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Regional Park on CNWS Receives Funding

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The Martinez Tribune is reporting that the East Bay Regional Park District is receiving $3 million in state appropriations to begin construction of a staging area for the new Thurgood Marshall Regional Park on the former Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS).

“The new staging area, along with a planned visitor center, will help connect the public with the park’s important human history and the natural history and outdoor recreational opportunities of the land,” added Lane. “Establishing public access to Thurgood Marshall Regional Park is a major priority for the Park District.”

Martinez Tribune

The Park’s Name Origin

The Thurgood Marshall Regional Park was named in honor of NAACP civil rights attorney and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. Marshall helped to defend the 50 black sailors accused of mutiny after the Port Chicago Naval Magazine blast in July of 1944.

The Park

The park will encompass over 2,687 acres of land on the former CNWS. It will stretch along the hills from Willow Pass Road, south past Bailey Road.

Map of Thurgood Marshall Regional Park
Thurgood Marshall Regional Park from (www.ebparks.org)

“No Deal” on Concord Naval Weapons Station

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At a video meeting on Tuesday March 24, 2020 the Concord City Council voted against extending the exclusive negotiating agreement with Lennar to be the Master Developer of the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS).

According the the SF Business Times:

The city and the Contra Costa Building Trades Council have been at loggerheads with Lennar for several months over how much union labor the developer would use on the $5 billion project.

SF Business Times

It is unclear what the path forward will be after this vote.

By refusing to extend an exclusive negotiating agreement with Lennar that expires next week and rejecting demands the developer made in January, the council effectively sent the project back to the drawing board.

EastBayTimes.com

The City is going to review the impact of COVID-19 on the city’s finances and also on the Bay Area economy.

Help Decide the New Regional Park Name

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As part of the Concord Naval Weapons Station redevelopment, a new park is being formed. The City of Concord and East Bay Regional Park District is seeking input on the new name for the park. It is currently being called the Concord Hills Regional Park.

Concord Residents can take the survey here that will help the Park District determine the permanent name for the park. Voting is open until March 9, 2020.

About the Concord Hills Regional Park

The new park, will encompass approximately 2,540 acres when completed. It will include future amenities such as a visitor center, staging areas, public access points, and miles of recreational trails for hiking, biking, and nature viewing.

In July of 2019 a ceremony for the transfer of 2,216 acres from the Navy to the Park Service occurred. Currently, the park is in land bank status and not available to the public.

The East Bay Regional Park District has made a brochure on the draft plan for the park available.

The full EIR plan is also available from the East Bay Regional Park District.

Update – Concord Naval Weapons Station News 1/9/2020

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We wrote earlier this week that the stalled negotiations between Lennar and the Building Trades Council were going before the Concord City Council regarding the amount of union labor to be used on the Concord Naval Weapons Station.

According to the East Bay Times, the City Council approved a motion to have the two sides return to the negotiating table. The issue remains unresolved and it remains to be seen whether Lennar will stay involved in the project or will decide to withdraw.

According to the East Bay Times article:

Lennar has already stopped work on it, having halted in October the $37,000 per month it was paying city staff for the redevelopment planning.

In an earlier article, the East Bay Times had reported that the City of Concord is having to pay out of pocket the staffing costs that were associated with the development of this project.

Because Lennar in October refused to continue paying for city staff to work on the project’s draft specific plan and environmental impact report until the project labor agreement issue is settled, the city staff who was working on the project have been redirected to work on other city things, where possible. But the city has to pay the $37,000 per month to sustain them while Lennar has halted funds.

Additionally, the city has to bear the cost to respond to three requests that the Building Trades Council made under the public records act for information about the project’s financial feasibility model and other documents and communications. So far, the city has spent about $50,000 to search, review and produce documents for the public records act requests.

If you were on the City Council, how would you have responded? Enter your comments below.

Having a knowledgeable and experienced real estate broker on your side helps protect your interests and ensure you make the best possible decisions. We are dedicated to keeping on top of the real estate market and keeping you informed of changes. You can rest easily knowing you made a well-informed decision based on experience and insight into the Concord California market.

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Concord Naval Weapons Station News – 01/06/2020

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Concord Naval Weapons Station News

The Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) is back in the news and on the agenda for the Concord City Council.

The main issue is the negotiation of a labor agreement between the developer, Lennar Concord, and the Contra Costa Building Trades Council.

The Problem

According to SFGate.com:

With the lead developer for the Concord Naval Weapon Station re-use project at an impasse with a labor consortium over construction labor agreements, the Concord City Council will soon have to decide whether that developer is living up to terms to have those agreements in place.

SFGate.com

Developer’s Perspective

According to a report written by City of Concord staff:

Lennar believes that it cannot afford the level of union labor sought by the Building Trades Council for the first phase of the project, while the labor representatives insist that previous city councils committed to including all the trades in a project labor agreement and that Concord would benefit economically from an agreement that commits the developer to hire locally and to provide training for veterans.

Eastbaytimes.com

Lennar may decide to resign as the master developer if the expected costs exceed any potential profit. Which could cause delays:

Creating a new development plan, which would likely have to happen if there is a new developer, would cost “significant” additional time and more tax dollars, according to report prepared by Guy Bjerke, the city’s director of community reuse planning. It also could complicate the transfer of the land from the Navy for the redevelopment.

EastBayTimes.com

Labor’s Perspective

Aram Hodess, retired business manager for Business Manager at Plumbers and Steamfitters 159 who has been working with the Building Trades Council on negotiations, said Lennar is going back on its promises to hire union labor for as much of the project as it previously said.

“If an enormous project like this is built non-union, it will result in lowering of wages in Contra Costa of organized workers,” Hodess said. “It couldn’t help but do that.”

EastBayTimes.com

Ramifications

It appears have already caused delays with the Navy’s transfer of the property to the City of Concord:

The Navy is awaiting a resolution of the project labor agreement issue, and progress on a draft specific plan on the former weapons station land, to resume negotiations with the city of Concord for formal transfer of the land to the city.

SFGate.com

The City Council will be tasked to try to resolve the impasse:

At its Tuesday Jan. 7 meeting, the City Council is scheduled to address this impasse between the Contra Costa County Building and Construction Trades Council and Lennar Concord, LLC, the chosen lead developer of the Concord Community Reuse Project.

Patch.com

News Sources:

We would love to hear your comments below. What do you think the City Council should do?

Is Concord Naval Weapons Station a Prospective CSU Campus Site?

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According to a recent CBS report, the former Concord Naval Weapons Station is currently under consideration to be the newest campus location for California State University. Concord was announced on Tuesday as one of five potential CSU locations by California Assemblymember Timothy Grayson (D-Concord) and state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda).

Concord has been granted $2 million by the state of California to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed location. The city has already established 120 acres in the northeast corner of the base for public higher education, making the CSU campus an ideal geographical fit for the location. Locations competing with Concord for the CSU bid include San Mateo, Stockton, Chula Vista and Palm Desert.

Want to stay in the loop? Follow our Concord Real Estate blog for updates on the Concord Naval Weapons Station and other local real estate news.

Trouble on The Naval Weapons Station’s CAC?

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Proposed Phase 1 of Concord Naval Weapons Station Reuse

Trouble on The Naval Weapons Station’s CAC?

The East Bay Times is reporting that a former City Council Member and chairman of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) resigned from the committee this week.

Former councilman Dan Helix abruptly resigned last week from the committee advising the city on plans for the first phase of development of the Concord Naval Weapons Station.

According to the article, Mr. Helix is concerned that the members of the CAC was not properly educated and informed by the staff as to the process and the zoning uses.

“I hope out of this that someone will say we need to slow down, we need to schedule more small group study sessions, we need to make sure everyone is understanding, then we can
forge ahead,” Helix said.

Local politics are never without their excitement.

It looks like the developer is still trying to push a road through Dana Estates at Beechwood Dr. (see page 58 of the plan as indicated by a black arrow). The designation says “Pedestrian & Other Possible Connections” (emphasis added). The Concord Reuse Project Website has agendas and other items available online.

Dana Estates Residents should reach out to the Concord City Council with your thoughts on the CNWS project.

City Council citycouncil@cityofconcord.org

 

 

Record of Decision from DoD | Dana Estates – Concord, CA

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department of defense record of decision
Notice from the Dept. of Defense regarding the Record of Decision. Click image for PDF.

The notice above was mailed to some of the residents of Dana Estates neighborhood in Concord, CA. the Department of Defense regarding the Concord Naval Weapons Station. You can read the full notice by clicking here.

 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) for the Disposal and Reuse of the Former Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Concord, Concord, California

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD

ACTION: Record of Decision

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy), after carefully weighing the environmental consequences of the proposed action, announces its decision to dispose of surplus property consistent with Alternative 1, the preferred alternative as described in the Final EIS for the disposal and reuse of the former Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Concord (NWS Concord), Concord, California. This decision. will make approximately 4,972 acres of former NWS Concord property available for reuse consistent with the City of Concord’s Concord Reuse Project Area Plan (Area Plan) and Public Law 101-510, the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (DBCRA) of 1990, as amended in 2005.

…

Read More

The development of the Naval Weapons Station will impact Dana Estates real estate. You can read more about the Concord Naval Weapons Station project by going to www.concordreuseproject.org

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Having a knowledgeable and experienced real estate broker on your side helps protect your interests and insure you make the best possible decisions. We are dedicated to keeping on top of the real estate market and keeping you informed of changes. You can rest easily knowing you made a well-informed decision based on experience and insight into the Concord California market.

To reach us please call 925.385.8798 or email us at peter@maclennaninvestments.com.

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Concord Naval Weapons Station Update – Feb. 9 2016

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The Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) is in the process of being turned over to the City of Concord for reuse and development of the space. The City of Concord and the City Council were in the process of picking a developer for the massive project, when one of the two finalists asked for an investigation into the other finalist’s practices. You can find more information in the CNWS Archives on this subject.

Tonight, the City Council will be hearing a report from the special investigator appointed to see if one of the developers is guilty of improper lobbying or if anyone at the City acted improperly.

Meanwhile the Contra Costa Times has published a couple of interesting articles related to the CNWS.

As well, the Contra Costa Times has now published an editorial requesting that the report from the Special Investigator be made public: Contra Costa Times editorial: Backroom politics erode confidence in Concord Naval Weapons Station planning

The Contra Costa Bee has published online some of its findings relating to the development of CNWS:

Concord Mayor’s campaign advisors pressured City Attorney for critical vote

Thankfully, in the United States of America people are “innocent until proven guilty”. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the Special Investigation and how the developer is finally chosen. Hopefully, it has only the appearance of “polotics as usual” and not the substance.

Concord Naval Weapons Station – Update 9/29/2015

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This week the City of Concord was set to make a decision on the chosen developer for the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS). That vote has been delayed while the City investigates a possible violation of the “No Lobbying” clause of the contract award.

The choice had come down to two possible developers, Catellus and Lennar Urban. Catellus alleged that Lennar Urban had improperly lobbied a Concord City Council Member. Catellus Letter to City Manager

You can read more about the issues from these sources:

It looks like it may be some time before a resolution is reached on the chosen developer.

To read more about the plans for the CNWS click here.

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