RICHMOND - The fate of Point Molate on Richmond's waterfront, presented alternatively as an environmental gem, an abandoned fuel depot and a verdant promise for economic development, hung in the balance with the City Council poised to choose between two proposals Tuesday.

Upstream Point Molate, a partnership including Harrah's and the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians, wants to build an expansive casino/resort on the 354-acre site with views of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

ChevronTexaco, which owns the land surrounding Point Molate, wants a regional park with some light industrial development as a security buffer for its nearby refinery.

The council and the overflow crowd clearly favored the Upstream proposal.

"To a great degree, Richmond is a sick patient," said resident Jeffrey Wright. "We've got a patient with lung disease, hacking, wheezing. Upstream has come up with a proposal that is a potent antibiotic. Chevron gave you Lipton soup. When that proved inadequate, they came back and gave you a bottle of Robitussen."

In fact, the city could risk forfeiting the land to the Navy if it opts for the Chevron proposal, which does not offer a plan for economic development, said former city project manager Rod Satre.

Point Molate is all that adherents to the various scenarios say: The waterfront parcel offers woodlands and marshes, but has been trussed with pipeline, pavement and pilings. Two toxic pools remain at its center, awaiting cleanup by whomever buys the land.

Last month, the council voiced uniform enthusiasm for development and jobs offered by Upstream, but agreed to consider the ChevronTexaco proposal. Interim City Manager Phil Batchelor said too many questions remained unanswered, and the decision was delayed.

Since then, backers of both proposals have urged residents to pressure their leaders through full-page ads, including photos that show the waterfront land at its most bucolic.

The city, buoyed by a recent Contra Costa County Superior Court ruling, has looked to the former Navy fuel depot for a project that offers tax dollars and jobs while appeasing open space advocates.

ChevronTexaco, its immediate neighbor, would infuse the city with cash up front, and use the land primarily as a security buffer. Upstream's lavish hotel/casino complex promises the possibility of new revenue streams.

"The newspaper ads placed by both ChevronTexaco and Upstream are very misleading regarding open space and trails," said Bruce Beyeart, chairman of the Trails for Richmond Action Committee. "Both should be asked to improve their offers with regard to the Bay Trail and public parks on the entire peninsula."

Upstream agreed to build a 33-acre shoreline park, but a resort hotel would extend so far out toward the shore that the Bay Trail would pass through one of the building's wings.

Chevron would not bear the entire cost of building a shoreline park or the section of the Bay Trail. Nor would the oil giant allow public access onto the remainder of the open space.

Many residents and organizations have urged the council to hold off until the perfect proposal shows up -- but there's little agreement at this point over what that would be.

Chevron owns all the land surrounding Point Molate and has long coveted the parcel.

Attorneys consulting on proposed Indian casinos have advised the county that the chances of any casino passing all the legal obstacles in its path are less than 50 percent.

If the casino is not possible, Upstream has proposed 800 units of multi-family housing alongside the resort and hotel.

Critics say the city is falling into an old pattern of giving away prime land for relatively little. A more realistic sales price would be in the neighborhood of $300 million, says the Rev. Henry Williams.