Development
Development on Point Molate has been a contentious issue in Richmond for more than a decade. (File photo)
Joshua Genser is pictured on his north shore property in 2011. (File photo)
Richmond Mayor Tom Butt navigates the conflicts that arise from his roles of public official, business owner and real estate investor. (File photo, 2013)
Despite approved housing plan, the fight over Point Molate rages on.
Point Molate Alliance is fighting to save Point Molate from a luxury housing development.
Richmond’s City Council on Tuesday halted the drafting of a rule that would have required landlords to offer local tenants the first opportunity to buy their homes before they are put on the market or demolished.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting – called “long and raucous” in an email missive by Mayor Tom Butt — mimicked a battleground with locals and lawmakers firing off dissenting opinions over issues from the proposed Point Molate development to the prospect of district council elections.
California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) on Friday announced its selection of a cleanup plan for one of Richmond’s most notorious brownfields: an industrial site located on the city’s south shoreline, once occupied by a succession of corporate tenants including Stauffer Chemical Co. and pharmaceutical company Zeneca Inc. The plan will excavate contaminated soil and install barriers in areas where tainted soil will be left in place. It would take about eight fewer years to implement and involve tens…