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If the SunCal plan eventually wins voter approval, it will "transform an underused and decaying old military base into a vibrant new mixed-use, transit-oriented neighborhood," said Doug Siden, who represents Alameda on the East Bay Regional Parks board and who chairs a citizens committee that supports SunCal.

But not everyone backs the plan: At least 550 people who signed the petition have asked the clerk's office to remove their names.

The Chamber of Commerce also has come out against the SunCal proposal, which calls for a new ferry terminal, 150 acres of public parks and about 4,500 homes at the Alameda Naval Air Station.

The chamber said the project will hurt the city because it calls for shifting some money earmarked for police and other services at the former base to the developer.

The chamber also opposes SunCal's effort to place the plan before voters next year.

"There are already processes in place for these types of long-term developments, so trying to bypass the system by ballot box is not good for Alameda, " chamber board President Blake Brydon said in a statement. "It created a long-term financial risk to businesses and residents."