Tiburon will move forward with the final phase of its state-funded shoreline restoration project at Greenwood Beach.
The Town Council voted 3-0 on Aug. 19 to approve a $468,983 contract with Livermore-based Goodfellow Bros. LLC to finish restoration work at the site. Vice Mayor Isaac Nikfar was absent and Councilmember Holli Thier recused, citing a potential conflict involving her business working with the contractor.
The money will be fully reimbursed from a $1.5 million project grant the town received from the California State Coastal Conservancy in 2024.
The project at Greenwood Beach and Brunini Beach at Blackie’s Pasture is intended to address erosion and habitat loss, and improve sea-level rise resiliency by implementing a living shoreline.
The work spans 1.4 acres along Richardson Bay. As part of the project, the town will remove debris and asphalt; restore beach habitat, wetland habitat and transitional habitat; and plant native vegetation.
Coarse beach sediment will be used to reinforce the shoreline against wave and wind erosion. The sediment will be placed along the shoreline, where the waves will redistribute it to form a natural beach profile, according to a 2024 conservancy report on the project.
The town also will add sediment and cobble salt-marsh drift-sills, intended to hold sediment in place without disrupting natural movement, to further fortify the shoreline.
The project aims to show the viability of addressing shoreline erosion through a more natural approach as opposed to implementing harder structural barriers like riprap shorelines, where the shore is reinforced with large rocky barriers, or seawalls.
“I understand that it’s considered superior to boulders and rocks?” Councilmember Alice Fredericks asked at the meeting.
“Absolutely, that is correct,” said David Eshoo, public works engineering manager.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, living shorelines have been shown to benefit the habitats in which they are placed, better protect shorelines in major storms and require less maintenance over time. Eshoo said the project will serve as a pilot program for the town to potentially implement the same approach in other areas.
Tiburon started the initial phase of work in March, primarily installing the drift sills and importing sediment.
The next phase is anticipated to start on Sept. 1 and will cover the remainder of the work. Eshoo said construction is expected to be completed by Nov. 20, but there will be additional establishment periods, monitoring and maintenance work.
The construction areas on the beaches will be closed during the work phase.
“There will also be construction equipment and trucks traveling through portions of Blackie’s Pasture to access the work area,” Eshoo said in an email.
“The Town’s intent is to maintain public access to as much of Blackie’s Pasture and the surrounding trail system as practical, while restricting access to the active construction and staging areas,” he wrote.