The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) held a public meeting in Berkeley on November 19, 2025, to present a preliminary design for improvements to the North Basin Strip portion of the McLaughlin Eastshore State Park located south of the Gilman Sports Fields. BTCEB board members KC Chaudhry, Tom Gandesbury, David Wilcox and Brian Glueck attended the meeting along with NICA student athletes and coaches and representatives of Bay Area Mountain Biking (BAMBI).
The meeting focused on balancing habitat restoration with public access and recreation for the 20-acre shoreline area in Berkeley (across from Caesar Chavez park). EBRPD, along with its consultants, presented a preferred conceptual design that integrates both recreational amenities and environmental enhancements. Key features presented in the preliminary design include:
- Shoreline Restoration: The project is explicitly framed as balancing recreation and ecological restoration, including enhancing the intertidal shoreline and uplands to create climate-resilient habitats.
- Public Access: The design encompasses approximately 2,800 linear feet of shoreline and includes features like a waterfront promenade and a perched pebble beach with stepped access to the Bay.
- Amenities: Plans include the potential for new restrooms, interpretive signage, and limited concessions.
- Funding and Timeline: The planning, environmental study (CEQA analysis), and preliminary design are funded, but the estimated $25 million for actual construction has not yet been secured. The project needs board direction, permits, and full funding before construction can begin.
Implications for Biking and Mountain Biking
The planning project includes specific provisions that are highly relevant to the cycling community, reflecting input received from cycling advocacy groups such as BTCEB at two prior public meetings:
- Bay Trail Extension: The plan includes an extended Bay Trail route that would prioritize habitat restoration where possible. This ensures the continuation and enhancement of the regional shared-use pathway along the waterfront, improving connectivity for commuting and recreational riders.
- Mountain Biking Skills Area: The most significant implication for cyclists is the proposed inclusion of a small mountain-bike skills area near the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex. This is an explicit recreational feature carved out in the preliminary design.
The inclusion of a bike-specific area suggests the EBRPD and the consultants listened to the bicycling community (who had strong turnout at public meetings) and view bike-specific features as compatible with the overall park vision.
In summary, the preliminary design resulting from the North Basin public meeting is highly positive for cyclists, as it not only incorporates the important Bay Trail extension but also features dedicated space for mountain biking skills development.
KC Chaudhry, Secretary
Photos by Brian Glueck.
