Staff recommends golf course at Bayfront Park Staff recommends golf course at Bayfront Park (October 19, 2005)

** Questions are raised about public process and environmental impact.

By Rory Brown

Almanac Staff Writer

Walking trails, not golf cart paths, belong on the city's largest open space. That's the message a growing chorus of Menlo Park residents is sending to the City Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission as the city considers creating a golf course at Bayfront Park.

More than 20 e-mails have been sent to the City Council in less than a week, asking council members to stop plans for a golf course before they are taken any further.

On October 25, the council will look at two proposals, by Buena Park-based Highland Golf and San Francisco-based Pate International, to construct golf facilities on the 160-acre park just north of Marsh Road and immediately south of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

City staff will recommend the proposal by Highland Golf, which includes an 18-hole golf course and a driving range, plus two soccer fields and a baseball/softball field, said Kent Steffens, the city's public works director.

The athletic fields would be constructed by the developer, but maintained by the city, said Mr. Steffens.

The proposal by Pate International includes a golf practice facility, where golfers can hone different parts of their game by visiting different stations, according to Mr. Steffens.

"If a developer is approved, the city and the developer would sign a contract that breaks down the cost of the design process and environmental review," said Mr. Steffens. "But by no means does this bind the city to develop the park. Studies and public input could change any plans."

Both proposals designate space for walking and biking trails, he said. City Manager David Boesch said less than 50 percent of the park would be affected by either development plan.

The complete details of each proposal will be unveiled at the October 19 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Mr. Steffens said.
Public process

But even before details of the proposals are released, a number of residents and outdoor enthusiasts are challenging the process for its lack of public involvement in determining whether a golf course is an appropriate use for Bayfront Park.

"A proposal should not proceed without significantly more public scrutiny, environmental review and professional analysis," former mayor Steve Schmidt wrote in an e-mail to the council. "This news is alarming as this latest plan has had no public review or formal action by the current council."

"With no prior recommendation from the Environmental Quality Commission, I'm surprised by the process," said Councilwoman Kelly Fergusson.

Review, analysis and public outreach will begin at the upcoming Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, according to Mayor Mickie Winkler. "You've got to start public hearings some place, and this is it," she said.

Four years ago, the city began exploring options for revenue-generating uses for the park, built on a garbage landfill, to pay for its maintenance costs.

At a March priority-setting session, the council gave direction to city staff to further explore the possibility of golf facilities at Bayfront Park, said Mayor Winkler.

The priority-setting session followed a February 15 meeting at which city engineering director Ruben Nino said city staff members were planning to work with golf course developers to discuss possibilities for the park. Mr. Nino's report was listed on the agenda as an informational item.

There has been no formal vote by the council to pursue development of a golf course -- an option that was met with significant public opposition during council discussions in 2001 and 2002.

"We have the potential to provide playfields, create jobs, and create sales-tax revenue," said Mayor Winkler. "We can turn a significant drain on the community into an exciting development."

Although several e-mails sent to the council acknowledge the city's need for sales-tax revenue and the projected budget shortfall of $2.9 million for the 2006-07 fiscal year, residents maintain changes should not come at the expense of the environment.

"Bayfront Park is a gateway to the wildlife refuge," said Eileen McLaughlin, a tour guide for Wildlife Stewards, a Bay Area volunteer environmentalist group.

Ms. McLaughlin gives walking tours of the adjacent national wildlife refuge, and uses the trails of Bayfront Park to get visitors up close to the nearby salt ponds.

"There are all kinds of environmental effects a golf course could have on the surrounding areas," Ms. McLaughlin said. "Down the road, the city is going to have to face up to some of these environmental issues, so it's backwards to me that no one is talking to the neighbors and environmental groups beforehand."

Ms. Fergusson said she will support development only if a proposed project takes the surrounding habitat into consideration.

"The central question is 'can a site that is developed for active recreation be compatible with its natural surroundings?'" she said.

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