Albany will pay homeless to leave Bulb

Stephanie who has lived at the Albany Bulb for the past five years walks through the area on Friday Nov. 22, 2013 in Albany, Ca. Stephanie said she would take advantage of the restrooms, showers and beds provided by the City for the purpose of helping to fill the temporary shelter which would mean law enforcement could not arrest those still living on the bulb. The City of Albany is implementing a waterfront park transition plan that would move people living in the Albany Bulb into a temporary shelter, with the eventual transfer of the Bulb to McLaughlin Eastshore Park. less Stephanie who has lived at the Albany Bulb for the past five years walks through the area on Friday Nov. 22, 2013 in Albany, Ca. Stephanie said she would take advantage of the restrooms, showers and beds ... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Albany will pay homeless to leave Bulb 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

Albany will pay 28 homeless people $3,000 each to leave the Bulb, a former landfill along San Francisco Bay that's slated for parkland, according to a settlement released Wednesday.

The agreement, between the city and a homeless advocacy group, calls for Bulb residents to leave the property by Friday, along with their pets and belongings, and stay away at least a year.

They'll also be banned from Albany Hill and the areas known as the Neck and a city-owned parcel on Pierce Street.

The other 25 or so homeless people who live at the Bulb, but aren't covered by the settlement, are also required to leave.

The settlement is expected to end a long battle between the homeless and the city over the 31-acre Bulb property, which at some point is slated to become part of the Eastshore State Park.

Last fall, police began rousting Bulb residents and referring them to housing and social service agencies, but the efforts were only partially effective, both sides said.

City officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Osha Neumann, an attorney with the East Bay Community Law Center who helped represent the Bulb residents, said the mood at the Bulb was bittersweet.

"Overall, there's a sense of loss," he said. "I think it's great they're getting some money, but it's lousy that Albany spent all this money on this issue when they could have been helping these people."

The property is a bulb-shaped spit of land jutting into the bay just north of Golden Gate Fields. Mostly undeveloped and overgrown, it's been a favorite for dog walkers, artists and the homeless for decades. Sculptures mix with homeless camps, old chunks of concrete and weeds.

Neumann said many of the Bulb's residents, some of whom have lived there for more than 15 years, will relocate to Berkeley or Richmond.