Pyka – Alameda Point Environmental Report

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.