We call for a temporary hold on development in Clipper Cove in order to fully and properly consider the public benefits at stake in closing off most of the Cove and converting it into a private marina.
Clipper Cove is home to some of the best recreational and instructional boating on San Francisco Bay, including youth sailing, disabled sailing, dragon boating, Olympic class racing, keel-boat raft-ups, kayaking, paddle boarding, high-school and collegiate competition and more.
The Cove is one of the Bay's most valuable open water resources, and one of the safest protected areas in the Bay for public recreation and boating instruction. It’s home to the non-profit Treasure Island Sailing Center which has put thousands of San Francisco public schools kids on the water - many for the first time ever. The Cove also hosts dragon boat racing, including the annual Dragon Boat Festival that draws tens of thousands to Treasure Island, national dinghy racing championships, such as this year’s V15 nationals, the annual PCISA high school Golden Bear regatta, the Cal Sailing Team, and much more.
As proposed, the development of a privately owned and operated 400-slip marina in Clipper Cove will sacrifice a Bay Area sailing and boating treasure. While the Bay Area needs more marina facilities, this particular plan is not appropriate.
The development is based on an outdated planning process completed in 2005, which, in turn, is based on public input collected in 1995. The use of Clipper Cove has changed and grown dramatically since that time. For instance the Treasure Island Sailing center was established in 1999, creating a sixteen year history of teaching kids to sail on Clipper Cove, while the annual Dragon Boat festival started 10 years ago in 2005. None of these uses could have been properly considered in 1995.
A temporary moratorium on marina development in Clipper Cove is needed to create the space for a formal process to fully and properly consider the public benefits at stake in developing a 400-slip private marina which would close off most of Clipper Cove to recreational and instructional boating.