After much contention, Point Molate will become a park, under new agreement with city, tribe and state

Richmond City Council voted in a special meeting Friday to back a $40 million sale of Point Molate to the East Bay Regional Park District, ending years of discussion about how to develop the sprawling coastline property that once was a Naval depot and a winery. 

“Twenty plus years of community organizing, continuously bringing to the forefront the hopes and dreams of our residents for a major park at Point Molate, have once again demonstrated that with hard work and perseverance, dreams can and do come true,” Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin said in a news release Thursday. 

The 81.56-acre tract includes the historic Winehaven property. The purchase was made possible through a $36 million state grant. The Park District will contribute $4 million. All of the proceeds will go to Point Molate Futures, which is wholly owned by the Guidiville Rancheria of California.

The council approved a non-binding letter of intent for the sale by a vote of 5-0, with  Claudia Jiménez and Soheila Bana absent.

Under a previous agreement, the tribe and the city were to split $45 million in a sale of the property to developer SunCal, which had planned to put 1,200 residential units on the site and preserve the historic warehouses, navy facilities and cottage barracks there. That plan fell apart after litigation over the development’s environmental impact, and the city’s contention that the development plan was not financially viable. A newly elected City Council rescinded the deal in 2022, paving the way for the land to be returned to the tribe and for negotiations to begin with the Park District.

The tribe would only agree to the new sale if it could keep all the proceeds, said city attorney Dave Aleshire. The city agreed to give up its share to fulfill a longtime vision of turning the property over to the public for recreational use, he said. 

“The city is very underserved with park and recreational facilities,” Aleshire said in an interview Thursday. “So if we can get those sorts of facilities out there and have a cooperative arrangement with the district, and we end up with open space — which was always one of the city’s goals — then we think that this realizes the vision that we had two years ago when we passed on the SunCal development.”

The sale also must be approved by the Park District and the California State Coastal Conservancy, which is providing the grant money. The City Council interrupted its summer recess to vote on the measure so that the conservancy would have time to review the property’s appraisal and other information ahead of its September meeting. 

“The Park District has shown that their promises are more than promises, that they are committed,” Mayor Eduardo Martinez said at the meeting. “As we move forward, in order for this to become a world-class park, it can only happen if our partnership is innovative, creative and closely aligned. What we have done so far is only the start.”

The Park District has not mapped out a plan yet for the park. But McLaughlin said it promised to involve the city in the park’s development and to reach out to the Richmond community.

The city also agreed to provide maintenance and security services of up to $400,000 for a year. The city has been pumping about $1 million into maintenance and remediation services at the site.

The sale does not affect an ongoing lawsuit against the city by Winehaven Legacy LLC, a SunCal subsidiary, which has accused the city of breaching its contract with the developer in 2022 and violating the Brown Act, which governs public meetings in California. That lawsuit, in Contra Costa County Superior Court, seeks $20 million from the city.

The city has maintained that Winehaven Legacy did not fulfill conditions for the sale, including securing financial backing.

Former Mayor Tom Butt, whose administration approved the SunCal deal, criticized the City Council in his E-Forum Thursday, saying the new agreement deprives Richmond’s general fund of $20 million and exposes the city to more litigation. He pointed out that the deal does not include a plan for saving the historic Winehaven tract.

Aleshire said the Park District at first was reluctant to buy the Winehaven tract, which takes up about half of the property.

About a dozen residents who addressed the council Friday overwhelmingly favored the decision.

“It’ll be the best use for this precious resource for future generations, and not only for the people of the East Bay, Richmond, but also for the wildlife,” said resident Tarnel Abbott.

Resident Martha Gruelle noted that “people might quibble about the money,” but said, “Keeping hold of our precious natural resources for the people of Richmond, that is priceless.”

Point of Contention: Despite approved housing plan, the fight over Point Molate rages on