TO: HARBOR COMMISSION
FROM: GREG KAPOVICH, WATERFRONT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
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DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN
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BACKGROUND
City staff takes direction on projects, assignments, and priorities from our City Council. To that end, City Council holds a meeting every six months (twice a year) to produce a “Strategic Plan”, which is a list of projects that City Council wants staff to complete over the next six months. Once a list is established, City Council then assigns each project to a specific city department and establishes a deadline to complete the task. The process to create the Strategic Plan list is collaborative. It is common for City Council to solicit project ideas from staff. In addition, City Council is amenable to accepting letters of recommendation from various City Commissions, inclusive of the Harbor Commission. The intent of this discussion is to form a list of agreed upon priority projects for the next twelve months to better inform staff and City Council when deliberating on the next list of Strategic Plan items.
The following projects are likely to be included in the next Strategic Plan.
1. Waterfront Education Center - Continue outreach to non-profit and education-based organizations to solicit partnerships for ultimate construction of an education facility. The City entered into a contract with Gensler Architects to perform a site analysis of the former Joe’s Crab Shack site. The firm examined site conditions, zoning restrictions, and any development standards that would limit the scale of construction. The firm then created conceptual plans to illustrate what “can” be built on the site. The plans can be used to show potential partners what can realistically be constructed at the site.
2. Seaside Lagoon - Complete the entitlement process for the Seaside Lagoon redesign. The City entered into a contract with Nuvis Landscape Architecture on February 7, 2023. This is a multi-year contract that includes conceptual design, community outreach, environmental review, entitlements, coastal commission review, permitting, and construction. To date, the consultant team has produced conceptual design options for review and input to the Harbor Commission subcommittee and community at large. The team has conducted six subcommittee meetings, two community outreach pop-up events, and one workshop. Staff recommends the Strategic Plan include an item to ensure the next phase of the project is completed, which includes completion of the community outreach and entitlement process.
3. Boat Launch Pre-Design Work - Complete pre-design work, studies, and entitlement process for a new boat launch at Mole D. City staff continues to make progress on selecting a consultant to perform the design work. Staff anticipates appearing before the City Council this summer to finalize a contract agreement with a selected finalist. Staff recommends the next phase of the project be included in the Strategic Plan, which includes performing the necessary studies, outreach, and design.
4. Breakwater Repair - Work with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to perform necessary repairs to the break wall. Representatives appeared before the Harbor Commission and City Council to report on an assessment of the breakwall, including identified planned repairs. The dredging project that is currently being performed is phase 1 of the project, which will ensure the sholling is cleared thus providing better access for the large equipment needed to perform breakwall repairs. Staff recommends the Strategic Plan include an item to ensure the repair is completed.
5. City Harbor Department - Provide a report to City Council on the different harbor/marine management operating models. Citygate Consultants recently completed an assessment of the Fire Department, which includes the Harbor Patrol. City staff is recommending City Council perform a similar analysis to the Harbor Patrol specifically, which will include best practices, comparison harbor operating models, etc. If the recommendation is supported by City Council (anticipated to be reviewed in April), staff recommends placing the analysis on the Strategic Plan.
6. Harbor Commission Purview - Complete the necessary text amendments to increase the purview of the Harbor Commission to include the AES site and surrounding properties south of the AES site and north of Pacific Avenue. Staff appeared before the Harbor Commission in February and Planning Commission in March to discuss the increased purview area. Staff plans to appear before City Council on April 16, 2024 to receive formal direction on the matter. If supported by City Council, staff recommends the Strategic Plan include an item to complete the necessary municipal code text amendments to make the change.
7. Fun Factory Leasing Strategy - Solicit firms via Request for Proposals (RFP) to enter into a multi-year lease at the old Fun Factory site on International Boardwalk. The 30,000 square-foot vacant site is currently being utilized by Public Works as a staging area and access point to perform necessary seismic upgrades to the parking structure. Staff expects the seismic upgrade project to be completed in the next 12-18 months. Staff recommends the Strategic Plan include an item to solicit firms that can convert the space into modern and rentable tenant spaces.
8. AACAP Adjustments - Continue to explore adjustments to the AACAP that would allow for outdoor rooftop dining and encourage overall parcel aggregation for redevelopment opportunities.
Staff requests comments/feedback on Harbor Commission’s support on the above referenced ideas. Staff is also open to additional suggestions from the Harbor Commission for inclusion into a letter for City Council review at the future Strategic Plan workshop session.
In addition to the noted projects above, staff is also working on several Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects including installation of pavers along International Boardwalk, installation of blade signs for International Boardwalk tenants, weather-proofing improvements for the roof along International Boardwalk, Basin III slip improvements, installation of a Sea Bass pen, replacement of all electronic pay stations within harbor parking areas, and ADA upgrades to the Marina parking lot. These CIP items are currently budgeted with direction from City Council to execute and as a result do not require inclusion onto the Strategic Plan.