ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR FORMER CASTLE AFB

A Merced-Centered Strategy Rooted in the Existing Workforce

Executive Summary

Castle’s future must not be built on importing a workforce that does not exist here.
 It must be built on upskilling, stabilizing, and employing the people who already call Merced County home.

This plan proposes a four-sector development model for Castle that:

  1. Recognizes our existing workforce skill base

  2. Creates pathways into higher wages through short-term, stackable training

  3. Integrates housing and stabilization

  4. Strengthens small businesses and local talent

  5. Builds economic resilience without relying on Bay Area spillover

I. FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE: BUILD CASTLE FOR MERCED, NOT FOR THE BAY AREA

Current proposals are oriented toward:

  • aerospace tech

  • advanced manufacturing

  • high-skill R&D firms

  • Silicon Valley commuter housing

This model is a mismatch for our actual labor base.

The existing Merced workforce:

  • agriculture

  • trades

  • logistics/warehouse

  • caregiving & health support

  • public sector frontline roles

  • food service

  • early childhood education

  • behavioral health support roles

  • small family businesses

  • low-wage service work

  • unhoused or unstable individuals who CAN work with stabilization

A successful Castle plan must transform THESE workers into the backbone of the new economy.

II. THE 4-SECTOR CASTLE REDEVELOPMENT MODEL

Sector 1 — Advanced Skilled Trades & Infrastructure Academy

Use Castle’s enormous industrial footprint to build an employment hub in:

  • HVAC

  • electrical

  • plumbing

  • solar installation

  • building maintenance

  • aviation support trades (non-engineering)

  • fleet maintenance

  • welding & fabrication

Why:
 These pathways require 6–18 months of training, not 4-year degrees.

Training Partners:

  • Merced College

  • RLI Fusion Café Workforce Pathways (soft-skill pipeline)

  • Local unions (IBEW, UA, Carpenters)

Sector 2 — Community Health, Behavioral Health & Stabilization Careers Hub

Castle becomes the Central Valley training site for:

  • psychiatric techs

  • mental health support specialists

  • substance-use navigators

  • peer support

  • EMT & paramedic programs

  • community health workers

  • medical assistants

  • RN bridge programs

Why:

  • Merced faces a critical shortage in behavioral health and public health workforce

  • These roles match existing community strengths

  • They align with RLI’s Hands Up Outreach Center and no-barrier shelter model

  • They create high-demand, upward-mobility jobs

Potential Anchor Tenants:

  • BHRS training division

  • Public Health

  • Hospitals and clinics

  • EMS providers

Sector 3 — Logistics, Cold Storage, and Agricultural Value-Added Manufacturing

Castle’s runway and rail access make it ideal for:

  • cold storage

  • farm-to-market logistics

  • light food processing

  • regional distribution centers

  • ag-tech repair and support

  • value-added agriculture (cheese, dried fruit, packaged goods)

Why:
 This sector directly builds on the skills Merced already has:

  • forklift

  • shipping

  • inventory

  • farm labor converting to higher-wage processing roles

  • machine operators

  • quality assurance techs

This sector produces middle-wage jobs without requiring degrees.

Sector 4 — Local Small-Business Incubator Village

Instead of prioritizing outside corporations, Castle should host:

  • small manufacturing shops

  • homegrown retail

  • food vendors

  • cultural businesses

  • auto and equipment repair

  • micro-enterprises transitioning out of the underground economy

Why:
 Merced County already has entrepreneurial talent, but lacks space, support, or capital.
 These businesses stay in Merced and hire Merced residents.

Partners:

  • SBDC

  • RLI’s Fusion Café workforce

  • Merced College Business Center

III. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE — BUILT AROUND MERCED RESIDENTS

1. RLI’s Three-Phase Workforce Pipeline

  • Stabilization (Hands Up Outreach Center, medical triage)

  • Preparedness (Fusion Café trauma-informed workforce training)

  • Placement (Castle employers + apprenticeships)

2. 12-Week “Castle Readiness Bootcamp”

Soft-skills + digital literacy + OSHA-10 + workplace communication.

3. Apprenticeship Partnerships

Registered apprenticeships for:

  • trades

  • manufacturing

  • logistics

  • behavioral health

4. Hiring Local First Policy

Incentives for Castle tenants who hire Merced residents.

IV. HOUSING & COMMUNITY BENEFITS

Housing on-site or nearby for the local workforce

NOT commuter housing.

Affordable housing for:

  • Castle workers

  • behavioral health staff

  • EMS trainees

  • families transitioning out of homelessness

Community Benefits Requirements

Every tenant at Castle must commit to:

  • local hiring

  • paid internships

  • youth mentorship

  • living-wage progression plans

V. GOVERNANCE + ACCOUNTABILITY STRUCTURE

1. Dissolve the Chabin-style planning model

Replace with a rural, equity-based, locally-led planning committee.

2. Create a Castle Community Advisory Board

Members include:

  • residents

  • farmworkers

  • small business owners

  • behavioral health providers

  • RLI

  • Merced College

  • youth

3. Quarterly Public Reporting

Jobs, wages, housing, benefits, and external investment.

VI. WHY THIS MODEL SUCCEEDS

Because it builds on Merced County’s REAL strengths:

  • agriculture

  • logistics

  • trades

  • public health

  • behavioral health

  • family-driven micro-enterprise

  • resilience

  • cultural diversity

  • untapped talent

Because it creates mobility for residents already here.

Because it prevents displacement.

Because it attracts employers who fit OUR workforce — not the other way around.

Because it honors Merced rather than reshaping it for outsiders.