Glorietta Bay Marina project clears Coastal Commission hurdle

SAN DIEGO — A third government agency gave its thumbs up on Jan. 14 for planned improvements at Glorietta Bay Marina’s Dock C.

The California Coastal Commission unanimously approved Coronado’s plans to complete its upgrade of Glorietta Bay Marina, giving the city and Port of San Diego another layer of bureaucracy cleared.

Commissioners specifically approved a Port Master Plan Amendment to reduce the marina’s Open Bay designation by 0.2 acres and increasing the Recreational Boat Berthing designation by 0.2 acres.

“The increase in the Recreational Boat Berthing designation will result in an increase in the coverage of open water habitat, which has the potential to result in indirect impacts to 683 square feet of eelgrass habitat due to shading, as well as direct impacts to approximately 1,572 square feet of eelgrass in association with maintenance dredging and 760 square feet of open water habitat,” commission staff stated in a report to commissioners.

Dock C is one of three docks at Glorietta Bay Marina. The first two docks were upgraded in 2007. Coronado built Dock C in the 1980s and is home to 34 slips and 1,303 rentable lineal feet.

City staff told the Coastal Commission the dock is “deteriorating at an accelerated rate and is now in need of improvements.”

“Dock C does not meet the city of Coronado’s fire protection regulations, National Electric Code, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility requirements, or Department of Boating of Waterways design standards,” commission staff stated in its report.

Plans also call for the upgrade of a public boat launch ramp, which Coronado built in 1969. It is the only public launch ramp in the city and includes a parking lot, boat wash-down area, gangways, ripraps and a boarding dock.

The new launch ramp will be upgraded to meet state regulations.

Specific improvements to Dock C include a full replacement of the current structure, improved pedestrian access, increased navigational clearance, and turnaround space. The new dock’s total area will take up 7.4 percent less space but feature the same number of slips as the current configuration.

The majority of dock replacement is within the port’s jurisdiction.

The new public dock would be used by small and medium boats up to five hours per day and will also include an 800-square-foot lower freeboard dock extension for kayaks, paddleboards and rowing shells.

Other planned improvements include a storm drain repair, expansion of boat wash-off area and parking lot, and new sandy beach area.

Glorietta Bay traces its history to 1887, when Hotel del Coronado opened its doors and boathouse. A boat-turning basin was built in 1938. Completion of the Coronado-San Diego Bay Bridge in 1969 forced officials to build a new entrance channel to Glorietta Bay. A 1,500-foot long seawall was constructed along a portion of Glorietta Bay in 1989 to address flooding and deteriorating shoreline conditions.