October 5, 2023 Commission Meeting (Cancelled)

This report lists the administrative permit applications that are pending with the Commission. Due to the cancellation of the meeting of October 5, 2023, and pursuant to Commission Regulation Section 10620(a), the Executive Director will take final action on these matters unless a Commissioner requests full Commission consideration by communicating with the staff prior to October 5, 2023. In the absence of such a request, the listed matters will be executed administratively after October 5, 2023.

Administrative Permits Applications

Applicant

California State Lands Commission
100 Howe Avenue, Suite 100 South
Sacramento, CA 95825

BCDC Permit Application No. M2023.018.00

Filed on 09/22/2023

90th Day on 12/21/2023

Location
Within the Commission’s Bay jurisdiction, approximately seven hundred and fifty feet west of the Eckley Pier, near Crockett, in Contra Costa County (parcel number 354-030-009-6).

Description
To remove and dispose of approximately 432 derelict timber piles and deck debris in an area from near the shoreline to approximately two hundred feet offshore, and approximately seven hundred and fifty feet long, parallel to the shoreline. The removal and disposal of the piles will be completed by barge in the Carquinez Strait, with no land-based removal operations. The piles will be taken to CS Marine’s Mare Island facility and then disposed of at an approved facility. The project will be conditioned to ensure appropriate minimization measures are implemented to protect subtidal habitats and aquatic species, including using a vibratory hammer where feasible, the use of a floating debris boom during work activity, and conducting pre- and post-construction eelgrass surveys and subsequent monitoring. The proposed project will have no impacts to existing public access at the Eckley Pier.

Tentative Staff Position:
Recommend Approval with Conditions. (Sam Fielding; 415/352-3665 or sam.fielding@bcdc.ca.gov)

Applicant

John Muir Land Trust
P.O. Box 31
Martinez, CA 94533

BCDC Permit Application No. M2023.004.00

Filed on 09/20/2023

90th Day on 12/19/2023

Location
Within the Commission’s Bay and 100-foot shoreline band jurisdictions, at the Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Site (lat./long. 38.030758, -122.087820) along Waterfront Road in Martinez, Contra Costa County.

Description
The proposed Pacheco Marsh Public Access project would involve constructing a range of public access amenities at the Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Site in Martinez, CA, which was breached and restored in 2021. The Commission issued a separate permit in December, 2020, (BCDC Permit No. 2019.005.00) for the original restoration project to the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (“District”). The public access special conditions associated with that permit required that the District either transfer ownership of the site to another entity that would construct public access amenities at the site within three years of transfer or construct public access improvements at the site consistent with a plan improved by the Commission. Pursuant to this condition, the District transferred the lands to the John Muir Land Trust, who are proposing to construct the public access improvements at the site. The improvements would include a system of trails, bridges connecting the trails over tidal channels, a small watercraft launch, an interpretive center, picnic areas, parking, and restrooms.

Special Conditions would be included to ensure that the project is constructed in a manner that is protective of Bay resources and water quality, and that appropriate wayfinding, interpretive, and sensitive habitat signage is installed at the site.

Tentative Staff Position:
Recommend Approval with Conditions. (Schuyler Olsson; 415-352-3668 or schuyler.olsson@bcdc.ca.gov)

Commission Mailing September 21, 2023

• Commission Request to Hire Ujjayan Siuddarth

Commission Mailing September 29, 2023

• Commission Request to Hire Maya McInerney as an Environmental Scientist in the Planning Division (PDF)
• San Francisco Bay Area Seaport Plan update, Bay Plan Amendment No. 1-19 (PDF)
  Draft Seaport Plan (PDF)// Environmental Assessment (PDF) // Public Comments (PDF) // Addendum to the Cargo Forecast (PDF)

Articles about the Bay and BCDC

• A hidden climate danger threatens U.S. coastal communities
• Opinion: Governor should help California cities protect against flooding
• Making Roads Work for Transit
• SB 272 Sea Level Rise: Planning and Adaptation – SUPPORT
• They’re Ultrarich Techies, and They Want to Build a City From Scratch. What Could Go Wrong?
• California tops FEMA’s new list of areas vulnerable to weather disasters. What does it mean for the Bay Area?
• Fish and Wildlife to Award Millions to Improve California Boat Access?
• The Port of Oakland took on massive debt for an expansion that some say went bust. Is the same mistake possible?