Report on the Port of Redwood City Study Session - Tariff 7 Adding Liveaboards

Last Wednesday, the Redwood City Port Commission had a study session regarding updating Tariff 7. Although Tariff 7 also sets the pricing of the berths at the Port the most important change that is being proposed is to begin to allow liveaboards. Mr. Mike Giari, the Port Executive Director, presented the case and answered questions from the Commissioners. According to Mr. Giari the plan to add liveaboards needs to be approved by the Port Commissioners and the SFBCDC. The port will need to make some upgrades which he projected to cost roughly half a million dollars. The plan presented was for this new Tariff 7 to become effective October 1st, 2017. Mr. Aaron Aknin, Assistant City Manager of Redwood City attended and spoke to the considerations that the City of Redwood City had regarding the possibility of relocating some of the Docktown residents to the Port.

The Commissioners voiced a number of concerns including SFBCDC permitting and timelines, cost and return on investment of the necessary upgrades to the docks as well as noise and port activity.

The public was invited to comment and all thirteen speakers spoke in favor of adding liveaboards. The first speaker, James Jonas, also explained that the situation of his home at Docktown is that it is not on grant property so it is unclear as to whether or not the Docktown Plan applies or what his options are. I spoke right after James. I suggested that the Port be a lot more visionary than the current Tariff 7 proposed changes. The reality is that the last time the Port updated Tariff 7 was in 2000. This is therefore a big opportunity for the Port. Personally, I would like to see the Port include a section for liveaboard barge or pontoon floating homes especially since marinas like Berkeley have successfully integrated these into their liveaboard rules. The Berkeley marina has 13 as they call them house boats what the City of Redwood City has called barge based homes and 87 liveaboard permitted boats. The main difference between the two is the sewer and the need to be seaworthy and navigable at least twice a year.

As I explained to the Commissioners this is one of several models that has been accepted and approved by the SFBCDC. The other models of course are more predominantly floating communities like the ones in Sausalito, Mission Creek and Barnhill in Alameda which could also all become models for one or two docks either at the Port of Redwood City or on the non-grant lands at Docktown.

Mission Creek in San Francisco has a lease with the Port of San Francisco that goes through 2055. Here is a link to a Google shared folder with the documents I received through a public records act request from the Port of San Francisco regarding the contracts with Mission Creek which I afterwards sent in an email to the Commissioners:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9NzpHSe6VJVMjAwNVBtaHhiSmc?usp=sharing

In addition, I recommended they also consider pursuing an option similar to what has been done in the aforementioned Berkeley Marina. The Berkeley Marina (also within the SFBCDC jurisdictional area) rules of operation are part of the Berkeley Municipal Code homes including what in California are now classified as floating homes:

http://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Berkeley/

Title 6 deals with Private Property. Subsection 6.20 Marina Rules and Regulations and Sub Subsection 6.20.200 Residential houseboats

Other speakers responded to some of the other Commissioners concerns. Judi McDowell, Commodore of the Peninsula Yacht Club and resident of Docktown, quickly calculated and informed the Commissioners that they were likely to recoup their investment within five years. Others brought up issues with the way the process at Municipal had worked in the past, the fact that Redwood Landing based just beside Municipal Marina already allows ten percent liveaboards and that noise was not a factor as at Docktown between the highway 101 noise and the Bair Island Aquatic Center Rowers at 5am. liveaboard residents tended to be quite used to noise and disruption.

This was supposed to be a study session. The next step is to further engage the community including industries in the Port area that were unfortunately not informed with sufficient time to allow them to attend. Another discussion with a potential for approval is being considered for the commission meeting at the end of August.

Living on the water is a water dependent use one of the criteria used by the SFBCDC to approve these type of requests. I strongly urge the Redwood City Port Commission to be bold and visionary. Floating homes and communities are with climate change and sea level rise our future. The Redwood City Port is the port of the internationally re known Silicon Valley and should take this opportunity to lead the way!

Photo credit: San Francisco Chronicle via Redwood City Port