Dedicated in 2002, the Eastshore State Park is a San Francisco Bay Area treasure, providing recreational opportunities for approximately 2 million park visitors each year. Administered by the East Bay Regional Park District, the 8.5-mile-long park preserves more than 2,000 acres of uplands and tidelands along the scenic Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Albany and Richmond waterfronts. Citizens for East Shore Parks played an important role in the 30-year effort of community activists and environmentalists to create the park.
Please read about the many ongoing developments in the Eastshore State Park.
California's Department of Parks has designated the area known as the Brick-yard for intensified public access and for the headquarters of the Eastshore State Park. The State allocated $11 million for development of Phase I. All parties, including CESP, agreed that the funds are needed to create an inviting Park entrance, but differences of opinion regarding the design emerged between the State and the East Bay Regional Park District.
Valid points were raised by everyone. The State wanted a design that some called a "classic urban park." Phase I would include infrastructure utilities, turf, a parking lot, extensive pathways, and a building that could serve as a visitors' center. The State got some preliminary concurrence in its design concepts from various stakeholders, including CESP as an organization that represents the public interest.
The Park District felt that the north shore of the Brickyard, which is open to the Bay, is susceptible to erosion and needed riprap protection, and they wanted to include a corporation yard. The city of Berkeley originally objected to that because the City already has one a short distance away. Additionally, the District wanted a design that wouldn't require large amounts of funding for ongoing maintenance. The State estimated that its design would require more than $300,000 annually for maintenance, money the District does not have in its budget. Unfortunately, the state's severe budget crunch prevents State Parks from contributing to the maintenance costs at the Brickyard.
Everyone had the best intentions. State Parks and the District wanted to come to some meeting of the minds, but there appeared to be a logjam over getting the two concepts to meld. In particular, the State was concerned about any significant design changes without getting public input. CESP stepped in to speed the resolution of the different interests.
CESP met with representatives from the State and District, providing a forum for people to explain their concerns and offering suggestions to resolve problems. Phone conversations between the two parties were held, and today, CESP is optimistic that a plan for the Brickyard will soon emerge. CESP will continue to help facilitate outreach to the public, including hosting public forums to review the new plans. The State will circulate its new design aimed at providing needed infrastructure, pathways and low maintenance landscaping, will consider District budgetary concerns, and likely delay opening a visitor's center, but allow for some presence of a District maintenance facility. The District is also continuing to work with the city of Berkeley to address corporation yard issues.
It is good to get this long-delayed project going. CESP thanks Ruth Coleman, Director of State Parks, and Pat O'Brien, General Manager of the Park District, for their efforts, and Assemblywoman Loni Hancock for her continued work behind the scenes on this process.
by Jessica Tse, CESP intern
On September 6 CESP will join local residents to celebrate the ground-breaking ceremony of the newest addition at Eastshore State Park, the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex.
The sports complex is named for Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates in recognition of his contributions to the creation of the Eastshore State Park. With the help of CESP and other conservation groups, the East Bay Regional Park District successfully acquired what was in 2003 an unused 16-acre lot in Berkeley. This shoreline parcel has been transformed into an active recreation area with three natural turf and two synthetic turf fields.
A total of $20 million was spent on the ball fields, including the purchase price of the land. State grants totaling $5 million from the Urban Parks Act, the California Youth Soccer & Recreation Facility Grant, and the California Healthy Communities Grant enabled construction to begin. Next will be adding amenities such as a bathroom, but that is contingent on additional funding. Renting the fields to schools for a full season is under consideration.
Creating the ball fields at the Gilman site required mitigation for the Western Burrowing Owl, a Species of Concern in California. On April 16, the City of Albany and the District started a project at the Albany Plateau to create habitat for the owls. There will be a permanent 4-foot fence around the conservation area, which is estimated to be completed in June. Funding to mitigate the loss of habitat from the ball fields is provided through a joint powers agreement between Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, and Richmond.
The Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex will serve the greater East Bay region. According to Berkeley Park and Recreational officer Roger Miller, sports leagues will be required to book for a whole season and any other special event will be by reservation only. All other times will be available for public use.
CESP welcomes this addition to our shoreline park to provide a much needed resource for organized sports teams, as well as offering affordable sports programs for youths.
In April, the City of Albany and the East Bay Regional Park District began a two-month conservation project at the Albany Plateau to create habitat for the burrowing owl. A portion of the Eastshore State Park General Plan includes enhancing and restoring a number of ecosystems and habitat types throughout the park. The Western Burrowing Owl Conservation Area is one such project. Other birds, such as the Northern Harrier and White-tailed Kite will also benefit from the protected habitat.
When completed, the conservation area will include a fenced 8.0 acre section area providing low ground cover and some open space with the goal of providing some protection from local predators. Burrows will be created inside to simulate the abandoned rodent holes the owl typically inhabits. Included in the plan is preserving and enhancing the half-mile of viewing trail around the perimeter and along the bay and mudflats, which provides excellent bird viewing areas. The East Bay Regional Park District will install interpretive panels about the project.
The burrowing owl is listed as a Species of Concern in California. The rapid development of its grassland habitat has lead to a steady decline in the owls' population. The project includes installation of a four foot permanent fence around the conservation area, and a second temporary six foot chain link fence to close the area during project construction. Estimated time of completion is approximately June 22.
Funding is provided by the five-city (Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, and Richmond) Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Agency to mitigate the loss of habitat from the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex.
While a few dog walkers have complained about losing access to some of the Park, the plateau has been divided half for recreation and half for conservation. This seems like an equitable solution for a park with many uses, especially as dogs have free access to the majority of the Park.
For more information, please contact:
Anne Chaney, Community Development Director
City of Albany
(510) 528-5768
Shelly Lewis, Public Affairs
East Bay Regional Parks
(510) 544-2208
In other news at Eastshore State Park, Phase II restoration work began on the Berkeley Meadow in April. The 13-acre Phase II project will be an extension of a 17-acre Phase I completed in 2005. The overall restoration project includes restoring seasonal wetlands and creating coastal scrub and native grasslands, good habitat for wildlife such as Northern Harriers, White-tailed Kites and Western Burrowing Owls. The first evidence of this work will be piles of tested clean soil being moved into Eastshore State Park along the frontage road between University Avenue and Gilman Street. After Phase II is completed, a third and final phase of 37-acres is planned to restore the remaining portions of the meadow. The first phase, which includes paths and interpretive panels, will remain open during the restoration of the final two phases. Naturalist programs occur in the meadow throughout the year. For more information, please contact
Shelly Lewis, Public Affairs
East Bay Regional Parks
(510) 544-2208
Recently major funds have become available for the progression of ongoing projects at the Berkeley Meadow and Brickyard Cove of the new Eastshore State Park. Last May, the California Coastal Conservancy gave generous grants to the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) and the California State Parks Department in order to continue efforts to improve the Berkeley waterfront for people and wildlife alike. EBRPD received $1.5 million and California State Parks received $120,000 for their respective work on the Berkeley Meadow restoration and the Brickyard Cove design.
EBRPD will use the grant to complete the third and final phase of restoring Berkeley Meadow. A former landfill, the 90-acre meadow between Interstate 80 and the Berkeley Marina will be largely converted into a natural habitat for birds, though some parts will remain accessible to people. The entire restoration should be completed by 2010. Meanwhile, California State Parks will use the money for planning a 30-acre park that is to encompass the area now known as Brickyard Cove. The park will provide vital open space on what is considered an extremely accessible and visible part of the shoreline. The public planning process for the park will take place in January 2008, and a final Master Plan and Preliminary Grading Plan should be ready by May 2008.
Both projects signify a major advance for the Eastshore State Park. Dedicated in 2002, the waterfront park has certainly become a treasure of the East Bay, providing recreational opportunities for approximately 2 million park visitors each year. Berkeley contains the largest portion of the more than 2000 acres of park land. Citizens for East Shore Parks played an instrumental role in the creation of the park and now identifies as one of its primary goals the maintenance and development of the Eastshore State Park, in a way that promotes habitat restoration and recreational use.
