Return to Goal 3. Regain Environmental Health and Safety

Breuner Marsh Owner Rebuffs Park District,
Seeks New Developer

Courtesy of the
Newspaper of the San Francisco Bay Chapter
May-June 2004 issue

Last year one developer gave up plans for building on Breuner Marsh, but now another is back - with an even larger project.

The Breuner property, adjacent to Point Pinole Regional Park in unincorporated North Richmond, contains one of the largest remaining undeveloped marshes in the northern section of the East Bay, along with the largest remaining intact coastal upland prairie in the entire Bay Area. Together they form one of the last remaining contiguous marsh and coastal-prairie ecosystems we have left in the Bay Area.

These lands are also remarkable because of their deep connection with Parchester Village, the first African-American subdivision in California, which borders the marsh. In 1948, when restrictive covenants were still used to keep people of color out of a community and from owning their own homes, Fred Parr, a white property owner, created a subdivision here where African-Americans could buy their own homes.

The city of Richmond promised the first residents that it would maintain the adjacent wetland as open space and eventually develop a shoreline park, but has never come through.

Over the years, however, the people of Parchester Village have used the Breuner property as a de-facto park. Children could play among the vegetation, and all ages used the little pier for fishing. The marsh is woven into the fabric of the community as part of its heritage and a legacy for future generations.

A coalition of community groups, including the Sierra Club, has fought off prior development proposals. The East Bay Regional Park District wants to acquire the property for inclusion in Point Pinole Regional Park, and money is available from the Prop 50 park bond.

The owner, though, has rebuffed the Park District and has apparently optioned the property to yet another developer, Lomas Development LLC. The previous proposal would have developed 40 acres; the new one would include 60. The developer also wants to change the zoning designation from light industrial to residential. Once again we will need to stop this proposal and convince the owner to rethink and to sell to the Park District.

What You Can Do

To help in this effort, contact Jonna Papaefthimiou at (510) 848-0800, ext. 312, or: jonna@sfbaysc.org

Norman La Force, chair, East Bay Public Lands Committee

© 2004 San Francisco Sierra Club Yodeler