The Richmond City Council has approved a letter of intent to sell its Point Molate property to the East Bay Regional Park District, likely ending years of contention over what to do with the 80-acre former Navy site.
The vote was 5-0. Councilmembers Soheila Bana and Claudia Jimenez were absent.
“We can now put all the chaos behind us as we usher in a new era because of a $36 million state grant to the park district,” said Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin, who is the longest-tenured member of the council. “We now have a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The council called a special meeting this past Friday to give the California Coastal Commission time to examine the sale before its early September meeting.
The park district will spend $40 million on the property near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, $36 million of which will come from a state grant.
Half of the sale’s proceeds would go to Guidiville Rancheria of California, the tribe that more than two years ago entered an agreement with the city to develop a casino at the site.
The tribe had five years to find a developer or it reverted back to the city. At one point there was a casino development deal on the table that fell through. At another point, there was a plan for housing at the site.
“This letter of intent is a major step in the process to secure Point Molate as public open space for the community for decades to come.” Sabrina Landreth, East Bay Regional Park District general manager
New City Council members have since decided to cut its losses and not spend millions on infrastructure for development. The city has also been spending about $1 million annually on security and maintenance of historic buildings at the site.
“This step is worthy of heralding and there are many partners to thank who have backed our goal to make this an East Bay Regional Park,” said East Bay Regional Park District general manager Sabrina Landreth, in a statement. “This letter of intent is a major step in the process to secure Point Molate as public open space for the community for decades to come.”
The city said it would like to close escrow in November or December. The letter of intent specifies the city would transfer the property to the park district no later than Jan. 15.
The park district said the purchase price of $40 million was supported by an independent appraised valuation.
The park district’s 2013 Master Plan and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s San Francisco Bay Plan both have called for a regional park at Point Molate.
The tribe still has to sign off on the deal and the park district’s board of directors still have to officially approve the deal at its July 16 meeting.