Vallejo turns focus to M.I.'s north end

Man, this is the same kind of article I've been reading for the last 30 years in the TH. It's frustrating. When the articles say things will happen "soon," or "within the coming months," or "when the environmental cleanup is complete," you should worry. Translation: Doubtful this will happen. Whittom's comments are troubling for me, coming from the manager's office. Without city resources to spare, how can we prepare the parcels for lease? Who would lease them in this economy? This is all false hope and pie-in-the sky stuff. Fairy Tales!

We all need to pay attention to any proposals regrading these prime real estate parcels. Do not let special interests who influence council members or city staff steal this land for $1.00. This is prime real estate and will command top dollar. Let's be good poker players this time around.

VHS wrote:

We all need to pay attention to any proposals regrading these prime real estate parcels. Do not let special interests who influence council members or city staff steal this land for $1.00. This is prime real estate and will command top dollar. Let's be good poker players this time around.

I would respectfully disagree with your etsimate that this is "prime real estate." Potentially, yes, but much of the island is in great need of clean up, refurbishment and infrastructure improvement, especially the roads. Kind of resembles a war zone out there, which--by extension--it was for much of it's existence.
It may worth revisiting the idea of an Indian casino out there. This would accomplish a lot of the goals such as infrastructure improvement, jobs and a quick and steady source of income for the city coffers. Many of the fears of casinos being crime magnets have not come to bear judging from those already operating in the vicinity.

if a casino were to be built out there, gomes would not have to go back to alco to ask them if they would move somewhere else, like she did when touro was hawking their campus and cancer center.
fish on!!

VJO_since_67 wrote:

<quoted text>
I would respectfully disagree with your etsimate that this is "prime real estate." Potentially, yes, but much of the island is in great need of clean up, refurbishment and infrastructure improvement, especially the roads. Kind of resembles a war zone out there, which--by extension--it was for much of it's existence.
It may worth revisiting the idea of an Indian casino out there. This would accomplish a lot of the goals such as infrastructure improvement, jobs and a quick and steady source of income for the city coffers. Many of the fears of casinos being crime magnets have not come to bear judging from those already operating in the vicinity.

Good points but remember. This is a poker game and we are WINNERS. WINNERS. WINNERS. Me must change our mindset here in Vallejo. That land is valuable and that's our final offer.

VJO_since_67 wrote:

<quoted text>
I would respectfully disagree with your etsimate that this is "prime real estate." Potentially, yes, but much of the island is in great need of clean up, refurbishment and infrastructure improvement, especially the roads. Kind of resembles a war zone out there, which--by extension--it was for much of it's existence.
It may worth revisiting the idea of an Indian casino out there. This would accomplish a lot of the goals such as infrastructure improvement, jobs and a quick and steady source of income for the city coffers. Many of the fears of casinos being crime magnets have not come to bear judging from those already operating in the vicinity.

as a lot of people, i worked there for years. the area to the north of the causeway is a great area to locate businesses such as a casino and toro. flat, easy access, could be leveled of old buildings. there are some service buildings to be delt with but overall, a good area for good access. road repair is no problem and could be delt with easily. the "war" zone is because of little or no maintainence. some of the wood structures on the north end were used to train firefighters and there gutted remains were left instead of totaling them out where the city would be required to clean up. by not totaling them out, no requirement to level. however, they are now an "attractive nouanse" and the city should be required to level and clean up the mess they made before some kids decide to play there and are injured. there is a lot of already mostly clear areas where little clean up prior to new building. some old structures would need to be removed but what is really needed is a plan (layout) of businesses and industry for the north end. alco could stay where it is and a new access road made for it by using the first street and making it go through. the old training building just inside the north gate should come down allowing a more clear, open area to enter the property. if done right, there could be a seperate enterance for alco.

No casino on Mare Island. They are sinkholes that produce nothing but trouble and low-paying, dead-end jobs. A casino, if the powers that be insist on giving a social vice & destroyer of families a place in this town, should put it over near Hiddenbrooke, with better & quicker access to I-80, and much closer to the riffraff from Fairfield & Vacaville who would frequent it. Mare Island is decidedly NOT a tourist destination or the Las Vegas Strip.

Furthermore, the best EXISTING facility for a casino is the old, dead, empty Ford dealership. A visible location very near I-80--and the building with ample parking is already standing.

There are only so many miles of coastline, folks, and we need to consider this prime property. VHS, you are absolutely correct. The fabulous views and the beautiful shoreline are more deserving of a resort than Alco. Alco has not been a friend to Vallejo. Has anyone else noticed that theft of metals has dropped dramatically since Alco has been required by law to change its materials acceptance procedures? They were deaf to community requests prior to that time.
Vote carefully, Vallejoans, as the next city council may have a profound impact on our future. Electing educated, forward-thinking individuals to represent us is crucial. The days of the amateur mayor and city council are over: we need caring citizens with professional qualifications to make these crucial recommendations. And we need informed and participatory citizens to speak up at council meetings, hearings, and town hall sessions.
Let us take charge of our future here in our beautiful city!

This thing from the City officials is a laugh. What Whittom isn't telling you is that when the idea of Touro taking over 200 acres of the northern part of Mare Island, the City terminated the leases of some commercial operations at the north end. So, in the end, Touro's project went into vapor and revenues that were being generated were ended, on purpose, by a stupid City management, so the City actually LOST revenues by its own hand.

This was like owning a house that you were renting to a tenant, then you decide to put the house on the market 6 months from now--and kicking out your tenants now. Then the 6 months passes, the housing market is down so you decide not to sell the house just yet--but you've also lost 6 months of rent. To quote Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does.

How much are we paying these people?!

This was exactly the same kind of stupidity that led to the City's profligate spending and bankruptcy,and it was perpetrated under the CURRENT City Council & Mayor.

Once again..big plans for everything EXCEPT what is need out there.
Stores, gas station, food service... maybe...things that support the housing and businesses already there.
Oh I also forgot...maybe a re-opened fire station

2 million cancer center? I think they meant 2 billion.

tramky wrote:

Furthermore, the best EXISTING facility for a casino is the old, dead, empty Ford dealership. A visible location very near I-80--and the building with ample parking is already standing.

I do not think so. The most that building could house is a Bingo parlor! It is tempting to get caught up in the hype of "easy money" through gambling, however I do not believe that is in our future. We have to attract businesses that are of benefit to all residents, and gambling is not one of them.

An article in the CCT of this morning reports that Solyndra, a solar panel and equipment maker, has signed a deal to rent 506,000 sq. feet in Fremont, with the possibility to employ up to 500 people. What an opportunity this would have been!

Our property should be cleared promtly so we are able to present the available expanse in its best light, not littered with delapidated buidings that would turn off anyone to even look at it. The proximity of the 37/80 corridor and the availability of rail most certainly is a plus. Yes, we had high hopes before that did not materialize and were demoralizing to say the least. Clearing this property so it can be presented favorably would be a great start!

Gran Torino wrote:

2 million cancer center? I think they meant 2 billion.

smoke and mirrors. sounded good and everyone took a bite! btw, where's the "sales staff" now?

GEE wrote:

<quoted text>
I do not think so. The most that building could house is a Bingo parlor! It is tempting to get caught up in the hype of "easy money" through gambling, however I do not believe that is in our future. We have to attract businesses that are of benefit to all residents, and gambling is not one of them.
An article in the CCT of this morning reports that Solyndra, a solar panel and equipment maker, has signed a deal to rent 506,000 sq. feet in Fremont, with the possibility to employ up to 500 people. What an opportunity this would have been!
Our property should be cleared promtly so we are able to present the available expanse in its best light, not littered with delapidated buidings that would turn off anyone to even look at it. The proximity of the 37/80 corridor and the availability of rail most certainly is a plus. Yes, we had high hopes before that did not materialize and were demoralizing to say the least. Clearing this property so it can be presented favorably would be a great start!

You will see a lot more of this as renewable energy/clean tech related economies grow quickly. Foreign photovoltaic panel manufacturers have been quick to realize that it is CHEAPER to bring their plants here than to import OUR silicon wafers, assemble panels, export panels, pay import/export duties, trans ocean shipment costs, fuel, etc.
As pointed out in the Touro presentations, the cost of driving deep piles to bedrock on the North end is considerable for a new building. But the land is ready now for a huge solar project that would use only concrete ballast beams to support arrays. South of G Street, there are plenty of vacant buildings for manufacturing, research, testing, and a host of other clean tech growth opportunities, not to mention EPA "brownfield" grants to reuse former industrial sites.
What needs a close look is the Franchise Agreement the city has with Island Energy. They own the distribution infrastructure everywhere on Mare Island. Ideally, it would be better to have PG&E be the power provider, in my opinion.

Giving Vallejo and its myopic leaders access to this prime real estate is tantamount to giving an alcoholic another drink, a druggie another fix. A casino is a bad idea, as crime and low lives will be attracted. Yhis is just anothe sceme to separate seniors from their social securioty checks.

As to Solar Vallejo's comment about PG&E, that's been tried before. PG&E won't touch Mare Island because it's too small and there isn't enough volume to justify the fixed expenses they would incur.
Island Energy has stepped up to electric grid upgrades on Mare Island in the last year or so. The bigger problem with energy on Mare Island is natural gas. The usage is so small on the island that transport costs are way above the norm.
The City of Vallejo MUST work on the north end of Mare Island. The reason the City was willing to sell 200 acres of the north island to Touro for $1 was that Touro was willing to take that land AS IS. Touro was going to then spend their money to demolish the buildings, install the infrastructure, fund in large part the re-routing of roads & all the rest--in short, to make the land usable.
With the Touro project vaporized the City may now have to spend its own money up front to make the land marketable & usable to commercial interests who would not be interested in handling all that stuff themselves. Sink money in the front end and hopefully recoup it at the back end when the land is leased or sold for commercial use. It's call INVESTING in the City.
One final thing, the U.S. Department of the Interior 'historic' designations that were established on Mare Island 30 years ago MUST be revisited and altered in major ways. Those designations are a hindrance to development and they also perpetuate blight on Mare Island like all the ugly concrete bomb shelters, especially those in Alden Park, which are disgraceful, ugly & dangerous. But it's much more than just the bomb shelters. A number of 'historic' buildings on the island should & must be demolished.

Marley wrote:

Giving Vallejo and its myopic leaders access to this prime real estate is tantamount to giving an alcoholic another drink, a druggie another fix. A casino is a bad idea, as crime and low lives will be attracted. Yhis is just anothe sceme to separate seniors from their social securioty checks.

You said, Crime and lowlife(s) will be attracted.... Vallejo is a poor to moderate income Blue Collar city with one of the highest per capita crime rates in the country along with the highest per capita parolee/convicted sex offender population in the Bay Area and a city that is now ranked number 7 in the United States for foreclosures. I think the horse left the barn a log time ago.

Your views on a casino impact are archaic. Look at the City of Roseville, California and educate yourself on what positive benefits and substantial tax revenue can be realized from a First Class casino destination.

www.meganslist.com
www.muninetguide.com
www.realtytrac.com
www.roseville.ca.gov

A casino with direct ferry service from SF, one of the top destinations for world travelers, would be great. How else are going to get people to come any where near the down town to spend money?

tramky wrote:

As to Solar Vallejo's comment about PG&E, that's been tried before. PG&E won't touch Mare Island because it's too small and there isn't enough volume to justify the fixed expenses they would incur.
Island Energy has stepped up to electric grid upgrades on Mare Island in the last year or so. The bigger problem with energy on Mare Island is natural gas. The usage is so small on the island that transport costs are way above the norm.
The City of Vallejo MUST work on the north end of Mare Island. The reason the City was willing to sell 200 acres of the north island to Touro for $1 was that Touro was willing to take that land AS IS. Touro was going to then spend their money to demolish the buildings, install the infrastructure, fund in large part the re-routing of roads & all the rest--in short, to make the land usable.
With the Touro project vaporized the City may now have to spend its own money up front to make the land marketable & usable to commercial interests who would not be interested in handling all that stuff themselves. Sink money in the front end and hopefully recoup it at the back end when the land is leased or sold for commercial use. It's call INVESTING in the City.
One final thing, the U.S. Department of the Interior 'historic' designations that were established on Mare Island 30 years ago MUST be revisited and altered in major ways. Those designations are a hindrance to development and they also perpetuate blight on Mare Island like all the ugly concrete bomb shelters, especially those in Alden Park, which are disgraceful, ugly & dangerous. But it's much more than just the bomb shelters. A number of 'historic' buildings on the island should & must be demolished.

pg&e already brings power to mare island, they just don't own the distribution infrastructure. plus they would have to buy electricity made at a solar farm. is this not correct?

tramky wrote:

No casino on Mare Island. They are sinkholes that produce nothing but trouble and low-paying, dead-end jobs. A casino, if the powers that be insist on giving a social vice & destroyer of families a place in this town, should put it over near Hiddenbrooke, with better & quicker access to I-80, and much closer to the riffraff from Fairfield & Vacaville who would frequent it. Mare Island is decidedly NOT a tourist destination or the Las Vegas Strip.
Furthermore, the best EXISTING facility for a casino is the old, dead, empty Ford dealership. A visible location very near I-80--and the building with ample parking is already standing.

I'll just say it....you are not the sharpest tool in the shed....A Casino is just what we need!!! As I posted before the proposal soon to be offered by an investment group projects 17 million per year for Vallejo!!! Let it come to Mare Island!!! I don't know what kind of Casino's you have gone to for you to speak so lowly of the patrons. I suggest you stay on the strip and out of the ghetto's when you go to Vegas and then maybe you can see what a real Casino has to offer.....games, food, entertainment and 4 - 5 star hotels and dining. A Casino would also increase the busy for the Ferry for those who want to come from the city....