Albany Beach Habitat Restoration and Public Access Project

Watch the Virtual Celebration of the Completion of the Albany Beach and SF Bay Trail Project on July 18, 2020.

The Albany Beach Restoration and Public Access Project is located in McLaughlin Eastshore State Park between Buchanan Street and Gilman Street. The McLaughlin Eastshore State Park General Plan was adopted in 2001. The plan identified a number of park improvements for the Albany waterfront area. In 2011 the District completed a study to evaluate the feasibility of these improvements and to include the public in the project scoping and planning process (Albany Beach Restoration and Public Access Feasibility Study, January 2011).

The Project is being constructed in three phases. Phase One construction was completed in 2015. It reconstructed 1,800 linear feet of shoreline on the south side of Albany Neck to protect water quality and preserve and enhance public access. Phase I shoreline work also implemented living shoreline principles identified in the San Francisco Bay Sub-tidal Habitat Goals Report. These features include bird roosting islands, tide pools, a small pebble beach, and an oyster shell reef. These features have boosted the ecological value of the site for fish and shorebirds and have greatly enhanced shoreline protection and resiliency.

Phases 2 and 3 of the project were scheduled for construction in 2018 and 2019: Phase 2 includes beach and dune enhancement, and construction of a non-motorized watercraft launch, restroom, parking and approximately 800 feet of new San Francisco Bay Trail at Albany Beach; Phase 3 will result in construction of 4,200 feet of new San Francisco Bay Trail on the shoreline between Albany Beach and Gilman Street. The project is supported by numerous grants including $1 million from Alameda County Transportation Commission Measure B. See Alameda County Transportation Commission website for more information on Measure B: http://www.alamedactc.org/.