San Leandro Marina Alts Study_Final

Home

4. Alternatives vegetation transition from upland to wetland habitats. The Harbor Basin itself would be dominated by a series of wildlife refugia, marsh areas, and other vegetative features, with a water trail set up around the islands to provide recreational opportunities for hotel patrons and Shoreline visitors. As currently envisioned, a boat rental facility could be provided by Cal -Coast Development, in the southern portion of the harbor basin (see Section 4.2, Consistency with Cal - Coast Development, for a more detailed description of landside facilities being considered). Recreational uses under this alternative would also range in accessibility and physical activity and, in combination, would provide opportunities for passive and active recreational uses, including canoeing, kayaking, water contact, walking, bird watching, and attending performances and other small-scale events at the beach. In comparison to boating under the Marina Park Alternative, canoe and kayak rentals would be less expensive and may be accessible to a wider demographic of users. As with the Marina Park Alternative, most other proposed activities would be free or fairly inexpensive to the general public. While this alternative would exclude motorized boating within the basin (motorized boats would still be able to use the boat launch ramp), it would also remove the publicly inaccessible berths, allowing the general public access to the entire Harbor Basin As with the Marina Park Alternative, most uses envisioned under the Aquatic Park Alternative would either be considered aquatic in nature or would be enhanced by its proximity to an aquatic setting. This would include non -motorized boating, water contact and bird watching and walking. It is difficult to ascertain how much demand for non -motorized boat rentals exists in the City of San Leandro. No canoe or kayak rental facilities exist in the vicinity of the project. However, it is noted that the harbor is considered a priority site of the draft Bay Area Water Trail Plana The East Bay Regional Park District provides boating opportunities at Regional Park lakes along the bay shoreline areas. Canoes, motorized boats, or rowboats are available for rent at Lake Chabot (Castro Valley), Lake Del Valle (Livermore -Pleasanton area), and Shadow Cliffs (Pleasanton). However, these facilities are not located anywhere near the San Leandro Harbor Basin. The community has indicated that there is demand for walking trails and passive recreational areas. This alternative would meet those needs. Nature Park Altemative As described in Section 2, the Nature Park Alternative would establish a diverse wetland environment at the Harbor Basin, which would be intended for passive recreational and outdoor leaming/environmental educational opportunities. Recreational components of this alternative would include extensive multi -use trails, a nature/interpretive kiosk, as well as a series of interpretive points/outdoor learning stations along the perimeter pedestrian promenade, some extending over the water via a boardwalk. The basin itself would be dominated by a series of wildlife islands, marsh areas, and other vegetative and water -related features. Non -motorized boating would be permitted within the Harbor Basin and an enhanced 0.75 -mile long loop trail would be created within the 7 http://www.bede.ca.gov/pdf/planning/\VT—Plan-20070907.pdf San Leandro Marina Harbor Basin 4-3 ESA / 210461 Alternatives Study March 2011