Point Isabel
Encyclopedia
Point Isabel is a small promontory
on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay
in the Richmond Annex
neighborhood of Richmond
, USA. It can be reached at the west terminus of Central Ave. from Richmond / El Cerrito
.
owned by Don Victór Castro whose father received it in a land grant from the Mexican Republic. Victor Castro named the point for his daughter Isabel. He used it as a landing for boats shipping grain and other articles across the Bay. In later years, the land was acquired by the Du Pont subsidiary Vigoret Powder Works of San Francisco, which used it primarily to store explosives. A wharf and railroad spur served the Vigoret site.
The original hilltop, significantly higher than the present elevation, was dynamited for development in the 1950s. The rubble was used to fill marshlands, widening the point and connecting it to the mainland. A dump for industrial waste filled tidelands north of the original point, separated from it by a tidal channel draining Hoffmann Marsh. This area became known as "Battery Point" because of the large number of batteries buried there. Industrial uses from pesticide manufacturing to waste-oil recycling, as well as a pistol range, left the land north and east of Point Isabel among the most polluted brownfield sites along San Francisco Bay, although some of these have been remediated. Dumping also changed the south shore; for example, the area known as "Tepco Beach" is covered with pastel fragments of china from an El Cerrito manufacturer. In recent years, part of the original point, Hoffman Marsh to the east, and later Battery Point were acquired by the East Bay Regional Parks District for its Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
, and also by the State of California for its Eastshore State Park
.
in the county, part of the Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
. The south shore, restored by the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) as mitigation for freeway expansion, is part of Eastshore State Park. As part of this restoration, CalTrans built the bird-refuge shell islands visible in the ecologically important Albany Mud Flats between Point Isabel and the Albany Bulb. East Bay Regional Municipal Utility District has a wet-weather sewage-treatment plant on the west end of the peninsula, but as of 2010 it is under state orders to close. A large Costco
wholesale retail big box store, the United States Postal Service
Bulk Mail Center for San Francisco http://www.usps.com/bulkmailcenters/officeinfo/sanfrancisco.htm, and other businesses and stores are other occupants. KNEW (AM)
transmits from towers at Point Isabel
's western edge.
department store on a site between the Costco Store and the Hoffman Marsh
proved controversial. Many residents are worried about potential negative effects on increased nighttime lighting that will make endangered birds more susceptible to predators and increased traffic along Central Avenue. The Richmond Annex Neighborhood Council
has officially opposed the project. If built it would add 138 mostly part-time jobs and $250,000 to 350,000 dollars in annual revenues for the city of Richmond. The project would also add a 4-5,000 sq. ft. (372–465 m²) commercial space for a restaurant or second retailer detached from the Kohl's; however some residents believe it should be adjacent to the 2-story Kohl's building to minimize visual impact.
Promontory
Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
in the Richmond Annex
Richmond Annex, Richmond, California
Richmond Annex or The Annex is a neighborhood in southeastern Richmond, California. It is mostly residential and located between Interstate 80 and El Cerrito to the east, the San Francisco Bay to the west, Albany to the south, and Pullman to the north....
neighborhood of Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, USA. It can be reached at the west terminus of Central Ave. from Richmond / El Cerrito
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
.
History
Point Isabel is a hilltop in the ancient range of hills that also includes Albany Hill, Brooks Island, and the Potrero San Pablo. Rising sea levels following the last Ice Age formed San Francisco Bay and left the point as a rocky promontory joined to the mainland by a salt marsh that flooded at high tides. A large shell midden showed that Native Americans used the site. In the 19th Century, Pt. Isabel it was part of the Rancho San PabloRancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo was a land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello to Francisco María Castro , a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San José. The grant was reconfirmed by Governor José...
owned by Don Victór Castro whose father received it in a land grant from the Mexican Republic. Victor Castro named the point for his daughter Isabel. He used it as a landing for boats shipping grain and other articles across the Bay. In later years, the land was acquired by the Du Pont subsidiary Vigoret Powder Works of San Francisco, which used it primarily to store explosives. A wharf and railroad spur served the Vigoret site.
The original hilltop, significantly higher than the present elevation, was dynamited for development in the 1950s. The rubble was used to fill marshlands, widening the point and connecting it to the mainland. A dump for industrial waste filled tidelands north of the original point, separated from it by a tidal channel draining Hoffmann Marsh. This area became known as "Battery Point" because of the large number of batteries buried there. Industrial uses from pesticide manufacturing to waste-oil recycling, as well as a pistol range, left the land north and east of Point Isabel among the most polluted brownfield sites along San Francisco Bay, although some of these have been remediated. Dumping also changed the south shore; for example, the area known as "Tepco Beach" is covered with pastel fragments of china from an El Cerrito manufacturer. In recent years, part of the original point, Hoffman Marsh to the east, and later Battery Point were acquired by the East Bay Regional Parks District for its Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond, California, operated by East Bay Regional Park District, is an award-winning park offering activities for humans as well as dogs. It also features a concession offering food for humans and grooming for pets. It has easy access for pedestrians, public...
, and also by the State of California for its Eastshore State Park
Eastshore State Park
Eastshore State Park is a state park and wildlife refuge along the San Francisco Bay shoreline of the East Bay between the cities of Richmond, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland. It encompasses remnant natural wetlands, restored wetlands as well as landfill west of the Eastshore Freeway. It...
.
Current overview
The peninsula features the largest dog parkDog park
A dog park is a facility set aside for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners...
in the county, part of the Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond, California, operated by East Bay Regional Park District, is an award-winning park offering activities for humans as well as dogs. It also features a concession offering food for humans and grooming for pets. It has easy access for pedestrians, public...
. The south shore, restored by the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) as mitigation for freeway expansion, is part of Eastshore State Park. As part of this restoration, CalTrans built the bird-refuge shell islands visible in the ecologically important Albany Mud Flats between Point Isabel and the Albany Bulb. East Bay Regional Municipal Utility District has a wet-weather sewage-treatment plant on the west end of the peninsula, but as of 2010 it is under state orders to close. A large Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
wholesale retail big box store, the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
Bulk Mail Center for San Francisco http://www.usps.com/bulkmailcenters/officeinfo/sanfrancisco.htm, and other businesses and stores are other occupants. KNEW (AM)
KNEW (AM)
KNEW is a radio station in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, CA, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel. Prior to the format change, the station operated as CNET Radio, offering business and technology news 24 hours a day...
transmits from towers at Point Isabel
Point Isabel
Point Isabel is a small promontory on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the Richmond Annex neighborhood of Richmond, USA. It can be reached at the west terminus of Central Ave. from Richmond / El Cerrito.-History:...
's western edge.
Kohl's
A 2008 proposal to add a 98,000 sq. ft. (9,100 m²) Kohl'sKohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
department store on a site between the Costco Store and the Hoffman Marsh
Hoffman Marsh
Hoffman Marsh is a wetlands in Richmond, California bordering Point Isabel Regional Shoreline and Interstate 80. The marsh is the delta for the mouth of Fluvius Innominatus creek into the Hoffman Channel which lead to San Francisco Bay. The marsh has been proposed to be included in the Eastshore...
proved controversial. Many residents are worried about potential negative effects on increased nighttime lighting that will make endangered birds more susceptible to predators and increased traffic along Central Avenue. The Richmond Annex Neighborhood Council
Richmond Annex, Richmond, California
Richmond Annex or The Annex is a neighborhood in southeastern Richmond, California. It is mostly residential and located between Interstate 80 and El Cerrito to the east, the San Francisco Bay to the west, Albany to the south, and Pullman to the north....
has officially opposed the project. If built it would add 138 mostly part-time jobs and $250,000 to 350,000 dollars in annual revenues for the city of Richmond. The project would also add a 4-5,000 sq. ft. (372–465 m²) commercial space for a restaurant or second retailer detached from the Kohl's; however some residents believe it should be adjacent to the 2-story Kohl's building to minimize visual impact.