Renewing Berkeley's Waterfront

Brickyard Cove became the latest recreational park along the Eastshore when it opened last month.

Situated on the east shore of the Bay, directly across from the Golden Gate, the Berkeley Marina is the jewel of our city. It is home to over 100 acres of parks and trails, multiple restaurants, a hotel, 1,000 boat slips, and many sports and recreation activities. For many people, they have discovered or rediscovered our waterfront over the past couple of years, with the pandemic causing people to take on more outdoor activities and explore nature. But the waterfront is in danger on multiple fronts. Deferred maintenance is leading to failing infrastructure. Climate change and rising sea levels also threaten the coastline. But by taking action now, we can transform our waterfront as a vibrant destination for generations to come.

A Brief History of the Waterfront

Berkeley’s waterfront played a critical role in the early development of our city. The first development was a private wharf built in 1853. A municipal wharf was built in 1909. In 1913, the area comprising the Berkeley Waterfront was granted to the City from the State, under the condition that it is used for the benefit of all Californians. The Golden Gate Ferry Company built a pier for ferry service in 1926, which was then converted for recreational usage after the Bay Bridge was completed in 1936. The original pier stretched 3.5 miles into the shallow Bay, but was later reduced to 3,000 feet and remained publicly accessible until its closure in 2015.

With funding from the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration, a harbor was built in 1936. After World War II, plans were created and seriously considered to infill most of the Bay. This was after portions of the Bay were filled in to create land for commercial development and a municipal land fill.

In response to continued bay fill, the Save the Bay movement was born by its founders Sylvia McLaughlin, Kay Kerr, and Esther Gulick. These conservation efforts ensured that the waterfront will be protected and restored to public not private use. The Marina was greatly expanded in the 1960s, with the construction of the 1,000 slips in the Marina today, along with other amenities such as parks, restrooms, restaurants, and the hotel. A landfill was created nearby in 1957, which was capped in 1991 and turned into what is today Cesar Chavez Park.

A new Marina Master Plan was adopted in 2003 with plans to replace aging infrastructure that was reaching the end of its useful life. The Master Plan pointed out that additional revenue sources would be needed to move forward with these upgrades. But instead, with the Great Recession of 2008, fewer funds became available and conditions continued to deteriorate. The Marina Fund supports all Waterfront operations including the Marina, landscaping, facilities, parks, roads, recreation programs and special events. It has been operating on a deficit for many years. Funding from Measure T1, grants, and the American Rescue Plan Act have provided supplemental funds to keep the Marina Fund afloat. However, new sources of revenue will be needed to ensure the long term viability of the Marina Fund and our ability to maintain and improve the waterfront. In total, there is $131 million in unfunded capital and major maintenance needs along the waterfront, with the bulk of the needs relating to dock replacements and the creation of a new pier.

Recent Investments and Improvements

Despite the financial challenges, several important projects have been completed at the waterfront in recent years, or are currently underway. Just last month, in partnership with the East Bay Regional Parks District, Brickyard Cove at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park opened for public recreation and has already become a popular destination. The site was originally a dumping ground, mostly from construction debris such as the eponymous bricks that are still visible today. Originally slated for retail development, the site near the I-80 pedestrian bridge was acquired by the East Bay Regional Parks District after the passage of Measure AA in 1988 - a regional bond measure to preserve 34,000 acres of the East Bay shoreline.

Thanks to Measure T1, an infrastructure bond passed by Berkeley voters in 2016, several improvements have been made to the waterfront and marina. Most notably, University Ave east of I-80 has been reconstructed, removing the bumpy road that was built on top of the foundations of the original pier. Marina Blvd and Spinnaker Way are also in the process of being repaved. Elsewhere on the waterfront, the tide tubes connecting the lagoon at Aquatic Park had reached the breaking point, with sediment blocking the tubes, making the lagoon more susceptible to flooding and pollution. The tubes were cleared in late 2020, greatly improving water quality in the area.

$40 million has been spent on repairs and improvements along the waterfront since 2008. Much of this has been replacing docks and related infrastructure. Over half of these funds have been spent on projects since 2020, with work completed or in progress. Significant efforts to revitalize the waterfront will be taking place in the coming years. See how you can get involved by reading further!

Berkeley Marina Area Specific Plan and Future Actions

Ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the waterfront is essential for its future viability. The Berkeley Marina Area Specific Plan (BMASP) will address the current issues facing the Marina by creating a plan for achieving a financially self-sustainable, publicly owned marina area with infrastructure and amenities to support current and future community needs, while adapting to climate changes and promoting recreation and environmental stewardship. This process was launched in 2019, and community feedback is currently underway.

A public questionnaire is now open for the public to provide their feedback on various materials outlined in a recent presentation. The questionnaire will take approximately 12 minutes to complete, and the results will be used to help further develop the BMASP. The questionnaire closes on April 22nd so take time to share your thoughts!

The end result of the BMASP will be a comprehensive specific plan for a vibrant, delightful, ecologically and financially viable Waterfront for the use and enjoyment of generations to come. It will include implementation tools and policies to address future demand for land use, public access / circulation and parking, utilities, public services, recreational facilities / programs / special events, commercial facilities, shoreline protection, environmental stewardship, as well as a long term Capital Improvement Program (CIP) plan. The plan is expected to be adopted in 2023.

Currently, small-scale ferry service is available at the Marina. But a large-scale ferry service has not been available from Berkeley since 1936, when bonds related to the construction of the Bay Bridge prohibited ferry service as a way to guarantee usage of the new bridge (a condition that no longer exists). The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is responsible for the San Francisco Bay Ferry, and has identified Berkeley as a prime location for expansion of its ferry service. It is estimated that such a service will provide an annual ridership of 203,000 trips by 2035. Funding for the creation of this ferry service and a new pier to serve as the terminal is already available. With the approval of Regional Measure 3 in 2018, $4.5 billion will be generated from increased bridge tolls to pay for various transportation projects. WETA will be allocated up to $300 million for capital construction projects and up to $35 million for expanding operation costs.

The creation of a new ferry terminal will result in the development of a new pier at the Marina. This pier would double as a recreational pier, restoring recreational activities that were lost during the old pier’s closure in 2015. While subject to change, current concepts would create 1,480 feet of pier available for public access, with a width of 22 feet (the same as the old pier). By creating new infrastructure, this will bring new people and amenities to the marina and waterfront, which in turn will increase revenues, helping provide long-term financial stability.

We have an opportunity to have a world-class waterfront if we think big. The consulting team who is assisting with the BMASP, Hargreaves Jones, has helped cities around the world develop award-winning waterfronts and open space, including San Francisco’s Crissy Field. We can transform our waterfront into an incredible open space which expands its existing amenities, making it a destination for all types of activities for maritime users, bikers, and hikers. The outcome of this project will set the stage for the next 50-100 years of our waterfront. Let’s seize this opportunity and make our waterfront a destination we can all be proud of.