New terminal developer threatens to stick with coal unless Oakland pays him plenty

Vikas Tandon wants the City to fork over piles of money, to lower his rent, to extend the West Gateway lease, to provide construction financing, and/or to hand over additional property.  The hedge fund operator -- who late last year acquired a contested sublease on the Oakland waterfront property where developers have been angling to build a coal terminal -- met via Zoom in early May with anti-coal activists and attorneys from a half-dozen local and national organizations, and told participants that in return for significant concessions from the City he’ll develop the site as something other than a coal terminal (alternate commodity possibilities: ...