Fierce arguments have ensued over the proposed development of the former Naval Air Station at California’s Alameda Point. The Navy left the site over a decade ago, and developers want to use the property to create apartments, condos, golf courses, and other improvements. But environmentalists argue that the extent of the contamination at the site make it a less-than-ideal candidate for development until it has been cleaned up.

Now a ballot issue will help to decide the future of the site. Measure B would create a one-time exemption to the city’s 1973 ban on multi-unit housing, allowing development at the site to move forward. The issue is controversial.

"Measure B would be an enormous catastrophe for Alameda," said Dave Needle, a local who opposes the initiative. "Without a doubt, this will cost the city money."

The development plans for the 1,500-acre Superfund site at Alameda Point do have some supporters, however. "This isn’t the perfect process, but we believe it will lead to a good outcome: a vibrant, mixed-use community," said Jeremy Madsen, director of Greenbelt Alliance.

"If we let this opportunity pass us by, it could be decades before anything happens out there. We simply don’t have that much time."

Alameda Point is known to be contaminated with benzene, asbestos, PCBs, lead and other hazardous materials. Exposure to asbestos alone is known to cause a variety of cancers, including mesothelioma, which may affect the lungs or other organs. Mesothelioma can kill within weeks or months of being diagnosed in some cases.

Alameda Councilwoman Lena Tam supports Measure B, arguing that the site’s contamination is too vast for the city to tackle without assistance. "It’s a ticking time bomb," said Tam.

"Clearly the city is not in a financial position to repair the rapidly decaying infrastructure out there. We’re going to need to leverage private funds."

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