Public Access Pathways

September 25, 2019 Update: 
On October 1, the City Council will consider approving design concepts for up to six pathways along Fernside Boulevard and Eastshore Drive. The recommendations for these design concepts follow an independent feasibility study, public input process, crime prevention study, and title analysis providing owner and easement information.

The design concepts for consideration at four of the six pathways include: fencing and safety lighting, improved signage, surveillance cameras, widening of the current pathway, landscaping that promotes crime prevention, and other amenities including benches, trash/recycling receptacles, and other components.      

For the pathway at Fernside and Fairview, it is recommended that the City vacate its easement to the adjacent property owners. This pathway serves as a driveway for both homes on either side and is used by vehicles several times each day, causing safety concerns. 

For the pathway at Eastshore and Meyers, during the title analysis it was discovered that the City does not own the property or hold an easement over it, therefore the City has no rights to the pathway and it will remain closed.

Based on the City Council's final approval of the layout at each pathway, staff will engage an architect for design of the pathways, submit for regional and local permits, and construct the pathway improvements. For more information, please download the October 1 meeting agenda and read the staff report here: http://legistar1.granicus.com/alameda/meetings/2019/10/4776_A_City_Council_19-10-01_Meeting_Agenda.pdf.

June 6, 2019 Update:

As part of the Tidal Canal transfer, the City, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, transferred 84 lots of submerged land to the adjacent residents. At that time, City Council directed staff to conduct a feasibility study on the three public pathways along Fernside Blvd., as well as the three pathways on Eastshore Dr. A public input process was conducted and that information along with input from City staff from a variety of departments was compiled into recommendations for each of the six public access pathways.

View the public access pathway recommendations here(PDF, 1MB), the public access pathway survey data summary report here(PDF, 313KB), and the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design report on pathways here(PDF, 505KB). The Recreation and Park Commission will review and make a recommendation on the public access pathways at their June 13 public meeting. View the meeting agenda and staff report here. In September 2019, the City Council will consider the Recreation and Park Commission recommendations, hear public comment in open session, and make its final determination for each pathway. 

April 2, 2019 Update:

Recommendations will go to the Recreation and Park Commission in June 2019 and to City Council by September 2019.

March 4, 2019 Update:

This is a brief update on the status of the Public Access Pathways on Fernside Avenue and Eastshore Drive. The City Attorney’s Office has conducted an in-depth review of ownership of the pathways and will be discussing this issue with the City Council in closed session on March 19. Following that meeting, staff will bring a draft recommendation on the recreational uses of these public access pathways to the Recreation and Parks Commission for a public discussion, anticipated at the April 11 meeting. Once the Recreation and Parks Commission approves a recommendation, it will be brought to a regular meeting of the City Council for further public review and discussion in May/June. Thank you for your patience with this project and for being part of the input process. 

Background 

A few years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers transferred submerged land under the estuary to the City of Alameda at no cost, and the City sold that land to adjacent property owners at market value. This allowed property owners to get necessary permits to improve their docks, many of which had been falling apart for decades, and generated $1 million in revenues that will be invested in our community to improve public access to the water at six nearby public pathways along Fernside and Eastshore.

In 2018, the City released an independent feasibility study that offers recommendations for each of these pathways, convened a public walk to engage the community with around 75 participants, held two public meetings with over 60 participants, gathered data from an online survey with 494 participants, and met individually with adjacent property owners and community members.

As detailed in the feasibility study, these six access points are all a bit different, though over the years all six points have been encroached on in various ways. The three public access points along Fernside include a long pathway between two single family homes that was originally designed to bulb out at the water’s edge. Over several decades, property owners encroached on this public land, and today only the pathway to the water’s edge is publicly accessible. Two of the access points on Eastshore are similar to each other with limited encroachment and are used frequently by the public with expansive views of the San Leandro Bay, but a third access point is not currently publicly accessible due to continued encroachment.

Our public input process was designed to gather community feedback regarding what is generally possible at each of the access points, including what should be maintained for public access and options for improvement. Throughout this process, we heard a lot of questions from the community about encroachments and public access. The City wants to be able to answer the community’s questions, and is currently doing further legal review before taking a recommendation to the Recreation and Parks Commission and City Council in 2019. This recommendation will incorporate the community feedback received and the legal review.

Meantime, the City has worked to make short-term improvements at these access points, including installing new signage and safety fencing. We are now working on finding long-term solutions. The feasibility report recommends using some of the available funding to build a kayak launch at the access point on Eastshore and Liberty, adding desired direct access to the water to the east end. The report also recommends adding benches, overlooks to the water, a viewing/fishing pier, and other amenities to the existing pathways. The City’s goal continues to be to improve public recreational amenities at the shoreline.