South Shore Apartments Could Add 16 Units on Westline Drive

Alameda's Planning Board will decide Sept. 14 whether to let the owners of the South Shore Beach and Tennis Club Apartments turn empty office and commercial space into 16 new apartments, growing the waterfront complex on Westline Drive from 446 units to 462.

• Where: South Shore Beach and Tennis Club Apartments, 410 Westline Drive and 936 Shorepoint Court
• What: Converting existing office and commercial space into 16 new apartments
• Who's asking: Rockhill Management, LLC, represented by Reggie Hanna
• When it's decided: Alameda Planning Board public hearing, Sept. 14, 2026
• Staff's take: City planners are recommending approval

What is Rockhill Management asking for?

It wants to convert commercial and office space inside the complex into 16 accessory dwelling units, the same "ADU" category homeowners use to add a unit above a garage. Because the property is governed by a Planned Development, Rockhill can't just pull a building permit. It needs the Planning Board to approve a Planned Development Amendment first, one more item moving through Alameda's busy pipeline of development proposals this year.

Where is the South Shore complex, and how big is it?

South Shore sits on 9.19 acres across two parcels in the middle of Alameda's main island, along the southern coastline near Crown Memorial State Beach. It's already home to 446 residential units, plus a parking garage, amenity buildings and commercial storefronts fronting Westline Drive. The Planning Board first approved the development, known as Planned Development Z-8.96, back in January 1971, when it capped the site at 450 dwelling units and 5,500 square feet of commercial space.

Does this require rezoning the property?

No. It's an amendment to the existing Planned Development, not a new zoning designation. The site is zoned R-5-PD, and city planning staff say the project keeps the same 1.2 floor-area ratio it has now, well under the 2.0 maximum allowed. Density would rise to roughly 50 units per acre, still far below the zone's 100-unit cap. Because the added units are ADUs, state law exempts them from the property's usual density limit anyway.

What happens next

The Planning Board takes up the request at its Sept. 14 meeting, where staff are recommending approval. It's the latest housing proposal moving through Alameda City Hall this year, after council members backed a subsidy for supportive housing at Stardust Gardens. Residents who want to weigh in on South Shore can attend the hearing or read the full staff report on the city's Legistar page first.