POINT SAN PABLO PENINSULA

A Bay Trail spur is planned to run from Point Richmond under I-580, through Point Molate and around Point San Pablo to terminate at the Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor. As shown on the property ownership map (Acrobat.PDF), this land is owned by Chevron and the City of Richmond with the exception of Caltrans’ I-580 corridor. Also see the Point San Pablo Peninsula / Point Molate website.

A critical problem is the lack of a Bay Trail connection between Point Richmond and the south side of the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge toll plaza area where an existing trail built by Caltrans runs under the bridge to Western Drive. This situation was created in 1956 when the City of Richmond vacated portions of Western Drive and other public streets and gave them to Standard OIl Company, which now is Chevron Corporation.To address this problem, Chevron, the City and ABAG Bay Trail Project funded the July 31, 2001 “Feasibility Study of Bay Trail Routes to the Point San Pablo Peninsula” with participation by BCDC, Caltrans, EBRPD and TRAC. 

It was agreed by consensus in 2001 that a route running from the end of Tewksbury Avenue over Chevron property bordering the I-580 corridor to reach the south side of the Toll Plaza area would meet Chevron's security concerns while providing a workable, although not optimal, Bay Trail connection with the Point San Pablo Peninsula. However, there has been no progress in reaching an agreement for access to Chevron lands, which is needed in order to seek funds for implementing this plan.

  Preferred Bay Trail Route From End of Tewksbury Avenue Above Retraining Wall on South Side of I-580 to Existing Trail Under Bridge.

In February of 2006, the State Lands Commission (SLC) issued a draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) concerning a proposed new 30-year lease of State submerged lands for Chevron’s continued operation of Long Wharf over which crude oil is pumped from tankers to the refinery. The DEIR stated:
"Granting a new lease for Long Wharf operations offers the opportunity to examine the potential for any adverse impacts to public access opportunities along this section of the Bay Trail segment linking Point Richmond with Point Molate. In addition, if the lease were denied, the shoreline facilities supporting the Long Wharf could be removed. With this area open, a trail could go though the area with no direct conflicting land uses, and the land could serve as safety buffer between the trail and the Refinery."

Elected officials, government agencies, public interest groups and organized labor sent letters to SLC requesting that Chevron should be required to mitigate the adverse land use, planning, transportation and recreational impacts associated with the lease of State lands by providing:
1. Public access easements for a two-way, multi-use Class I Bay Trail segments connecting:
     a. Tewksbury Avenue with the existing trail on the south side of the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge toll plaza area and
     b. The north side of I-580 corridor with the City of Richmond’s former Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot via the planned shoreline Bay Trail route and
2. Funds to design, permit and build the consensus Bay Trail segment of the 7/31/01 Feasibility Study of Bay Trail Routes to the Point San Pablo Peninsula.

Such letters were sent by Senator Don Perata, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, Supervisor John Gioia, Mayor Irma Anderson and a majority of Richmond City Council, ABAG Bay Trail Project, Bay Access, Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, East Bay Regional Park District, Marin Bicycle Coalition, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 342, Point RIchmond Neighborhood Council, Save The Bay, TRAC and approximately 20 individuals.

On March 7, 2007, the California State Lands Commission issued a Finalizing Addendum to the Draft EIR for Chevron Long Wharf Lease Renewal. This Finalizing Addendum rejected the above letters and took the narrow view that: "The Project’s area is defined as the area surrounding the berths comprising the existing Chevron Long Wharf facility…The facilities within this area are not an impediment to the proposed Bay Trail and the CSLC has no lease jurisdiction over either the shoreline or the upland, which supports the facilities through which the trail route is proposed.”

On March 20, 2007, the Richmond City Council enacted strong Resolution 34-07 in support of the Bay Trail as mitigation for the Long Wharf lease renewal.

More than a year later, on June 19, 2008, the Richmond Planning Commission adopted conditions requiring Chevron to provide a Bay Trail easement and help fund design, construction and maintenance of this Bay Trail segment in connection with their Energy and Hydrogen Renewal Project. The CIty Council meeting to review this on appeal will be posted at http://www.pointrichmond.com/baytrail/whatnow.htm when the details are known.

On July 17, 2008, the CIty Council agreed to enter into a Community Benefits Agreement under which Chevron agrees to work with the City, ABAG and Caltrans to identify and update its security plan to include a Bay Trail alignment from Marine Street at Tewksbury to the north side of I-580 and then convey the needed trail easement to a public agency. However, the agreement contains no deadlines for Chevron's compliance with this Agreement. The Agreement contains no funding for design and construction of the trail. Rather, it commits Chevron to help the City and others secure funding. It also commits Chevron to fund up to $2 million for "security enhancements" after the trail is built; however, there is no deadline for funding or installing them.

On December 3, 2008, the State Lands Commission met in Sacramento to consider certifying an EIR and granting a new 30-year lease of State tidelands to Chevron for continued operation of its Long Wharf. Rather than doing so, the Commision has instructed its staff to try to work out a way to provide funding for the trail.  Commissioner and Lt. Governor Garamendi wants a number of agencies and entities to as he put it “put a stone in this soup.”  Chevron and Caltrans are being asked to contribute $5 million each, whereas the City of Richmond and East Bay Regional Park District are being asked to put a total of $3 million in the pot.  The sum of $13 million is expected to be sufficient to fund design and construction of this trail segment.  The matter was held over until January 29 when the Commission has a meeting scheduled in Santa Barbara.

On the Peninsula itself, the Bay Trail is required to be built along the 1.4 miles of shoreline on former Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot under the City’s Land Disposition agreement with Upstream Point Molate LLC. TRAC believes this should be consistent with the CIty Council’s adopted Reuse Plan for the former Naval Fuel Depot. However, access to Chevron lands on the north side of the I-580 corridor is needed in order to reach the City’s Point Molate property. The City’s General Plan Update now underway should address completion of the planned Bay Trail between Point Molate and the Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor where BCDC permit conditions require construction of a Bay Trail segment.

Jun 25, 2009: EB Parks article:Tentative agreement reached for Breuner Marsh
Mar 20, 2009: CCTimes: Bay Trail advocates sue state, Chevron over public access at refinery
Mar 18, 2009: Berkeley Daily Planet: Bay Trail Backers Sue State, Chevron Over Richmond Wharf
Jul 15, 2008: Tom Butt Forum: CIty Council holds public hearing on Chevron's appeal
Jun 9, 2008: Tom Butt Forum: All You Want to Know About Point Molate
May 11, 2008: Launch of the Point San Pablo Peninsula / Point Molate Website
Mar 3, 2008: Contra Costa Times: Richmond facing Chevron decision
Feb 2, 2008: Berkeley Daily Planet: Richmond DRB Gives Qualified "Yes' to Chevron
Apr 3, 2007: San Francisco Chronicle: Chevron's unhappy trails
Apr 2, 2007: San Francisco Chronicle: Dustup over missing link of Bay Trail
Mar 27, 2007: Berkeley Daily Planet: Chevron Access Needed for Bay Trail Link
Mar 22, 2007: CCTimes article: Council pursues order for bike path
Oct 22, 2006: CCTimes article: 'Death trap' for cyclists
Oct 22, 2006: Tom Butt E-Forum: Caltrans and Chevron Conspire to Perpetuate Death Trap

More infomation on the Point San Pablo Peninsula & Point Molate >>