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Port reports Embarcadero Seawall bond progress; Army Corps credit agreement signed, federal BRIC grant not awarded
Summary
The Port reported three bond sales to date, near‑term design contracts in procurement, a living‑seawall pilot with the Smithsonian and a signed agreement with the U.S. Army Corps to seek credit for early work; the Port said a $50 million FEMA BRIC tentative award did not result in a final grant and the program is reviewing alternative funding.
Carlos Colon, contracts manager for the Port of San Francisco’s waterfront resilience program, reported on the 2018 Embarcadero Seawall earthquake safety general obligation bond and related activities.
Colon said the port has completed three bond sales, has expended most proceeds and currently has about $20 million unspent from the largest sale; the port expects to spend the proceeds from the three sales over the next two to three years. He said the port is reviewing responses to three requests for proposals for detailed design work on early projects, including Wharf J9 and design contracts covering the Northern and Southern Waterfronts (Pier 9 and Pier 15 were named as design RFPs).
Colon described an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that allows the city to receive credit, with Corps approval, for eligible design and construction work performed before the Corps approves its recommended plan. He said that agreement was signed in the last few months.
The port also reported a living‑seawall pilot in three locations developed with the Smithsonian Institution, with different concrete mixes and textures to test which promote habitat growth; the pilot is expected to be removed and analyzed by the Smithsonian with a final report by the end of the year. Pier 50 substructure work and several design efforts (Downtown Coastal Resilience, South Beach Resilience) are in progress; Colon emphasized that dollar estimates for projects are preliminary and may change as detailed design proceeds.
Funding uncertainty: Colon said a federally administered BRIC grant for which the port had received a notice of tentative award — $50 million — was later not awarded. Because some federal grant opportunities may not materialize, the port is evaluating other funding sources, including moving more bond funds into near‑term design contracts and pursuing state and non‑federal grants. The port said it is seeking congressional approval in 2026 for an Army Corps flood study covering 7.5 miles of waterfront; Colon said the Corps’ recommended plan would go to Congress in summer 2026 and, if approved, lead to further design and eventual construction in the 2030s.
Committee members asked whether the Army Corps credit agreement is publicly available; Colon offered to provide a copy. Colon also confirmed the BRIC tentative award notice existed but the final award did not proceed.
