Alameda’s South Shore Center Poised for Housing

A portion of one of Alameda’s biggest malls could be turned into housing near the waterfront.

Merlone Geier Partners, owner of South Shore Center, is in discussions with Alameda officials to build an approximately 400-unit housing development on the southeastern corner of the shopping complex, the San Francisco Business Times reported. The site is currently home to Big 5 Sporting Goods and a car wash.

The location is one of two places at South Shore Center where Merlone Geier is looking to erect housing. Together, the two proposed developments could total 800 units. The project is still in its early stages and the company has yet to file an official development application with the city, Merlone Geier managing director Jamas Gwilliam told the Business Times.

As part of Alameda’s state-mandated housing element, the city identified the Big 5 site and another parcel at the shopping center home to OfficeMax and Southshore Cafe as possible residential development sites to meet its goals. Merlone Geier is also eyeing the OfficeMax site for housing. Total units and building sizes for both locations are yet to be determined, though the firm is targeting roughly 400 units on each parcel, Gwilliam said. That would align with Alameda’s desire to build approximately 800 units at South Shore Center as part of its housing element. If Merlone Geier does move forward with housing at the shopping center, the firm would be required to include some affordable units.

It’s not the first time a developer has floated building housing at South Shore Center. In 2019, Atlanta-based Jamestown, which owned the mall before selling it to Merlone Geier in 2020 for an undisclosed price, proposed a 1,200-unit housing development.

Merlone Geier is no stranger to building residential developments at retail centers. The San Francisco-based firm is currently redeveloping the Northgate Mall in San Rafael into a mixed-use hub with more than 1,400 residences, making it the largest-ever housing development in Marin County.

Under its housing element, Alameda must plan for 5,353 new homes by 2031.

— Chris Malone Méndez