The Newspaper of the San Francisco Bay Chapter
May - June 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Victory in Concord is first step to protecting open space
Concord residents will get to direct the planning process for redevelopment of the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS). The Navy will not be short-circuiting the process by handing over the base to a private firm.
On Feb. 6, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy Wayne Arny spoke at the Concord City Council meeting in support of transferring the CNWS to Shaw Environmental, which would have cleaned up the property and then sold it to developers, rather than continuing with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, which allows the community to plan the development of the CNWS as it is converted to civilian use. In six days before the meeting, members of the CNWS Neighborhood Alliance collected over 600 letters of support for continuation of the BRAC process. These letters were turned in at the City Council meeting. Another 400 letters were turned in after the meeting. We delivered the strong message to the City Council: "We have the right to plan and develop our community." The Council agreed, and the Navy has complied with the city's request to promptly issue a "notice of surplus" for the base and not to transfer the land to Shaw.
WhatYouCanDo
The city is holding a series of Saturday workshops (9:30 am - 12:30 pm at the Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle) on planning for the station. Over 200 people attended the first workshop. Remaining dates are:
June 16 - "Balancing the Land Use Mix";
Aug. 4 - Conceptual Alternatives Development".
For more information or to register, visit the city's web site and click on "Concord Community Reuse Project (Concord Naval Weapons Station)" at upper right; or call (925) 671-3224. The site includes a video tour of the CNWS. Please attend any of the remaining workshops. The city is collecting community input at each workshop, which will be used in the final planning and development of the CNWS; speak up for maximum open space and protection of habitat.
To join in the Sierra Club's efforts to protect these lands, contact or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 304
The Chapter is planning a membership party in Concord on Tue., May 1. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about all our local efforts including the CNWS campaign.
The Concord Naval Weapons Station Neighborhood Alliance is the lead organization working on these concerns, along with the Sierra Club and the Greenbelt Alliance. The Alliance is focused in particular on keeping the planning and development of the CNWS within the community's control and on preventing development of the hilltops of the Pittsburg portion of the CNWS, as well (see article, following page).
To join the CNWS Neighborhood Alliance or to receive its e-mail newsletter, visit its web site
© 2007 San Francisco Sierra Club Yodeler