The following two questions concerned Alameda Point: the first asked if an effort should be made to preserve all 86 historic buildings at the Point, and what strategies could be used.

This was not a question that provoked much dissent: all the candidates support preserving the historic buildings via adaptive reuse and rent credits for tenants in exchange for building improvements.

Chen ... expressed concerns about the cost of infrastructure, with estimates ranging from $100 to $600 million. ... Chen warned that it was necessary to assess the costs of preservation and find funding. “Partner with a school, see if we can use a school as an anchor and see if there is grant money available,” he suggested.

Next the candidates were tasked with the problem of vacant, deteriorating buildings being vandalized, and what should be done to prevent further damage to the structures.

All six again agreed the solution was getting tenants for the buildings.... Cambra proposed adjusting permit fees to encourage tenants’ improvements, while Chen suggested the opposite, that tenants would be attracted by already completed restorations.