1. A CCC hearing on the Dana Point Harbor Revitalization Plan will be held on October 6th, 2011; a final procedural vote before adoption of Agenda Item#6a City of Dana Point LCP Amendment DPT-MAJ-1-10 (Implementation Plan for Dana Point Harbor Revitalization Plan) Certification Review.    
2. Water side Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact report (SEIR) has just been released.  You may read in its entirety and provide your concerns and comments to OC Dana Point Harbor.  See important news from DPBA below.     
3. Local No-Fishing Zones Implementation Delayed ~ Approval of the South Coast Marine Life Protection Act (MPLA) affecting non-fishing zones in our local waters has been delayed pending review by California Office of Administrative Law (OAL).

COASTAL COMMISSION TO HEAR THE DP HARBOR LCP
ONE LAST TIME

  As we reported in a previous Boater Blast, the new Local Coastal Program (LCP) is effectively the law of the land on the land side in Dana Point Harbor. However the California Coastal Commission (CCC) has to approve it one more time (yes, that's at least the 3rd review and approve cycle for those hundreds of pages, with all the language being the essentially same except for the phrasing within a sentence or two concerning "community character"). The City of Dana Point's 3rd approved of the language in for the 3rd time in August.

The review/approval event is upcoming during the Coastal Commission's monthly meeting in Huntington Beach on October 6th. We have posted the meeting information on the Dana Point Boaters website. (Click here).

DPBA has been successful in introducing many, many improvements since the first version was released.  (Boaters were not involved in a significant way during preparation and that draft was very damaging to recreational boating interests.)  Some of those major improvements with the LCP now include:

- Getting rid of the marine retail store in the middle of the Embarcadero.

- Introducing a two story dry boat storage structure within the Embarcadero, featuring 24/7 mast up boater access and saving 15 million dollars (each) versus the two 65' mechanical boat barns originally proposed.

- Changing the shape of the proposed Embarcadero surface storage area, thereby to greatly improve boater access to the launch ramp and improve Embarcadero flow thru, while creating 125 more automobile parking spaces.

- Elimination of the waterfront resort hotel and convention center.

- Introducing  the "zero slip loss" goal within the final LCP, thereby allowing 1130 families in boats under 30' to stay in the harbor and continue to have access to affordable boating.

- Via the Boater Focus Group, establishing a compromise dock reconfiguration which provides a moderate increase in slips in the 33 - 43' range.

- Via the Parking Task force, co-chaired by DPBA and OC DPH, creating a much improved parking management plan while also making the ongoing maintenance of this plan; a stipulation of the LCP.

- Via the Market Rates Study, making the business case that resulted in no slip or dry storage rate increases for the past three years (first time ever).

Based on these improvements and others, as well Dana Point Boater Association being a recognized stakeholder, at the table during the many stakeholder meetings that facilitate an effective decision making process, DPBA does support this last positive endorsement by the Coastal Commission.

Land side engineering design documents (including verifications of feasibility of DPBA sponsored Embarcadero design changes) should be available for public review in the next few months.

 

  The DPH Subsequent Draft Environmental Impact report (SEIR) was released earlier this week. This is a massive document but fortunately it can be digested in pieces. See the Dana Point Boaters website to learn more. (Click here).

You may recall that the LCP discussed above delegates review / approval of land-side coastal development permits (CDPs) to the City of Dana Point while on the water side this delegation does not occur.  The water side process is therefore, necessarily less efficient and lengthier.  Preparation of the SEIR is the first step in the water side process.  

No surprise here, your DPBA leadership team already been working on a "modified plan".  We've been polling our membership and spending literally hundreds of hours determining and validating specific recommendations since the first quarter of 2011. Basically our approach has been to answer, in the very best way we can, this fundamental question:

You'll recall that a couple months ago we sent out a boater blast where we expressed our concerns and asked very specific question.  Then we raised a flag about funding for land side reconstruction, as well as and especially on the water side.  As mentioned, the water side is traveling on a parallel but unfortunately longer path.  We feel strongly that revised revitalization goals, revised project funding approaches and timing are all three aspects of the same problem.  From a recreational boating perspective, that problem presents itself in the funding of water side of reconstruction.

As always, we strive to speak for our membership, to be as thorough, balanced, specific and complete as possible.  That's the only way the genuinely effective recreational boater representation can be accomplished.  To do this we've used member surveys and polls, we've been following up those who have contacted us as a result of our boater blasts.  We've constructively engaged other harbor stakeholders as we always strive to do.  Most recently we got some great 1-on-1 feedback from the many DPBA members and fellow boaters who dropped by to talk with us at our booth at the Tall Ships Festival.  

To summarize, Dana Point boaters have been telling us two critically important things:

1. Yes, we boaters want and need recreational boating improvements, but we like the harbor and want it to stay pretty much the way it is today.  Change for change sake is not a good thing.  Fixing what isn't broken is a bad thing.

2. Today Dana Point Harbor is a recreational jewel, the premier location on the West Coast (many feel the whole country!) for affordable family boating.  Dana Point Harbor is not Newport Beach and certainly not Marina del Rey. (Thank goodness!)  We do not want slip fee increases to fund any construction project, as this will destroy affordable family boating as we know it.

These are both strong and widely held opinions and have been expressed right along, since our association was first formed five years ago.  So this feedback was not a surprise.  Indeed, preservation and enhancement of recreational boating has been one of Dana Point Boaters Association's core values, and is prominently featured in our mission statement and clearly reflected in our two year business plan.  But to truly represent boaters' interests rather than just make noise, we needed to be sure that our members still felt the same way.  Based on survey results so far it turns out that they do.

We are working tirelessly on our DPBA Proposed Revised Revitalization Plan ("modified plan" is the term used in the SEIR) and is a very detailed document that will require reading in entirety in order to appreciate the purpose of each recommendation, why each is necessary and appropriate.  Please say tuned while we dive into the SEIR where we are making necessary and appropriate changes to our "Modified Plan" document.  Stay Tuned!    

Please read the Draft SEIR document and give it some careful thought.  Then we need to hear back from you if you want to have an influence in the SEIR.  Email us at SEIR@DanaPointBoaters.org with your thoughts, comments and suggestions.  The SEIR process dictates many, many hours downstream working with stakeholders within and outside the harbor and so the final product ("modified Plan") will likely not be the same as our initial proposal.

 As discussed in the SEIR topic above, Dana Point Boaters Association is proposing a revised / modified approach to Harbor Revitalization and has been collecting boater perspective to make sure we are fairly representing our members.  To help accomplish this we've prepared a really short survey (take it in less than 5 minutes tops) that you can take by clicking here.  Remember, your opinion counts!  

WEBSITE AND BOOKKEEPING MATTERS

  We hope that all of our members, as well as all other DPH community members are frequently looking to the DanaPointBoaters.org website as a source for current and up-to-date boating and harbor related information. There is literally a ton of information on a broad spectrum of topics available there, and growing every day!  If you have any concerns or comments about our website please contact DPBA Webmaster Webmaster, Director and Secretary Steve Carpenter.

Again in 2011, there is no charge for DPBA membership. We have been very careful in our uses of our members' funds accumulated during the almost 5 years since we were incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. Rest assured that we will continue to represent Dana Point boater interests and work with the other stakeholders potentially impacting recreational boating interests, both inside and outside the harbor.