Antioch Economic Development Update: Auto processing company locates at 108-acre site

CDC’s property on Wilbur Avenue in Antioch, the site of AMPCOR’s new operations. photo courtesy of CDC.

Also, Autozone to open in former Delta Fresh Foods location

According to Antioch City Manager Steve Duran’s Weekly Report dated Feb. 10, 2017, an 108-acre site in Antioch on 2101-2603 Wilbur Avenue has been leased to AMPORTS. In August of 2016 the industrial waterfront site in Antioch, California formerly known as the Gaylord Container/Forestar site with access to deep water port/wharf was purchased for $7 million by Commercial Development Company Inc. (CDC), a company out of St. Louis and a leading North American commercial real estate and brownfield redevelopment company.

AMPORTS is a leader in the global automotive service industry for over 50 years of experience. With multiple locations in the United States and Mexico, AMPORTS is one of the largest auto processors in North America. Nearby they operate at the Port of Benicia in the Benicia Industrial Park, where AMPORTS facility covers 640 acres.

AMPORTS is expanding their automotive logistics services to Antioch. The site in Antioch will be used to process vehicles, inspect, and detail before they go to various dealerships. AMPORTS anticipates creating about 50 direct local jobs for their operations and are pleased with the business friendly welcoming the City of Antioch has offered with getting their business up and running.

The paper mill was retired and demolished in 2002. Since closing, environmental impact from past operations has limited redevelopment options. CDC’s remediation plans give fresh potential to redevelop this attractive waterfront industrial site.

In addition to selling surplus real estate to CDC, this transaction enabled Forestar Group to transfer environmental obligations to Environmental Liability Transfer, Inc. (ELT), an affiliate of CDC.  ELT assumed responsibility for legacy environmental liabilities associated with the site and its former operators.

EnviroAnalytics Group (EAG), another CDC affiliate, will work with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to oversee ongoing remedial activities, including environmental monitoring, to bring the site to regulatory closure. Successful environmental clean-up will reposition this site for port and industrial re-use and stimulate new construction and jobs.

Throughout the remediation process, CDC will be performing land studies, market assessments, and meeting with community stakeholders to determine the highest and best use for this site going forward.

This site is zoned heavy industrial and has a pier on the San Joaquin River to support international shipping, as well as nearby rail. With excellent access to Hwy 4 and the San Joaquin River, this 108 acre site is among the largest deep water sites in the East Bay region and can support logistical and industrial users. The site also has 2000 feet of Wilbur Avenue frontage and is near the new Antioch BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station scheduled to open this year.

“We are excited to expand our redevelopment efforts into the East Bay region” said Steve Collins, Executive Vice President at Commercial Development Company, Inc., “Our acquisition of this deep-water industrial port is the first step to repurposing this strategic property. The Antioch market is poised for economic rebirth and CDC is pleased to bring this site to market.”

To learn more about Amports visit www.amports.com. To learn more about CDC visit www.cdcco.com.

AutoZone

In addition, Duran reports that AutoZone anticipates taking over a 13,860 square foot store, formerly Delta Fresh Foods, located at 4036 Lone Tree Way. Renovations and permitting are in progress.


the attachments to this post:


AMPCOR Site


10 Comments to “Antioch Economic Development Update: Auto processing company locates at 108-acre site”

  1. skip says:

    “The site in Antioch will be used to process vehicles, inspect, and detail before they go to various dealerships.”

    If this is true, why is every single one of the cars parked on their lot a recalled VW? Don’t those have terrible pollution emissions or something and can’t be resold to the dealer? At least be honest with us if you’re going to try to spin what it is that you do.

    What kind of environmental report was done before they decided to start shipping in cars non-stop? It certainly has impacted traffic on Wilbur. The construction in front of their lot doesn’t help any either, is that also because of them? How long until they stop shipping them in 24/7? Are there any risks to Antioch residents from the VWs that they are parking there? When the CRT recyclers take in TVs they get a commission and now there are abandon warehouses full of them. If their business model is to take a fee for cars that cannot be sold, what guarantees do we have that the cars won’t end up parked there forever forcing the city to remove toxic waste? What is the maximum amount of time that they can keep a car there before it is classified as a junkyard, instead of a staging area for the “dealerships”?

    • J says:

      Your silly. Why would there be a risk from VWs sitting there? I have an idea. Kick out the capitalists and let the land sit empty with homeless meth cookers instead.

    • Publisher says:

      Skip,
      Thank you for reading the Herald and for your comment.
      You might want to check out the AMPCOR website, listed at the bottom of the article and read about what they do to protect the environment.
      As for any cars sold in California, they have to meet state emissions standards.
      Also, the site where the operation is located is zoned industrial, so the use fits.
      Plus, they’re using the dock to ship the cars in which is why they located there.
      Allen Payton, Publisher

      • Skip says:

        They may have safeguards in place for the environment, but the article still misrepresents the nature of the work that they are doing. If the VWs, don’t meet emission standards, then the cars are clearly not going to dealerships as is claimed. If they’re not honest about what they are using the property for, then I will be suspicious of what their business model is. At the very minimum, we should be able to know how long they intend to store the recalled cars there and what the ultimate destination is. Seeing how they already ticked the environmental cleanup liability into a subsidiary, it’s fair to wonder if their business model is to collect a fee from VW with no intention of shipping the cars out.

    • RichieB says:

      VW has been having informal technical discussions with EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) over potential fixes ever since the scandal broke. Regulators have rejected some of VW’s proposals. Still, as of October, no official recall repair has been approved. The agencies have 45 days to review anything VW proposes.

      http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/guide-to-the-volkswagen-dieselgate-emissions-recall-

  2. RJB says:

    Yay another Autozone and one huge auto junkyard for Antioch!

  3. Nancy Fernandez says:

    I sure wish Auto Zone would stop allowing car repairs in their parking lots. This is against their contract with the city in some of their locations, maybe all of them I don’t know. But it has to stop. Very bad at Delta Fair and Somersville.

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