Development Threats to the Newark Area 4 Baylands
For more than 30 years, local residents and conservation organizations have worked to permanently protect Newark’s wetlands and baylands from development. These lands now face their greatest threat as two different developers have proposed projects that would pave over these valuable baylands to build a combined 600+ housing units on lands that are currently within a flood zone, at risk of sea level rise, and prioritized for restoration and permanent protection as part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Below we provide details on both development threats.
Sanctuary West: Destroying the Heart of Newark’s Baylands for 400+ “Executive Homes”
The “Sanctuary West” project, by developer Newark Partners LLC, proposes to pave over the heart of the Newark Area 4 baylands – trucking in 1.67 million cubic yards of fill (100,000 truckloads) to raise the elevation of this currently undeveloped open-space out of the flood zone, constructing over 400 single-family, detached “executive” houses on a series of six elevated islands, surrounded by wetlands.
Intentionally constructed to minimize oversight by regulatory agencies, this sprawling development proposal avoids development of mapped wetland areas, but instead develops all of the uplands in Area 4 — fragmenting and degrading existing wetlands, and developing the valuable upland areas that tidal wetlands will need to migrate inland as sea levels rise in the coming decades.
This proposed development would include:
- 400+ market-rate, single family detached houses, ranging in size from 2,300 to 3,600 square feet, connected by a private roadway
- 0 designated affordable units
- 1,674,650 cubic yards of fill (enough to fill 100,000 truckloads) to raise the elevation of the site 15 feet NGVD
- Extension of Stevenson Blvd, with an overpass of the busy Union Pacific railroad tracks, to act as the only entrance in and out of the site
- 2,739 on-street and off-street parking spaces for future commuters, with zero proposed new public transit improvements
- Rip-rap boulders surrounding the entire development to brace the new community from flooding and sea level rise
- Just 4.7 acres of parks, out of a 96.5 acre overall project footprint, privately maintained by a Homeowners Association
Mowry Village – Replacing Future Parkland with 200+ Housing Units at the Pick-n-Pull Site
A second proposal by developer Integral Communities would redevelop the current Pick-n- Pull auto yard at the end of Mowry Ave. It may at first seem benign to replace an auto wrecking yard, however this 29-acre site is surrounded on three sides by wetlands and open space, and has been planned – and zoned – for future parks. By developing this site, the City of Newark is giving away future parkland, putting more residents in a flood zone at risk of sea level rise, and sprawling Newark’s development onto its baylands, significantly harming the ability to utilize Newark’s baylands to promote the climate resilience of Newark and San Francisco Bay.
Under the auto yard’s Conditional Use Permit with the City of Newark, the City of Newark has the ability to force the the owners to close down and clean-up the site when their permit ends. Rather than developing the property, the City of Newark should prioritize supporting the clean-up and restoration of the Pick-n-Pull site for open space and climate resilience adaptation.
This proposed development would include:
- 196 market-rate single family housing units
- A 30-unit affordable housing apartment complex squeezed into the northeastern corner of the site closest to the railroad tracks
- 252,000 cubic yards of fill (enough to fill 18,000 truck loads) to raise the site out of the flood zone
- A car-centric development with 962 parking spaces, and more than 2,000 daily car trips (50% more car trips than Newark’s average), zero on-site access to public transportation
- Just one roadway in and out (Mowry Avenue), which will not be elevated in instances of flooding and an at-grade railroad crossing anticipated to be blocked approximately 30 times a day by train crossings
- Less than 1 acre of common open space, privately maintained by a Homeowners Association
Housing or Parks and Wetlands? A False Choice
There is no question that our region needs more housing, however, Newark should not build housing in a flood zone, in an area that will be vulnerable to rising sea levels and groundwater levels. The majority of Area 4 has long been prioritized to be added to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Newark and other SF Bay shoreline communities should focus their growth within existing urbanized areas, near existing shops, transit and schools as our partners and housing advocates Greenbelt Alliance and East Bay for Everyone have emphasized.
In fact, Newark’s recently approved Housing Element – which does not include the Mowry Village project – demonstrates that Newark can meet its housing goals without paving over our baylands.
Join San Francisco Bay advocates, climate experts & the Newark and Bay Area community – sign the petition Save Newark Wetlands! Join us in opposing the proposed development of Newark Area 4 and instead protecting, restoring and including these lands in the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge!