Point Molate, California

Point Molate was developed by the California Wine Association in 1908, as a central winery for processing grapes from all over the state. The Winehaven Winery, as it was called, became the largest winery in the United States, producing 12 million gallons of wine and port per year at its peak, before being shut down during prohibition (though it continued to make sacramental wine until 1937). In 1942, the Navy purchased the 400 acre property for use as a fuel supply depot. Most of the fuel was kept in 20 underground concrete tanks, with a capacity of over 40 million gallons, built on the hillside above the winery. The facility was officially closed in 1995, as a result of the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC). In 2003, the Navy sold 218 acres of the site to the City of Richmond. In 2004, the City of Richmond decided to gradually sell Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate to developer Upstream Point Molate LLC, for $50 million over a period of years. In 2010, the Navy transferred the remainder of the acreage to the city, while also agreeing to provide a cleanup fund of $28.5 million. Upstream's subsequent proposal to develop the Winehaven site as a resort hotel/casino complex was rejected by both the voters as well as the Richmond City Council in 2011. In response, Upstream filed a lawsuit against the city for breach of contract. As of 2015, between the lack of sewage and water infrastructure, environmental contamination remediation, and the ongoing litigation brought by Upstream, the site remains undeveloped.