Rehab and reuse – Alameda Point Environmental Report

EPA’s PFAS Ruling Still Leaves Navy Hangar in Limbo

On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) elevated the classification of PFAS chemicals from a “pollutant” to a “hazardous substance.” This should have come as good news to the City because the Navy will be forever responsible for any contamination problems that might arise later, making way for speeding up the city’s efforts to sell a valuable hangar at Alameda Point to gain revenue for replacing outdated and failing infrastructure. But, not so fast.

Transfer of Building 41 to City awaits Navy PFAS review

Because the former Naval Air Station, now known as Alameda Point, has been undergoing environmental cleanup under the jurisdiction of Superfund law, one of the rules requires that the Navy now complete a separate Record of Decision on PFAS before transferring Building 41, the hangar at the corner of West Tower Avenue and Ferry Point Road, to the City. Had PFAS been listed as a hazardous substance when the cleanup process started, the Navy would have dealt with it along the way by doing PFAS assessments, followed by remediation plans where PFAS is present.

Tidelands designation frustrates development of Alameda Point

Assemblymember Mia Bonta may again need to be called upon to fix a problem land use designation in Alameda.

There is a major strip of land, dubbed the Central Corridor, through the center of Alameda Point that is designated state “tidelands,” even though the open water tidelands were filled in by the Navy 80 years ago. According to the California State Lands Commission, tidelands are to be held in trust for the people of the entire state, allowing only maritime, resource protection, or visitor serving uses. “Uses that do not accommodate, promote, foster or enhance the statewide public’s need for essential commercial services or their enjoyment of tidelands are not appropriate uses for public trust lands,” states this Overview of Public Trust Doctrine.

Currently, City Hall West, two blocks of lawn, a fire station, a hangar, some buildings of limited value, a parking lot, and an empty block of tarmac occupy the “tidelands” corridor and serve no Tidelands purposes.

Alameda Point economic development is stuck in the past

It is no secret that the only way for the city to build the necessary new infrastructure at Alameda Point is by selling its property. Nevertheless, city leaders drag their feet, unable to let go of the broken strategy of leasing buildings to startup companies. It does not matter how promising or green a business is. Leasing will never pay for infrastructure.

Yet Building 11, a valuable hangar that sits at a key intersection for surrounding infrastructure upgrades, has been listed for lease rather than for sale. It is indicative of the city’s lackadaisical approach for redeveloping Alameda Point.

Pesticide drone manufacturing OK’d on State Tidelands

On September 5^th, by a vote of four to one, the City Council approved an eight-year lease of an Alameda Point hangar to an autonomous electric aircraft manufacturing company called Pyka In c. Their planes are designed for spraying pesticides on agricultural land. While the company hopes to one day be selling autonomous planes for cargo delivery, the bulk of the discussion at the meeting centered on environmental concerns raised by residents about industrial-scale aerial spraying of petroleum-based pesticides.

Pesticide drone company is a bad fit for Alameda Point

At its September 5 meeti ng, the City Council will consider whether to lease a hangar at 950 West Tower Avenue at Alameda Point to a company that makes autonomous aircraft for spraying pesticides on agricultural crops. The lease proposal can be rejected on the grounds that the use of synthetic pesticides is completely at odds with principles of environmental sustainability.

Alameda Point leasing decisions on April 18th city council agenda

On April 18, the city council will meet in closed session to negotiate four property leases at Alameda Point. Two are for buildings, and two are at a pier. It is unknown if either of the two proposed building leases will include the option to purchase. Nor is it known if the city council has weighed selling rather than leasing the two buildings and how it fits in with the goal of replacing antiquated infrastructure.

Hangar 39 – Manufacturer of drone pesticide sprayers negotiating lease terms

**Vacant hangar that Pyka is interested in leasing.**

City staff and the council will be negotiating a leas e with an Oakland company called Pyka, which makes drone airplanes designed for spraying pesticides on agricultural crops in Costa Rica and elsewhere. Their pesticide-spraying aircraft is called “Pelican Spray ”. The pilotless plane was recently approve d by the Costa Rican government for flying in Costa Rica to spray large commercial banana plantations, both day and night.

City Revisits Leasing vs. Selling Strategy for Alameda Point

During its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 7, City Council will hold a work session to discuss the pros and cons of leasing versus selling buildings at Alameda Point in the area designated for repurposing old buildings for reuse.

The designated Reuse Area is a large swath of real estate extending from the aircraft hangars to Main Street near the ferry terminal. The work session was spawned by the Council expressing concern that it had no policy guidance upon which to make decisions on whether to lease a building or sell it.