I am delighted that the City obtained 900 acres at Alameda Point from the Navy at no cost, and I congratulate City staff for its role in achieving that result. Now, at long last, it is time to get going with renewing the Point.

The goals set forth in 1996 Community Reuse Plan -- which were reaffirmed during the community workshops held in 2010 -- should remain our guidepost. Development of the Point must provide for a mix of uses: residential, commercial, and open space. Tradeoffs will be necessary. Choices, of course, carry consequences -- and hard choices may carry harsh consequences. But this poses a challenge to our creativity -- not an excuse for our passivity.

Given my overriding concerns about the financial viability of the City, I would focus on taking actions that will generate revenue, in the short run and over the long term. We cannot wait for the housing or commercial real-estate markets to recover; we should be ready to pounce once they do. I thus support: Adopting a phased approach to disposition and development;
Taking different, concurrent approaches to the northern, southern, and adaptive reuse areas; and Performing master infrastructure planning for the entire base.

I do not favor ceding control over the entire Point to a private master developer. We’ve tried that route twice; three strikes and we’re out. Finally, regardless of our economic needs, we must remember that we are not dealing with a pristine piece of land, and we need to be sure that the Navy has fulfilled its promises regarding toxic clean up.