Get Involved in the Campaign to Restore Newark Wetlands

Save The Bay, Greenbelt Alliance, Citizens to Complete the Refuge and more than 2,000 Bay Area residents are in the midst of a campaign to restore 30 acres of wetlands in the City of Newark. We are asking the Newark City Council to deny the proposed Mowry Village Development so that this shoreline area can instead be restored.

Read more about the campaign here.

We need local voices to join our campaign because we are asking the City Council to step outside its comfort zone. Since councilmembers are elected to four-year terms, they tend to vote for outcomes that benefit their constituencies within the short-term. While approving the Mowry Village development would create a small stock of housing today, it will lead to a flooding disaster for the City in the future. We need residents to tell the Council that they care about both housing sustainability and flood resilience in Newark for the long haul.

TAKE ACTION – Attend the FINAL City Council meeting on December 11, 2025!

Make Your Voice Heard at the December 11 City Council Meeting

The Mowry Village Development will be formally considered by the City Council on December 11th at 7 PM at City Council Chambers. Make your voice heard during public comment!

You can sign up to comment in person as soon as you get to the Newark City Council Chambers. These meetings are in-person only.

How to Prepare Your Comment

Each speaker is usually given 5 minutes to comment but shorter comments from the heart are often more effective. A general framework that works is:

Introduce yourself.
State clearly that you are asking the Commission to oppose the project
Explain how this issue impacts you, your family, the environment, and/or your neighbors.
Mention any community groups that you are a part of that care about this issue.
Use sample talking points below (but try to personalize them)

Flooding
I am concerned about flooding in Newark. By developing this property, the city will be forfeiting a big opportunity to increase our resilience to flooding from the Bay, because restoring this area to wetland would allow us to enhance a natural buffer from flooding. Adding development in this area instead only adds to our vulnerabilities and costs over time.
Learn More →

Wetlands
Over the past century, 90% of San Francisco Bay’s tidal wetlands have been filled or diked off for development and other purposes. To restore the health of the Bay, over 100 scientists established a regional goal of protecting and restoring 100,000 acres of wetlands around the Bay. Wetlands act as aquatic nurseries and are one of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet. Restoring Area 4 to wetlands is a great opportunity for our city to be a leader in contributing to this goal.
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Housing
Newark needs more housing to allow residents to stay in their communities. In the city’s recently drafted Housing Element, dozens of sites are identified that the City can use to build more housing without needing to develop Area 4. As for the 31 units of affordable housing included in the Mowry Village proposal, we shouldn’t be putting more vulnerable people in harm’s way.
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Biodiversity
San Francisco Bay’s wetlands are home to over a dozen endangered species. I do not support the Mowry Village proposal that will further fragment and threaten existing wetlands with pollution, disturb wildlife, and prevent the movement of wetlands inland as sea levels rise.
Learn more →