Two empty housing developments are at the center of a possible venture for Concord as officials meet to discuss the possibility of purchasing the site near the Concord Naval Weapons Station for future housing. 

Per the East Bay Times, the Coast Guard, who acquired the property from the Navy in 2008, is open to negotiating at fair market value. Concord would need to partner with a developer willing to fund the project with the requirement that 25 percent of housing be affordable, the same standard set for the reuse project on the former Navy base.

The site is located near the Holbrook Heights neighborhood across the Willow Pass Community Park and neighboring the parking lot at the North Concord Bart Station. The 58-acre development contains two neighborhoods, Victory Village and Quinault Village — named after an unfortunate explosion on the World War II ship in Concord’s Port Chicago Naval Magazine. 

Quinault Village’s 41 low-rise duplexes built in the 1950s weren’t built to code, have asbestos issues, and lead paint. If they can be renovated, they offer units that contain two to three bedrooms as well as a small community building and playground. 

Victory Village, built in the 1980s, has 82 triplexes with larger floor plans offering three or four bedrooms and also includes a basketball court and playground. It is unknown if future plans would include renovations of the existing housing units or a complete demolition based on the issues with Quinault Village.

If the city passes on the opportunity to negotiate, the Coast Guard could sell the property at auction. More will be revealed when we learn about the results of the meeting and decision of the Concord Housing and Economic Development Committee.