On Friday, the Contra Costa County Grand Jury issued its report on the City of Martinez developing a vibrant and sustainable waterfront.
The report comes as the city entered a public private partnership with Tucker Sadler Architects last December to come up with a plan to revitalize the waterfront which has crumbling infrastructure. The agreement sets in motion a new phase of study and collaborative planning that will evaluate the project’s feasibility, refine design concepts, and lay the groundwork for decisions on the future of the Waterfront and Marina.
Per the city staff report in July 2025:
The marina currently faces dire and deteriorating conditions that demand significant intervention. Constructed in the 1960s the marina has far exceeded its useful life. Years of deferred maintenance and limited reinvestment have accelerated its decline, resulting in critical maintenance needs that far exceed the City’s budgetary capacity, and rendering repair and restoration of the existing infrastructure infeasible.
As described in an independent engineering report commissioned by the City, there has been substantial deterioration of marina structures, and the sea wall does not protect the shoreline or low-lying adjacent properties. These factors, along with environmental events, such as sea level rise, king tides, and flooding, have impacted the usefulness and safety of the marina.
The Grand Jury’s investigation highlights the existing conditions of the waterfront and marina, the participants in the redevelopment process, and the need for an alternative solution if the current process fails to produce an actionable development plan
Findings:
- F1. Martinez has 67.3 acres of waterfront property along the Carquinez Strait, including parcels deeded in 2014 by the State Lands Trust.
- F2. The Martinez City Council seeks to develop what it describes as a “vibrant and sustainable Waterfront and Marina” per its four-year Strategic Plan.
- F3. Martinez’s Strategic Plan includes waterfront and marina public spaces including recreational, boating, and wetlands components.
- F4. A January 2023 engineering study by Anchor QEA commissioned by Martinez revealed that the marina seawall, docks, and pilings have deteriorated and require repair, rehabilitation, and/or replacement.
- F5. Martinez currently lacks funds from ongoing City revenues for repair, rehabilitation, and/or replacement of the waterfront, seawall, marina docks, and pilings.
- F6. The marina was partially dredged last in 2022.
- F7. Dredging of the marina every 3 to 5 years is required to provide enough waterway depth for boats to access docks.
- F8. Martinez currently lacks funds for dredging silt deposited along its waterfront and the marina.
- F9. Martinez’s shoreline is subject to a projected sea level rise of 6 to 10 inches by 2050, as determined by a 2022 Federal Sea Level Rise Technical report.
- F10. The projected rise in sea level will require the building of a higher seawall to prevent flooding of the marina parking lot and surrounding low-lying areas
- F11. Martinez currently lacks funds for construction of a higher seawall.
- F12. Martinez cannot continue subsidizing the marina at the current scale without compromising the City’s core services.
- F13. Martinez projects the difference between revenues and expenditures will require the City to continue to loan the marina $650,000 annually for its maintenance and operation.
- F14. Martinez has determined that a public-private partnership is the solution to create a vibrant and sustainable waterfront and marina.
- F15. Martinez has entered into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with Tucker Sadler, a firm that has experience in developing waterfronts and marinas.
- F16. The purpose of the ENA is to create a framework for the City and the developer to negotiate only with each other for the development of the proposed project.
- F17. Martinez City Council and staff acknowledge the risks involved in a public-private partnership.
- F18. If Martinez is unable to negotiate and execute a development agreement with Tucker
- Sadler, there is no identified mechanism to fund the repair, rehabilitation, or continued operation of the marina and waterfront.
The Grand Jury Recommendation:
By February 1, 2027, the Martinez City Council should consider developing an alternative funding plan that ensures the repair, redevelopment, and/or rehabilitation of the marina and waterfront without interfering with the current ENA or potential development agreement.
To view the full report, click here
Previous
- Dec 18, 2025 – Martinez City Council Approves Exclusive Negotiating Agreement to Advance Waterfront and Marina Revitalization
- July 2025 – Martinez Agrees to Moves Forward With Effort to Revitalize its Waterfront and Marina
