SAUSALITO, CA—Commercial redevelopment opportunities on prime waterfront land in the Bay Area are rare, but a 1.7 acre bayside parcel is now available to developers. The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued a Request for Qualifications for a private sector development partner to redevelop the historic Machine Shop site at 25 Liberty Ship Way.

Responses to the RFQ are due September 29, 2017. Potential commercial uses for the property are numerous but include marina-oriented light industrial, office and retail space.

The site contains a 37,800-square-foot two-story building built in 1942 as part of the Marinship Shipyard, where vessels known as Liberty Ships were constructed during World War II. Decommissioned in 1946, the site was turned over to the War Assets Administration and subsequently to the US Army Corps of Engineers, which from 1950 to 1997, used it as its South Pacific Division Laboratory. The site has remained vacant since the laboratory closed in 1997.

“This is a unique opportunity for a qualified developer to partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a plan that will add a productive asset to the Sausalito community by repositioning a historic site with deep ties to Sausalito's maritime past,” said Paul Rau, senior realty specialist at Veterans Affairs.

In 2007, the Army Corps of Engineers entered into an agreement whereby the 1.7-acre parcel was transferred to Veterans Affairs, which now seeks to activate the site through a public private partnership with a development entity having the expertise to reposition the asset, GlobeSt.com learns. The site is zoned a public institutional district and is subject to the Marinship Overlay District, which is dedicated to preserving the area for Sausalito residents. In 2016, the structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Waterfront development opportunities of this type are few and far between in the Bay Area and this site now provides an excellent opportunity for a developer with the right vision,” Rau tells GlobeS.com.

Responses to the RFQ are due September 29, 2017. Potential commercial uses for the property are numerous but include marina-oriented light industrial, office and retail space.

Instant Insights /

Rare But True: Redevelopment Site Pops Up in North Bay

Related Stories

Recommended For You