Park district stops short of taking waterfront property in Richmond

By John Geluardi
Wednesday, November 2, 2005

RICHMOND - Faced with a potential eminent domain action, the owners of 238 acres of undeveloped waterfront land known as the Breuner property have temporarily suspended plans to build more than 1,000 residential units there.

The architect for property owners Don and Lonne Carr said they have agreed to hold off on plans to build on the land in Richmond .

In turn, the East Bay Regional Park District board voted Tuesday to postpone any further eminent domain action for 30 days. During that time, the Carrs and park district officials are expected to try to work out an agreement.

The East Bay Regional Park District seeks to acquire the property and make it part of Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, preserving it as natural habitat for several endangered species.

The park district offered the Carrs $4.9 million for the property two months ago. The Carrs did not respond to the offer because it was too low, said their architect, Bryan Grunwald. The Carrs propose to build more than 1,000 units of townhouses and condominiums on the land. Some structures would be four stories high.

During the next 30 days, Grunwald said, the Carrs will try to persuade park district officials that the project offers a good balance between development and conservation.

"The park district hasn't even seen our plans, yet," he said. "We're offering three-quarters of the property for conservation and we'd make improvements to the Bay Trail and provide regular maintenance of the property."

But any development on the site would fragment the habitat, according to a recent park district report. Storm runoff from the buildings and roadways, the district says, would threaten endangered species in the wetlands and there would be substantial noise, light and pet impacts on wildlife in the area.

"You have to remember that much of that property is under water. They're talking about developing everything but a few acres of uplands," said Bob Doyle , a park district assistant general manager. "That would drastically alter the site."

The bayside property is immediately south of Point Pinole and includes 3,600 linear feet of shoreline. Approximately 133 acres consists of uplands, seasonal wetlands and tidal marsh. Another 105 acres is open water, mud flats and otherwise submerged land.

The property is habitat for special-status and protected species such as the salt-marsh harvest mouse, California clapper rail, California black rail, northern harrier and white-tailed kite.

Environmental and open space organizations have worked for years to have the property made into park land, said Norman La Force, the chair of the Sierra Club's East Bay public land's committee.

The property is adjacent to Parchester Village , established in the late 1940s. Parchester Village residents have worked for the past 50 years to have the property turned into a park, said neighborhood council president Whitney Dotson.

"We in Parchester Village have had a long and protracted history of organizing and fighting to protect this land," Dotson said. "The proposed acquisition of the Breuner property has an incredible amount of support not only in Parchester Village but throughout the region."

The Richmond City Council has gone on record supporting development on the property even though it is not zoned for residential development. In September, the council approved a resolution stating that Richmond already has enough parks and that existing parks are underutilized.

Contact John Geluardi at 510-262-2787 or at jgeluardi@cctimes.com .