Future of Massive S.F. Bay Area Housing Project Uncertain Due to Labor Dispute

The $6 billion redevelopment project at the Concord Naval Weapons Station has stalled over labor issues.

1 minute read

January 22, 2020, 8:00 AM PST

By Camille Fink


Concord Naval Weapons Station

Greenbelt Alliance / Flickr

"A high-stakes dispute between unions and the developer of the Concord Naval Weapons Station is threatening to derail the [San Francisco] Bay Area’s biggest housing project, a 13,000-unit redevelopment of the former military base in Contra Costa County," reports J.K. Dineen.

Building trades unions want all of the project’s construction work done by union members. "The developers said that agreeing to an all-union job site would make the project infeasible, raising construction costs by $542 million and cutting profits from 17% to a loss," reports Dineen.

The planned labor agreement issue was not resolved during public hearings earlier this month, and the Concord City Council ordered the two sides to return to the negotiating table.

"At the heart of the debate was whether the developers had promised a comprehensive agreement in 2016 when they were picked for the development. Labor representatives said that [Kofi] Bonner [of FivePoint] seemed to agree to an all-union project at that time," notes Dineen.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020 in San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Bird's eye view of large apartment complex under construction next to four-lane road near Atlanta, Georgia.

How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years

The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.

April 9, 2025 - Governing

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

3 hours ago - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

4 hours ago - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

5 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive