The Point San Pablo Peninsula

The Point San San Pablo Peninsula in the City of Richmond extends north from the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge (I-580) to Point San Pablo. Point San Pablo along with Point San Pedro in Marin County are regional landmarks defining the San Pablo Straits separating San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.

This web site has been developed as a public service for those interested in the future of the Point San Pablo Peninsula. It contains information on the peninsula's history, current land use plans and proposals for future development, public parks, open space and trails. It will be updated periodically to provide information on proposed amendments to Richmond's General Plan and specific development, park and trail proposals as documents become available for public review and comment to elected officials and government agencies.

This peninsula has over a century of rich, fascinating history, including resource extraction (shrimping, whaling, sardine canning and quarrying), winemaking, ferry and industrial port operations ranging from "oil for the lamps of China" to fuel storage and shipping for the U.S. Navy. The eastern, inland side of the Peninsula is occupied by Chevron's refining facilities. However, the western side of the peninsula's 465-foot high ridge line now stands vacant with about 4.5 miles of shoreline on San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.

The City of Richmond's Point Molate Beach park has been closed since 2001. If you would like to see this beautiful beach reopened, you may send an email to the City Manager and Park Superintendent.

As shown on the land ownership map, Point San Pablo itself is owned by the City of Richmond and once was the site of the City's Terminal 4, which no longer is economically viable as a marine terminal and, hence, has been removed from the Seaport Plan approved by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Offshore Point San Pablo is the historic East Brother Light Station with its 1873 Victorian lighthouse maintained by the nonprofit East Brother Light Station, Inc. and operated as a B&B.

The City is in the process of acquiring former Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate and has entered into a land disposition agreement for sale of the property to Upstream Point Molate LLC. Chevron owns most of other lands on the western side of the peninsula with the exception of the privately owned Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor and a small parcel of vacant land at Castro Point near the bridge. However, Chevron has no active operations on the western side of the peninsula, and its Point Orient Wharf is dormant.

Comments or questions should be directed to pointsanpablo@earthlink.net.

Except where indicated otherwise, content on this web site is provided by Bruce Beyaert and/or Don Gosney, who both have served on City and Navy committees advising on former Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate since 1994.