ALAMEDA — Google aims to expand at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, where the technology giant plans to lease a third building.
Google has been at the former military base since 2013, when it acquired Makani Power, a company specializing in wind-power technology development that was then leasing about 17,000 square feet of a former aircraft hangar.
In March 2014, Google renewed Makani’s lease with the city for up to 21 years and for an additional 110,000 square feet, as well as for an option to negotiate for an additional 367,000 square feet in nearby hangars when those properties become available.
On Tuesday, the City Council will consider approving a lease that will allow Google to make good on the expansion clause and take over a 65,400-square-foot building at 1190 W. Tower Ave.
Google and Makani will use the site for offices, engineering and manufacturing, as well as for research and development. The four-year lease calls for a monthly base rent between $26,160 and $34,008 and gives Google five extension options for periods of three years each.
Google also has first rights for negotiating to purchase the building at the former Navy base, now known as Alameda Point. The city is not obligated to sell, however. Nanette Mocanu, the city’s assistant community development director, said bringing jobs to the area has been a priority since the Navy left in 1997.
“The growth of Google continues to create an exciting opportunity to cultivate a long-term relationship with a major, growing global employer,” Mocanu said in a background report for the council. “It also raises awareness in the greater Bay Area community of Alameda Point’s potential as a unique and competitive location for jobs.”
Makani Power, which takes its name from a Hawaiian word meaning “wind” or “breeze,” is aiming to make wind energy costs competitive with fossil fuels. Its technology includes an airborne wind turbine, or tethered wing, that generates power by flying in large circles where wind is powerful and consistent, such as at high altitudes or above deep ocean waters.
Other innovative companies at Alameda Point include Imprint Energy, Sila Nanotechnologies and Wrightspeed, which was launched by Tesla Motors co-founder Ian Wright and produces technology to make commercial trucks greener and more energy-efficient.
Reach Peter Hegarty at 510-748-1654 or follow him on Twitter.com/Peter-Hegarty.
If you go:
The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Kofman Auditorium at Alameda High School, 2200 Central Ave., Alameda.
