For many years, the way forward for Level Molate north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge has been up within the air. The idyllic stretch of Bay Space shoreline had been the location of a Navy fueling website, confronted proposed growth as a on line casino, and almost noticed the development of 1,450 luxurious housing items as conservationists and builders battled over its future.
However on Tuesday, Level Molate’s future turned clear for the primary time in nearly three many years because the East Bay Regional Parks District bought 83 acres of shoreline from the Guidiville Rancheria of California for $40 million, with the aim of constructing it the company’s latest regional park and guaranteeing the property will probably be preserved for future generations.
“It’s really our dual mission of preserving a rich heritage of natural and cultural resources in the East Bay, but then also providing equitable access to these open spaces,” mentioned East Bay Regional Parks District Normal Supervisor Sabrina Landreth. “The stars were just aligned for us to be able to pull this off.”
Level Molate is a 413-acre peninsula close to Level San Pablo simply north of the Richmond Bridge, that includes views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Mt. Tamalpais, and the East Brother Gentle Station. The 83-acre parcel purchased by East Bay Parks is among the final undeveloped and unprotected headlands within the Bay Space and hosts Osprey breeding grounds, coyotes alongside the coastal ridge and leopard sharks who shelter in eel grass beds, in accordance with the Level Richmond Alliance, a nonprofit of Richmond residents.
“We’ve got public lands back in public hands … this 83 acres represents the opportunity to save the whole of Point Molate,” mentioned David Helvarg. “People are very excited about both the opportunities for recreational playing fields, which Richmond doesn’t have enough of, but also for access to a diverse natural park space for hiking and kayaking, and having that opportunity to engage with the natural world.”
Funding for the acquisition comes from $36 million within the 2022-23 state price range, which the California State Coastal Conservancy administered as a grant to East Bay Parks in November 2024. The remaining funding was supplied by East Bay Park’s measures AA and WW.
RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: The Level Molate space and Winehaven Fortress, left, are seen from this drone view in Richmond, Calif., on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
From 1942 to 1995, Level Molate served as a U.S. Navy gas storage and switch facility. After being decommissioned by Congress, a 45-member committee formulated a reuse plan in 1997 for the location that prioritized financial growth and leisure actions, however these plans confronted challenges within the type of “steep topography, vehicular access constraints, contamination from past Naval actions, and neighboring heavy metal use,” in accordance with the 1997 Level Malote Reuse Plan. The Navy turned the property over to town of Richmond to information Level Molate’s future.
The Guidiville Rancheria of California, a federally acknowledged tribe, proposed a $1.2 billion mega-casino in 2004. The mega-casino proposal was taken to Richmond’s public in a citywide advisory referendum in 2010, the place it was defeated and subsequently rejected by town council. The tribe and developer then sued town for $750 million in damages, however a federal courtroom upheld the council’s motion in 2018, with the stipulation that town evenly break up the proceeds of any land sale with the tribe. As well as, the settlement acknowledged that if the Level Molate property was not bought inside 48 months — by Might 21, 2022 — the land could be bought to the tribe for $400.
One other proposal, this time from Winehaven Legacy LLC in 2020, sought to assemble 1,450 properties on a 270-acre part of Level Molate. Although the Richmond metropolis council accepted the plan in September 2020, public opposition from teams like Level Richmond Alliance pressured town council to reverse its resolution in 2022 and pursue options.
Level Molate was transferred from town of Richmond to the Guidiville Rancheria for $400 in Might 2022, with 5 years to determine make the most of the land. The tribe answered that lingering query on Tuesday with the sale of the property to East Bay Parks.
“They’re getting the 82 acres that were under planned development for between 1,500–2,000 unaffordable houses for the average Richmond citizen,” Helvarg mentioned. “And instead, the average Richmond citizen now will have a park that’s comparable to any in the Bay Area.”
East Bay Parks will conduct a strong public planning course of within the coming years to start shaping the East Bay’s subsequent regional park, doubtless with some mixture of trails, passive recreation and public house, Landreth mentioned. She added that her crew is already engaged on plans for the general public to go to the park via guided excursions to expertise “this unbelievable parcel of land,” however she didn’t have a date for when Level Molate would formally open as a regional park.
Helvarg mentioned he was driving from San Rafael over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge earlier than the sale when he noticed the darkish silhouette of Level Molate within the fading night mild. He mentioned he started to think about the mule deer and butterflies taking shelter on land that nearly turned a on line casino or housing.
“Sometimes you save the Earth 400 acres at a time,” Halvarg mentioned.
