Farewell agreement with the developers of the Naval Weapons Station megaproject

The Concord Naval Weapons Station project, the largest planned residential development in the Bay Area, has once again stalled.

At the end of Saturday’s two-hour special meeting, the Concord City Council decided to end negotiations with the project’s developers. This could set off several more years of controversial large-scale development that has been underway for two decades. .

The city consistently demands that developments include more affordable housing than the state requires.

The deal ultimately fell through due to concerns over the amount and type of affordable housing, and the involvement of developer Albert Cino III, who is currently in multiple legal battles with his father over control of the family’s construction empire. It’s over.

At Saturday’s meeting, Council Members Laura Nakamura and Karin Oblinger said they trust Seeno to develop the sprawling 2,275-acre site into more than 10,000 homes, new schools, parks, and a commercial and retail center. said no.

“Concord residents disagree on key aspects of this proposal, and that must be done first.”

The Council voted 3-2 to expire the term sheets (draft contracts for the project) with developer consortia, including Concord First Partners and Seeno III, on January 31st. delayed in deciding whether to accept the contract until Saturday.

“Here’s a great term sheet.

This isn’t the first time Concord has failed to reach an agreement to develop a former weapons site. The city has parted ways with the project’s previous developer, national homebuilder He Lennar Corp.

Concord wanted to ensure that local labor was used, and this was Renner’s difficulty. The company pulled out of the project in March 2020 after its initial exclusive bargaining contract expired and negotiations with the local union failed.

Nakamura said the city no longer has exclusive negotiating agreements with development group Concord First Partners, allowing other developers to present their proposals to the city.

“Until now, other developers have been unable to submit term sheets. The city would not have accepted them,” Nakamura said.

Mayor Laura Hofmeister, along with Nakamura and Oblinger, voted in favor of closing the negotiations and will return in the coming weeks to inform city officials of possible next steps in the project. I asked for

Staff reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader and Bay City News contributed to this report.