Alameda's Planning Board and the public got an opportunity Wednesday night to weigh in on ambitious plans to activate Alameda Point's waterfront and to create a town center city staffers hope will jump-start revitalization efforts.

It was a lot to consider. The plan, prepared by the urban design firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, envisions everything from housing, commercial development and retail shops to restaurants and recreation in the area surrounding a lagoon once used by the Navy to taxi seaplanes into hangers at the former Naval Air Station.

The city took the initiative after one development consortium walked away from the Point project and the City Council voted a second developer off the Island after its plan was rejected at the ballot box. Future developers will have a specific set of approved guidelines to work within rather than having to go the costly planning process only to see their proposal scrapped due to public opposition.

City Planner Andrew Thomas said Alamedans preferred this method as a way of jump starting the base renaissance after years of planning.

“The overwhelming message that the Alameda residents gave to (Alameda Point Chief Operating Officer) Jennifer (Ott) and myself was, ‘Go do the work and give us something very specific to comment on,’” Thomas said.

Central to the plan is an Alameda Point town center which would include housing, retail space and recreational opportunities in the area that includes Seaplane Lagoon and aircraft hangers.

More than 1,400 multifamily housing units are included in the plan, and the board must decide if they should be built near the hangers as outlined in the plan or elsewhere. Thomas reminded the board that Alameda Point is a large area and said that locating the housing far away from the commercial area or scattering it would not encourage residents to walk to and from the stores.

Ten speakers dissected portions of the plan and raised issues including traffic, street extensions and how the project could be made transit friendly to get residents and visitors out of their cars. Most of the speakers urged the board not to build in front of the hangers because it would block views of San Francisco Bay in what is an historic part of the deactivated base.

Speakers also urged the board to push for unique, smaller shops in the commercial zone rather than big box retailers.

“To me a town is small businesses, not big box stores,” said resident Rachael Campos.

Board member John Knox White said the board must take a long look at the transit proposals and other aspects of the plan that could affect how people get in and out of the town center.

“Transportation is really key here,” Knox White said. “I don’t think you can say that there won’t be any traffic impact.”

Board member Kristoffer Koster liked the “tie-ups,” or areas where boats could dock while out on the bay.

“There are not many places to tie up unless you are a member of a club or know somebody in a slip,” he said. “There is hardly anywhere where you can come in a tie up for a few hours and explore.”

Wednesday's was the first of a number of public hearings that will be held as the Alameda Point town center and waterfront plan move through the planning process and to final approval by the City Council. The current timeline calls for the Planning Board and other city boards and commissions to consider the plan over the next three months with a final sign-off by the Planning Board in December and the council taking action sometime in 2014.