'Heartening Promise' Found in a Massive East Bay Area Redevelopment Project

The city of Concord, home to 130,000 but often neglected in the public consciousness of the San Francisco Bay Area, could set new standards for master planning practices.

2 minute read

September 23, 2019, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Concord, California

Daniel Schwen / Wikimedia Commons

John King provides a detailed update on one of the largest mega-development projects in Northern California right now—the $6 billion plan to convert a former naval weapons station to a master planned community including 13,000 homes, BART access, and a new approach to integrating a mix of uses into a new community.

"The potential canvas" for the project, writes King, "is the Concord Naval Weapons Station, a vast terrain dotted with trees and dozens of partially concealed ammunition bunkers."

"The emerging vision would place 13,000 housing units in structures ranging from multistory apartments above shaded colonnades to single-family homes on snug village greens. A transit corridor flanked by bicycle lanes would extend the length of the 3.4-mile-long site. Office buildings would cluster near the BART station at one end — parting to make room for a paseo-like footpath leading up to a ridgeline park."

While the project has been in works for the entire decade, a full plan and a draft environmental report are expected this winter, according to King, with a City Council vote on the project not likely for another year after that.

More than just providing details news coverage of the project, King also lends an assessment, as the San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic, of the project's value to the city and the larger Bay Area. According to King, "in a region hobbled by the challenge of finding ways to add sizable amounts of housing in a manner that feels humane, the scenario in Concord offers heartening promise on a truly large scale."

In addition to the project's ability to deliver a large amount of housing in a supply constrained market, King also approves of how the planning and design details of the project are taking shape:

Plans at this stage often promise more than real life delivers. There’s no shortage of infill “placemaking” efforts in recent years that are hollow shells of their initial hype.

Nevertheless, it’s exciting to see a major firm focused on large-scale suburban futures — how to add density in a way that would take cues from its more settled surroundings while adding new layers to the scene.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019 in San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Sign in front of building for seior services center in St. Petersburg, Fl.

Florida Seniors Face Rising Homelessness Risk

High housing costs are pushing more seniors, many of them on a fixed income, into homelessness.

1 hour ago - WESH

Boston Red Line train with skyline in background.

Massachusetts Budget Helps Close MBTA Budget Gap

The budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes $470 million in MBTA funding for the next fiscal year.

2 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

View down center of street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee Launches Vision Zero Plan

Seven years after the city signed its Complete Streets Policy, the city is doubling down on its efforts to eliminate traffic deaths.

3 hours ago - Urban Milwaukee

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA