PRNC voices concerns about pollution at proposed Terminal One development

   POINT RICHMOND - The Point Richmond Neighborhood Council this week voiced serious concerns about pollution - and likely "inadequate" remediation efforts - at the proposed Terminal One residential project adjacent to Miller-Knox Regional Park and the Richmond Yacht Club.
     In a letter to the Richmond City Council, PRNC President Peter Thelin outlined a series of PRNC member concerns prompted by a presentation earlier in the month by Brian Lewis of the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development (BCARD).

Aerial view of Terminal One location

     "We are concerned about potential discharges to the Bay and adjacent property; about protecting eel grass used by herring to spawn; and most particularly, about the safety to residents and public using this land in the future," Thelin wrote on behalf of the entire PRNC.
     "We have only one remaining chance to clean up this property correctly," he noted.
Thelin's letter came in the wake of a vote by the PRNC Dec. 3 to support the technical recommendations of the consultants to BCARD who have been studying the polluted site.
     Many of the recommendations, comments and findings of those consultants were outlined by Lewis at the meeting including concerns that Trichloroethylene (TCE) will remain at the site.
     "These findings strongly indicated the Remedial Design is inadequate to protect the Bay or adjacent RYC property," Thelin's letter to the council states.
     The Terminal One site is proposed by the Laconia Corporation of Walnut Creek to construct a 316-unit residential development on the former industrial site. It would include a combination of buildings including multi-story condominiums and single family bayside homes.
     A public waterfront park is also part of the project, though current plans show no public parking along the shoreline.
     The City of Richmond is also weighing whether to dip into city funds to help with increased costs of the Terminal One project.
     The funds would be used to help cover developer costs for handling seismic hazards, improvements to the Ferry Point Lift Station and development of the promised park.
     Last summer the proposed allocation of city funds included:

by Michael J. Fitzgerald, The Point

Citizens' group opposes Richmond City Council funding for Terminal One

   A citizens' group has asked the Richmond City Council to vote "no" tonight on a resolution giving additional funds for the development of the Terminal One project.
     The city council meeting dealing with giving additional funds for Terminal One begins at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers at 440 Civic Center Plaza.
     The meeting is open to the public.
     The item on the agenda is H-1 and reads:

H-1. ADOPT a resolution approving the Successor Agency to the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency's amendment to the Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule to address increased costs for remediation and demolition work at 1500 Dornan Drive - Successor Agency to the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency

 (Lina Velasco 620-6706).

     A letter from the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development (BCARD) says giving monies to developer Laconia as described in the resolution is not a correct use of the funds.

"Laconia wants to use the remediation funds to help tear down the building and to abate the asbestos in the building. However, these remediation funds were intended to be used by the City to Clean up the groundwater and soil contamination caused by the tenants of the property. Actual removal of the building is the responsibility of the developer and why the property was discounted," the letter states.

   The letter also points out that most of the $8 million received by the city to clean up the chemical pollution and toxic wastes on the former industrial site has been spent.

"This is a bait and switch tactic being used by the developer. We ask the City Council to vote No on this resolution and future attempts by the developer to shift the cost to the City or use additional park or sewer funds for improvements the developer committed to pay."

     The future shifting of costs referred to by BCARD was a proposal earlier this summer for the city to use public monies from several city sources - including funds collected from other developers - to help with increased developer costs at Terminal One - now being referred to as the Latitude Project at Terminal One.

   That proposal - expected to be taken up in the future - includes:

PRNC to hear report Wednesday on City of Richmond's Community Warning System

Pastor-Cohen

   POINT RICHMOND - The Point Richmond Neighborhood Council will hear a report Wednesday night on the City of Richmond's Community Warning System and Local Notifications from Genevieve Pastor-Cohen, emergency services manager for the City of Richmond.
     The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Point Richmond Community Center on Washington Avenue and is open to the public.
     Pastor-Cohen's report will begin at about 7:55 p.m. and is expected to take about 40 minutes, including questions from the audience.
     The PRNC will also be taking up a series community announcements and reports.
     The full agenda is below:

'Wig-Wag' festival in The Point Sunday

   POINT RICHMOND - The just-completed restoration project of the historic railroad crossing "wig wag" signals in The Point will be celebrated Sunday.
     The public celebration is to commemorate the reactivation of the signals after 18 years of being dormant.
     According to festival organizers, Point Richmond is the only place in the nation where the wig wags are allowed to remain in place.
     The festival will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Mechanics Bank. It will include a dedication ceremony and a ceremonial reactivation of the wig wags.
     There will be entertainment, including singing and performances of the Wig Wag Rag (1911) and the Richmond Rag (1908).
     In addition, the work of local, national and international artists will be exhibited depicting railroads crossings. Local artists include Elizabeth Tarr, Jim DeWitt and Linda Lee.
     Thematic posters by Tarr will be available for purchase.

PRNC votes to support Monday & Tuesday filming in The Point business district

     POINT RICHMOND - The Point Richmond Neighborhood Council gave a nod of approval Wednesday night to two film projects planned for Monday and Tuesday that will impact traffic flow in the business district.
     Both contributed $1,000 to the PRNC for cleanup and restoration work in The Point, including spiffing up the statue near the Community Center. The donations were in addition to fees paid to the City of Richmond to obtain city filming permits.
     The project with the likely much-lighter traffic impact is being done by Skycar Creative, a Point Richmond Company.
     Jane Selle Morgan of Skycar told the PRNC that her company was filming a software commercial Tuesday. When completed the film would be seen on the web only.
     "We are not going to shut down traffic completely, just very intermittently off Park Place," Morgan said. "And a little bit on Washington."
     A bigger community impact will be that Skycar will be filming in Kaleidoscope Coffee all day, necessitating closing the popular coffee shop to the public.
     But Kaleidoscope owner Cassie Cushing said Wednesday night that as a show of gratitude to the community and Kaleidoscope's many loyal customers her coffee shop will be offering a 30 percent discount when it reopens Wednesday May 1, the day after the filming.
     The Honda automotive commercial filming Monday will cause traffic interruptions and parking restrictions from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The commercial is being shot to be shown in Northern California only.
     A description of the Honda shooting schedule is below. A detailed diagram - indicative of when and where shooting and parking restrictions will be happening - was handed out to the public by the PRNC at the meeting but is not available for publication here.
     Richmond Police are expected to be on scene for both film projects.

Traffic and parking likely impacted by filming in The Point Monday & Tuesday

   POINT RICHMOND - The Point Richmond Neighborhood Council will hear reports - and likely discuss - two upcoming film shoots in The Point.
     The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Point Richmond Community Center and is open to the public. The full agenda is printed below.
     The film discussions are listed on the agenda to begin at about 7:45 p.m.
     The first filming is Monday, April 29 - a commercial shoot between 7 a.m. at 8 p.m. for Honda.
     The morning filming will be around the business triangle. A descriptive flyer about exactly where the shooting will be going on and other details about parking is below.
     The second filming is Tuesday, April 30 by Medallia Commercial. The agenda lists Andrea Bloom of Skycar Creative as the contact person. Further details about how much that filming might impact The Point are expected to be discussed at the meeting.
     Parking and traffic flow are expected to be impacted by the Monday event with "no parking" signs posted close to the filming. Richmond Police will be on scene to assist, according to Felix Gehm of Waypoint Films, location manager for the filming.
     "All streets will remain open to the public but we will be temporary stopping traffic during our driving scenes," he said.
     Pedestrian traffic on sidewalks is not expected to be impacted, he said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The PRNC agenda below erroneously lists the Medallia Commercial filming as occurring on Sunday, April 28.

PRNC votes to oppose BNSF plan to run diesel trains in Miller Knox Regional Park

   POINT RICHMOND - The Point Richmond Neighborhood Council unanimously approved a motion Wednesday night opposing a plan by Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad (BNSF) to run diesel engines and railcars through Miller Knox Regional Park along the shoreline to Ferry Point.
     The details of the Fort Worth, Texas-based railroad's plans were revealed in a presentation by Carol Johnson of the East Bay Regional Park District and Eric Zell of Point Richmond. Zell is working with the district opposing BNSF's plans.

The tracks - and trains - would run along the shoreline to the right

     Johnson told the PRNC that the park district is moving ahead with a land use plan amendment (LUPA) for improving the heavily-used, 295-acre park.
     The improvements planned include a major sprucing up of the lagoon (including dredging), construction of more parking and picnic areas as well as adding a promenade-path from Ferry Point to the lagoon trail.
     But the district's plans are bumping into claims by BNSF that the corporation owns the rights along the shore to use it for a rail line - and the company plans to do so soon.
     "BNSF has not recently operated trains within the easement area, but it has notified the Park District of its expanding business at Richmond Terminal, necessitating the reactivation of its rail use within the easement in the near future," attorney L. John Nelson IV said in a letter to the district dated Oct. 9, 2018.
     Nelson is with the legal firm of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith representing BNSF.
     The detailed letter - laced with legal citations - attacks the assumptions and conclusions of a draft environmental impact report on the Miller Knox regional shoreline plan amendment.
     East Bay's Johnson said the park district is contesting BNSF's contention that it still owns the tracks all the way to ferry point - and the corporation's stated intention of reopening and reusing the rail line.
     She said the district is already battling with the railroad corporation on the legal front, but needs public help and support.
     The multi-clause motion approved Wednesday by the PRNC includes language opposing BSNF's track renovation plans, supports the park district's land use plan amendment, asks the City of Richmond to investigate ongoing problems with BNSF trains on tracks at West Richmond Avenue and directs the PRNC board to send a delegate to the March 19 East Bay Regional Park board meeting to support the proposed improvements to Miller Knox.

The proposed BNSF railroad and tracks would run along the bay shoreline on the right

Terminal One shoreline parking at issue

   POINT RICHMOND - The Bay Conservation and Development Commission's public hearing on the proposed 316-unit Terminal One housing project adjacent to the Richmond Yacht Club and Miller Knox Regional Park has been delayed until April.
     The BCDC has requested additional information about public parking from the developers of the project (Laconia) - and the City of Richmond.

Terminal One site, adjacent to the Richmond Yacht Club

     BCDC "asked the applicants to provide further information regarding the use of on-street parking as well as parking at nearly public access areas," Rebecca Coates-Muldoon of the BCDC said.
     Additionally, the BCDC wants to know of any measures being taken by the developers to "encourage public use for shoreline access and discourage use by residents and their guests."
     The delay in holding a public hearing to April may be partly an outgrowth of concerns raised by the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development (BCARD) in addition to BCDC's analyses.
     In a letter to BCDC, BCARD member Brian Lewis outlined a series of the group's concerns about the proposed parking plan and existing parking issues. He included a video exhibit for BCDC to consider: BCARD video of traffic.
     "It will only be worse with the residents at Terminal One," he wrote,
     Of major concern is the planned lack of public parking along the proposed Shoreline Drive.
     "I suspect Terminal One is wanting to preserve the views from the homes and condos without cars," Lewis wrote, He noted that if it is allowed, it is a major change along the Point Richmond waterfront.
     "Every HOA in this area has on-street parking next to the water. Even San Francisco has street parking along the Embarcadero."
     Because the Terminal One project still needs finish up obtaining permits and is unlikely to receive them until fall of 2019, construction is now predicted to begin in 2021.

This map shows Shoreline Drive and the public park and pier. 

Community Hanukkah celebration invite

   RICHMOND - Temple Beth Hillel at 801 Park Central in Richmond has extended an invitation to the community to join with the congregation's annual Hanukkah celebration, Sunday Dec. 2 from noon to 3 p.m.
     The event will start with Beit Hillel Midrash students leading the congregation and guests in lighting Hanukkah candles and singing.
     The kitchen will open at 12:30 with a Latke luncheon and trimmings and other reasonably priced food.
     Crafts and cookie decorating will be part of the afternoon's festivities.
    The synagogue's gift shop will also be open for anyone interested in purchasing holiday candles, wrapping paper and other gives.
    For more information about the event, call 510-223-2560 or check the Temple website Temple Beth Hillel.

Public hearing Wednesday on proposed cleanup plan for Terminal One project

   RICHMOND - The San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed plan to clean up a variety of chemical contaminants on the Terminal One site in Point Richmond to pave the way for a 316-unit housing development proposed by the Laconia Corporation to be constructed on the city-owned land.
     The meeting is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Richmond Public Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza.

Historical industrial use of the proposed site for housing

     The contaminants include chlorinated solvents, petroleum and hydrocarbons - and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the Dornan Drive property. The land is adjacent to the Richmond Yacht Club to the east and Miller-Knox Regional Park to the west. It abuts San Francisco Bay on the south and Brickyard Cove Road to the north.
     The documented chemical contamination is a legacy of the property's history as a shipping and industrial site and has been the subject of study - and previous attempts and clean up - for 20 years.
     The water quality control board adopted a detailed cleanup order in 2004, But efforts to scrub the site were never completed because a previous developer abandoned the project in 2007.
     One suggestion expected at Wednesday meeting is that the regional water quality control board draft an entirely new cleanup order to take into account advances in pollution control remediation science since the 2004 order was issued as well as any new data about the site.
     The remedial action plan proposed by the City of Richmond and Laconia include:

 • Podium construction of residential structures;
• Collection, on-Site treatment, and off-Site discharge of most stormwater runoff;
• Raising Site grades and import of clean fill;
• Capping the Site with buildings, roads, pathways, and other hardscape;
• Slurry wall construction to mitigate potential petroleum discharges to San Francisco Bay;
• Landscaping as either common area maintained by the homeowner’s association or public openspace/parkland maintained by the City, in areas not covered with permanent, hardscapedfacilities; and
• Institutional controls prohibiting residents and visitors from excavating on the Site.

     The watchdog group Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development has already voiced concerns that this latest iteration of a cleanup plan falls well short of ensuring that the site would be safe. Members of BCARD oppose the current plan as designed and are expected to address the board with details their concerns.
     Among those concerns is that the proposed slurry wall is inadequate to prevent pollutants to escape into San Francisco Bay - a contention supported by environmental consultants GEI of Oakland.
     Also at issue is how to successfully mitigate possible chemical vapor intrusion from the ground below into homes - and the air.
     While the proposed cleanup plan calls for "Capping the Site" (see list above), BCARD is concerned that utility lines and various other underground infrastructure could provide pathways for toxins in the soil to waft to the surface.
     Last November, a community meeting about the proposed Terminal One project drew a crowd of at least 100 people to a Saturday morning session at the Richmond Yacht Club. (See Environmental problems, design issues and parking dominate Terminal One meeting.)

November meeting at RYC

CONTACTS:
City of Richmond, Lina Velasco, planner
EMAIL: Lina Velasco

Regional Water Quality Control Board, Jeffrey White
EMAIL: Jeffrey White

Laconia LLC (developer), Cleve Livingston
EMAIL: Cleve Livingston

5 pm deadline for comments on draft EIR for proposed Quarry residential project

   RICHMOND - A 90-minute Richmond Planning Commission public hearing Thursday on the draft environmental impact report for the proposed 200-unit Bottoms Quarry residential project focused on two elements: a proposed general plan amendment and citizen concerns about unsafe road conditions on Seacliff Drive.
     And today (Monday, Nov. 20) is the deadline for public comments is 5 p.m. They can be submitted via email to Lina Velasco.
     The general plan amendment - being considered in tandem with review of the proposal - would change the designation from Parks and Recreation to medium density Residential.

Seacliff Drive Traffic Safety

   Traffic engineer Sam Tabibnia told planners the project will add about 1,400 vehicles to the existing 2,000 that now traverse Seacliff Drive daily. He said most of that traffic travels at speeds between 42-45 mph.
     Among recommendations for slowing vehicles down to the legal speed of 25 mph, the draft EIR suggests additional signs and narrowing the traffic lanes to 11-feet with three-foot shoulders.
     That lane-shrinking recommendation was uniformly opposed by members of the public who gave testimony.

     Jeff Vines, a member of the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development testified that at a minimum a left-turn lane should be installed in front of the proposed entrance of the 200-unit development.
     "We (BCARD) strongly recommend putting in a left-turn lane," Vines said.
     Another speaker said the project entrance and exit should not be on Seacliff Drive at all, but off Canal Boulevard, crossing a small stretch of city-owned property yards from the Canal-Seacliff intersection.
     "It's the only solution that makes sense," Gail Bourque said.
     In comments after the public hearing closed, several members of the planning commission said they favor getting an outside traffic engineer to evaluate the dangers - and possible solutions - for Seacliff Drive.
     "We are cognizant this is a serious issue," commission member Andrew Butt said.

General Plan Amendment 

   The proposed change from Parks and Recreation to Residential was opposed by several speakers, most of whom pointed to an existing lack of recreational facilities and objected to removing any more potential recreation sites.
     "This is a perfect spot for a lighted baseball or soccer field," Kathryn Dienst testified.
     Dienst previously submitted detailed written objections to the rezoning to the city planning staff after the project was considered by the city Design Review Board. She recommended Thursday that the public get a chance to vote on the general plan amendment.
     "This is spot zoning and you should not approve it," she said.
     Another speaker - heavily involved in area youth sports - echoed the notion that recreational opportunities are in short supply.
     "Removing Parks and Recreation land is not a good idea," Dave Price said.
     Planning commission chair Marilyn Langlois said she was concerned about considering a general plan amendment change at the same time as reviewing the project.
     She noted there is property in other sections of the city already properly zoned for residential construction, with no need for a general plan alteration.
     "I am concerned that we are putting these two things together," Langlois said, adding that doing so might put the developers - New West Development of Las Vegas - at an "unfair advantage" to other potential builders.
     She recommended that city planning staff - and/or the developer - obtain a letter from the East Bay Regional Park District indicating that the park has no interest in developing the property for recreational uses.
     Commissioner Andrew Butt suggested that the draft EIR for the Quarry project should contain a review of the impacts of recreational use on the land as well as the proposed residential.
     "We need to look at some solid evidence, he said.

Comment deadline - Monday, Nov. 20

   Written comments on the draft EIR for the Quarry residential project will be accepted until 5 p.m. Monday by the city staff. The full EIR - which will incorporate comments from the public hearing, written comments and city staff comments - should be completed in early 2018. Following that, there will be more public hearings on the full EIR.
     A copy of the draft Environmental Impact Report for the project can be accessed here: QUARRY PROJECT EIR.
     Comments and questions can be directed to city planning staff member Lina Velasco via email here: LINA VELASCO.

Richmond Planning Commission

 - Michael J. Fitzgerald 

Seacliff Dr. safety issues expected to top concerns at planning commission meeting

   RICHMOND - A months-old debate over what needs to be done to make Seacliff Drive less dangerous is expected to be a major part of Thursday's Richmond City Planning Commission meeting.
     The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 440 Civic Center Plaza.
     The planning commission will be holding a public hearing - and taking public comments - on the draft environmental impact report for the Bottoms Quarry residential project. The 200-unit development is proposed by the Las Vegas firm of New West Development and has been scaled down from the original design of 270 units.
     Since the project was first reviewed by the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council, citizen concerns about Seacliff Drive's safety and traffic issues have been voiced at every meeting.
     The road was originally a fire road, then an emergency vehicle access, members of the Brickyard Cove Alliance for Responsible Development have said at PRNC and city meetings.
     "Seacliff Drive is categorically unsafe in its current configuration," BCARD's Jeff Vines told the Richmond Design Review Board Sept. 13.
     Although citizen testimony at that DRB meeting strongly urged that the city consider major repairs and/or re-engineering of the curving road, the draft EIR only recommends better signage, new striping on the road and shrinking the traffic lanes to 11 feet with three-foot shoulders.
     City planning staff have indicated they believe narrower lanes would help slow traffic.
     Another citizen recommendation - putting in a left-turn lane for vehicles entering the development - is not among the safety recommendations (See Seacliff Drive Safety Improvements below).
     But the issue is still expected to be a big part of discussions at the planning commission meeting after Richmond city officials and Point Richmond residents did an on-site review of Seacliff Drive last Thursday.
   

Todd Floyd of New West Development

The group agreed that an engineering plan should be drafted for a left turn lane, to ensure safer passage for through traffic.
     But New West Development's Todd Floyd indicated New West is not supportive of the idea of a left turn lane.
     "Although I understand your reasoning, I'm going to follow the EIR's Traffic Analysis which does not recommend installing a Left Turn Pocket," Floyd said in an email to BCARD.
     "We're not shutting the door to your suggestions ... the EIR is the process by which the City's traffic expert analyzes a project's impacts and determines the appropriate improvements that a project should undertake.
     We therefore are abiding by the process and at this time are following the guidance of the City's Draft EIR Traffic Study."
     The final word on that guidance - and whether a left turn lane should be required as a safety measure - is up to members of the planning commission and/or the Richmond City Council as the project winds its way through the city approval process. A list of city planning commission members (from the City of Richmond website) is below.
     The full draft Environmental Impact Report on the project can be found here: DRAFT EIR FOR QUARRY PROJECT.
     Questions about the EIR can be directed to city planner Lina Velasco via email LINA VELASCO or by calling the planning department at 510-620-6841.
     Below are the Seacliff Drive safety improvements as currently listed in the draft EIR for the Quarry project.

RICHMOND planning commission

 --- Michael J. Fitzgerald

New Marina Way south housing project

   POINT RICHMOND - The planned Richmond-to-San Francisco ferry service has been described as a game changer in support of a developer's plans for a new housing project underway in Marina Bay, at 830 Marina Way South.
     (Here is a link to an earlier story about the SF Bay ferry: FERRY SERVICE TO SF.)
     The project is close to where the new ferry will dock when it begins operating in 2018.
     Details about the 10-acre project - which is projected to have 100 town homes and 98 "live-work" units - were published today in the East Bay Times.
_____________________________________________________________

From the East Bay Times

Former warehouse to become new housing

    By Karina Ioffee

     RICHMOND — A former industrial warehouse site will soon become live-work units and town homes, part of Richmond’s ongoing development of its shoreline that has drawn considerable interest from both home buyers and developers.

     In late December, crews began work cleanup on the 10-acre property in the Marina Bay neighborhood and less than half a mile from the waterfront and a ferry terminal set to begin operations in 2018.

     “We felt there was quite a bit of potential in this area and think the ferry will be a game-changer,” said Matt Hamilton, project manager with Development Solutions Seascape LLC, based in Newport Beach, which is developing the property. “It is one of the last relatively affordable areas in the core Bay Area ring.”

LINK to the rest of the story

Chevron eyed as one source of foul smells

   POINT RICHMOND - The East Bay Times reported late Friday that officials are "zeroing in" on the Chevron Refinery in Richmond as the likely source of at least some of the noxious odors  experienced in Richmond, Point Richmond and across the Bay in San Francisco in late December.

FROM THE EAST BAY TIMES, January 6, 2017:

By Karina Ioffee

     RICHMOND — Air district officials are zeroing in on the Chevron refinery in Richmond as the source of foul odors detected in San Francisco and Richmond, with fines against the company likely, according to one member of the district’s board of directors.

    The refinery experienced two flaring incidents, one on Dec. 27, shortly before midnight, and the other Dec. 28 around 8:45 p.m., according to a report issued by the refinery for Contra Costa County health officials. One of the flaring incidents was not reported for at least 12 hours, violating state law, according to John Gioia, a Contra Costa County supervisor and member of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District board.

    Gioia said in a phone interview Friday that air district officials now believe that the flaring incidents were responsible for the odors that were reported in San Francisco and Richmond.

For the rest of the story, click HERE.

Richmond-to-SF ferry coming in 2018

   POINT RICHMOND - The Hydrus is coming to Richmond in early 2018.

     That's the name of the under-construction, 400-plus passenger ferry that the San Francisco Bay Ferry company will be using to start its Richmond-to-San Francisco (and back, of course) service.

     That piece of news was delivered to the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council Wed. Dec. 7 by Ernest Sanchez, manager of public information and marketing for the company.

     Hydrus, by the way, means water snake.

      At the outset, the ferry service will run Monday-Friday with three morning departures and four afternoon return trips. Although the Hydrus is nominally the official Richmond ferry, because of scheduling other ferries will be providing service from the Richmond Ferry Landing, too.

     The ferry will leave and return from a pier near the Ford Craneway building, Sanchez said. Parking for about 360 vehicles in planned on the Richmond side. A shuttle to take passengers to-and-from the ferry terminal area is also possible.

     "For now, this will be a peak commute service," he said. "Initially, there won't be any weekend or midday service."

     The ferry will be landing on the San Francisco side at the SF Ferry Building, where construction is planned to make room for additional Bay Area ferries.

     In addition to 400 passengers, the ferry will also have room for 50 bicycles, offer food and beverage service and make the Richmond-to-SF run in about 30 minutes. The new ferry is one of seven under construction by the company for use in the Bay Area, all of which are scheduled to be in service by 2019.

    The Hydrus will initially be doing Vallejo-to-San Francisco trips - as well as other break-in voyages - before being put into service for the Richmond run.