Mayor Lisa Bartlett addresses California Coast Commission
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OCEANSIDE - A Proposed $140 million revitalization of the land side of Dana Point Harbor can move forward, as long as the county makes about three dozen modifications ordered by the California Coast Commission on Thursday, when it accepted a sweeping land-use amendment that lays out guidelines for future changes. "Compromises were made, and we're happy to be moving on to the next stage of this very important project for the county of Orange an the city," said harbor director Brad Gross. But Bruce Heyman, founder of the Dana Point Boaters Association anon of the most vocal opponents of the plan, said he thinks the next stage will be a lon, drawn-out process. "My expectation is that they put enough requirements on the county that they're going to have to go back and od a major look at the design." he said. The biggest changes to the proposal involve boat slips, parking and shipyard size. The revamp must have a goal of no net loss of boat slips, unless engineering and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements prevent that, the commission said at a meeting in Oceanside attended by about 200 people. The approved plan allows for a maximum loss of 155 slips. "We're just going to have to do some more engineering work, but it's not a problem; we can do it," Gross said. Several commissioners said that crowding out boater resources by increasing commercial provisions is wrong, "I visited the harbor recently, and my impression was that it's bursting at the seams," said Commissioner Sara Wan. But she said boater interests should drove the revitalization. "If that may mean in the end there's less commercial development, that's the way it's going to be," Wan said. Revamping the 276.8 acre harbor has been on the county's to-do list for about a decade, and it has held about 130 public meetings on the plan and spent about $15.4 million in preparation costs. As approved, the plan includes, among other things: •No net loss of boat trailer parking spaces, a large percentage of which will be 10 feet by 40 feet. •An increase in 35-foot height limits to allow for 60-foot commercial building and a 65-foot boat-storage building, as long as those height limits are in line with community character. •An expansion of allowable commercial development by 153,000 square feet. •A shipyard of at least 1.6 acres. • A tree-trimming policy that protects herons and egrets. •A boat-slip-to-parking-space ratio of 0.6. The ratio currently ranges from 0.75 to 1.6, depending on boat-size. •Preservation of low-cost accommodations. The harbor overhaul also includes building a new parking garage which would bring jobs to Dana Point, Gross said. Proponents of the revamp, such as community group Dana Point Harbor Now, say parking and infrastructure issues, which have plagued the harbor for years, can now be fixed. The harbor, which is owned and operated by the county, was built in the 1970s and has undergone only minor improvements since then, according to commission staff, The commission's approval does not mean the city will be breaking ground anytime soon. It just gives guidelines for future changes. Now Dana Point officials must present the approved plan, officially known as the Local Coastal Program Amendment, at a public City Council meeting. The city can then draft coastal development permits to start the next phase of the revitalization. Construction projects are not scheduled to begin for a least eight years, according to a September commission staff report. |
