Legislation to Expedite Major East Bay Area Development Project Signed into Law

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today, Senate Bill 328, authored by Senator Tim Grayson (D-Concord), was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. SB 328 will address existing barriers to the successful completion of the long-awaited Concord Community Reuse Project. The bill passed with unanimous support in both the Senate and the Assembly.

“The Concord Community Reuse Project represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our city and usher in a bright future for our community and the greater Bay Area,” said Senator Grayson. “SB 328 will leverage already completed environmental reviews to help get shovels in the ground sooner. After decades of public engagement, planning, and discussion, Concord is ready for the thousands of good-paying jobs this project will create, and ready to see this land transformed into homes, schools, businesses, parks, and community centers for all to enjoy.”

 

The Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) was created by the Navy in the 1940s during World War II. The Inland Area of the base was a weapons storage and maintenance facility, established following the Port Chicago disaster in 1944. It is located entirely within the limits of the City of Concord and was deactivated in 1997 and declared surplus property by the Navy in 2007. The 5,028 acre Inland Area spurred the City of Concord and community to envision a new future for the former weapons station, and is the focus of the Concord Reuse Project Area Plan.

In 2012, the City adopted the Concord Reuse Project Area Plan, with the vision of a transit-oriented, mixed-use community, termed the Concord Community Reuse Project. The adopted Area Plan provides for: over 12,000 housing units, 25% of which must be affordable for low-income households; over 6 million square feet of commercial and employment-generating space of all types, with room for a tournament sports facility and a campus district; and over 65% of the area to be reserved for parks, trails and open space and for Mt. Diablo Creek to be restored.

“The Concord Naval Weapons Station project is a generational development that will unlock new opportunities for Concord and Contra Costa County for years to come,” said Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías, a co-author of SB 328. “From affordable housing, new schools, open space connections, and honoring the bravery of the Port Chicago 50, SB 328 will support the long-awaited vision and revitalization of the former CNWS site. Thank you, Senator Grayson, for your years of leadership on this issue and work on helping make this a reality. Proud I was able to support the effort along your side.”

On March 19, 2024, the City of Concord approved a term sheet with a master developer (Brookfield) for development of the CNWS site. The term sheet requires a Project Labor Agreement with the Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades and the Nor Cal Carpenters Union, provisions prioritizing local hiring and business opportunities, and requires a variety of public benefits, including:

• 886 acres of dedicated Parks, Recreations and Trails space 
• 16 acres of housing for the unhoused 
• 10 acres for future Food Bank expansion
• 4 acres for a Veterans Hall
• Restoration of the Mount Diablo Creek Corridor and trail creation over all phases 
• 55 acres for school sites 
• $2.2 Billion in contributions and/or construction of public infrastructure including: 
  • Recycled Water System 
  • Habitat & Wetland Mitigation, Mt. Diablo Creek Restoration, Parks, and Open Space 
  • Affordable Housing 
  • New School Construction 
  • Tournament Sports Park
  • Library and Civic Center 
  • Fire Stations

SB 328 is supported by Bay Area Council, Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council, Housing Action Coalition, IBEW Local 302, and Save Mount Diablo, among others. 

Matt Regan, Chief Policy Officer, Bay Area Council:

“It is long past time for the talking to stop and for the shovels to start digging. The Concord Community Reuse Project plan has been decades in the making and represents a generational opportunity not only for the City of Concord but for the East Bay and the whole Bay Area.  The need for more jobs, homes, open space and environmental restoration have all been addressed in this plan and we applaud Senator Tim Grayson in getting us to this point and Governor Newsom for signing this important legislation.”

 

Tim Sbranti, Executive Director, Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council:

“After years of planning, environmental review, and binding commitments to deliver housing, jobs, and community benefits, the City has laid the groundwork to transform the former Naval Weapons Station into a vibrant, mixed-use community. The opportunity now is to realize those commitments and deliver on the vision that has already been extensively vetted and approved. Streamlining initiatives such as SB 328 will help provide certainty for the project and timely delivery of affordable housing, jobs, and economic revitalization for the East Bay region.”

 

Julian J. Vinatieri, Business Manager, I.B.E.W. 302:

“Senator Grayson’s efforts to get this development streamlined is a major victory for the community of Concord, Contra Costa County, and the IBEW. This project is going to provide good paying jobs for many decades. A development of this magnitude is going to directly benefit our organization. This will increase our apprenticeship opportunities and give us the ability to offer more careers to our community. I am so thankful for Senator Grayson’s actions to move this project forward.”

 

Corey Smith, Executive Director, Housing Action Coalition:

"This project will bring more than 12,000 transit-oriented homes to the East Bay, a quarter of them affordable to low-income families. It has already been through decades of planning, public input, and environmental review, and SB 328 ensures all that work turns into homes instead of another round of delays. We are grateful to Senator Grayson for championing this critical legislation and to Governor Newsom for signing it into law."

Additional information and the text of the bill can be found here. 

###

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.