San Leandro Marina overrun with vandalism, metal theft as redevelopment stalls
In the city of San Leandro, a development project for the local marina has stalled for financial reasons, but now, with the facility closed, it has become overrun with vandals and thieves.
The city has taken little action to stop it and some residents think it has become a magnet for crime.
Those who know what the San Leandro Marina looked like three years ago, remember it fondly.
"State of the art, state of the art. It was beautiful. The marina, the boats always had Christmas lights during Christmas. It was really nice," said Richard Niechniedowicz, who lives nearby.
Now, when he rides his bike through the area, he can barely recognize the place.
"We come through and there'll be people just taking those railings out, right in the middle of the day," he told CBS News Bay Area. "Robberies, stealing, breaking, busting into things...it attracted criminal elements because they blocked it off. So, it's like putting a kid in a candy store, locking the doors and tell 'em, 'do whatever you want.' That's what happened here."
The city shut the marina down about two years ago because it was getting too shallow and they didn't have the $2 million to dredge it out.
Instead, they've been working with a developer to transform the site into new homes and commercial space called the Monarch Bay Shoreline Development Project.
Unfortunately, Mayor Juan Gonzalez said, the developer has now filed for bankruptcy.
"The redevelopment will happen," said Gonzalez. "And if this developer is unable to execute, we will eventually end up moving forward with another developer when the opportunity presents itself."
In the meantime, it's been open season for metal thieves at the abandoned marina. Virtually every building within the site has been ransacked, the walls torn open to take any bit of scrap metal.
"I mean, you see! You can come in here and do whatever you want," said Niechniedowicz. "Nobody's going to...nobody can get in here. The police don't come in here, and they're not going to come in here."
But the mayor didn't seem to be as concerned about that.
"It shouldn't be characterized as the wanton destruction of buildings that are there because that's simply not true. I would encourage you to visit, encourage others to share footage. There is one particular building that I've seen some video from online, that quite frankly, the next step will be to just demolish the building. That building served no purpose in the future plans for that space," Gonzalez said
It is the future plans that the city is focused on, not what's currently there. But the hands-off approach has drawn people to the area, including some homeless individuals who have taken up residence in several derelict "anchor out" boats.
"We try to be very focused on first bringing them services," said the mayor, "applying a lens of compassion to deal with folks, to meet folks where they are in their tough times."
"I don't have any complaint about the homeless, but it's when they tear up places," said resident Leonard Maria. "If they're going to live here, then live here, don't tear up everything. That's all I don't like."
The city said it may take two years to sort out the bankruptcy problem and they're willing to wait for the new development.
Those who remember what the old marina looked like don't seem to see it the same way.
"Oh, it's terrible. The whole city of San Leandro is upset with this," said Niechniedowicz. "It's a major disappointment. A big, major disappointment."