Alameda Point Environmental Report

Drone cargo plane company eyeing hangar lease

Selling a valuable commercial building at Alameda Point may have to wait, and leasing can be the bridge to the future, according to Base Reuse and Economic Development Director Abby Thorne-Lyman.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the City Council will consider leasing a former Navy aircraft hangar, Building 11, to Poseidon Aerospace. The startup company plans to begin manufacturing pilotless cargo planes in 2027 with up to 100 employees. Its business model is to own and operate a fleet of planes, with limited commercial operation beginning next year, pending regulatory approval.

Rent default spotlights leasing and selling priorities at Alameda Point

Faction Brewing, LLC, located on Monarch Street at Alameda Point, is behind on its rent. The company owes the City over $210,000 in rent, and an additional $11,000 in late fees.

On Tuesday, September 1, the City Council will decide whether to continue the company’s lease and allow them to pay its overdue rent over the next five years on top of regular rent. In addition, the late fee penalty would be waived if the company puts up an awning over the outdoor seating area.

This agenda item offers a window into the City’s economic philosophy for Alameda Point that, at times, appears divorced from the real world of business and unmotivated to get property off city books. Only two of the 11 aircraft hangars have been sold.

Pelican Preening Photo Essay

Pelicans are always plunge diving to catch fish. With all that diving for fish, California brown pelicans need to keep their feathers water resistant and dry.

**Pelican diving at Alameda Point, May 28, 2026**

Air Museum’s Future Up In The Air

UPDATE – When the May 23 Open House happened at the financially strapped Naval Air Museum at Alameda Point, people did not know if it was the last time the public would get to appreciate the rich history of Alameda Point at this location. Fortunately, about two weeks later, the Museum announced that it was re-opening for the time being, thanks to donations it received.

“Thanks to the success of our fundraiser a few weeks ago, and the tremendous turnout (and generosity of our supporters) [we] have been able to reopen for now,” states the museum’s announcement. “We need a long term lease from the City of Alameda in order to apply for grants, large donations, and other things that will happen once we do.”

Wetland Project Takes Hold on Alameda Point Airfield – Photo essay

The wetlands and grasslands on the airfield at Alameda Point are looking alive with flowers and wildlife after a boost from heavy rainfall in April and temperatures in the high 70s.

A seasonal wetland next to the shoreline, created by the Navy in 2016 as mitigation for covering a nearby wetland, is finally reaching maturity with a rich and colorful palette of vegetation. This comes after years of failed attempts at growing new vegetation through seeding alone, mainly due to recurring drought conditions. This led to the Navy installing an irrigation system connected to a fire hydrant in 2022 and hand planting about 9,000 nursery-grown plugs, followed by three rounds of seeding in 2023.

Dispute Over Radium-226 Cleanup Hinders Progress at Closed Navy Bases

Recent state guidelines for remedial cleanup of radium-226 at closed Navy bases have affected completing work at Alameda Point and other bases across California.

Since 2019, the Navy has not been able to determine the cleanup goal for radium-226 to allow for unrestricted use of facilities. Repeated attempts by the Navy to get an answer suggest that the new California Department of Public Health (CDPH) standard is based upon the location of the site rather than the risk to human health. CDPH is a sister agency that provides the California Department of Toxic Substances Contro l (DTSC) with expertise on radiological cleanup issues.

In order to achieve satisfactory cleanup, CDPH has changed how it determines the goal for the allowed safe amount of radium in building structures, saying it should be comparable to the amount naturally found in nearby soil, according to a February 2025 letter to DTSC from now retired Gregory C. Preston, former Director of the Navy’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Program. This has led to “inconsistent application of cleanup criteria,” resulting in “property transfer delays and unnecessary costs,” according to Preston.

Chevron plans to clean up tar at Alameda Point refinery site in Spring 2026

At the urging of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) in 2021, Chevron agreed to return to Alameda Point and clean up the tar waste left behind when its refinery that produced kerosene was closed in 1903. The site was eventually filled with up to 10 feet of soil during construction of the Naval Air Station.

Chevron began the process of cleaning up buried tar at its old refinery site in May 2023 by taking 43 soil samples to characterize the extent of contamination. The sampling pipes were driven down 20 feet. But a plan for digging up the tar was not submitted to the Water Board until September 2025.

The Water Board and Chevron are currently in the process of ironing out details of the plan, with formal approval by the Water Board expected soon.