Newsom approves long-envisioned terminal for emission-free ferry in Berkeley

Last week, Gov. Newsom announced that he was cutting through the red tape to help Berkeley get a long-envisioned ferry terminal. It will come with new technology not yet available in the Bay Area, but not everybody is welcoming the news.

The old public pier sits locked and empty just as it has for the last 11 years. The area along Seawall Drive at the Berkeley Marina may one day be an embarkation point to get across to San Francisco. A new ferry terminal is planned for that shoreline and Joshua Mensah, who used to commute across the water to work, thought it wasn't a bad idea.

"Honestly, anything that decreases pressure on the bridge, I'm for," he said. "You know, get a few people to take the ferry rather than take the bridge, I think that would help everybody."

It's part of a plan by transit officials and San Francisco Bay Ferry to bring new emission-free electric boats to the area. On its website, the agency has created concept drawings of the vessels and nothing as it exists in the Bay Area as of yet.  

But a company called Hyke is operating a similar electric craft in Norway, and its CEO, Bjorn Ugard, said it is responding to customer demand.

"To build better ferries, we need to get rid of their emissions. Burning diesel causes emissions and noise, which are not only environmental challenges, problems, but also reduces the attractiveness of these vessels," said Ugard.  "Noisy and smelly diesel engines waking you up in the morning is just not acceptable."

Newsom agrees, and on Thursday he certified the Berkeley project under a new state streamlining process that limits the time for CEQA environmental challenges to just 270 days.  

In a statement, he said, "Berkeley's new ferry pier will host a zero-emission ferry that cuts pollution, cuts health costs, saves families money, and spares commuters the headache of sitting in traffic."

But those who live closest to it may feel differently.

"The city council badly wants this to happen, that's what I understand," said Bob Kingston, who lives on a boat at the marina.  "And the vast majority of us who live in this marina, I don't think there's a whole lot of support for it."

Like others, Kingston wonders where all those ferry passengers are going to park when they get to the terminal.  The small parking lot across from the water was already completely full on Sunday.

"They think they have the ridership," Kingston said.  "They're assuring everyone the ridership is there, and the demand is there.  And that parking won't be an issue, right?  I'm very skeptical."

And he said he has his doubts about the need for a terminal in the first place.

"Do I think Berkeley has the ridership to justify a $50 million ferry terminal here? No," he said.  "There's 135,000 people [in Berkeley], right?  How many people actually commute and go to the city to work, out of 135,000?"

The plan to put a ferry stop at the Berkeley Marina has been considered for at least 15 years now.  The total cost of the project is currently estimated at $106 million.  

If funding is secured soon, construction could begin as early as mid-2027 and is expected to take about three years to complete. Newsom thinks it's time to get the project going. The machinery of government moves slowly, and even the newest technology can be slowed down by a rising tide of red tape.