leasing – Alameda Point Environmental Report

Alameda Point tidelands revenue under scrutiny

Has the City of Alameda been spending lease revenue it receives from property it owns in the tidelands area of Alameda Point for purposes not authorized by state law?

That’s a question local and state authorities now are looking into.

With all the talk over the past year about economic development and the right mix of leasing and selling property at Alameda Point, City staff and the State Lands Commission, which owns and oversees tideland properties, now find themselves reviewing the books for revenues received from tideland properties, also known as Public Trust Land, at Alameda Point.

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.

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.