ACTION MINUTES of the Waterfront Commission September 12, 2001 Regular Meeting VACANCIES: TWO (DISTRICTS 3 AND 7).

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1 ACTION MINUTES of the Waterfront Commission September 12, 2001 Regular Meeting 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair KAMEN called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM at the Marina Office Conference Room. Secretary & Waterfront Manager Cliff Marchetti called the roll: COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: COBB, COLLIGNON, KAMEN, SMITH, & STANEKO. COMMISSIONERS TARDY: NONE. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: KAWCZYNSKA & MINASIAN. VACANCIES: TWO (DISTRICTS 3 AND 7). STAFF PRESENT: Deborah Chernin, Cliff Marchetti & Ed Murphy 2. PUBLIC COMMENT None. 3. CONSENT CALENDAR a. Approval of the Agenda - No changes to the agenda. b. Approval of Minutes The Commission approved the minutes of the June 13, 2001 regular meeting with the following changes: 1) clarify in Comments from the Chair on page 2 that one member of the Emeryville City Council expressed concern over the new Bay Bridge design rather than the entire City Council; 2) on page 3, item 5. a., delete the words to the State and change advocated to the present tense; change the word migrates to mitigates ; and change the word user s to uses.; and 3) on page 3, item 5.b., clarify that Commissioner Smith instead of Chair Kamen asked a question re: the title of Marina Supervisor. The Commission approved the minutes of the August 8, 2001 regular meeting with the following changes: 1) on page 2, Comments from the Chair, delete the words for live-aboards ; and on page 3, item 6.b., Number of Houseboat Berths, delete the reason for the abstentions to the vote on the motion. The Commission approved the minutes of the August 15, 2001 special meeting without change. With the above revisions to the minutes, a motion (Cobb/Smith) was made to approve the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously.

2 Minutes of September 12, 2001 Waterfront Commission Meeting 4. COMMENTS FROM THE WATERFRONT MANAGER Cliff Marchetti distributed copies of four Council Reports that involved Marina projects. He also stated that people were rifling thru dumpsters. He cautioned against discarding un-needed financial information in the trash without first shredding it. 5. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR Chair KAMEN reported on the formation of a new coalition called the Coalition for Park Access and Conservation. He went to two initial meetings. The coalition includes dog owners, wind surfers, and others with interest in the Marina and the Eastshore State Park. The goal of the coalition is to represent the interest of diverse users of the park and to ensure that they have meaningful input in the planning process. The full text of Chair Kamen s comments is available on his web site at 6. SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS Finance: (Members Cobb, Collignon & Smith): Commissioner Smith stated he is working closely with staff to complete the financial projections for Marina, consistent with requirements of the State Dept. of Boating and Waterways. Aquatic Park: (Members Kawczynska & Smith): Commissioner Smith stated that he would be meeting soon with staff to review plans for the two plazas to be built at either end of the new pedestrian overpass. Marina Plan: (Members Kamen, Kawczynska & Smith): Cliff Marchetti stated that the Executive Summary is being prepared and the draft negative declaration is under review. Berthing Policy: (Members Cobb and Kamen): Chair Kamen stated that a draft would be discussed later in the meeting. 7. ACTION ITEMS b. Proposed Eastshore State Park Land & Water Use Policies Chair Kamen gave a brief description of the proposed Land & Water Use Guidelines for Eastshore State Park (ESP). Sylvia McLaughlin, a member of the Citizens for Eastshore State Park (CESP), stated that it was important to stay flexible and listen to all sides of the planning issues before taking positions or making recommendations on the proposed plan. Ms. Eleanor Yulaz also stated that it was important to have open participation in the planning process. After discussion, a motion (Collignon/Smith) was made to: 1) set a special meeting on September 19 th with the CESP Board to discuss the proposed plans for ESP; and 2) approved the proposed Guidelines for Land & Water Use for Eastshore State Park as a working document that represents the Commission s current position, provided that the final sentence in the third paragraph on page one is deleted; that under General Use Guidelines, the words Parts are replaced with Areas ; and that paragraph # 3 on page 2 is deleted. The motion passed unanimously. Following is the text of the approved Guidelines: Recommendations for the Eastshore State Park in Berkeley As Passed by the Berkeley Waterfront Commission on September

3 The Berkeley Waterfront Commission recommends the following general land and water use guidelines for the portions of the Eastshore State Park within the City of Berkeley: These guidelines and recommendations are based on the Waterfront Commission's assessment of the habitat and open space value of the park, and on the unique recreational opportunities offered by the configuration of the Berkeley shoreline, the adjacent Berkeley Marina, and Cesar Chavez Park. The recommended mix of habitat preservation and recreational development s considered in the context of the large areas of ESP to the north and south that are committed to habitat preservation, and in the context of the need to provide a diverse range of recreational opportunities in the closest possible proximity to the large population centers of Berkeley and the East Bay. General Use Guidelines 1) Some areas of the ESP in Berkeley should be preserved for open space and wildlife habitat. 2) Some areas of the ESP in Berkeley should be developed for the purpose of maximizing opportunities for human recreation, both on shore and water-borne. 3) Where there are conflicts between water-borne recreation and winter bird populations, these should be resolved by means of seasonal operating restrictions rather than by withdrawing support for these activities from the park plan. 4) Non-motorized and public transit access should be encouraged, but the high demand for parking should also be accommodated. Specific Recommendations 1) Facilities and improvements supporting non- motorized water-borne recreation in the North Sailing Basin should be developed. 2) Facilities and improvements supporting diverse non-motorized recreational land uses on the North Basin Strip should be developed. 3) Improvements supporting diverse non-motorized recreational land uses (picnic areas, trails, and playing fields) should be developed on some portions of the Meadow and Brickyard. Other portions of the Meadow and Brickyard should be preserved as open space and as wildlife habitat. 4) The parking plan should include a parking lot at the west edge of the Meadow, of sufficient size to serve both the Meadow and Cesar Chavez Park. Planning Process Recommendations 3

4 1) Recreational uses and support facilities should be planned in coordination with external demands. Existing parks, programs and activities in the Berkeley Marina have created pressures for additional parking, small craft facilities, and water access on the Berkeley waterfront, and these demands should be addressed by the park plan. 2) A transportation plan should be developed that takes Berkeley Marina and Cesar Chavez Park traffic, particularly during heavily attended public events, into consideration. This plan should consider the possibility of ferry service to the existing terminal in the Marina, and/or to a new terminal at the foot of Gilman Street. b. Report on Houseboat Issues Ed Murphy stated that he had met with several members of the Houseboat Association and identified various issues that they work together on to hopefully resolve and present to the Commission. Commissioner Cobb, on behalf of the Waterfront Commission, is serving as the chair of these ad hoc meetings. Ed Murphy stated that he had not included any discussion of fee increases and he said that issue could be added to the list of items. He further stated that any fee increase should be considered in the context of resolving the other issues. Chair Kamen noted that the current fees are substantially below market rates. Roger Bovey, a member of the Marina Houseboat Association, presented a brief verbal history of the houseboats in the Marina and stated that the current fees were fair considering the public services used by the various houseboat owners. After further discussion, the Commission informally agreed that staff should study include any fee increase as part of the total evaluation of houseboat issues. No action was taken. c. Annual Work Plan. The Commission reviewed a draft work plan and the members agreed, at the request of Commissioner Cobb, to add the SFO expansion issue to the work plan. Members agreed to send their respective comments to the Chair. The Commission requested staff to place on the next agenda the request from Local Power for the Commission to support the request to obtain permits to place wind-monitoring equipment on the Berkeley Pier. No action was taken. d. Marina Policies and Procedures Brochure The Commission reviewed the proposed brochure and recommended a table on the 1 st page to serve as a brief table of contents. Members will send any further revisions to the Chair. No action was taken. 8. DISCUSSION ITEMS a. Boating and Waterways Loan Cliff Marchetti stated that the one member of the State Commission was concerned over the Marina s low berth rates. The Commission approved the loan application and the loan will be disbursed in annual increments. The first year allocation will be $1,800,000. No action was taken. 4

5 b. Water Transit Authority and Prospects for a Berkeley Ferry The Chair stated that Commissioner Smith was at the Authority s second meeting. The Chair and Commissioner Smith said the Authority at this time is considering general sites for ferry service instead of specific sites. The Chair said there was more information on his web site. No action was taken. 9. INFORMATION ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS a. Eastshore State Park Workshop 2 Cliff Marchetti reported that the Park District will sponsor the 2 nd regional workshop on 9/24 at 7 PM. The Commission agreed to hold a joint follow-up mtg. with the Parks and Recreation Commission on 10/10 and will re-schedule its regular monthly meeting. b. Status Report on Natural Resource Plan for Aquatic Park Cliff Marchetti noted that Brad Ricards will be working on this project and he will meet soon with the Aquatic Park Sub-Committee and provide information. Chair Kamen stated that a survey of waterlife is being done for the Park District as part of the Eastshore State Park plan. He suggested that staff contact Don Neuwirth to see if Aquatic Park can be added to this work and also maybe get some soundings. Cliff Marchetti said he would check into this possibility. c. Occupancy Report The Commission reviewed the monthly report and noted the high occupancy rates. The Sub- Committee on Berthing Policies will look into the waiting list issue. d. Status Report on Marina Plan Commission Smith asked members to review the draft executive summary and staff recommended including in the text some reasonable expansion and replacement opportunities for existing facilities. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:20 PM. 5