Excerpt:

In Simon’s summary, Richmond had three major advantages – the land, the welcome from the city, and enough room to accommodate a possible 3,000-foot structure. Some sites, including both in Berkeley, lack room for the larger building.

But he noted several drawbacks: the Richmond Field Station is relatively far from the main LBNL campus, there is bad traffic along 580, and UC Berkeley might have to find a new home for the programs currently occupying the site.

In Simon’s presentation, Alameda’s site had very similar advantages and disadvantages: the city wants the new campus, is offering the land – part of the Alameda Point former Naval Air Station — for free, and has room for the large building. Alameda has proposed its own additional development along the waterfront, but the site, like Richmond’s, is also relatively far from the main LBNL campus.