After 20 years of planning, negotiations and false starts, the Concord City Council has unanimously approved an agreement with the U.S. Navy to redevelop the 12,800-acre abandoned naval weapons station for 12,000 units of housing and hundreds of acres of parkland.
Applause erupted from the room after the council’s decision Tuesday night. Every seat in the chambers was taken, filled by labor union reps, housing organizers and environmental advocates, all of whom spoke in support of the agreement.
“This will be one of the most important votes the Concord City Council has made in over 30 years,” said Councilmember Pablo Benavente, who recalled hearing about the project when he was in middle school.
“I’m so excited to move forward,” he said.
The city’s agreement to terms with the Navy allows New York-based developer Brookfield Properties to move on to the next phase of development: drafting a specific plan, which will include a refined outline for construction and zoning for various parts of the massive site.
The terms include a down payment from the city of $4.6 million to the Navy and four guaranteed deferred payments of $10 million plus interest for land across the first several phases of development, beginning in 2033 and ending in 2036.
Project still years away
“This is the best deal we’re going to get from the Navy,” said Guy Bjerke, Concord’s director of economic development and base reuse, in his presentation of the agreement to the council, which on Tuesday was sitting as the Local Reuse Authority.
“We just need to be careful,” Bjerke said. “Do not overestimate how much money the city is going to see as part of this project.”
He noted that approval of the agreement is the first, most important step toward getting shovels in the ground. But he said, the project is still years away: Brookfield’s specific plan will likely be presented to the City Council in summer 2029, said Bjerke, adding that the entire build-out is projected to span 30 years.
The naval station, originally opened as a munitions storage facility in 1944, fell out of use in 1999, and was officially marked for redevelopment by the city of Concord in 2006.
“This will be one of the most important votes the Concord City Council has made in over 30 years.”
Councilmember Pablo Benavente
The original master developer, Lennar, was selected for the project in 2016, but pulled out in 2020 after a dispute with labor organizers. Lennar is also master developer at the former naval shipyard site in Hunters Point in San Francisco, a project embroiled in scandal.
Brookfield was chosen by the city in 2023 to be the master developer of the site. The company is also developing an ambitious plan for housing around the Stonestown Galleria mall in San Francisco.
“People in the community should not see this as carte blanche,” said Vice Mayor Dominic Aliano, noting commitments made to the community benefits in the development agreement.
Touting the benefits
The development agreement for the naval base, which sets a goal of 40% local hire for construction, includes 12,272 units of housing — 3,000 of those to be affordable — a 75-acre first responder training facility, a 4-acre veterans community center, a $5 million sports park, 5,038 acres for Thurgood Marshall Regional Park, 16 acres for permanently supportive housing and 10 acres for food bank expansion.
Labor organizers appeared much happier with the new development agreement. In a public comment, Rick Solis, Northern California Carpenters Union director, said the project “will provide jobs to thousands of our members for years to come … while making family-sustaining wages and benefits.”
Cheyenne Gomez, an organizer with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 302 in Martinez, agreed.
“This is the best-case scenario,” said Gomez. “Imagine how much it’s going to be able to eliminate people on the road — they can work closer to home. We have members who spend over two hours on the road.”