After months of negotiations, developer Tim Lewis Communities (TLC) has agreed to drop any plans to build housing at Crab Cove. On November 19, 2014, TLC withdrew its development application from the City of Alameda.
At the urging of Mayor Marie Gilmore, TLC pursued a resolution with the Federal Government which resulted in TLC giving up its interest in the property. “It was a long process, but it ultimately yielded a result that was in the best interest of the residents of Alameda, said Mayor Marie Gilmore.” I appreciate the steps TLC took to resolve this issue.”
In 2012, TLC won the auction to purchase the Crab Cove property from the federal government. The East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD) was a losing bidder. Several months later the City zoned the site for residential use. One month after that, the EBRPD sued the City of Alameda over the zoning decision.
Although TLC won the auction for the property, they were unprepared for the community’s opposition to their plan to build housing on the site. That opposition culminated in the City Council’s rezoning of the site to open space in July of 2014.
Crab Cove remains the property of the Federal Government, and they have sued the State of California and the EBRPD over ownership of MacKay Avenue which provides access to the site. The City Council’s decision to rezone the property to open space in July and the recent action by TLC effectively removes the City and TLC from this ongoing dispute.
