Advisory Board: Economic Development Committee
Subject: Industrial Lands Economic and Market Insights
Presenter: Jason Moody, Managing Principal, Economic & Planning Systems
Contact: (510) 841-9190
Information:
Staff report is below, and verbal update will be provided.
Referral History and Update:
The East Bay Priority Production Area (PPA) Technical Assistance project is supported by a $500,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). This grant is one tool for MTC to implement Plan Bay Area’s strategy to strengthen the regional economy, particularly by creating and maintaining middle-wage jobs. The PPA program highlights the need for coordinated and intentional investments in infrastructure, transportation, and workforce development, as well as the collaboration of individual jurisdictions to support the overall success of the East Bay as an industrial ecosystem.
The manufacturing sector in Contra Costa County is supported by proximity to ports, airports, rail, highways, a strong labor pool, and a concentrated customer base. At the same time, much of the County’s industrial land faces significant constraints: sea level rise, groundwater rise, earthquake faults, histories of contamination, regulations that protect adjacent frontline communities, and pressure to convert underutilized industrial land to other uses, particularly housing.
The Northern Waterfront PPA Technical Assistance project covers multiple PPAs in five jurisdictions: Contra Costa County, Concord, Pittsburg, Antioch, and Oakley. This project will provide the analysis, strategies, and technical assistance that local staff need to support the innovation and determination of individual business and property owners and implement land use policies and economic development programs to preserve industrial land, streamline industrial development, and improve infrastructure in industrial districts. It will include updates to the Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative Strategic Plan to reflect current and projected conditions, as well as the creation of online tools to assist City and County staff, business owners, and brokers in identifying feasible sites for industrial development in PPAs. It will also provide technical assistance to City and County staff to capitalize on the momentum of significant regional gains in manufacturing jobs and square footage, as well as on the larger national context of interest and investment in onshoring to support supply chain reliability and economic diversification.
At its meeting on October 6, 2025, the Economic Development Committee received an overall update on the Northern Waterfront Priority Production Areas Project from Placeworks. The update that Placeworks provided next steps for the project that included: a transportation and goods movement analysis, an infrastructure capacity analysis, a review of how regional and global economic conditions have affected the Northern Waterfront, an update of the five core industry clusters of Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative Strategic Plan (advanced transportation, advanced manufacturing, biomedical/biotech, ag tech/food processing, and clean tech) to reflect current data, and an evaluation of market conditions for the Northern Waterfront communities.
In the Committee’s agenda packet for the February 2, 2026, meeting were two memos on the Northern Waterfront project, one on Industrial Lands Economic and Market Insights (see: <https://contra-costa.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15150105&GUID=5137A2FA-2386-43CF-997B-305DA897C8D8>) and one on Industrial Lands Land Use Context (see: <https://contra-costa.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15150106&GUID=F31086F2-909C-4B6E-BE83-E508E41F58E4>). The update from Economic & Planning Systems will focus on the Industrial Lands Economic and Market Insights. The update will also include a tour/overview of the Northern Waterfront Industrial Lands Inventory: <https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/034b6ac1d3dd404a88ac90a265511d14>.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
Receive Update on Industrial Lands Economic and Market Insights as Part of Contra Costa MTC-ABAG Northern Waterfront Priority Production Area Technical Assistance Grant.