Berkeley Pier Project Clears Engineering Review With Seismic, Coastal Questions Unresolved

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission's Engineering Criteria Review Board spent more than two hours drilling into the technical design of Berkeley's $130 million-plus pier and ferry terminal project — then unanimously agreed to let it move forward with five outstanding questions to be resolved outside the public meeting room.

• Berkeley's new 1,080-foot pier, breakwater, and ferry terminal project advances past second ECRB review on an 8-0 vote
• Board flags Hayward Fault directivity, novel pile sleeve stability, and wave height methodology as unresolved engineering concerns
• Coastal engineer urges project team to use local Berkeley Reef wind data for a $130M+ critical infrastructure investment
• BCDC attorney clarifies sub-quorum consultation rules, enabling staff to tap up to four board members per technical discipline for follow-up
• New BCDC engineer McKenna Wong takes over engineering review duties from retiring Leslie Ewing

Why it matters: The City of Berkeley is seeking to replace its closed pier with a new 1,080-foot structure, a 300-foot breakwater, and a ferry terminal designed as essential post-earthquake emergency infrastructure. The project would restore public waterfront access and create a new SF Bay Ferry landing. At a price tag exceeding $130 million, the engineering decisions made now will shape the structure's resilience for decades.