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Port briefs commission on Pier 27 cruise terminal, Northeast Wharf and America's Cup'related BCDC amendments
Summary
Planning staff outlined proposed San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) special area plan amendments to accommodate a Pier 27 cruise terminal and related Northeast Wharf project, discussed trade-offs between maritime operations and public access, and said staff will pursue BCDC review in March with targeted permits in mid-March to May timeframes for associated approvals.
Planning staff told the Port Commission they are coordinating with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission on special area plan amendments necessary to permit a cruise terminal at Pier 27 and related Northeast Wharf public-access improvements.
Diane Oshima, planning and development division, framed the amendments in a long history of waterfront planning and explained that earlier BCDC rules (the so-called 50% or replacement-fill rule) constrained development and public-access trade-offs. With revised policies dating from the 2000 special area plan, the port and BCDC have been able to pursue mixed uses, preserve historic piers and identify open-water basins for public access.
Oshima said the cruise-terminal concept presents new operational and visual conflicts: cruise ships berthing at Pier 27 and apron closures can obstruct views and public enjoyment of the Northeast Wharf plaza area. Because structural surveys found Pier 23 in better condition than previously thought, staff now propose to retain Pier 23 and study alternate open-water basins to meet the plan's removal objectives. She described planned public studies and community outreach to locate replacement basins and noted a $20 million estimate for project-related improvements tied to the proposed amendments.
Staff noted timing: BCDC staff were scheduled to consider port proposals in early March; if BCDC approves the amendments, the port would seek a major permit for Pier 27 improvements by mid-March (March 15 was cited as a target) and may delay America's Cup-specific amendments until April with a possible major-permit window in May. Commissioners discussed reconciliation between BCDC's narrower public-trust mandate and the port's broader maritime responsibilities; Oshima said agencies are now more collaborative and that planned planning studies and joint committee meetings will help reconcile competing objectives.
Public commenters urged attention to Bayfront Park planning and Mission Bay impacts, and staff said those concerns would be integrated into the outreach and planning process.
