About 30 residents of the Oyster Cove Marina in south San Francisco can move to the nearby Oyster Point Marina for a year after the Bay Conservation and Development Commission decided at its Sept. 15 meeting to offer them the temporary fix as a humanitarian measure Place to live while looking for another place to go.
During the meeting, the BCDC made the decision after concerns were raised by liveaboard residents who felt the period was not enough to find permanent residency.
“We can have that [residency at Oyster Point Marina] for a year trying to find other liveaboard moorings, which is very difficult with the understanding that we will do that,” said Matt Klein, a liveaboard operator at Oyster Cove Marina.
The 455-berth Oyster Point Marina is owned by South San Francisco but operated by the San Mateo County Harbor District. 10% of the berths are allocated to residents living on board. The marina has 29 liveaboards and there are plans to add another 11 liveaboards to the additional spots on the waiting list soon. While the proposed fix would exceed 10 percent compliance for Oyster Point Marina, the BCDC said it will not enforce the issue over the next year, according to a staff report for the meeting.
Mark Addiego, a South San Francisco councilor and also a BCDC member, said the goal is to give residents on board enough time to find permanent homes.
“Even though it’s BCDC and their job is to protect the bay,” Addiego said. “Everybody’s like, ‘Hey, this is housing for these people and without that, what’s going to happen to them?'”
At the moment they are trying to accommodate them with their existing boats, he added.
“Many of the live on board boats have expressed that they currently have no place to go and that at other existing marinas the wait list for live on board moorings throughout the Bay Area can be many months long said Anniken Lydon, manager of the Bay Resources program.
There is a concern that the boats living on board would be anchored outside the marinas in the bay because they have no other options. Anchoring is dangerous for the boaters living on board and the environment, she added.
The staff sent a letter of intent to the City of South San Francisco and the San Mateo County Harbor District outlining the staff’s proposed approach that allows the Oyster Point Marina to accommodate the additional liveaboards while exceeding the 10% liveaboard quota.
According to the report, the residential use of the bay is not in compliance with the McAteer-Petris Act or the Public Trust as it is not a “water oriented” use nor is it intended to further the needs of the Public Trust.
