Plans to redevelop an abandoned naval weapons station in Concord moved forward this week when the U.S. Navy approved a financial agreement reached with the city earlier this year.
City officials announced Thursday that the Navy approved the term sheet for the project at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. The Concord City Council in late May had also approved the agreement.
The naval station originally opened in 1944 as a munitions storage facility and fell out of use in 1999, then was officially marked for redevelopment by the city of Concord in 2006, but the 12,800-acre property has sat undeveloped for the past 20 years.
The term sheet for approximately 2,422 acres at the property is supported by the project’s master developer, New York-based Brookfield Properties, and the Navy’s approval means that Brookfield and the city can move on to drafting a specific plan for construction and zoning.
Targeting 2029 for specific plan
The plans include 12,272 units of housing, 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.
City officials said more community engagement about the project will start in early 2027, with the specific plan likely to be presented to the City Council in the summer of 2029. The project build-out is expected to span 30 years, according to the city.
Guy Bjerke, Concord’s director of economic development and the base reuse project, is retiring next week after serving 11 years in his current role and said in a statement that the Navy’s approval marked an “important milestone” in the process.
“The U.S. Navy has proven to be a tremendous partner in moving the community’s vision forward. This approval moves the project into an important next phase, and our dedicated staff will continue working diligently to advance the specific plan,” Bjerke said.
Brookfield was chosen by the city in 2023 to be the master developer of the project after its original developer, Lennar, pulled out in 2020 because of a dispute with labor organizers.
