[Bboa-members] Waterfront committee Meeting, tonight! Discussing%5 fee hike

[Paul Kamen]

On 3/15/2007 at 11:12 AM Dave Hamilton wrote:

>All,
>Did BYC come to a conclusion regarding a bid to manage N and O dock?

Not that I know of. The systemic problem is the "ladder" system of officer selection. None of the BYC officers ever seem to have an interest in long-term planning. 

>It seems the only benefit of a inside ferry terminal is dredging paid by
>the ferry operator. 

>From BYC's point of view, the Doubletree location keeps the parking issue well clear of BYC, but we still have the convenience of the ferry. Friday night race crew who work in the City would have an easy commute, for example. Plus it's a great amenity for live-aboards to have easy public transit to SF, etc. etc. etc. 

>Would this be a required part of their lease? Do the Ferry

Dredging is necessary for the ferry to operate, so there's no reason to write it into the lease. The boats will draw about 6 ft, so the channel will be dredged to 10 at the 0 tide level (according to the URS consultant). 

>wakes add to the wear and tear on the docks? 

No, it's a catamaran, and it's smaller than the Hornblower docks. Wake should be smaller than from the fish boats. 

>What happens to the overall
>traffic and parking because of the combined load from both a new Hotel and
>Ferry service? 

See my opinion piece in the Planet. The Doubletree area and the Hs. Lordships area are the only two places in the marina with enough parking to handle another 300-500 cars on weekdays without serious impacts. Also see my parking study at www.BerkeleyWaterfront.org. 

We would also have to add a traffic signal and some turn lanes at U. Ave. and Frontage, to handle surges after a ferry arrival. Hotel traffic is not an issue compared to existing loads - we already have 375 rooms at Doubletree and a new hotel would add maybe 200 more (but of higher value). 

>Parking is already scarce at times and there was talk about
>expanding planted areas consuming existing parking lots. What happened to
>that notion?

Not aware of a plan to reduce parking - the plan to move the berm at O-dock would increase parking. 

>What happened to the staffing situation where employees were paid from the
>Marina fund but used for other Berkeley locations.

That one goes both ways, was discussed at the meeting last night. It's not likely to be an area where there are big savings available. 

>To echo Zack; thanks Paul for the time and effort you've devoted and thank
>you Zack for your participation.
>
>Dave Hamilton
>S/V Sea Grace
>A 12 Paradise Marina
>Nuevo Vallarta, NAY
>Mexico

---------
Paul Kamen
Berkeley Waterfront Commission
510-540-7968  510-219-8106 (cell)
pk at well.com   www.BerkeleyWaterfront.org