Electric automotive developer considers plant at Castle Commerce Center

The largest vacant facility at the former Castle Air Force Base – empty for more than a decade – may soon be home to the manufacturer of a self-driving electric car.

The Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an agreement that allows Bravo Motor Company, an Argentina-based automotive developer, to study the possibility of putting a manufacturing plant at Castle. The company is considering moving into Building 1350, a 191,000-square-foot hangar at the former Atwater base.

CEO Eduardo Muñoz said he wants the company to expand its footprint in California, which already has a site in Silicon Valley. Company officials began looking at Castle Commerce Center as a potential location because of its proximity to the Bay Area.

“We believe Castle might be the best spot for us,” Muñoz told the supervisors at Tuesday’s board meeting. “We’re here to show the world that Merced County can be a good place for development and creating green jobs.”

Company officials said the electric vehicles manufactured by Bravo don’t pollute, aren’t oversized, weigh less and can drive themselves.

Bravo wouldn’t pay anything during the four months it tests the Castle building. However, county officials say the deal can lead to a long-term lease agreement and the creation of jobs.

According to county documents, the automotive developer would pay $19,157.60 per month if it enters into a lease. The agreement would include productivity benchmarks that Bravo must meet, such as paying the county $10 million in the first 24 months and creating 20 new full-time jobs.

The number of new jobs would increase to 300 by the fourth year of the lease. If the company fails to meet the terms, the lease could be terminated.

Mark Hendrickson, Merced County’s director of community and economic development, said Tuesday’s action was a good first step. The county also could enter into future leases to increase Bravo’s footprint at Castle.

“If this comes to fruition with Bravo, it would represent their initial manufacturing site and could result in subsequent lease negotiations at Castle,” Hendrickson said.

“We are excited to see this initial first step is taking place, and we’ll see in the coming weeks and months whether or not this facility will meet their goals and needs,” he said. “And if it does, it could result in meaningful new job creation here in the community.”

District 3 Supervisor Daron McDaniel called Bravo an “innovative” company. He said he hopes its presence at the former military base might attract more businesses.

“I think it’s a perfect concept because it offers the opportunity to have other vendors relocate and be close to their source,” McDaniel said. “Every new job counts, and there’s a lot of folks that are unemployed and this gives them opportunity. That’s more people eating at our restaurants, buying groceries and providing for themselves.”

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 8:28 PM with the headline "Electric automotive developer considers plant at Castle Commerce Center."