Life of Bryant--350 Bryant Ave, Alameda, CA
Not much grows on the ugly west side of this lovely island, probably due to its recent past as a contaminated military base. Other than McMansions, that is. Today's huge property has the following specs:
Look on the bright side of life, though--this is a sought-after, sold-out model! I wonder if they'll throw in the de rigueur SUV (or truck) parked in front.
The sale history suggests the seller is expecting to get out from under this anvil with some money left in the bank, maybe so they can make the payments on that shiny black Armada with alloy wheels:
There's a special place in hell for folks who build, buy and sell these monstrosities. They're going to be in good company.
Update 12/28/08: Price dropped to $909,000 a week before Christmas.
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3,179 sqft, 4,160-sqft lot, MLS(r) #40380296, $929,000There isn't much land around this thing, and it makes you wonder how exactly the 3,179 sqft is used--is every bedroom a 25x25 ballroom?
(public records say 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms)
[...] highly sought after Plan 9 [...] features a dramatic entry w/vaulted ceilings and exterior balcony. [...] beautifully upgraded w/ granite counters, maple cabinetry, upgraded flooring, [...] Developer has SOLD OUT of this model!
Look on the bright side of life, though--this is a sought-after, sold-out model! I wonder if they'll throw in the de rigueur SUV (or truck) parked in front.
The sale history suggests the seller is expecting to get out from under this anvil with some money left in the bank, maybe so they can make the payments on that shiny black Armada with alloy wheels: But who knows, maybe that price doesn't include the "upgrades" and they're already upside down after agent commission.Last sale and tax info
- Sold 04/07/2005: $856,500
- 2008 Property Tax: $11,892
There's a special place in hell for folks who build, buy and sell these monstrosities. They're going to be in good company.
Update 12/28/08: Price dropped to $909,000 a week before Christmas.
I do not understand the bloggers exaggeratedly derogatory comments about the western end of Alameda.
It does not look all that different to me that the other end of Alameda.
What kind of "contamination" from the closed Alameda Point is affecting the residents of western Alameda?
Eastern Alameda is very close to a noisy airport and very close to a very dangerous part of Oakland. What's so great about that?
If you read other posts on this blog, you'll see I don't particularly care for the east end either. But at least most east end homes aren't those ugly 2005-and-newer monstrosities on handkerchief plots.
Oh, and 94502 might as well not exist for all I care.
Yes, the new stuff is bad because it is suburban style with yard space and privacy (just big inside house to hold consumer goods) The Bay Farm developments that are from late 20th century are also awful. My brother (a Manhattan architect) loved all of Alameda that is built as a grid with normal cross-streets. So there is traffic flow and continuity.
The curvy dead-ends are deadening.
And the lack of a mix of housing is also bad. A good community has all sizes of households at all income levels.
I just renovated a 1945 small house (with an ample private backyard)to be nice for a small family and I think our street is peaceful and a nice place to live. I also think there is a special quality to the sunlight as we are an island. It is very bright and warm. I am moving from the fog and chill of southern Marin and very happy about it.
Yes, the new stuff is bad because it is suburban style with yard space and privacy (just big inside house to hold consumer goods) The Bay Farm developments that are from late 20th century are also awful. My brother (a Manhattan architect) loved all of Alameda that is built as a grid with normal cross-streets. So there is traffic flow and continuity.
The curvy dead-ends are deadening.
And the lack of a mix of housing is also bad. A good community has all sizes of households at all income levels.
I just renovated a 1945 small house (with an ample private backyard)to be nice for a small family and I think our street is peaceful and a nice place to live. I also think there is a special quality to the sunlight as we are an island. It is very bright and warm. I am moving from the fog and chill of southern Marin and very happy about it.
94502 = Bay Farm?
The local term is "Don't live West of Webster."
Between Lincoln and Atlantic, west of Webster street, is a pretty awful bunch of welfare housing. Alameda was under pressure from Oakland to "do its share", and so it did: a giant mile long strip of criminals, thieves and drug addicts. When I last lived on the west end (south of Lincoln, fortunately), you'd hear gun shots on the 1st and 15th of each month from there, when the welfare checks would arrive. Multiple months 80% of all Alameda police calls have been responses to this single area.
Another way of rating an unfamiliar area is looking at school ratings. The property development agency pulled a swift one here: The got the old school with its awful score history shut down (IIRC last scores were ranked 18% compared to the rest of the state in English and 9% in math). They built Ruby Bridges as a new "clean slate" school that had no test score history at all to lure new home buyers.
What I'm hearing from parents and teachers is Ruby Bridges is just as bad as the old school, with the same bratty acting out in class rooms (turning over chairs, throwing all their books across the room in anger, frequent profanity at teachers), the same discipline problems, and the same welfare mothers whose children *never* do anything wrong, it's *always* the teacher's fault.
The west end's okay if you're willing to send your kids to Saint Barnabus. But not many parents who can afford to spend $800,000 on a home are willing to move to a place where their children are assaulted by the criminal element at school every day.
The money is once Ruby Bridges publishes its state rank test scores, the homes in the new development will fall in value significantly.
Yes, 94502 is the 2nd half of the island past the bridge, with all the ugly houses and the big golf courses.
Alameda Commuter's post is full of outdated and innaccurate information.
Just for starters, St. Barnabas is no longer a school.
Ruby Bridges may have been a "clean slate" school in that it was built in order to accommodate the additional enrollment that 485 new homes would bring, but this hardly makes it part of some sort of calculated plot. I for one am delighted to have a brand-new, state-of-the art elementary school -- the first new school to open in Alameda since Bay Farm Elementary opened in 1993.
I also find your allegations about the school laughable. As a parent at the school, I've seen absolutely none of the behavior you allege that you're "hearing" about . . . if any of those behaviors were to happen, the kids would be suspended so fast it would make their heads spin.
Many parents in the new development (Bayport) whose kids are elementary school age are sending their kids to Ruby Bridges and are very pleased. Many, many more parents are poised to do so as soon as their kids are old enough to attend.
Also, Ruby Bridges *did* publish its test scores a couple of months ago: in just its 2nd year being open, the school got an API score of 801 (a score of 800 or above is considered excellent by the state). This is a 26-point gain from the prior year, and far higher than the district's overall gain.