East Bay Parks Has Three Beach Visions, Remains Open for More Ideas

[Editor's Note: See more . Read live tweets from the meeting in the PDF to the right. The parks district also is conducting a survey to assist with their master plan efforts. Learn more here.]

A Thursday night meeting in east Oakland drew dozens from Albany and beyond to share their hopes and worries about East Bay Regional Park District plans to develop Albany Beach.

Some members of the public said they look forward to improved facilities such as bike racks, better restrooms, easier access for those with mobility issues, picnic tables and perhaps a water fountain, but others said they'd .

"I used to live in a small town in the mountains and this is my favorite place around," said Apryl Guisasola of Berkeley to other attendees during a break-out session after the main presentation. "I would just hate to see it change, and I'm going to start to cry because this place is so special to me....

"It just hurts me to know that millions of dollars could be spent on this when it could be going to so much better use. I just think it's ruining something that's very special."

The Feb. 17 workshop, the second such meeting for the public, was held in the park district's boardroom at 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct. in Oakland. Chris Barton, a senior planner for the district, opened the event by outlining three progressively elaborate possibilities for beach development.

Estimated costs range from about $1 million—for basic shoreline stabilization, improved beach access for the disabled, and some dune and wetland enhancements—to more than $7 million. 

The bells-and-whistles plan offered more shoreline stabilization options, including sand placement to help the area weather erosion; a pocket beach near the Bulb; a second access point for the disabled; a boardwalk; and a second picnic area. 

District staff members said none of the three options is set in stone, and that pieces of each could be mixed and matched depending on public interest, money available and ultimate land use goals. 

The driving factor behind the  is concern about rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

In an , park officials said the steep and rocky shoreline north and south of the beach make it, and the Neck that leads to the Bulb, vulnerable to rising sea levels. Without protective measures, the sandy area will become narrower and steeper. The Neck could erode to precarious levels over the next 50 years. 

After the presentation, organizers split attendees into four groups to hear feedback about each plan. 

member Angela Armendariz said she hoped to see bike racks included in final plans, and expressed concern that the $1 million option did not take access for cyclists and pedestrians enough into account. 

James St. John said his priority was the sand dunes.

"I've been using the beach for 25 years, and I would like to see it preserved, strengthened with sand and maintained in the long run," he said. "I started using it when my children were small. I would go to that dune section in good weather and we would hang out, depending what season it was, for hours, and just talk and play.... I'd like to be able to take my grandkids there and do the same thing I did with my kids."

Many who attended the meeting said they did so on behalf of their dogs. 

One gentleman, a self-described dog advocate, said, "There's a large contingency who depend on this area as an off-leash rustic area that we can feel free to bring our dogs. We can spend a day here and witness the joy that goes on among our pets, and for us as human beings."

Park district representatives said that officially, dogs are not allowed on the beach at all. The policy is not enforced however, because of confusing land ownership issues and limited staffing, said Brad Olson, environmental programs manager for the park district. 

Officials said they would note people's views about dogs on the waterfront, but that the feasibility study was not intended to address canine policies. (The city of Albany is, however, currently considering . This policy would affect the Neck and Bulb, however, and not the beach.)

Several attendees spoke in favor of improved access for the disabled.

With the land the park district currently owns, an improved access point could be developed on the north edge of the beach, said park officials. If the district acquires a 2.8-acre parcel to the east, a second access point could be added on the south edge. 

Some members of the public spoke passionately about maintaining the wild element that gives the park its unique nature. 

"There's just one park in the Bay Area where you can go clamber over unsafe construction debris and rebar.... and where you can put up a little art work," said Steve Haflich during the break-out session. "There should be one place that's a little bit hazardous, that's a little bit dangerous. This place has that. If the proposed changes ruin this character, that's what people are upset about. It's what we don't want to lose. It's what we want to protect."

For more information or to weigh in about the study, contact Chris Barton, senior planner, by e-mail or by phone at 510-544-2627.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give editor Emilie Raguso a ring at 510-459-8325 or shoot her an e-mail at emilier@patch.com.