Authorities may tell Google to move its floating showroom

Google might need to move its floating showroom from its current location in San Francisco Bay. The internet search company has drawn the ire of state authorities for not having the required permits to construct the barge at its current location, a warehouse at Treasure Island, a small piece of land between San Francisco and Oakland.

The barge was in the news last year as a mystery structure in the San Francisco Bay. A CNET reporter was the first to get wind of the structure.

Google declined to state the purpose of the structure, which led to much speculation about the barge being a floating data centre, a Google Glass shop or a luxury event space.

The structure finally came to be known as the Google Mystery Barge.

Google, finally went public about its plans announcing that the structure would shape up as an "interactive space where people can learn about new technology." (See: Google takes the lid off mystery barge).

The US Coast Guard inspected the structure and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission announced it would take up the matter with Google about in December.

Meanwhile, according to Brad McCrea, the Regulatory Program Director for the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (SFBCD), that the the barge would have to find a new home.

He told Government Technology journal that that the commission had done was write a letter, which was not even addressed to Google.

McCrea told the journal, that the commission in its letter to the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA), which oversaw permissions and regulation of Pier 1 on behalf of the US Navy, that Google needed a permit to construct the Barge at Pier 1, and that if it failed to obtain a permit or move to another location, the company could be fined.

He added, Google was not asked to move, the firm was just given the option.

There is a grace period of 35 days from the date on which the letter was sent for Google to act. According to a report in Re/Code, the letter was being reviewed by Google which was considering its options.