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Dwell-aboards transfer marinas in South San Francisco | Native Information

Around 20 displaced live-aboard residents have moved their vessels from Oyster Cove Marina to Oyster Point Marina in South San Francisco, yet, several live-aboards still remain as the city and two agencies guide the residents through the process.

The move comes after Kilroy Realty, which purchased the Oyster Cove Marina in 2018, gave the slip owners until Oct. 15 to leave. The Southern California-based developer is currently in the midst of building 3 million square feet of office and research space on the land.

Soon after, the city and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission decided, at a September meeting, that the displaced residents could temporarily move to the adjacent city-owned Oyster Point Marina as the live-aboards find a permanent home. BCDC is a regional agency that oversees all development on the Bay.

The San Mateo County Harbor District, which operates the Oyster Point Marina, has inspected 39 vessels and passed them as seaworthy as part of the process when moving into the harbor.

One vessel didn’t pass and the city of South San Francisco is working with that individual to assist them, Harbor District General Manager Jim Pruett said.

“We were surprised that the overall condition of the vessels were good,” Pruett said.

As of last week, 11 residents have paid for the live-aboard status fee, 10 are scheduled for inspections and eight have incomplete applications. The Harbor District is assisting the individuals to complete the process, Pruett said.

The residents are welcome to stay at Oyster Point Marina until April 1 or have a verifiable plan to depart in the next few months. The BCDC will order the residents out of the harbor if they do not leave by Oct. 1, 2023.

“This is a potential homeless problem for some of these folks,” Harbor District Commissioner Edmundo Larenas said at an Oct. 19 meetings.

The city is working with a relocation expert to understand each person’s needs and find them permanent housing.

The 455-slip Oyster Point Marina is operated by the San Mateo County Harbor District. It is allocated 10% of its slips for live-aboard residents. The marina contains 29 live-aboards and is slated to have an additional 11 live-aboards filling the additional spots from the waitlist soon. While the displaced live-aboards moving to the marina will exceed the 10% compliance for Oyster Point Marina, the BCDC said it would not enforce the issue over the next year, according to a previous staff report.

The BCDC made the decision after concerns were raised by live-aboard residents who felt the deadline was not enough time to find a permanent residency.

Residential uses of the Bay are not consistent with the McAteer-Petris Act, which launched the BCDC in 1965, or the public trust, which establishes that certain natural resources are set aside for use by all the public, because it is neither a “water -oriented” use, nor is it in furtherance of public trust needs, according to a previous report.

South San Francisco Councilmember Mark Addiego, also a member of the BCDC, previously said that the goal is to help give the live-aboard residents enough time to find a permanent home.

“Even though it’s BCDC and their charge is to protect the Bay. … Everybody is dialed into the fact that, ‘hey, this is housing for these people and, without this, what’s going to happen to them?’” Addiego said.

The BCDC’s biggest concern is the live-aboards would be forced to anchor out, meaning their boats would be outside the marinas, which is harmful to the environment and dangerous for boaters.

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