VALLEJO — A plan by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to build a two-story, glass-enclosed Restaurant and cultural center on a prime waterfront site in Vallejo and to assist the city in developing an adjacent park was abandoned.
The tribe acquired the lease for the old dental practice near the ferry terminal at 285 Mare Island Way in December 2019 and entered into a new 35-year lease with the city in December 2022. The agreement included a rent offset of up to $10 million for the tribe’s investment in the design and development of Independence Park.
But the tribe terminated the lease after the city granted it several extensions to conduct a “mandatory review,” which allowed the tribe to conduct studies on the physical and environmental conditions of the site to determine its suitability for development.
In recent months, some council members have been reluctant to grant repeated extensions. “For those who remember, we had a developer who 20 years of doing nothing on Mare Island Way,” said Vice Mayor Mina Loera-Diaz during a meeting in February.
Omar Carrillo, director of government affairs for Yocha Dehe Winton, said COVID-19 and economic disruptions have caused delays since 2019. He emphasized the tribe’s deep ties to the community, its work in Glen Cove and funding for programs like First 5, a county program that provides early childhood resources.
But during another city council meeting on May 14, the Wintun Nation decided to pull out of the project, citing the risks of rising sea levels.
“There are geotechnical issues at the site, including the need for a reinforced seawall to protect the site from future sea level rise, which contributed to their decision,” Deputy City Manager Gillian Haen said during the meeting. “The Yocha Dehe Tribal Council has communicated their desire to continue to seek a suitable site for future project collaboration with the city.”
Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts said in a statement, “Yocha Dehe is dedicated to exploring new opportunities for the tribe and the City of Vallejo to work together to contribute to the region’s economy and positively impact the quality of life of the city’s residents. This includes funding scholarships for high school students attending local universities and other programs such as the Vallejo First 5 Center.”
The Wintun Nation’s withdrawal from the project came after it attempted to block a separate development project by another tribe, one Casino proposed by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indiansarguing that the Wintun Nation had a much greater historical claim to the land and that the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs had excluded them from the decision-making process.
With the Wintun Nation withdrawing from waterfront development, funding for the revitalization of Independence Park directly south of the site is now uncertain.
Plans to develop Independence Park date back to December 2015, when Vallejo residents voted to spend $395,000 Participatory budget Funding for a Waterfront History Arts Park and “transforming the desolate, unpaved waterfront property into a relaxing, entertaining, environmentally friendly and family-friendly gathering place for special celebrations, community arts and creative educational opportunities.”
The City Council postponed spending the funds to consider a proposal from artist Mario Chiodo and PGADesign architect Chris Kent. Chiodo’s proposal called for developing the park north of the Ferry Building, now called the Barbara Kondylis Waterfront Green.
The first recording of the community in Chiodo’s plan was divided, many were in favor, but several people from the local art scene opposed his plans to renovate the park with his own imposing 19th In their opinion, the 19th-century style statues excluded the public view and did not represent the local art scene.
Chiodo and Kent returned to the City Council in September 2016 with a revised master plan This satisfied most of its earlier critics. It preserved open space in the northern park area for recreational purposes and made provisions to accommodate artwork by local artists.
The Vallejo Design Review Board approved the general concept of the plan in December 2016, with the condition that the details of the artistic design be submitted for approval.
According to the city of Vallejo websiteChiodo and Kent launched a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $2.5 million to supplement the $395,000 in participatory budget funds.
On September 9, 2018, Vallejo City staff submitted a request to the Vallejo Design Review Board to adopt an amended plan to build a fitness court and maze in Independence Park.
However, several board members expressed their displeasure at being excluded from the design process. They felt they were being asked to approve a project with very little information. They rejected the project and requested a more comprehensive update.
A month later, the city of Vallejo participated in a Agreement with Gates & Associates, Inc.and explained that fundraising for Chiodo’s bill had stalled due to “natural disasters, humanitarian priorities, etc.”
The city estimated that planning and building the park would cost about $6 to $8 million.
In December 2019, the city reached an agreement with the Wintun Nation to provide up to $10 million for the development of Independence Park. Now that the agreement has been withdrawn, the city is once again scrambling for funds.
The city has submitted an application for Inflation Reduction Act: Subsidy for urban and municipal forestry for up to $1,734,070, which Haen said will be used for landscaping of the Barbara Kondylis Waterfront Green and Independence Park.
“The city was responsible for developing the park but did not have the resources to fully plan and build it,” Haen, the deputy city manager, told the Vallejo Sun. “Now we are back at that point.”
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