Greetings!
OC Board of Supervisors Discuss Dana Point Harbor Revitalization
We read a very interesting Voice of OC news article by Nick Gerda last week and thought you might be interested too. The topic was a County of Orange Board of Supervisors meeting on May 19th, where varying levels of concern were expressed by those government officials present regarding the negative impact upon harbor businesses during Dana Point Harbor's upcoming commercial core Revitalization reconstruction.
Click HERE to read the Voice of OC article. Click HERE to get to the OC BoS meeting schedule page where you can click on and read staff reports and meeting minutes. See agenda item #43. You can also drill down further there to read Supervisor Bartlett's motion (approved 3-1). Click HERE instead if you want watch the meeting video.
The now approved motion will provide extra promotional advertising dollars to help out during the upcoming 5 year+ (probably longer) commercial core Revitalization construction period.
But let's pause here for a bit more additional perspective. As you may already know, work on temporary traffic abatement procedures is starting later this summer, reportedly soon after Labor day. (The schedule beyond this initial work is still not finalized.) What so far isn't widely known however, or at least is still publicly unsaid, is that the negative impacts will be far, far from trivial and they will not be limited to just merchants either.
The impact upon ALL harbor stakeholders is going to be quite significant and there are many planning matters still left to attend to. Consider for example what the impact will be from just one temporary reconstruction requirement: The Casitas Place entrance to the Dana Marina Inn and the dedicated boater parking for the East Basin Cove side will temporarily become the main, and apparently the only entrance for the entire commercial core. This harbor entrance detour will last for years while the existing main entrance road to the harbor is being realigned along with electrical, water and sewer lines and a new parking structure is built. Wow!
Of even more important note to Cove side boaters on Docks K to O, the dedicated boater parking lot in back of the Dick Simon offices will be closed permanently at some point early on. Once the planned parking structure is built and available for use these boaters will have officially designated parking but there will be a massive construction site between them and the water.
Now, in case you haven't already guessed, here's why we found this brief spat amongst two of the newest supervisors so interesting. We definitely get and fully appreciate the harbor merchants' concerns regarding the business downturn they necessarily will encounter during commercial core reconstruction and we strongly support the approved plan to increase promotional advertising during revitalization construction.
WHY? For one thing, the issue here isn't just a bit of dirt and inconvenience that may drive potential customers away. It's also the non-availability of adequate parking for next several years, since construction related equipment, trailers, supplies and debris will necessarily occupy a lot of what now is both general use and boater dedicated parking.
So yes, the merchants will be badly hurt financially, even after this small bit of advertising help which is in addition to the previously announced temporary reduction in their monthly percentage rent minimums (to be in effect, case by case, only after year to date sales tail off from the prior year). Indeed it goes without saying that this won't be enough help for some of them, when sales are off in big double digits.
HOWEVER, the negative impacts of commercial core reconstruction won't just stop with the merchants!
What about recreational boaters?
As we keep saying, a harbor is first and foremost a place for boats, Regardless of what we say, our harbor is governed by the Dana Point Tidelands Trust. This is a California Supreme Court tested, legally binding document which clearly identifies the needs of over 3000 recreational boaters as the first priority.
So then, what about the 250+ Cove side boaters with slips on docks J thru O who will have to schlep provisions and luggage thru a construction site, from/to parking that may not even be available?
So then, what about those 500+ dry storage boaters? They will pay a 7% premium (a higher base monthly rate) to store their boats on gravel lots, some 5 miles or more offsite round-trip, during most of the 5 year+ construction period, and then... (wait for it!) pay day-use parking rates ($10/day) to launch their boats each time they want to use them!
As recent public County of Orange testimony as stated, there are a a heck of a lot of, quote-unquote "operational" recreational boating issues that need to be addressed. (To cite just one simple example, how about waiving those Embarcadero gate fees for displaced dry storage boaters?) Click HERE to read our letter to Dana Point City Council and OC Dana Point Harbor where we have very carefully documented many more of these recreational boating issues and provided some 14 specific mitigation recommendations to help address them. We're meeting with the OC Dana Point Harbor, per their commitment to us at the November 18th, 2014 Dana Point City Council meeting, to address boater issues and we need your feedback and direction as we move ahead. Please do provide us this critical input using the DPBA Boater Liaison Program (BLP) webpage by clicking HERE!
We want and need to hear from you.
Best regards,
Rodger Beard, President
For The Officers and Directors,
Dana Point Boaters Association
________________________________________________________________ Please Remember, to keep Dana Point boaters voice strong, we need your support.
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Thank You
At the Dana Point Boaters Association, our mission is to advocate for the preservation, enhancement, and expansion of affordable recreational boating. We strive to improve the family-friendly atmosphere and breadth of water-oriented activities we all enjoy in our harbor. As Dana Point boater advocates, our strength comes from your support and participation. We are proud of the achievements we've made together on behalf of our boating community, and we won't give up. But we can't do it without you.
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Questions should be directed by email to (Officers@DanaPointBoaters.org). Or call us at (949) 485-5656 and leave a voice mail and we'll get back to you soon.
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Mission Statement:
The Dana Point Boaters Association advocates the preservation, enhancement, and expansion of affordable recreational boating resources. We work to improve the family friendly atmosphere and breadth of water-oriented actives we all enjoy in the harbor. We serve as the watchdog by ethically protecting the rights of all boaters and representing them when collective action is most effective. We actively gather information and communicate our views to educate boaters, external interests, and public officials. We build and maintain constructive, working relationships to achieve common goals with other harbor stakeholders. We will pass on our harbor to the next generation of recreational boaters in better condition than it is today.
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