Concord Naval Weapons Station Closure

Concord City officials were very pleased to hear that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has placed the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) on the list of military bases recommended for closure. An official report from the Department of Defense stated that the inland area of the 12,800-acre base would be closed, but the tidal area would remain in use by the military. The inland area property will be an important regional resource in providing space for the projected growth in population over the next 30 years.

The City appreciates the strong support of its congressional representatives, members of Congress George Miller and Ellen Tauscher and Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, in urging the Department of Defense to close the inland area.

Concord envisions the 5,170-acre inland property, adjacent to the North Concord BART station, as a transit-oriented addition to the community, planned with input from residents, business and property owners, environmental groups, affordable housing advocates and other affected populations. The City plans to:

• Preserve approximately 50 percent of the inland property for parks, trails and open space for use by residents of the region and local families
• Add 13,000 homes for the projected 33,000 new residents coming to Concord over the next 30 years
• Create 9,000 new jobs, enhancing Concord 's position as a regional jobs center and creating more local job opportunities. This could reduce the number of area residents who must commute to jobs outside the region
• Build new schools and community facilities
• Minimize traffic impacts by planning for a variety of uses within the area, and take advantage of the adjacent Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station

Concord is a built-out city surrounded by smaller municipalities. In that context, the CNWS inland property becomes a classic infill site, entirely within Concord 's city limits. Carefully planned reuse of this property focuses development in central Contra Costa County instead of in the county's more rural areas. As such, it reduces urban sprawl at the edges of the county and puts development near freeways and highways, and rapid transit (BART).

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's list will now be reviewed by the nine-member Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission (BRAC timeline ). The final decision about which bases will be closed through the BRAC process will not be made until December 2005.

When the military closes a base, it asks the local community to form a Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) to prepare a Reuse Plan for the property. The City Council is likely to request that Concord be designated as the LRA to begin the planning process. The LRA and the Navy would begin discussions as to how to plan for the ultimate disposition of the base.

Concord values the long history the community has had with the military. Many residents are former employees and veterans with ties to the base. City officials are proud to have had a military installation in the community and recognize the great contribution that the CNWS has made to the development of this area. The City looks forward to maximizing its value in sustaining the high quality of life enjoyed by the Concord community.