Alameda Point: SunCal or ???

SunCal’s Exclusive Negotiating Contract is up come July 20, and it appears the city staff and city council have been exploring their development options. Open space development, such as Irvine’s Great Park, doesn’t seem financially viable. Would the City begin looking for another master developer? Another local developer, Ron Cowan, has developed the Waterfront business and light industrial park on Alameda’s Harbor Bay. It has proven to be a good source of income for the city.


Now follow the coast a few miles north from Harbor Bay, and you run into the Alameda Point naval base, which has the same selling points as the Harbor Bay development (location, transit access, skilled labor base…). In 2007, the City chose SunCal Companies as the master developer to submit a master plan for Alameda Point and, once approved, move forward with redevelopment.

Now, who will take over if the City doesn’t approve the SunCal master plan? Will it matter if we substitute another developer in for SunCal? Would another developer like Cowan solve all of Alameda’s issues?

What will the Interim City Manager (ICM) propose? Technically, the ENA prohibits any negotiations with another developer until July 20. However, that doesn’t seem likely. What seems equally as unlikely is a smooth transition and new development process with another developer. The City’s track record with developers is not strong; developers have come and gone for Alameda Point and the City has been involved in a lawsuit with developer Francis Collins due to a density bonus application dispute. Also, the ICM does not seem to work well with SunCal, as referenced in the April 20 City Council meeting, and I don’t see how she will do a sudden 180 in negotiations with another developer.