BCDC Approves Westpoint Settlement

Yesterday, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission unanimously approved a settlement with Westpoint Harbor. The decision marks the end of decades of conflict between the two entities, and the likely end of what many — ourselves included — have called overzealous and unnecessary enforcement by the BCDC against Westpoint.

“The settlement is a victory for the environment, boaters and our community,” said San Francisco Bay Stewardship Alliance member Bob Wilson, adding that Westpoint now has a permit that rectifies all past uncertainties about the marina — of particular importance is the fact that Westpoint is now permitted to dredge their harbor. “Westpoint owner Mark Sanders will also donate $150,000 to two charities, including the Marine Science Institute (MSI) on Redwood Creek,” Wilson said in an email.

(The MSI, which has provided hands-on environmental education for over 50,000 local children and adults, testified yesterday at the BCDC hearing on an issue unrelated to Westpoint. MSI has been trying to get the BCDC to issue a permit to re-nourish oyster shells on its beach, which the BCDC refused, according to Wilson. We will have more on this case in an upcoming ‘Lectronic.)

The battle over Westpoint Harbor has given birth to a number of advocacy groups, including the aforementioned SF Bay Stewardship Alliance. “We are dedicated to our environment and are working now to force reform of the BCDC. This includes helping the California State auditors who are now investigating the BCDC because of pressure from the community.”

In Completely Related and Incredibly Ironic News . . .

On Wednesday, Westpoint Harbor received the “Large Marina of the Year” award at the annual The Docks Expo in Nashville, Tennessee, in an event that was sponsored by Marina Dock Age, a magazine dedicated to marina and boatyard management.

“It is a great honor to be recognized like this,” Sanders was quoted as saying in a press release. “We have worked hard to create a facility that takes care of boaters, the environment, and which offers everyone an opportunity to enjoy the water.”

Marina Dock Age “set the bar very high,” a Westpoint press release said. “They [look] for harbors that excel in terms of their business practices that support customers, the harbor’s custodianship of the environment, and harbors that promote the boating industry.”

If you’re wondering why a facility that just beat out national competition to be recognized as the best large marina of the year has had a decade-long conflict with a regulatory agency tasked with providing access to the Bay . . . so are we.