A decision on whether to allocate $1 million in city funds to complete a segment of the Point Molate Bay Trail was delayed last Tuesday night after the item was pushed to the end of the Richmond City Council agenda and ultimately not heard.
Councilmember Sue Wilson requested that the funding measure, originally part of the consent calendar, be moved for separate discussion. Due to a lengthy meeting and other business taking precedence, the council adjourned at 11 p.m. before the item could be considered. The delay means the matter cannot return for a vote until after the council’s summer recess, with the earliest possible date being August 19.
The funding request, outlined in a staff report from the Department of Public Works, would appropriate $1 million from the General Capital Fund to cover a shortfall in the city’s share of the Bay Trail extension project. The funds are needed to reimburse the East Bay Regional Park District for its construction work on the 1.25-mile segment, which runs from Point Molate Beach Park to the historic Winehaven District, a stretch that lies on city-owned land.
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Trail advocates say the delay puts the project timeline at risk. Bruce Beyaert, chair of the Trails for Richmond Action Committee, warned that to meet grant reimbursement deadlines, construction must begin this fall.
“The earliest that grant funds awarded to this project will expire is March 2027,” Beyaert told Grandview. “To allow time to process invoices and complete paperwork by this deadline, the project will need to be completed and all paperwork for reimbursement submitted by December 2026. This means that construction has to be underway by this fall, since the project has an estimated length of 260 construction days or roughly 13 months, if no delays occur.”
TRAC also clarified that the planned 2.5-mile Point Molate Bay Trail is separate from the bluff stabilization project, which was funded by the Richmond City Council earlier this year.
“TRAC recently learned that some people mistakenly believe that the Point Molate Trail to be built by the contractor engaged by EBRPD involves the bluff stabilization project to which the City Council appropriated $2 million on April 15. It does not!” TRAC wrote in an email to the council.
Supporters of the trail, including dozens of residents who emailed the council ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, argued that the project would provide long-overdue public access to scenic shoreline and create safe connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Many urged the city to act quickly to avoid losing grant funds awarded more than four years ago.
Amiee Flynn-Curran, a cyclist and Richmond resident, pushed for creating a safe and accessible cycling route to Point Molate.
“The beach park is a gem, breezy on a warm day, beautiful views and opportunities for picnics. Accessing this park by bike can be nearly impossible for those without great athletic skills, as currently the protected bicycle lane ends at Point Molate and the hilly roads are challenging and shared with cars that come around blind corners,” Flynn-Curran wrote to the council.
Others focused on environmental concerns, including the possible placement of riprap on the beach to protect the trail from erosion. Wilson has said she supports the trail in concept but wants assurances that the beach will not be damaged before she can vote in favor of additional funding.
Wilson expressed reservations about the current alignment, particularly a portion that would require placing rip rap — large concrete chunks — along 300 feet of beach to protect the trail from erosion.
“Destroying a large part of our beach to protect a bike path overlooking the beach makes no sense to me, and it is unfair to the many people who like to sit on sand by the water,” Wilson wrote in her June 30 newsletter. Wilson called for the city and EBRPD to commit to rerouting that section inland, stating it would allow for more environmentally friendly erosion controls, such as native vegetation and oyster beds.
"If the bike path is less exposed, we are free to use less-dramatic, less-costly, and more attractive nature-based solutions for erosion control on the beach," Wilson said. "I am not willing to spend any more city money on this project until all agencies involved agree to this approach, which I think better reflects the needs of all users of the park."
Wilson criticized the budgeting process, pointing out that the trail was initially approved in 2021 with assurances of full grant funding. Wilson also called the budgeting and decision-making process terrible and expressed hope that such problems could be avoided in future projects.
“That Council was told trail construction would be funded by grants that were already received. Then last month we were told the city had to come up with $2 million from our General Fund to stabilize the shoreline enough to protect the future trail, which we agreed to put into the budget,” Wilson said. “Now we are being told we have to cough up another million to help build the trail itself. And no one is saying this will be the last request for money for this project.”
Beyaert said the delay was disappointing but not the end of the road.
“We’ll package all your thoughtful comments and send them to the Council before the next meeting,” he wrote in an update to supporters.
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