- Beth M. Arman, Ph.D. (Senior Dean of Career and Community Partnership, Diablo Valley College)
In June, I attended one of Brookfield Properties’ community open houses to discuss plans for the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS). Later, telling colleagues about it, some of them were skeptical. While I understand the cynicism – given that there have been previous master developers selected who were not able to reach agreement with the Concord City Council and that the project timeline is so long – I was impressed with the work that has been done so far. In March 2024, the Concord City Council and Brookfield agreed on a term sheet with key deliverables. Since then, Brookfield has created a timeline for planning and zoning, which began in the spring of 2024 and goes through 2027. It includes multiple opportunities for community and industry engagement in open houses like the one I attended, as well as focused workshops on more specific topics. The construction timeline begins in 2028 and includes 5 phases of construction with 8 years/phase.
Preliminary Land Use Plan developed by Brookfield Properties, as seen at the Community Open House and at www.pioneerpublishers.com.
Especially exciting is a 120-acre demarcation for a “campus district,” which will be constructed as part of Phase 2A (2036-2040). This idea was part of the Blue-Ribbon Commission’s vision created in 2018-2019. Several current DVTI members participated in the Commission, and some DVTI member organizations had Commission representatives who have since retired or changed jobs. I encourage DVTI members to stay engaged with the planning process for CNWS. The campus district could become expanded or alternative space for higher education institutions already in our region, such as Diablo Valley College (DVC) and CSU East Bay’s Concord Center. It could become an opportunity for colleges and universities that are not currently in our region to establish a presence here. For example, graduates of DVC’s Industrial Design program sometimes end up leaving the area to continue their studies at CSU Long Beach. What if some of those classes could be offered here, reducing or eliminating students’ time away? The “campus district” could even become the site of a higher education consortium, potentially including both current institutions and those that are new to the region.
Adjacent to the proposed campus district is a large “innovation district,” which would be built in Phase 2B (2040-2044). I asked someone from Brookfield what was meant by an “innovation district,” he said that it was still to be determined. Again, there are real opportunities for DVTI to shape this process. Think of the amazing work happening at GoMentum Station and how it could expand. Perhaps the “campus district” would house not a traditional campus for traditional-age students, but a technical training center in which DVC and other institutions offer hands-on classes primarily for companies in the “innovation district,” like the partnership DVC currently has with Tesla in the Robotics Lab at the Pleasant Hill campus. This could be a great way to help companies already in the area grow, as well as to attract new companies to our region.
As opportunities arise to host more targeted community workshops, DVTI should consider hosting a workshop on the workforce and economic development opportunities inherent in Phase 2A and 2B of the redevelopment plan.
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