Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com, February 1, 2016
By: Sarah Tan
After years of lying abandoned and contaminated, Point Molate is one step closer to being clean. After an $11 million project removed over 200,000 tons of soil and six million gallons of contaminated water from the former U.S. Navy fuel storage depot there, part of the 320-acre peninsula may soon be ready for redevelopment.
Point Molate was used as a fuel depot from the early 1940s until 1998. The property was returned to the city in 2003, but it has taken separate cleaning efforts to clear petroleum chemicals from the soil and groundwater. In 2014, the Point Molate Beach Park reopened to the public, and last week, the city announced that the soil at the site known as the Winehaven Historic District has been cleaned.
“The toxic cleanup removes a major obstacle for future development and revitalization of the historic district,” Mayor Tom Butt said. “We are all interested in seeing new development on the site and now we have a clean foundation to work on. It’s a truly stunning and unique waterfront property.”
The 11-acre Winehaven district takes its name from its earlier use as a winery and the headquarters of the California Wine Association before it was closed during Prohibition in 1920. The property is home to 35 structures that are on state or federal historic registers.
Though the city has not yet decided what will be built on the site, they have said the soil has been cleared to meet a “multifamily residential standard.”