Treasure Island Marina Moves Forward With Approval From the BCDC
At last Thursday’s BCDC meeting, the Treasure Island Marina finally received its long-awaited approval for redevelopment. Along with the landside redevelopment currently underway, a new 168-slip marina will replace the aging 108-slip marina, which was badly damaged in the January 2023 “bomb cyclone.” Westpoint Harbor is the only completely new marina to have been built in the Bay Area in the last 30 or 40 years, and Treasure Island Marina will be one of the more significant marina replacements to hit the waterfront in decades.
Treasure Island itself was a redevelopment project. It was created on a shallow reef to the north of Yerba Buena Island in the late ’30s to host the Golden Gate International Exposition, celebrating the completion of both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. It was turned into a military base from 1941 until 1997, when it was purchased by the City of San Francisco under then-mayor Gavin Newsom. Since then it’s been under the direction of the Treasure Island Development Authority for environmental remediation and redevelopment.
Way back in 1999, Treasure Island Enterprises, LLC won the bid to redevelop the marina. They have been going through the public review, political and agency process ever since. After years of negotiation, the original proposed 400-slip marina was reduced to 168 slips ranging in size from 45 to 80 feet, preserving more space in the cove for recreational boating.
Treasure Island Yacht Club Staff Commodore Russ Breed attended the hearing and shared some of his observations. Russ noted that 10% of the slips will be designated as liveaboards, and current tenants with smaller boats will be permitted to stay, paying the market rate for a slip appropriate for their size vessel. A new channel will be dredged along the southern edge of Clipper Cove (labeled “Port of Trade Winds Harbor” on the drawings).
Anchoring will continue to be permitted in the cove* and a transient guest dock available for stays up to two days. Kayak launching will be available from the beach, and Treasure Island Sailing Center, when its shoreside facilities can be reopened in a couple of years.
So, after 20 years of planning and negotiations, it looks as if a new marina will finally be built on San Francisco Bay. Naturally it’s a compromise among the many stakeholders who have spoken up over the decades.
With a 66-year lease and approvals in place, Treasure Island Marina intends to start construction as soon as possible. Seasonal environmental requirements mean the construction has to happen between June 1 and November 30. With additional planning and required dredging permits, this means the marina supplier, Bellingham Marine, will likely not be starting until June 1, 2026.
Darius Anderson, CEO of Kenwood Investments and a partner in Treasure Island Enterprises, remarked, “We are looking forward to working with all the folks on the island to move forward with a new world-class marina in San Francisco Bay for area residents on and off the island.”
The Treasure Island Marina will be adjacent to all the new shoreside development with about 8,000 new housing units for thousands of new residents on the island. Though redevelopment is dramatically changing the neighborhood, Clipper Cove will finally have an updated marina available to Bay Area boaters. Additionally, when Treasure Island Sailing Center reopens in a couple of years, small-boat access and sailing will return to the cove.
*[This is a correction: our original understanding was that anchoring would no longer be permitted but, at present, that was incorrect. We have amended the story to reflect that anchoring is allowed. More information here.]
Since when is “anchoring no longer allowed in the cove?” Meaning all of Clipper Cove, or only the western section by the marina?
Too bad we won’t be allowed to anchor anymore, I hope they put in a lot of moorings.
“According to Treasure Island Enterprises, anchoring is currently no longer permitted in the cove…”
This is terrible!
Clipper Cove is a magnificent place to anchor with protection from the wind, solid holding, and great access to the beach and the islands amenities. Losing the ability to anchor at Clipper Cove will be a tragedy for the Bay Area boating community.
Moorings or a guest dock are not a replacement for the finest anchorage in the bay.
John, did you get confirmation from the Bay Conservation and Development commission about this statement?
“According to Treasure Island Enterprises, anchoring is currently no longer permitted in the cove”
Many of us attended the meeting and reviewed the permit documents. Our understanding was that there was a guarantee by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission to preserving public access to the anchorage.
If Treasure Island Enterprises is unilaterally deciding they get to close public access without explicit permission from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission that’s a really big deal. It would be hard to see it as anything other than retaliation against the sailing community for their advocacy during the permitting process.
‘Anchoring is currently no longer permitted in the cove’.
So, one of the only safe anchorages in the Bay is off limits due to construction of a marina with 45’ -80’ boats. I’m all for a new marina but public access needs to be a paramount concern for the remainder of the cove. If true this will get contentious. I’ve been anchoring there for years. I don’t plan to stop.
No more anchoring in the cove? I anchor there yesterday.
I reached out to a Bay Conservation and Development Commission staffer who confirmed this permit “the BCDC permit for the Treasure Island Marina Expansion Project… will not impact existing uses of Clipper Cove outside of the area leased by Treasure Island Enterprises; there has been no change to existing uses in Clipper Cove, including for anchoring, as a result of that approval”
John Arndt, please correct this post! We don’t have to obey in advance when our local kleptocrats make statements that erode our public spaces.
Tommaso – thanks for reaching out and you are correct. It looks like we got the wrong information. We have amended the story.