East Bay Crescent Adaptation Plan

Help Berkeley plan for rising sea levels, groundwater, and storms along its shoreline. Sign up for updates and future ways to share your input.

Berkeley is planning for rising sea levels, storms, and other changes along the shoreline. These changes could affect neighborhoods, parks, roads, and nearby buildings.

The City is working with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) and the nearby shoreline cities of Albany and Emeryville to study local risks and plan for the future.

Residents, community groups, and Tribes will help shape the plan by sharing their needs and priorities.

Sign up for email updates about this project and other work to prepare for climate change. Get updates about public meetings and ways to provide input.

Visit the East Bay Crescent project website for more information.

For questions, email adaptation@berkeleyca.gov.

Project overview

The City is working with nearby communities to study how shoreline changes could affect Berkeley. The City will also help create a plan to prepare for these changes.

The project will study:

Rising sea levels
Rising groundwater levels (water below the ground)
Water quality
Severe storms

The plan will help Berkeley decide which projects and improvements to focus on and how to plan future spending.

Berkeley will work with Albany, Emeryville, Oakland, and other partners because shoreline changes can affect more than one city.

The project will also help Berkeley meet the requirements of State Senate Bill 272 to create a shoreline adaptation plan.

How the community can participate

Residents, community groups, and Tribes will have opportunities to share their needs and priorities.

The project will include:

East Bay Crescent Working Group: A group that will help coordinate the project and share information.
East Bay Crescent Equity Committee: Up to six members from community-based organizations and Tribes serving frontline communities. This committee will help make sure community needs are included in the plan.
Community activities: A survey, four regional workshops, three city-based workshops, and community walking tours.

Project timeline

The project team is receiving a three-year grant from the State's Ocean Protection Council through its SB 1 Grant Program.

The project’s expected timeline is:

Winter 2026: Project kickoff
Winter 2026 – Winter 2028: Hold public Working Group meetings every three months.
Spring 2027: Complete reports on current shoreline conditions and areas at risk.
Fall 2027 – Winter 2028: Develop goals, plans, and ways to prepare for shoreline changes.
Winter 2028: Complete the Subregional Shoreline Adaptation Plan.

Dates may change as the project moves forward.