United World Infrastructure (UWI): Alameda Point Proposal (5 of 5)
Initial Reactions: Pro: Lots and lots of vision! Cool Transit technology (Jetsons here we come). Outside the box thinking
Cons: A clear explanation of who is going to implement this project. The proposal outlines a lot of ideas, explains the process that will be used to achieve those ideas, but never really explains the role or the partnerships that form this consortium.
Unlike the other four applicants, UWI is new on the scene and an understanding of their background needs to become clearer. Apparently, the lead US contact, Neil Pennella, appears to have experience in Television working for HBO as well as movie production, but APTO, his new company is a cipher in terms of information available). A better understanding of APTO’s experience in large scale land-development would be useful.
Final favorite part: The entire “Transit Hub” section of the plan. UWI goes out strong with the vision-thing on transit. It spells out a true multi-modal design that would create a world leading transit-oriented development. They even tackle the intricacies of parking placement, avoiding the sea of parking spots in front of buildings and ferry terminals.
After reading a bit, one starts to feel hit on the head by the word “green” (as in Green City, Green Technology Park, Green Port, Green Island, etc.) The marketing push is overwhelming. Even ignoring that, it’s hard to look too deep into this proposal, because as one reads it, you realize that it’s full of generalizations and vagaries that lead one to question what’s missing.
The project team descriptions explain that APTO (or its principals) have been involved in a “large real estate ‘satellite city’ project including homes, businesses and leisure development in excess of 5,000 acres.” But never mentions where it is or what it’s called, most of the other lines items, like the “commercial space tourism project with many ancillary businesses” lack specificity. CNCI’s role is described as being “involved in the executive management of the Alamed Point development project.” The proposal suggests that they’ll bring their experience in helping with environmental impacts at the Presidio to the project. Constructive Community Homes’ experience lists no large scale housing projects. Carter & Burgess round things out, bringing solid construction management services. They certainly seem to have an impressive resume in construction.
Lastly, CyberTran, a local Alameda company with an exciting experimental rail technology, offers a concrete piece to the puzzle. But the technology has never been built except on the test-track, a cause for concern for such a large project at the very least. (I look forward to seeing the technology in use, however I’m a firm believer that Alameda shouldn’t be implementing rail technology that isn’t already in use on a regional basis, lest we end up with a system that doesn’t connect into a wider network.)
The prior experience section again speaks in marketing tones, about partners working collaboratively to “provide total solution in real estate and utilize professional research methodologies…” but never actually provides examples where this has been done.
Finally, and I have no doubt that the Dubai investors who are the money behind this project have the cash, but the Financial Qualifications section lists a number of multi-billion dollar projects that UWI and it’s financers have “fully funded.” But then the explanatory text for each example appears to contradict this statement by describing the often very limited role that UWI held in the project. It’s possible that UWI funded each project fully, (such as the $10b for “South Asia Infrastructure”) but then only provided “Technical and financial modeling” in terms of services. Again, this section makes basic information generic (which South Asia Country? What was the infrastructure that was provided?)
This proposal appears to have aimed to pull heartstrings with vision and hope. Going into reading these RFQs, this is what I was looking for. At the end of the exercise, I understand that the process is more perfunctory. We need to see that these applicants can provide the city of Alameda with the finances to complete the project, as well as the skills and experience necessary to do so.
I don’t view this as a bad plan. My primary criteria for evaluating these has always been means and vision and UWI appears to have both.
Well, UWI certainly has the vision, but I do not share Mr. Kruger’s confidence that it has the means to deliver on that vision. I did a little of my own research on UWI and APTO and I found vision galore, but absolutely no concrete track record of large-scale accomplishments. As much as I appreciate the boldness to “think big,” I’m afraid that the City — in other words, we, the taxpayers — could be left holding the bag if UWI can’t deliver. This project is simply too big and too dicey to justify taking an additional risk on an unknown quantity like UWI.
This is an intriguing plan. What I really like about it is that of all the plans, this one seems to offer the best ideas in terms of transportation. The fewer new cars on the island, the better! Dubai seems like a nutty place, but it also looks like they have the money to do something like this.
If Alameda wanted to do something about its future inundation–which is now widely promoted in Al Gore’s book and movie–it could hardly do better than to bring in a partner with a far bigger version of the problem and the resources to act upon it. Through the UWI proposal, Dubai has offered to build a “Green Technology Park” in Alameda and recruit the University of California System and the national labs as a research base and source of authority. Consider the possibility that the development project itself may actually be secondary to their getting engaged here in studies and planning about global warming and future sea level rise. Even the $100 million down payment could be seen as a hedge investment, equal to building one less skyscraper at sea level in Dubai (among hundreds still contemplated). The other bidders here could be challenged by Alameda to show how they may be capable of planning and building a project that could still be useful centuries hence at a higher stand of sea level. UWI itself could conceivably become a client for worldwide practice of such work, based in Alameda and East Bay.