SunCal plans Dublin land deal
SunCal Cos. is close to finalizing a land exchange deal with the U.S. Army for 180 acres in Dublin known as Camp Parks.
The Irvine-based developer was selected two years ago through a request for proposals to build facilities for the Army in exchange for the land, which will likely become a residential neighborhood in the center of the East Bay city.
Joe Guerra, land acquisition manager for SunCal, said the developer plans to build six facilities on the base, which is used to train reservists.
The facilities include a medical training building, a training center for 600 people, public works facility and maintenance facilities as well as infrastructure improvements.
The construction will likely wrap up in 18 months, Guerra said, but the exchange deal for the 180 acres could close in the next two to three months. In the meantime, SunCal is ready to move forward on entitling the land with the City of Dublin.
The first step is to amend the city’s general plan, establish zoning and complete an environmental review. The city has already outlined a plan to build 1,600 units of housing, 200,000 square feet of retail, and 200,000 square feet of other commercial space such as office and hotel.
Guerra said all the approvals could be in place within two years.
Compared with some of its Tri-Valley neighbors, Dublin still has substantial space for new housing developments.
“Camp Parks bisects the city, so developing this area will bring together the east and west side of the city, where it would make sense to have a mix of housing types,” said Linda Maurer, Dublin’s economic development director.
The area slated for the private development sits near the interchange of Interstates 580 and 680 and is on relatively flat land. Another plus for SunCal, Guerra said, is the city’s support.
“The city staff, mayor and council want this developed,” he said. “At some level, that’s more important than the physical characteristics.”
Just a few weeks ago, SunCal was ousted as the master developer of Alameda Point, a former naval base in Alameda amid strong opposition from residents to the developer’s proposal.
The developer also has two stalled projects in the Bay Area at the site of the former Oak Knoll naval hospital in Oakland and a residential development in Bethel Island.
Both of those had been funded by Lehman Brothers, which declared bankruptcy in 2008. SunCal spokesman Joe Aguirre said those projects won’t move forward until Lehman’s bankruptcy proceedings conclude.
SunCal’s projects are each set up as independent business entities and do not influence each other, Guerra said.
