The Reuse Plan
Introduction
The Concord Community Reuse Project Reuse Plan articulated the community's preferred vision for the land uses and development program to convert the Inland Area of the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) to civilian use. Through extensive community participation, site analysis and studies, and the environmental review process, the City developed and evaluated a range of alternatives for the future of the CNWS. This page describes the process of creating the Reuse Plan and its successor, the Area Plan.Through over a year of community outreach, seven alternatives were developed and evaluated in a programmatic EIR to:
- Determine how well they feasibly attain the objective of converting the site to civilian uses
- Identify the significant adverse environmental effects that may result from the conversion of the site to civilian uses
- Identify ways to avoid or substantially lessen significant adverse environmental effects, and provide a comparative analysis of the environmental effects.
Goals & Guiding Principles
Beginning in April 2006, the City, in concert with the community, developed a Planning Framework consisting of a series of Goals and Guiding Principles to frame the development of the Reuse Plan. The Planning Framework was adopted by the City Council in August 2006. All of the alternative concepts reflect the Goals and Guiding Principles and, in particular, four overarching goals:- World Class Project
- A Balanced Approach
- Economically Viable and Sustainable Development
- Quality of Life
Community & Stakeholder Input
The Reuse Plan was developed through extensive community input, starting with the selection and seating of the Community Advisory Council (CAC) in December 2006. Following this, four community workshops were conducted in 2007:- March 17, 2007, "Get the Facts" - an informational open house
- April 21, 2007, "Applying the Goals and Guiding Principles" - an interactive public workshop
- June 16, 2007, "Balancing the Land Use Mix" - an interactive public workshop
- August 4, 2007 and September 11, 2007 "Presentation to the City Council" - addressing key issues
Over 600 people attended and participated in these workshops. Members of the CAC previewed the workshop materials, assisted in planning these workshops, and also attended and actively participated in them.
Additionally, special focused workshops and tours were held for different groups and stakeholders:
Additionally, special focused workshops and tours were held for different groups and stakeholders:
- March 30, 2007 and April 2, 2007: Homeless services, affordable housing providers, and other entities interested in public benefit conveyance. See the Document Library for more information on organizations and programs expressing interest.
- August 15, 2007: Joint meeting for the City of Concord Planning Commission and Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission
- Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) focused on Transportation, Education, and Parks, Recreation, and Open Space met and provided input into the reuse planning process
Evaluation & Selection of Alternatives
The seven alternatives reflected different types of development and site organization. The alternatives were evaluated for environmental impacts and presented at the public workshops. Following this process, two refined alternatives (called the Clustered Villages Alternative and the Concentration and Conservation Alternative) were developed in response to public comments, the environmental review process, and the findings of a sustainability evaluation.Ultimately, this process led to the selection of a preferred alternative: Clustered Villages. In 2010, the City Council, sitting as the Local Reuse Authority, certified the Final Reuse Plan Environmental Impact Report and approved the Final Reuse Plan, incorporating the Clustered Villages alternative.