PRNC voices concerns about pollution at proposed Terminal One development

   POINT RICHMOND - The Point Richmond Neighborhood Council this week voiced serious concerns about pollution - and likely "inadequate" remediation efforts - at the proposed Terminal One residential project adjacent to Miller-Knox Regional Park and the Richmond Yacht Club.
     In a letter to the Richmond City Council, PRNC President Peter Thelin outlined a series of PRNC member concerns prompted by a presentation earlier in the month by Brian Lewis of the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development (BCARD).

Aerial view of Terminal One location

     "We are concerned about potential discharges to the Bay and adjacent property; about protecting eel grass used by herring to spawn; and most particularly, about the safety to residents and public using this land in the future," Thelin wrote on behalf of the entire PRNC.
     "We have only one remaining chance to clean up this property correctly," he noted.
Thelin's letter came in the wake of a vote by the PRNC Dec. 3 to support the technical recommendations of the consultants to BCARD who have been studying the polluted site.
     Many of the recommendations, comments and findings of those consultants were outlined by Lewis at the meeting including concerns that Trichloroethylene (TCE) will remain at the site.
     "These findings strongly indicated the Remedial Design is inadequate to protect the Bay or adjacent RYC property," Thelin's letter to the council states.
     The Terminal One site is proposed by the Laconia Corporation of Walnut Creek to construct a 316-unit residential development on the former industrial site. It would include a combination of buildings including multi-story condominiums and single family bayside homes.
     A public waterfront park is also part of the project, though current plans show no public parking along the shoreline.
     The City of Richmond is also weighing whether to dip into city funds to help with increased costs of the Terminal One project.
     The funds would be used to help cover developer costs for handling seismic hazards, improvements to the Ferry Point Lift Station and development of the promised park.
     Last summer the proposed allocation of city funds included:

by Michael J. Fitzgerald, The Point

Reports on trains in Miller-Knox, Terminal One project on PRNC agenda Wednesday

   POINT RICHMOND - The Point Richmond Neighborhood Council will hear reports on BNSF railroad's plans to run trains along the shoreline of Miller-Knox Regional Park and an update on the Dornan Drive-Brickyard Cover Road Terminal One housing project Wednesday.
     The PRNC meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center in Point Richmond and is open to the public.
     The BNSF train update will be provided by Eric Zell and is set to begin at about 7:50 p.m.
     The PRNC's last update on the ongoing trains-in-the-park situation was in July.
     The update on Terminal One will be from Brian Lewis and Jeff Vines of the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development (BCARD).  The presentation by the BCARD members should begin about 8:15 p.m.
     The BCARD presentation will likely include comments about the proposed lack of public parking alone the shoreline of the development, information on ongoing attempts to clean up the toxic areas of the site and City of Richmond plans to help fund certain portions of the project.

Citizens' group opposes Richmond City Council funding for Terminal One

   A citizens' group has asked the Richmond City Council to vote "no" tonight on a resolution giving additional funds for the development of the Terminal One project.
     The city council meeting dealing with giving additional funds for Terminal One begins at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers at 440 Civic Center Plaza.
     The meeting is open to the public.
     The item on the agenda is H-1 and reads:

H-1. ADOPT a resolution approving the Successor Agency to the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency's amendment to the Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule to address increased costs for remediation and demolition work at 1500 Dornan Drive - Successor Agency to the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency

 (Lina Velasco 620-6706).

     A letter from the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development (BCARD) says giving monies to developer Laconia as described in the resolution is not a correct use of the funds.

"Laconia wants to use the remediation funds to help tear down the building and to abate the asbestos in the building. However, these remediation funds were intended to be used by the City to Clean up the groundwater and soil contamination caused by the tenants of the property. Actual removal of the building is the responsibility of the developer and why the property was discounted," the letter states.

   The letter also points out that most of the $8 million received by the city to clean up the chemical pollution and toxic wastes on the former industrial site has been spent.

"This is a bait and switch tactic being used by the developer. We ask the City Council to vote No on this resolution and future attempts by the developer to shift the cost to the City or use additional park or sewer funds for improvements the developer committed to pay."

     The future shifting of costs referred to by BCARD was a proposal earlier this summer for the city to use public monies from several city sources - including funds collected from other developers - to help with increased developer costs at Terminal One - now being referred to as the Latitude Project at Terminal One.

   That proposal - expected to be taken up in the future - includes: