The Richmond City Council will meet Friday morning to vote on a Letter of Intent that could lead to the creation of a regional park at Point Molate, ending decades of questions about how the shorefront area should be developed.
The intent letter also needs to be agreed upon by the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), and Point Molate Futures LLC, which is owned by the Guidiville Rancheria of California, a Ukiah-based federally recognized tribal entity of Pomo Native Americans.
If approved, the letter would set up a purchase and sale agreement to transfer the 81.56-acre property to EBRPD for $40 million.
The 290-acre site, a U.S. Naval Fuel Depot on San Francisco Bay in the 1940s, has a long history, dating back to 2,000 B.C. to 500 A.D., when Native Americans were present there, up through Chinese and Mexican occupations. In pre-prohibition days it was the site of the state’s largest winery. Over the years the land has been eyed by various developers for uses including a casino and a high-end housing project.
The Guidiville Rancheria, along with Upstream Inc., initially introduced the idea of developing a casino there in 2004. After Richmond voters rejected the casino project in 2010, followed up by the City Council swatting down the project in 2011, Guidiville Rancheria sued the city in 2018 seeking repayment of the money the tribe had paid to the city for development rights as well as for potential lost profits from the failed project.
SunCal Inc. (and its affiliate Winehaven Legacy LLC) were prospective buyers who hoped to develop housing at Point Molate but failed to finalize a $45 million sale of the land with Richmond by May 2022 after disagreements over the financial risks and contractual disputes. The developer failed to provide required documentation to the City Council, including financing plans, by the deadline in May 2022, according to City Council meeting minutes.
Winehaven, which was established by the California Wine Association in Point Molate after the 1906 Earthquake devastated San Francisco, once held the title of world’s largest winery, housing about 400 workers, according to the National Park Service. The former winery is registered as a historic landmark and contains 35 buildings constructed from 1907 to 1919, highlighted by the castle-like Winehaven Building.
The deal’s failure triggered a pre-existing settlement agreement, resulting in the property’s $400 sale to the Guidiville Rancheria and Upstream Inc. in 2022.
As a result of the $400 sale, Guidiville Rancheria had until 2027 to find a buyer.
SunCal sued Richmond in the aftermath of the failed 2022 sale and is currently in mediation with the city. The next mediation session is scheduled for August, according to Contra Costa County Superior Court records.
In a press release issued Thursday, District 5 Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin praised the community’s persistence in advocating for the park.
“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,” she said.
“”
“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.”
— City Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin, in a press release
However, former Richmond Mayor Tom Butt doesn’t see the deal as so sunny, highlighting his concerns Thursday in a blast to his email subscribers.
“The RPA controlled City Council is very proud of what they have accomplished, which includes depriving the General Fund of the City’s $20 million share of the sales price,” Butt wrote. He stated that Point Molate would remain largely off-limits to the public indefinitely, except for the beach park.
Butt added that the city would not recover over $10 million in legal, maintenance, and security costs, and that future litigation exposed the city to over $100 million in claims.
The prospective deal, made possible by a $36 million state grant, would relieve Richmond of maintenance costs and environmental remediation responsibilities. The city would waive its share of sale proceeds in exchange for these benefits.
If approved, the park district would work with the community on what a park would look like, focusing on equity and involving Richmond residents, according to the press release.
The EBRPD board is expected to vote on the letter of intent at its Tuesday meeting, at the Park District Headquarters. 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, with final approval from the California Coastal Conservancy Commission anticipated in September.
What do you think about the Point Molate proposal? Tell us in the comments below. You can also send a text or email us at hello@richmondside.org.
Did anyone at Richmondside verify Tom Butt’s statement that future litigation will expose the city to “over $100 million in claims?” How would the city be exposed to this litigation if they no longer own the land? Where did the $100 million figure come from?
Butt’s claim that “Point Molate would remain largely off-limits to the public indefinitely” is technically accurate only until EBRP acquires the land. However, it is reasonable to assume that EBRP is purchasing the land for a public regional park, not private development. Suggesting that the land will be permanently inaccessible to the public is misleading.