California Military Base Closures

October 5, 1996

See also:

Alameda Naval Air Station and Depot


Location: Most of the base is within the city limits of Alameda, although the dump site west of the airstrips protrudes into San Francisco Bay and, therefore, slightly into the City and County of San Francisco.

Acres retained by the federal government:

Castle Air Force Base


Location: Most of the base lies within the unincorporated part of Merced County. Part, however, lies within the City of Atwater.

Acres transferred:
By long-term lease:

By deed:

Retained by the federal government:

Pending property transfers:

Fort Ord Army Base


Location: The base lies within 3 different political jurisdictions: the unincorporated portion of Monterey County, and the cities of Seaside and Marina. The cities of Sand City, Monterey and Del Rey Oaks border portions of the base, and Salinas' city limit comes within one mile of the northeastern perimeter.

Acres transferred:
By long-term lease:

By deed:

To be retained by the federal government:

Pending property transfers:

George Air Force Base


Location: The base is located within the incorporated limits of the City of Victorville, adjacent to unincorporated San Bernardino County land and the city of Adelanto.

Acres transferred:
By long-term lease:

Retained by the federal government:

Pending property transfers:

Hamilton Army Airfield


Location: The base is entirely within the incorporated limits of the City of Novato in Marin County.

Acres Transferred:
By long-term lease:

Retained by the federal government:

Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro


Location: Most of the base lies within the unincorporated areas of Orange County. Four hundred and forty acres are within the City of Irvine, and the City of Lake Forest abuts part of the base.

DoD awarded the LRA $910,317 for the study of non-aviation uses at El Toro. Earlier, the FAA had awarded $908,164 for the study of aviation uses.

The draft reuse plan analyzes three alternatives. All three plans include 998 acres as a Habitat Reserve to be conveyed to the Department of the Interior in conjunction with the Orange County Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP). Alternative A (the proposed project) proposes a new commercial airport designed to accommodate both commercial passengers and cargo demand. It also proposes that 500 acres be used for research and development and light industrial uses, and that 150 acres be used for hotels, retail and office space. The plan would result in the closure of John Wayne Airport for commercial passenger use.

Alternative B proposes cargo use/general aviation airport and Alternative C proposes non-aviation uses.

Mather Air Force Base


Location: The base is located in the unincorporated portion of Sacramento County, 12 miles southeast of downtown Sacramento.

Acres transferred to date:
By long-term lease:

By deed:

Retained by the federal government:

Pending property transfers:

McClellan Air Force Base


Location: The base is located in the unincorporated portion of Sacramento County, 7 miles northeast of downtown Sacramento.

Following the decision to close McClellan, President Clinton pledged that his administration will assist in implementing a privatization plan, will preserve 8,700 jobs at the base until the year 2001, and will convert as many as 4,300 of those government jobs to private employment after the base closes. The privatization plan will, therefore, be a key component of the overall base reuse plan.

The issue of how the airport will be operated must be addressed.

As of December 15 1995, the end of the federal screening period, the following federal requests for property have been made: State and Local public requests for property may be made until March 1996, and to date are as follows:

Moffett Field Naval Air Station


Location: The base is within the unincorporated portion of Santa Clara County, but is in the sphere of influence of the Cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View. It is bordered by these two Cities, NASA Ames Research Center and San Francisco Bay.

About 40% of the airfield is unused capacity, and NASA is looking for tenants. Major air cargo carriers have inquired about opening operations at Moffett as part of the DoD Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). In June 1996, NASA released a Draft Environmental Assessment for cargo operations at the former base. In July 1996, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and NASA held public meetings to discuss the NASA proposal to allow limited air cargo access at Moffett Field, as part of the CRAF program. Later, the Sunnyvale City Council voted 4-2 against putting the issue on the ballot. However, the Mountain View City Council voted 4-3 to put the issue on the ballot.

Due to this level of community concern, NASA has decided to put the CRAF program on hold. A community advisory group will study the future of the Moffett airfield for six months.

Naval Training Center, San Diego


Location: The Center is entirely within the city limits of San Diego.

The Mayor, as chair, has appointed a 26 member NTC Reuse Planning Committee, representing a wide array of community interests. A draft reuse plan was released in early 1996, and the final approved plan should be ready by June 1996. There will be a recreation and park component, an education component and a historic district. The Navy has hired a private firm to do a joint EIS/EIR for NTC San Diego.

The Navy originally proposed the retention of 120 acres of the base's 546 acres for the construction of 500 Navy housing units. A shortage of military housing led the Navy to reconsider the only part of NTC on which housing could be built, because all other areas of the base are impacted by the extreme air traffic noise at Lindbergh Field.

The most significant costs are those related to the reuse and rehabilitation of existing buildings. Almost 80% of the total cost of each alternative results from rehabilitation of structures, which translates to a sum between $121-$135 million. Costs for renovation of non-historic buildings outside the high noise impact area of the San Diego Airport range from $36-$58 per square foot. In the case of historic buildings in the high noise impact area, which includes the historic district, the costs could range as high as $159 per foot depending on the level of noise mitigation required for a specific reuse.

Norton Air Force Base


Location: The base is within the incorporated limits of the City of San Bernardino. It is surrounded by unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County and the cities of Redlands, Loma Linda, Highland, and Colton.

Acres transferred:
By long-term lease:

Retained by the federal government:

Presidio Army Base


Location: The base is entirely within the jurisdiction of the City and County of San Francisco.

Property Leased or Contracted for:

Crissy Field will be redesigned to balance preservation with public use; wetlands, riparian corridors, and dunes will likely be restored, maintenance buildings removed, the historic airfield restored, recreational facilities expanded, and bike routes and pedestrian paths improved.

Tustin Marine Corps Air Station


Location: The base is within the City of Tustin with the exception of a small area containing the military housing in the City of Irvine.

Background: The City never contested the closure of the Air Station when the closure decision was announced in 1991. Rather, the City Council immediately formed a base closure task force with representatives from all affected communities, including Orange County and the cities of Tustin, Irvine, and Santa Ana.
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