Alameda's Mastick Senior Center Plans a 2-Year ADA Overhaul

The City of Alameda's ADA upgrade for Mastick Senior Center at 1155 Santa Clara Avenue would fully fix 83% of the center's 239 building access barriers, in four construction phases that run about two years. The Commission on Persons with Disabilities reviews the design on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

• Where: Mastick Senior Center, 1155 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA
• The barriers: 239 facility problems flagged in a 2023 accessibility review
• How long: about two years of construction, split into four phases
• Who's behind it: Alameda Public Works, with design firm Interactive Resources
• Next: commission input at 6:30 PM on Oct. 14 in Council Chambers at City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue

What's wrong with Mastick Senior Center right now?

It's got a long list of spots that are hard to use with a walker, cane or wheelchair. A 2023 review by Bureau Veritas logged 265 issues, and 239 are about the buildings: parking, restrooms, ramps, walkways, doors and common rooms. The City Council adopted a citywide ADA plan in May 2024 that put Mastick in the first group of buildings to fix.

Mastick runs year round for adults 50 and older, so this isn't a building people visit once a year.

How much of the problem does the plan fix?

Most of it, but not all. Here's how the 239 barriers break down, per the city staff report to the commission:

• 83% get fully fixed to ADA code
• 9% get a different fix that still gives equal access
• 6% are still being worked out
• 2% can't be fixed because of the building's structure

One example: the ramp to the lower-level women's restroom can't be rebuilt to code without pushing more than five feet into a walkway. That restroom still gets upgraded, and signs will point to accessible restrooms in the Social Hall.

Will Mastick stay open during construction?

Yes, partly. That's why the work is split into four phases:

• Phase 1: the path in, including the main lobby, parking lot, restrooms and walkways
• Phase 2: the Social Hall, the biggest class space on campus
• Phase 3: the East and West Buildings and the main courtyard
• Phase 4: the Thrift Shop, Skills Center, Room E and the apartments

Expect limited programs while crews work. The design's ready for a permit, and the city wants feedback first.

Why not just fix the doors first?

That's the ask from Carol Gottstein, a Mastick Senior Center board member, in a public comment attached to the item. She wrote that the exterior doors are the biggest daily barrier and urged the city to add automatic push-pad openers now as a stand-alone project, not wait two years. The staff report doesn't say whether that's possible.

What happens next

The commission gives its input on Oct. 14. Then come permits, bidding and construction. There's no start date or cost estimate in the report yet. The same meeting also takes up the Gibbons Drive sidewalks and trees plan. More Alameda community news is here.