That's the message members of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors will hear later this morning, during a briefing on negotiations with PCCP West Park.
Led by Gerry Kamilos, the Sacramento-based company has 12 months to flesh out plans to reshape the former Naval Air Station at Crows Landing into a business park, industrial center and short-haul rail hub.
But there's still a long way to go.
At the heart of the Kamilos concept is the creation of a short-haul rail hub at Crows Landing, providing direct access to the Port of Oakland.
Supervisor Jim DeMartini, whose 5th District includes the West Side community, remains skeptical.
"I just don't think this rail project is real," he said Monday. "I've called it a Trojan horse for housing and I stand by that."
Kamilos denied he's planning a "bait and switch." He said his proposal will not include any form of residential development, a point also made in a staff report to be reviewed by supervisors later today.
"I know he's got that in there," DeMartini said, "but I don't believe it."
Despite DeMartini's reservations, Kamilos said negotiations with the county are going very well.
"We're working through the ad-hoc committee process," he said. "We've put together a predevelopment agreement outlining what's expected of everybody over the next nine to12 months."
Inadditiontolanguage barring residential housing, Kamilos and the county also have agreed:
That the project's "footprint" and study area will not encompass county-owned property at Fink Road, west of the former air station.
That county-owned property at the site will be considered designated as a first-priority development.
That infrastructure upgrades for the unincorporated community of Crows Landing will include roadway and transportation, water, waste-water and sewer system improvements.
Supervisor Dick Monteith, who serves on the ad-hoc com-mittee with DeMartini, said he'spleased with the progress of negotiations.
"They've been very forthright," Monteith said of the Kamilos group, "and our working relationship has been very, very good. I think we're moving in the right direction."
Monteith said everybody needs to remember that the ongoing negotiations will lead to a proposal, one that still must win board approval.
"We've given him 12 months to develop a plan," Monteith said. "We can still say 'yes' or 'no.' We're not committed to it."
Monteith said he was having difficulty understanding why DeMartini and some West Side residents still don't trust Kamilos.
DeMartini cited persistent rumors that what Kamilos really wants to build are houses and is using the short-haul rail proposal as a diversion.
"Neither he nor his company has ever said that," Monteith said. "And even if he did (try to build homes) the board could say 'no.'"
The short-haul rail component of the project, which will rely upon funding from state infrastructure bond money, is the key force driving the Kamilos plan.
"He's going to have to secure the rail bond money," DeMartini said, "or he has no project. And even if he does, he's still going to need millions and millions of dollars in matching funds. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Kamilos reiterated on Monday past statements about the intermodal rail component of his plan: that the trains would be of a shorter length; move through West Side communities faster; and cause fewer disruptions than do the trains that travel the West Side today.
If all goes as planned, the Kamilos group would present a detailed project plan in early April 2008. Barring any unforeseen problems, Kamilos said his company would be able to meet that deadline.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. today, basement chamber, Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.
Bee staff writer Michael G. Mooney can be reached at mmooney@modbee.com or 578-2384.
