Richmond Ferry Terminal
Encyclopedia
Richmond Ferry Terminal is a former ferry terminal located in the Marina Bay
neighborhood of Richmond, California
.
which opens onto the East Bay
of San Francisco Bay
. Ford Point derives its name from the historic Ford Plant that is located nearby which is now being converted to an industrial park.
The terminal hosted a commuter ferry service to the San Francisco Ferry Building
weekdays and Fisherman's Wharf on weekends in addition to special Giant's
Ballpark
service during the baseball season. The voyage took approximately 45 minutes one-way. The service began in 1999, but was discontinued in the late 2000s in the economic downturn following the dot-com bust. Ferry ridership plummeted and the service became economically unsustainable, which led Red and White Fleet to discontinue the service. In fact the average ridership was 45 per trip and about 200 were needed for fiscal sustainability.
The terminal had its own dedicated AC Transit
feeder service from Point Richmond and downtown Richmond
with route 374 also now discontinued.
Recently most of the Richmond City Council
except Tom Butt
and Mayor Gayle McLaughlin
have lost interest in the project, instead supporting using the site for expanded Toyota vehicle importation parking which that company has expressed an interest in.
The impetus for the reinstated ferry service continued in 2008 when the powers behind planning the project determined that there needed to be 750 "rooftops" within a half mile of the terminal site to generate significant and sustainable ridership figures. Senator Don Perata
has secured 2 million dollars in monies from California State Proposition 1B for studies of several ferry proposals including new Richmond-San Francisco service; the Richmond study is planned to commence in the summer of 2008.
Marina Bay, Richmond, California
Marina Bay is located in Richmond's protected Inner Harbor. It was developed in the mid 1980s in an effort to clean up what had been up to that point the defunct WWII-era Kaiser Shipyards. The has been planned as an upper-scale residential waterfront community with apartments, condominiums,...
neighborhood of Richmond, California
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...
.
History
Specifically, the terminal is located at Ford Point on the Richmond Inner HarborRichmond Inner Harbor
Richmond Inner Harbor is a deepwater body of water in Richmond, California. The harbor lies between Ferry Point and Point Isabel, between the mainland and Brooks Island in western Contra Costa County along the East Bay's northern East Shore...
which opens onto the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
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...
. Ford Point derives its name from the historic Ford Plant that is located nearby which is now being converted to an industrial park.
The terminal hosted a commuter ferry service to the San Francisco Ferry Building
Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
weekdays and Fisherman's Wharf on weekends in addition to special Giant's
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
Ballpark
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
service during the baseball season. The voyage took approximately 45 minutes one-way. The service began in 1999, but was discontinued in the late 2000s in the economic downturn following the dot-com bust. Ferry ridership plummeted and the service became economically unsustainable, which led Red and White Fleet to discontinue the service. In fact the average ridership was 45 per trip and about 200 were needed for fiscal sustainability.
The terminal had its own dedicated AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
feeder service from Point Richmond and downtown Richmond
Downtown Richmond, Richmond, California
Downtown Richmond is the old center of Richmond, California. The area is roughly bordered by 6th street to the west, 23rd Street to the east, Barrett Avenue to the north, and Macdonald Avenue to the south. The area once featured major department stores and other chains such as J.C. Penney, S. H....
with route 374 also now discontinued.
Future plans
A new ferry service from Richmond is planned to be reactivated in 2008 by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority. This ferry service will provide 30 minute trips to San Francisco and will use the existing terminal and parking facilities at Ford Point.Recently most of the Richmond City Council
Richmond City Council (Richmond, California)
Richmond City Council is the governing body for the city of Richmond, California.-Background:The council consists of the Mayor of Richmond and six other city council members, one designated Vice Mayor. The council members are all elected from the whole city; no members are elected by district or ward...
except Tom Butt
Tom Butt
Thomas K. "Tom" Butt is a former vice-mayor and a present city council member from Richmond, California. He is a Democrat. He has been on the Richmond City Council since 1995....
and Mayor Gayle McLaughlin
Gayle McLaughlin
Gayle McLaughlin is a California politician. She is a member of the Green Party and, since 2006, the mayor of Richmond, California and a member of Richmond's City Council. McLaughlin was elected on November 7, 2006 by a 279-vote margin over incumbent mayor Irma A. Anderson...
have lost interest in the project, instead supporting using the site for expanded Toyota vehicle importation parking which that company has expressed an interest in.
The impetus for the reinstated ferry service continued in 2008 when the powers behind planning the project determined that there needed to be 750 "rooftops" within a half mile of the terminal site to generate significant and sustainable ridership figures. Senator Don Perata
Don Perata
Don Richard Perata is a California Democratic politician, who was President pro tempore of the California State Senate from 2004 to 2008. He came in second place in the November 2010 ballot for Mayor of Oakland...
has secured 2 million dollars in monies from California State Proposition 1B for studies of several ferry proposals including new Richmond-San Francisco service; the Richmond study is planned to commence in the summer of 2008.