The City of Concord is pleased to release the Request for Qualifications for a Master Developer to implement the Concord Naval Weapons Station Concord Reuse Project Area Plan. Statements of Qualifications are due on June 18, 2021.  Details regarding submittal instructions, clarifications, and the Pre-Response Conference (Mandatory for Lead Developers) are included in the RFQ.

The RFQ can be found here: Request for Master Developer Qualifications 

The City’s point of contact for the RFQ is Israel Mora: israel.mora@cityofconcord.org

Lennar
The City has not heard from anyone associated with Lennar since the Council meeting on March 24. On March 26 the City sent a letter formally relaying the Council’s decision not to extend the Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) and our commitment to return advanced funds and work cooperatively to end our agreements. The ENA expired on March 31. Project staff and the Finance Department are working to determine the balances in the Specific Plan/EIR Reimbursement Agreement account and Disposition & Development Agreement account with the intent of returning funds advanced by Lennar to them by the end of this month. The current estimate is that the combined accounts will return approximately $800,000 – consistent with the provisions of each agreement. 

Navy
The Navy is aware of the expiration of the ENA with Lennar and affirmed their commitment to continue to work with the City towards property transfer. The Navy is working to address a new request by the Environmental Protection Agency that the former Concord Naval Weapons Station be assessed for a new contaminant group known as PFAS. The Navy thinks this work – which must be conducted over the entire property, including our 1,200-acre First Transfer – will take two seasons (years.) So, First Transfer of property to the City is now not likely to occur before 2022.

State Surplus Lands Act
Project staff are working with our local legislators and our advocacy team (Townsend) to gain an exemption from legislation that was adopted last year – requiring the City to first make any City-owned surplus property available to affordable housing developers. The ENA with Lennar protected the Reuse Project’s Phase 1 from this legislation – but with the ENA having expired the entire project is now subject to it. The adopted Reuse Area Plan already makes a significant commitment to affordable housing and combined with the long-term nature of our planning effort our Project should be exempt. Once the Legislature reconvenes the exemption will either be sought in separate legislation or as part of a Budget trailer bill.

Selecting a new Master Developer or Team to complete Specific Plan/EIR
There are numerous issues and policy questions that need to be analyzed and considered by the City Council before moving forward in a new Master Developer selection process. Project staff and consultants are assembling a “lessons learned” document considering, but not limited to, issues surrounding the original selection process, term sheet clarity, and transparency of financial information.

Project staff will recommend a timeline for selecting a new Master Developer later this year. It will be important to wait until the Covid-19 crisis has stabilized, the lessons learned document has been prepared, and the City Council has publicly considered and provided direction on policies crucial to a successful selection.

Project Budget
The Reuse Project going forward will be funded by the remaining proceeds of previous loans from the City. No new loans or funding from the City will be requested. The goal will be to judiciously use the existing account balance to undertake essential tasks and work related to securing a new Master Developer. Project staff suspended most work on the Reuse Project on November 1, 2019. The loan account balance left to carry the Reuse Project forward as of March 31, 2020 is approximately $3 million. 

Coast Guard Property
The General Services Administration/Coast Guard responded negatively to the City/DeNova Home’s purchase offer made last December. The GSA has indicated their intent to put the property up for public sale at a yet to be determined time.

July 19, 2019 – Project Status Update

Property Transfer

• The Park District took “constructive possession” of about 2,300 of their 2,600 acres of property for the conservation area/Regional Park in a ceremony on July 13, 2019.  Ownership will be transferred from the National Park Service to the Park District later this year.  The remaining acres will come later after the Navy finds it suitable for transfer.

• The City is working with the Navy to reach First Transfer of 1,200 acres of the 2,300 acres of property allocated to the City.  First Transfer to the City is now expected in the Summer/Fall of 2020.  The remaining acres will come later after the Navy finds it suitable for transfer.

• The County expects transfer of 75 acres of property for their planned First Responder Training facility at the end of 2020.

• The City is working with the Lennar/FivePoint team on the project’s financial model so that we can re-engage and complete our negotiations with the Navy regarding the payment terms for City’s parcels.

Finding of Suitability to Lease (FOSL)

• The Navy is completing a Finding of Suitability to Lease or FOSL so that negotiations regarding leasing the remainder of the Base to local recipients can take place.  Reaching agreement on lease terms would remove the Navy from the day-to-day management of the Base – but not impact their continued obligation to clean up contaminated parcels prior to transfer.

Specific Plan/CEQA Review

• The Lennar/FivePoint team continues to write the Specific Plan for all 2,300 acres of development that will occur over the next 30 years.  Lennar is the designated Master Developer for Phase 1 of the development, roughly the first 500 acres.  Several technical issues around the design of required infrastructure has delayed the completion of the Specific Plan draft.

• City staff and consultants are preparing the environmental analysis of the planned development – reviewing potential impacts, like traffic, and ways to address them in the Specific Plan.

• Both the draft public Specific Plan and draft public Environmental Impact Report are expected to be released for public consideration in January 2020 – with public meetings, workshops and hearings – leading to a Council decision in the Summer of 2020.

• The Community Advisory Committee is on hiatus until the draft public Specific Plan is ready for their review and consideration – now likely in January 2020.

Resource Permitting

• The City’s efforts to secure site-wide resource permits – i.e. Wetlands, endangered species protection, and creek restoration is on track with the goal of obtaining the necessary permits ahead of planned infrastructure work.

Campus District Visioning / Tournament Sports Park Conceptual Planning

• Throughout 2019 the City embarked on two parallel projects – visioning for the proposed 120 acre Campus District and conceptual planning for the 175 Tournament Sports Park/Great City Park.  After numerous public meetings of the Blue Ribbon Committee regarding the Campus District and public workshops regarding the Sports Park – both reports were presented and accepted by the City Council at their June 4 meeting.  Both reports principles and concepts are being included in the draft Specific Plan and environmental analysis.

Disposition and Development Agreement

• The Disposition and Development Agreement between the City and the Master Developer for Phase 1 is tied to the accepted Term Sheet and the mitigations to be determined during discussions about the Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report.  The DDA will be one of the documents the Council considers together with the SP and EIR. 

Assuming the City Council approves the Specific Plan in the Summer of 2020, the expected construction timeline is as follows:

Horizontal Infrastructure – 2022/2023

The amount design work, coordination, and additional permitting may delay horizontal infrastructure work (sewer, water, electricity, and roads, etc.) to 2022 or beyond.

Vertical Construction – Start 2023

The timing of vertical construction (homes, offices, and stores) is largely dependent on successful infrastructure installation, but is not expected before 2023.

The project has an estimated 30 year build out.

Website: concordreuseproject.org