Board of Harbor Commissioners
Tom Mattusch, President
Kathryn Slater-Carter, Vice President
Virginia Chang Kiraly, Treasurer
George Domurat, Secretary
William Zemke, Commissioner
James B. Pruett, General Manager
Trisha Ortiz, District Counsel
504 Avenue Alhambra, Ste. 200, P.O. Box 1449, El Granada, CA 94018 (650) 583-4400 T F (650) 583-4614
August 28, 2024
To: Oyster Point Marina Joint Liaison Committee
From: Jim Pruett, General Manager, San Mateo County Harbor District Subj: 2024 Oyster Point Update
Recommended Action:
Receive report and comment.
This update on San Mateo County Harbor District activities at Oyster Point Marina is in addition to and compliments the information provided in the 2024 Oyster Point Marina Annual Report dated August 20, 2024.
The Oyster Point Marina is a remarkable public facility that provides a valuable service to the public to include access to the marine environment, public shoreline trails and picnic areas, affordable boat storage, a public boat launch and public fishing pier. It also provides a superior location for kite surfing schools, fishing charters, and kayaking.
Its remote location on Oyster Point makes it a great location to see and study shorebirds.
It is also a hub of ferry activity for the region, being one of the major hubs for the WETA ferry and several private corporate ferries.
With the improvements provided by the Oyster Point Redevelopment Project and the District’s efforts to maintain and capitalize on them, the Oyster Point Marina is modern, clean, and well kept. An inviting place for the public to enjoy the maritime environment.
Update: The Oyster Point
Development raised the west
end area of Oyster Point over
eight feet above existing
elevation. The project did not
include the narrow strip of
land along the Bayshore
where the landing pads for
the entrance ramps for Docks
1 through 6 were located.
(See Exhibit (1)). To provide
access to the floating docks, Exhibit (1): West Basin Oyster Point Marina Government Code Section 54957.S
SB 343 Agenda Item: Item #4
08/28/2024 SP Harbor District Liaison
the Development project installed ramps from the new elevated Bay Trail down to the landing pads on the narrow strip of land unimproved by the project. This did not solve the existing inundation issues associated with landfill subsidence of the landing pads and flooding during plus or king tides. (See exhibits (2), and (3)).
The flooded ramps are a safety issue for persons accessing docks 1 through6. To address this safety issue, the Harbor District is moving forward with the Entrance Ramp Replacement Project. A $3.4 million construction contract is currently being funded by the Harbor District.
The Harbor District is aware of the current conditions of the floating docks, and all docksexcept Dock 11, are in need of replacement. But due to the exorbitant cost to replace the docks, the Harbor District has undertaken a Floating Dock Life Extension Project. The project includes an inspection of each dock and repairing or replacing deck board, attachments (i.e. cleats) brackets, cross members, and floatation units. This project will increase the freeboard, stabilize and firm up, and straighten each dock, greatly improving the safety and life span.
The existing restrooms on the east end, and new restrooms on the west end have greatly improved the facilities at Oyster Point Marina. All these improvements have resulted in increased occupancy at Oyster Point, as well as maintaining the occupancy rate.
Future Plans: The Harbor District is very interested in increasing the services provided at Oyster Point Marina to include a return of the bait shop and a fueling station. Several years ago, the District operated a Bait Shop on the parking island near the public fishing pier. It was a great resource for the hundreds of fishermen that utilized the fishing pier as well as the fishermen that launched their vessels from Oyster Point. It is a needed resource that the District is working on bringing back to the marina.
Exhibit (2): Docks Entrance for 3 and 4 Exhibit (3): Dock Entrance for 5 and 6
The lack of fuel for vessels homeported or
launching from Oyster Point is a major distractor
for the marina. For a marina to be successful, it
must have fueling capabilities. The Harbor
District is investigating different options to
include a fixed above ground system (See
Exhibit (4) for an example) or mobile fueling
system (See Exhibit (5) for an example) at the
marina to serve the several hundred boats that
launch from Oyster Point Marina.
Another service requested by boat
owners, who do not want to keep their
vessels in a wet slip, is dry storage. The
District will be investigating the
possibilities of building a limited dry
storage system for private boats that will
allow boat owners to store their boats in a
safe location at the Marina, eliminating the
need to trailer the vessels from their
homes. This project has the potential to
eliminate several hundred round trips on Bay Area freeways to trailer boats to Oyster Point on an annual basis, improving safety and conserving fuel.
The District is also planning to take advantage of the opportunity to construct a 40,000 sq ft commercial building at Oyster Point Marina as permitted by the 2017 Agreement.
This is a long-term goal based on resource availability, and will require an amendment to the 2018 Agreement. This could also be an option for the dry boat storage.
Exhibit (6): Boat Rack U.S. Exhibit (7): NauticExpo
Exhibit (4): Above Ground Storage
Exhibit (5): Mobile Fueling System