Around 20 displaced residents have moved their vessels from Oyster Cove Marina to Oyster Point Marina in south San Francisco, but several lives remain on board as the city and two agencies guide residents through the process.
The move comes after Kilroy Realty, which bought the Oyster Cove Marina in 2018, gave slip owners until October 15 to leave. The Southern California-based developer is currently in the process of building 3 million square feet of office and research space on the property.
Shortly thereafter, at a September meeting, the city and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission decided that displaced residents could temporarily relocate to the adjacent city-owned Oyster Point Marina as the liveaboards find a permanent home. BCDC is a regional agency that oversees all development in the bay.
The Port District of San Mateo County, which operates the Oyster Point Marina, inspected 39 vessels and declared them seaworthy as part of the process upon entering the port.
A ship didn’t come by and the City of South San Francisco is working with that person to support them, said Jim Pruett, general manager of the port district.
“We were surprised that the overall condition of the ships was good,” Pruett said.
As of last week, 11 residents have paid the live-aboard status fee, 10 are scheduled for inspection, and eight have incomplete applications. The Port District is assisting individuals to complete the process, Pruett said.
Residents can stay at Oyster Point Marina through April 1 or have a verifiable plan to leave in the next few months. The BCDC will order residents out of the port if they do not leave the port by October 1, 2023.
“This is a potential homelessness problem for some of these people,” Port District Commissioner Edmundo Larenas said at an Oct. 19 meeting.
The city works with a relocation expert to understand each person’s needs and find them permanent housing.
The 455-berth Oyster Point Marina is operated by the San Mateo County Harbor District. She receives 10% of her receipts for residents on board. The marina contains 29 liveaboards and there are plans to have another 11 liveaboards soon to fill the additional spots from the waiting list. While displaced liveaboards moving into the marina will exceed 10% compliance for Oyster Point Marina, the BCDC said it will not enforce the issue next year, according to a previous staff report.
The BCDC made the decision after concerns were raised by local residents who felt the period was not enough for them to find permanent residence.
The residential use of the bay is not consistent with the McAteer-Petris Act that created the BCDC in 1965, or with the Public Trust, which stipulates that certain natural resources are reserved for use by all members of the public since it is neither a “water according to a previous report.
South San Francisco councilor Mark Addiego, also a BCDC member, previously said the goal is to give the ship’s residents enough time to find permanent homes.
“Even though it’s BCDC and their job is to protect the bay. … Everyone is dialing into the fact that ‘hey, this is housing for these people and without that what’s going to happen to them?’” Addiego said.
BCDC’s biggest concern is that liveaboards would be forced to anchor, meaning their boats would be moored outside of marinas, which is environmentally unfriendly and dangerous for boaters.
