On the agenda: CO2 pipelines, moving the Red Oak, e-bikes, General Warehouse and more

The Richmond City Council meets Tuesday night with an agenda that includes a vote on whether to oppose a carbon pipeline project that would draw emissions from Bay Area refineries and route them under the bay, a decision on the future of the Red Oak Victory, and a vote for more e-bike funding.

Closed session on Mossbridge General Warehouse deal

Tuesday's meeting opens at 5 p.m. with a closed session on labor negotiations and a real property negotiation. The city is in talks with Mossbridge, a firm specializing in data centers and digital infrastructure, over 1324 Canal Boulevard, the address of the General Warehouse, the hulking World War II at the Point Potrero Marine Terminal.

The Red Oak Victory, still waiting to move

After months of delays, the council will take up a plan to begin moving the SS Red Oak Victory, the historic World War II cargo ship that has sat at the Point Potrero Marine Terminal for years.

The ship, a C3 cargo vessel launched in 1944 at Richmond's Kaiser Shipyards, is one of the last surviving examples of the industrial wartime production that transformed the city. It is closely tied to the legacy of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, which will send representatives to present to the council Tuesday night.

The vote is on a $299,797 contract with Liftech Consultants for planning and preliminary design work on the relocation. The item was first scheduled in February and has been continued twice since then.

A concept plan included in the agenda packet shows the ship crossing the Richmond Harbor Channel to a new berth along Harbour Way South, directly alongside the WETA ferry terminal lot near the Ford Building, home of the Craneway Pavilion, whose own future remains unresolved after the council voted last week to reject a donation agreement with leaseholder Eddie Orton. Orton told the council he intends to transfer the leasehold to an unnamed marine-use organization.

The relocation map also shows Terminal 3, the Portside Commerce Center, where OpenAI signed a lease in March for what is believed to be a new robotics lab, and the General Warehouse at Point Potrero, where the city is now in closed-session negotiations with Mossbridge.

The relocation map highlights Terminal 3, the Portside Commerce Center, where OpenAI signed a lease in March for what is believed to be a new robotics lab, and the General Warehouse at Point Potrero, now the subject of closed-session negotiations between the city and Mossbridge.

The Port issued a request for proposals to redevelop the 140,000-square-foot structure last August. Mossbridge specializes in data centers and digital infrastructure and has claimed experience on more than $70 billion in such projects. The General Warehouse sits directly across the harbor channel from the OpenAI site. The Red Oak, if it moves, would berth in the middle of it all.

Richmond takes a stand against a CO2 pipeline

Richmond is being asked to formally oppose a proposed carbon sequestration project that would draw CO2 emissions from Bay Area refineries and route them through a 40-mile underwater pipeline to a storage site in Solano County wetlands.

The Montezuma NorCal Carbon Sequestration Hub, proposed by Montezuma Carbon LLC, would send millions of tons of carbon dioxide from Bay Area polluters through a pipeline and store it in saline aquifers 2 miles beneath the Montezuma Wetlands, a 1,800-acre marsh in Solano County that has undergone extensive ecological restoration over the past two decades. The Richmond Chevron refinery is listed among the CO2 sources on the project's own pipeline map, alongside refineries in Martinez and several power plants. The project is designed to collect and sequester about 1 million metric tons of CO2 per year initially, with potential to expand to 3 to 8 million tons annually.

Councilmember Claudia Jimenez, who placed the item on Tuesday's agenda, is asking the council to formally oppose both the hub and the pipelines. The agenda packet includes a fact sheet from the Bay Area CACTI coalition authored by Isabel Penman of Food & Water Watch, who has been active in the regional fight against the project.

Opponents cite safety, environmental justice, and the technology's track record. The CACTI coalition points to a 2020 pipeline rupture in Mississippi that hospitalized dozens of residents, and notes that California has no safety regulations for CO2 pipelines. They also argue the wetlands, which saw tidal waters return for the first time in a century in 2020 after large-scale habitat restoration, would be put at risk by drilling nearby.

Supporters counter that the project has serious scientific backing. The project was designed by scientists from Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory has pointed to the site's minimal environmental sensitivity and low population density as key advantages.

The IEA estimates carbon capture costs range from $15 to $25 per ton for industrial processes with concentrated CO2 streams, such as refinery emissions, up to $40 to $120 per ton for more dilute sources. At those figures, capturing a million tons a year from Bay Area refineries could run anywhere from $15 million to well over $100 million annually. The council will receive a presentation on the project before voting on a resolution opposing it.

The e-bike program is back

For the third time, the council will be asked to add money to a contract with electric bikeshare operator Ride Today to keep the program running. This time, the ask is $390,000, which would bring the total spent on the operator to $3.54 million since 2022.

Since the program launched in September 2023, riders have taken 4,175 total trips, averaging about five a day. The city has spent roughly $665 per trip. Only 47 percent of registered users have ever taken a single ride, and just 17 percent have ridden more than once.

The program has reduced carbon emissions by 4.11 metric tons. The EPA values that at about $861 in avoided climate damages. The city has spent approximately $675,000 per ton.

The $390,000 would come from the Environmental and Community Investment Agreement transportation budget, a grant fund that staff says is in its final year. Additional funding for the program has come from a $35 million state Transformative Climate Communities grant targeting underserved neighborhoods in the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado. Staff acknowledge that Ride Today cannot survive without continued city support. The council will decide what to do with the program entirely during next year's budget process.

The item is on the consent calendar, meaning it is expected to pass without discussion.

BART comes to explain itself

A BART director will brief the council on recent service changes and the fiscal crisis gripping the transit system, which officials attribute largely to the rise of remote work. Richmond residents depend on BART for regional connections, and the presentation arrives as the agency warns of potential service cuts without new funding.

A park for Pullman

Vice Mayor Doria Robinson and Councilmember Claudia Jimenez want the city to explore buying a vacant lot at South 27th Street and Florida Avenue to build a neighborhood park in the Pullman neighborhood, which they describe as chronically underserved. Staff would return with a feasibility report and timeline within 90 days.

Earthquake experts hit the council chambers

Councilmember Soheila Bana has invited UC Berkeley seismologists, infrastructure researchers, and community emergency response teams to present on local earthquake probabilities and regional vulnerabilities. No vote is planned.

Sidewalk vendor rules get a rewrite

The council will take a first look at an ordinance updating Richmond's sidewalk vendor regulations, touching administrative procedures, waiver provisions, and enforcement mechanisms.

Budget update: hiring outside help on revenue

The council will receive an update on community engagement around limited-term revenues and consider hiring consulting firm Dalberg Advisors to support that work.

For the agenda faithful, here's what else is on Tuesday's calendar. Items on the consent calendar are considered routine and typically pass in a single vote without debate.

$300,000 for the Tiny House Village

A grant agreement with Hope Solutions would fund capital and supportive services for the Tiny House Village and Garden Project at 175 23rd Street through the end of 2027.

Affordable housing grant application at 100 38th Street

The council would authorize the city to join an application for state Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities funding for the Riveter Project, a 59-unit affordable housing development, paired with pedestrian and bicycle improvements nearby.

SB 1383 paperwork gets formalized

An MOU with RecycleMore, the regional waste authority, would govern Richmond's compliance with the state's organic waste reduction law.

Port economic impact study, $112,900

A contract with John C. Martin Associates would fund a study of the economic impact of Port of Richmond activity.

Harbour-8 Park expansion grows again

A fourth amendment to the city's contract with Pogo Park would add $3.275 million to complete the Harbour-8 Park Expansion Project, bringing the total to $12.43 million. The council would also authorize negotiations on an operations and management deal with Pogo Park through May 2029.

Hiring an outside advisor on wastewater

A $250,000 contract with The Halleman Group would bring in expertise to help the city find a private operator for its wastewater treatment plant and stormwater system.

Proclamations and appointments

The council will present proclamations recognizing AAPI Heritage Month, Alcohol Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and National Small Business Week. The council will also consider establishing a Richmond-Sebastia Sister City Commission. Mayor Eduardo Martinez appointed Ric Ambrose to the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, Bryan M. Harris to the Contra Costa County Advisory Council on Aging representing the City of Richmond, and Eva Hernandez to the Workforce Development Board, each filling vacant seats.

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Closed session on Mossbridge General Warehouse deal

On the consent calendar

Proclamations and appointments