Grant Approved by Bay Restoration Authority for Bayshore Park

Oakland – Today, the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority (SFBRA) Board of Directors approved a $500,000 grant for the SPHERE Institute (SPHERE) to support site studies and community engagement in its effort to transform a 9.4-acre vacant and poorly maintained parcel of State-owned bayfront land in Burlingame into a public nature and recreation park.

“This project will provide new recreational opportunities and access to the Bay while simultaneously creating new wetlands for wildlife habitat and shoreline protection from sea level rise,” said Supervisor Dave Pine who serves as the Chair of the SFBRA board.

The SPHERE Institute is a not-for-profit policy research firm established in 1996 and located on the Burlingame bay shore. SPHERE conducts policy research evaluating heath and social service programs supported by public and private funds. The project is a public-private partnership between SPHERE and the San Mateo Resource Conservation District.

"The SPHERE Institute and the San Mateo Resource Conservation District are thrilled to be considered for this design and planning grant by the SFBRA,” said Greg Boro, Project Manager for SPHERE. “These funds are vital to our efforts to restore native tidal marsh habitat to the Burlingame Shorefront and enhance public access to the Bay."

The proposed new park will provide an education center, boardwalk to newly developed wetlands, public gathering spaces, two Bay Water Trail access sites and an improved segment of the Bay Trail. The environmental benefits of this project will include a restored tidal marsh ecosystem designed to grow and change as sea levels rise providing wildlife habitat and natural shoreline protection.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this project. Burlingame Shoreline Park will enhance our Bayfront by converting what is now a fallow and unmaintained area of decades old bay fill into a welcoming recreational and natural resource,” said Burlingame Councilmember Emily Beach. “The new Bay Trail and access improvements will enable many more recreational opportunities for local residents and visitors alike to enjoy for generations to come.”

In the coming months, the SPHERE Institute will conduct site studies and community engagement to solicit input to then prepare detailed plans and designs in preparation for regulatory review and application for the necessary permits to transform the site.

The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority is a regional agency created to fund shoreline projects that will protect, restore, and enhance San Francisco Bay through the allocation of funds raised by the Measure AA parcel tax. Measure AA, or the San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure, was a revenue generating measure placed on the June 2016 ballots of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area by the Restoration Authority. The measure proposed a 20-year, $12 parcel tax to raise approximately $25 million annually, or $500 million over twenty years, to fund restoration projects in the Bay. It passed with 70% approval across the region and went into effect in 2017.

###