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Port director highlights Fisherman's Wharf plan, living seawall pilot and cruise recovery in monthly report
Summary
Executive Director Elaine Forbes updated the commission on Fisherman's Wharf planning, the living seawall pilot’s biodiversity findings, credit rating affirmations, cruise activity, Ferry Building retail recovery and a promotion within port engineering.
Executive Director Elaine Forbes delivered an informational report that updated the Port Commission on Fisherman’s Wharf planning, resilience work including a living seawall pilot, recent credit-rating affirmations, cruise activity and Ferry Building market recovery.
Forbes said port staff continue to refine an interim plaza and design recommendations for the Fisherman’s Wharf Forward program, and that staff will seek authorization to advertise a construction contract at the September meeting. She said stakeholders asked for preserving the wharf’s historic character, supporting fishery operations, improved public spaces and infrastructure repairs.
On resilience, Forbes described progress on the living seawall pilot, which staff said has visually recorded roughly 100 species at sampled sites and found juvenile crabs, barnacles and native oysters. A staff scientist said tiles will be sent to Tiburon for laboratory analysis and the findings will inform seawall redesign for sea-level rise work.
Forbes also announced Fitch Ratings had reaffirmed the port’s A rating with a stable outlook and noted S&P did the same earlier in the year; staff emphasized that unfunded capital needs remain the port’s biggest financial challenge and said the capital investment plan (CIP) will be updated with more detailed asset-condition data and presented to the commission in early 2026.
Other updates included: a record cruise season with 90 cruise calls and nearly 3.68 million passengers served during the terminal’s decade of operation (staff reported 3,000,000 passengers served over 10 years at James R. Herman cruise terminal), new businesses and investments at the Ferry Building, volunteer park clean-ups across the waterfront, and an underway Amador Street construction project to improve roadway and utilities in the Southern Waterfront.
Forbes announced Wendy Proctor’s appointment as the port’s new deputy director of engineering and congratulated Luis Barrada for receiving a Bay Adapt award for waterfront resilience community engagement.
Public comment on the director’s report included testimony from Maggie (Captain) Hallahan, a sea scout leader, who urged follow-up on fuel-dock remediation at Gas House Cove and asked the commission to address maintenance and emergency-fuel access. Piercy Bastiani of the Bayview National Black newspaper urged the port to address deteriorating substructure and piling conditions at piers including Pier 9 and Pier 48; commissioners asked staff to include facility-condition reporting in the CIP update and to meet with Sea Scout representatives.
This item was informational; commissioners asked staff for follow-up briefings on port facilities and for outreach and communications to explain port responsibilities and constraints to the public.
