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Another view from Oalkand Tribune
Author: J
Date: 01-19-2011 - 11:20
Excerpt:
Now, rail-phobia has spread to the East Bay, where Fremont city officials are staring down the throat of a gift horse from Union Pacific.
Last week, we reported that Union Pacific Railroad Co. has bought 160 acres next to the former NUMMI auto plant in Fremont. That represents about half the empty land surrounding the 5 million square foot factory that was closed, killing off 4,000 jobs. City reaction to the sale was about as warm as an icicle.
"It's terrible," Mayor Bob Wasserman said. "That really destroys a lot of plans or potential plans."
Wasserman and other city officials went as far as to say that they would be looking into the legal sale, intimating they might try to derail the railroad company's industrial investment that would be compatible with current zoning.
Considering the city has no money or buyer, one has to wonder why Fremont won't embrace the economic infusion into the dead space. Rather, it clings to far-fetched "plans" such as building a baseball stadium for the Oakland A's or developing 2,000 homes in the wake of the worst housing crisis in the state's history.
"We plan to develop the property at an undetermined point in the future to provide service for our freight rail customers," said Aaron Hunt, a Union Pacific spokesman. "In California, we do a lot of intermodal, a lot of agricultural business, a fair amount of automotive."
An intermodal transportation complex at the NUMMI site would bring stable jobs and steady economic impact to Fremont for a long time. Let's not send this opportunity packing to Bakersfield.
[www.insidebayarea.com]
Now, rail-phobia has spread to the East Bay, where Fremont city officials are staring down the throat of a gift horse from Union Pacific.
Last week, we reported that Union Pacific Railroad Co. has bought 160 acres next to the former NUMMI auto plant in Fremont. That represents about half the empty land surrounding the 5 million square foot factory that was closed, killing off 4,000 jobs. City reaction to the sale was about as warm as an icicle.
"It's terrible," Mayor Bob Wasserman said. "That really destroys a lot of plans or potential plans."
Wasserman and other city officials went as far as to say that they would be looking into the legal sale, intimating they might try to derail the railroad company's industrial investment that would be compatible with current zoning.
Considering the city has no money or buyer, one has to wonder why Fremont won't embrace the economic infusion into the dead space. Rather, it clings to far-fetched "plans" such as building a baseball stadium for the Oakland A's or developing 2,000 homes in the wake of the worst housing crisis in the state's history.
"We plan to develop the property at an undetermined point in the future to provide service for our freight rail customers," said Aaron Hunt, a Union Pacific spokesman. "In California, we do a lot of intermodal, a lot of agricultural business, a fair amount of automotive."
An intermodal transportation complex at the NUMMI site would bring stable jobs and steady economic impact to Fremont for a long time. Let's not send this opportunity packing to Bakersfield.
[www.insidebayarea.com]
