We're not done yet.

When the California Coastal Commission on January 8th denied the final appeals seeking to reverse the Coastal Development Permit for the Commercial Core phase of the Harbor Revitalization Plan, OC Dana Point Harbor was finally free to proceed unobstructed towards construction.  After nearly two decades of exhaustive planning, tangible, observable construction is expected to begin later this year.  And what you will see take shape in our harbor will be the culmination of  hundreds of meetings and hearings, fierce debates, battles and anguish, collaboration and deal making, compromises, defeats and victories.

Our new harbor will not be everything we had strived to achieve for boaters, nor will it be everything we feared.  Those of you who have followed along from the beginning will recall original plans for a massive complex of restaurants, shops, lodging, visitor parking and related tourist-centric amenities that dwarf what was ultimately approved by the City of Dana Point and California Coastal Commission.  While regrettably some boater resources will still be sacrificed to Harbor Revitalization, our losses are not the travesty envisioned in the original plan. 

In other words, while it's not perfect, it could have been - it was supposed to be - a lot worse for boaters.

Though we did not win every battle during this very long campaign, we have achieved many important victories along the way that preserved or enhanced boater amenities.  And we credit our victories to all of you.  Without our constituency of 3000+ Dana Point Boaters, we'd be a small handful of passionate, forceful, vocal, yet utterly ineffective boater advocates.  With your support, we've proven to be an influential partner in the redevelopment of our harbor.  And we're not done yet...

Only the first phase of Harbor Revitalization has passed the gauntlet of the permitting process.  The phases that more directly affect boaters are yet to come, and they are still very much in flux, and very much in need of boater advocacy.  At this time, OC Dana Point Harbor still aims to build a $30 million dry boat storage facility (the "boat barn") on the Embarcadero property that nobody seems to want, and boaters don't want to pay for.   And the schedule and funding for dockside renovation is still uncertain - will it ever happen?  We believe there is still potential to affect real change to these approaching projects.  As these next phases move through design, funding and permitting, we'll be on the field striving for a dry boat storage facility and timely dock renovation that properly serve boater interests at a fair price.

But we need your support...

As we mentioned earlier, without our community of 3000+ Dana Point boaters behind us, our voices will not carry over those with competing interests and better funding.  We've said it before: it doesn't cost much to run Dana Point Boaters Association, but it isn't free.  Your Dana Point Boaters Association is a not-for-profit advocacy group working on your behalf... our Dana Point boaters.  Our influence is only as strong as your support; our successes are your successes.  And our expenses are small, but we do have expenses.  Our directors and advisors receive zero compensation; there are no free meals, no travel allowances, no perks.  Our only rewards are the achievements made on your behalf.  But what we do isn't free.  There are expenses to keeping our organization afloat - our website and newsletters, public information requests, periodic legal counsel, etc.  And we are 100% funded by our boaters' donations.

James Lenthall, Vice President   

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Please Remember, to keep Dana Point boaters voice strong, we need your support. 

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