. However, it will still have to comply with the terms of the settlement
agreement.
