Point
Molate
Former Naval Fuel Depot
The 413-acre former Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot (NFD) contains
about 290 acres of land above high tide elevation. Located on Richmond’s
shoreline about 1- 1/2 miles north of the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge
this unique site contains:
• 1.4 miles of unoccupied shoreline
• a
400 foot high ridge line with sweeping views of two bays, a Victorian
island lighthouse, Mt. Tamalpais and Mt. St. Helena
• a 1400
foot long pier providing deep water access
• a 41-acre National
Register Historic District
• a Rhineland-style castle that
was the largest winery in the U.S. prior to Prohibition
• extensive
inter tidal eel grass beds and
• rare coastal prairie and
coastal bluff native plant communities.

Once the largest winery
in the United States, the
41-acre Winehaven Historic District is recognized under both Federal
and State law.
The Navy sold 218 acres of the property to the City of Richmond
for one dollar in September 2003. Transfer of the remaining property
awaits cleanup to standards set by the Regional Water Quality Control
Board.
Natural Environment
Bay Nature magazine featured the natural world
of Point Molate in the article "Betting
on Point Molate" by
Chiori Santiago.
In particular, Native
Plants are real survivors at Point Molate. The
uplands of Point Molate are distinguished by coastal terrace prairie
and northern coastal bluff scrub plant communities where the major
conservation issue is unmanaged invasive alien plants. The inter
tidal zone is distinguished by abundant eelgrass beds and a variety
of kelp. It is mostly rocky with the exception of sand/mud flats
offshore Point Molate beach.
The October, 1997 “Special-Status
Plant Survey And Habitat Assessment” report for Point Molate
NFD, which was prepared by Michael Wood of Sycamore Associates
and Tetra Tech, states:
• “numerous
plant taxa of botanical significance do occur on site;”
• “Coastal
terrace prairie and northern coastal bluff scrub habitats are exceedingly
rare in the East Bay and represent diminishing habitats throughout
their range;”
• “the native perennial grasses
.... exhibit very high levels of density and diversity. Native
grasslands of comparable quality are extremely uncommon in the
East Bay, as well as in more coastal areas in Marin County;”
• “the
diversity of wildflowers in the grasslands is also unusual in the
region.”

Reuse Plan for Former Naval Fuel Depot
Beginning
in 1942, Point Molate served as a U.S. Navy fuel storage and transfer
facility. It closed on September 30, 1995 under the U.S. Department
of Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990.
A 45-member
Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee developed the Point
Molate Reuse Plan, which was approved by the Richmond City
Council acting as the Local Reuse Authority (LRA), in 1997. This
Plan serves as the guide for the reuse and development of the site.
It calls for a mixed use development concept with 191
acres reserved for shoreline park and hillside open space lands
as shown on the conceptual land use and open space plans.
Uses proposed for buildings in the Winehaven Historic District
include:
1. Winehaven Building - winery, restaurant, museum, retail,
meeting rooms, performing arts and a recording studio
2. historic
winery cottages - conference center, retreat, B&B, classrooms
Existing buildings on a 20-acre site immediately south of Winehaven
are proposed for a winery, live/work, warehousing, job training
and light industrial uses. Single and multifamily residential development
is recommended on about 38 acres of relatively flat land south
of the above development areas.

Indian Gambling Casino Proposal
Amidst
great controversy, on Nov. 24, 2004 the City of Richmond
entered into a Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) with Upstream
Point Molate LLC to sell former Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate
for $50 million.
Upstream proposes to create
new tribal lands for the Guidiville Band of the Pomo Indians in
order to develop the Winehaven Historic District as a resort
hotel/casino complex. The proposed
development would include construction and maintenance of the Bay
Trail along the entire 1.4 miles of shoreline with about 33 acres
of shoreline park and 150 acres of Hillside Open Space with its
public trail system.
The Bay Trail must be completed during the
first construction phase. The LDA was amended March 7, 2006 to
allow a first phase purchase ($16.7 million) of 30 acres for residential
development inland of Western Drive at the northern approach to
the property plus 60 acres for shoreline parks and open space without
creating tribal lands.
If Upstream exercises this first phase purchase,
they would be required to fund construction of the Bay Trail plus
shoreline park lands averaging 50 feet wide along the entire 1.4
miles of shoreline. The
LDA and amendment are available from the City of Richmond.
In order to expedite cleanup of the remaining lands still in Navy
ownership, the
City and Upstream have reached agreement with the Navy on an early
transfer to the City of remaining contaminated lands with the Navy
placing $28,5 million in escrow for the City's use to complete
the cleanup .
Comments are due by July 10, 2008 on the Navy's proposed Finding
of Suitability for Early Transfer.
The final sale of the property
to Upstream and approvals for development will not take place until
after a combined Environmental Impact Statement/Report is certified
as required by the National Environmental Policy Act and the California
Environmental Quality Act. This document is expected to be published
July 2008.
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