Oyster Point Marina dock entrance project underway in South San Francisco

The need to heighten the dock entry points was identified back in 2019 and a temporary solution was put in place, but City Manager Sharon Ranals said it wasn’t meant to be a long-term fix.

The Harbor District is responsible for the Oyster Point Marina docks, including the land-side dock connections, but the city is in charge of preventing detrimental effects of sea-level rise on its land, meaning the project involved effort from both parties, Ranals said.

During its meeting June 25, the council approved waiving about $90,000 in permit fees the Harbor District would have to pay. Ranals said the relationship with the Harbor District has significantly improved over the years.

“Since the city’s latest round of agreements, we clarified who is responsible for what maintenance functions,” Ranals said. “When you’re in the middle of working out an agreement, it can be contentious. Now it’s a more mature agreement, and folks are clear about their roles.”

Councilmember Flor Nicolas said, since she started on the council, she’s seen a difference in the city’s relationship with the Harbor District.

“In the beginning of my term here … it wasn’t as smooth as it is now, so it’s really wonderful to see this collaboration,” Nicolas said during the City Council meeting.

Ranals said the Harbor District has also been helpful more recently in helping to remove derelict boats in the Bay.

“[The city] is responsible, way out into the Bay, for any derelict boats, and it’s wildly expensive to have a salvage company come and tow the boat out of there, and also there are a lot of complicated legalities,” Ranals said.

While the Harbor District has helped physically remove them, the city has also partnered with other organizations, including nonprofits like LifeMoves, to offer relocation assistance to those who do not have shelter apart from the boats.

There has also been a long-standing liveaboard community in the area, or individuals who reside on their boats, which has required resources from both the city and the Harbor District. In 2022, liveaboard residents from the nearby Oyster Cove Marina, owned by Kilroy Realty, moved to the city-owned Oyster Point Marina temporarily after the developer instructed the residents to leave. But the residents were only allowed to stay at Oyster Point for about a year while they found other shelter.

“[The Harbor District] accommodated a lot of those residents, and some of the other marinas wouldn’t have been so forthcoming so I appreciate the way they’ve been interfacing with South City,” Vice Mayor Mark Addiego said.

The city is also working on other projects related to sea-level rise around the marina and the Water Quality Control Plant, which also includes partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Construction of the dock entrance project is expected to end in October.