Concrete docks at Ventura Isle Marina to be replaced

SAN DIEGO—A plan to replace and update nine concrete docks at Ventura Isle Marina was approved by the California Coastal Commission on June 12; Coastal Commission members approved the dock replacement plan as part of its consent calendar agenda.

The dock replacement plan was proposed by Safe Harbors Marina and would remove existing concrete docks F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M and N at Ventura Isle Marina, which is located in Ventura Harbor. The concrete docks were built in the 1970s and reached the end of their useful life, according to Coastal Commission staff. The useful lifespan of the docks currently in place is 25 years.

“The docks and gangways are beginning to show significant spalling, making them unable to safely moor boats and unsafe to walk across. Docks K and N will be replaced with the same dock configuration, slip sizes, and within approximately the same footprint as the existing docks,” California Coastal Commission stated. “The applicant proposes to reconfigure docks F, G, H, I, J, L, and M and redistribute the sizes of available slips on these docks to better accommodate larger boats (boats greater than 36 feet in length).”

Another element of the approved project: a new 10-foot-by-30-foot public access launching dock for standup paddleboards and kayaks. The dock will be located on Dock N.

“The applicant also proposes to replace the existing deteriorated dock access gates and gangways as well as to make minor improvements to the existing shoreline access pathway including: American with Disabilities Act (ADA) access improvements, removal of an existing chain link fence, landscaping, and replacement of signage and existing light poles,” Coastal Commission staff stated.

Coastal Commission staff added the proposed reconfiguration of a marina, which is predominantly used by recreational boaters, would “reduce the number of smaller sized slips and increase the number of larger sized slips, resulting in an overall decrease in the number of slips within the Marina and within the Ventura Harbor … as a whole.”

“The applicant has stated that this reconfiguration of the available slips within the Marina is necessary to address a historical trend within the Marina, as well as other marinas throughout Southern California, of increasing demand for larger slips,” Coastal Commission staff stated. “Additionally, while there is increasing demand for slips for larger boats, boaters with smaller vessels are increasingly trailering their vessels or storing them in an onshore boat dry-storage yard.”

The proposed marina reconfiguration would, while reducing the number of smaller-sized slips at Ventura Harbor, provide adequate space for lower-cost recreational boating use. At least 50 percent of all slips at the marina would be allocated to smaller-sized vessels (36 feet and under).

“The proposed project is a continuation of a dock replacement program that was initiated in 1991 … [and] focused on the western section of the marina and included Docks A, B, C, D, E, and a portion of Dock F,” Coastal Commission staff stated. “In addition to replacing the deteriorated docks with new precast concrete docks that project also included a reconfiguration of Docks A, B, C, D, E and a portion of F to accommodate the demand within the Ventura Harbor and the marina for larger boat sizes. As a result, that project had a net reduction of 217 slips for boats less than 35 feet in length and a net increase of 153 slips for boats greater than 35 feet in length.”

Ventura Isle Marina is located in the southeastern portion of Ventura Harbor. A resort hotel, Ventura West Marina and Ventura Yacht Club are all nearby. The Harbor Village commercial center is to the southwest of the marina.

In all there are about 1,300 recreational boat slips in Ventura Harbor, which occupies 200 acres of land and 120 acres of water. Amenities available at the harbor, where development began as early as 1960, include a boat launch ramp, boat repair yard, fuel docks, charter and commercial fishing operations and Harbor Patrol.