Long Beach christens updated Alamitos Bay Marina

LONG BEACH — Alamitos Bay Marina’s multi-basin rebuild and overhaul as conceived later and completed earlier than a similar – and smaller – boating venue redevelopment in Dana Point. Long Beach city officials and their private sector partners, nonetheless, celebrated what they identified as an arduous journey by christening the updated Alamitos Bay Marina with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, April 27.

The Alamitos Bay Marina rebuild was conceived in 2005. Anywhere from 100 to 300 boats were shuffled around during the phased marina rebuilt. Construction, which took seven phases to complete, began in 2011 and covered Alamitos Bay Marina’s seven basins.

City officials stated the rebuild’s price tag was $105 million.

Bellingham Marine – the lead private firm on the rebuild project – replaced 1,967 slips with 1,646 new one.

Rebuilding Long Beach’s largest marina was a public-private partnership involving city staff, the city’s Marine Advisory Commission and boat owners association, California’s Division of Boating and Waterways and the California Coastal Commission.

Firms representing the private sector included Bellingham Marine, Anchor QEA, TranSystems Inc. and Moffatt and Nichol.

Slip mix, environmental issues and permitting process were among the hurdles all parties had to overcome, according to Marine Bureau chief Elvira Hallinan.

“This has been an epic project,” Long Beach City Manager Pat West said. “This was a huge, huge undertaking.”

Nina Moussavi, who represented Long Beach City Council member Suzie Price’s office, acknowledged the updated marina as a welcomed amenity for boaters and local residents alike. Alamitos Bay Marina is within Price’s council district.

Moussavi specifically noted the marina’s new concrete floats, rounded slip fingers, ADA accessible gangways and in-slip pumpout systems. She also identified Alamitos Bay Marina as an economic asset for Long Beach

“The marinas, if you don’t know, are a big economic asset to the city. They employ [more than] 100 individuals and we generate about $22 million in slip revenue annually,” Moussavi said, adding another $52 million in direct and indirect revenues from Long Beach’s boating venues are infused into the local economy every year.

Eric Noegel, Bellingham Marine’s manager of project development, said the Washington State-based company

“We are particularly honored to have built Alamitos Bay Marina, the largest single coastal marina in the United States,” Noegel said, adding his company oversaw the replacement of 1,967 slips with 1,646 single-berth slips. “The new Alamitos Bay Marina boasts a state-of-the-art facility that reflects the project team’s desire to do it right the first time.”

Noegel stated the slip mix and layout was established to account for future demand, while the concrete floats were built with longevity and stability in mind.

“The marina’s hardwood trim, rounded finger-ends and in-slip sewage pumpout systems provide the finest amenities for the boaters,” Noegel said.

Alamitos Bay Marina was built in the 1950s and is home to a fuel dock, shipyard, restaurants and yacht clubs. Boats ranging from 25 to 115 feet can dock at the marina.

CenterCal Properties, the El Segundo-based developer behind The Waterfront project at Redondo Beach’s King Harbor, is currently building a new visitor-serving commercial center directly across from Alamitos Bay Marina. The center is slated to open in summer 2019.

Parimal M. Rohit photos