Tiburon finishes waterfront land deal, adding to parks system

The Richardson Bay Sanitary District’s former wastewater ponds, as seen April 24, sit along the Old Rail Trail next to McKegney Green (not pictured). Tiburon has completed its purchase of the parcels and will make them part of its waterfront parks system. (Francisco Martinez / The Ark)

Tiburon has officially acquired a stretch of waterfront property adjacent to McKegney Green, a move more than two years in the making that will extend the town’s park network.

The town announced April 23 it had completed the $576,915 purchase of four parcels from the Richardson Bay Sanitary District, whose facility is bookended by Blackie’s Pasture and McKegney Green, on April 19. The land, which sits on about 0.75 acres, is occupied by four briny settlement ponds, which were formerly used to filter treated wastewater so it could be recycled and sold to the town to irrigate McKegney Green and South of the Knoll Park. That system was switched to freshwater in 2018 after a $2 million reconstruction to McKegney Green.

“We’re very excited to have completed this process of acquiring this property and look forward to working with the community in determining what the best use of the property is in the future,” Town Manager Greg Chanis said.

Councilmember Holli Thier, a longtime proponent of the purchase who floated the idea of building a recreation center and swimming pool on the property during her tenure on the Parks, Open Space and Trails Commission, said in an email she was “so excited to see our dream become a reality,”

“By acquiring the ponds, we have expanded Tiburon’s open space within our existing park and created more spaces for all to enjoy,” she said.

The Town Council originally approved the purchase of the ponds in November 2021, and the town has spent the past couple of years developing a closure plan and obtaining the necessary approval from California Regional Water Resources Control Board.

That closure work — which includes draining the ponds and removing sanitation infrastructure, then grading and leveling the area — could go out to bid as early as June, Chanis said, with the hope of completing the process by September or October.

With that work, total acquisition costs should be about $900,000, Chanis said. Tiburon previously set aside $800,000 of its $2.7-million share of federal pandemic American Rescue Plan Act funding toward the purchase of the property, costs associated with developing the closure plan and contractors who will complete the work.

Johnny Tucker, the sanitary district’s manager, said in an email the district board will eventually discuss how to allocate the money from the sale, though he declined to comment further on the purchase.

At one point, the Tiburon Fire Protection District had considered purchasing the ponds to convert the site into a new centralized local training facility. While that plan fizzled, the fire agency is working on a deal to establish a training ground elsewhere at the sanitary district.

No decisions have been made about what the town might do with the land, which will join the Richardson Bay Lineal Parks system that spans Blackie’s Pasture, McKegney Green, South of the Knoll Park and the length of the Old Rail Trail.

Tiburon is currently working with consultant WRT on an overarching master plan to guide the use of its 70-acre parks and open-space system. Among the preliminary concepts proposed for the ponds site were pickleball courts paired with bocce courts and an exercise course, plus a large playground with a slide and climbing area near the Old Rail Trail, as well as a skate park and hangout area.

However, after WRT presented a draft plan to the council in March, councilmembers asked the consultant to switch gears and retool the plan so that it doesn’t recommend specific activities and amenities for specific parks, but instead contains a generalized list of active and passive activities the town could then match to a particular park in the future.

Chanis noted any use of the ponds site ultimately needs Town Council approval.

In an email, Mayor Alice Fredericks said the ponds “are one element in addressing the recreation desires of the community.” She added that neighbor impact, parking access and maintenance-and-infrastructure costs would need to be considered for any proposal for the site.

With the purchase, Tiburon has used up most of its share of pandemic-relief funds. There is about $71,369 left of the original $2.7 million; the funds are put into a separate reserve and aren’t accounted for as budget revenue. The remaining money must be allocated by the end of the year and spent by 2026.

Reach Tiburon reporter Francisco Martinez at 415-944-4634.