thelog.com
The Log • Apr. 22 - May 5, 2016 • 3 Redondo Beach mulls boat launch ramp location By Parimal M. Rohit
REDONDO BEACH — A community- wide discussion about how Redondo Beach’s updated waterfront should take shape in light of plans to revitalize the area surrounding the pier and King Harbor has highlighted civic discourse for months in the South Bay municipal- ity. One focused – yet not unimportant – topic raging on for decades before the Redondo Beach Waterfront project was even on anyone’s radar was where the city would place its boat launch ramp. The future location of the launch
ramp was the core discussion of a Redondo Beach Harbor Commission meeting last month, where boaters, community groups and civic leaders continued a conversation actively off and on since the 1950s. A California Coastal Commission
staff report in 2010 discussing Redondo Beach’s Local Coastal Program amend- ments included language suggesting a public boat launch ramp should be required with any future development of King Harbor. “A public boat launch ramp shall be
constructed in association with future development projects within the Harbor area,” the Nov. 23, 2010 staff report stated. Could a public boat launch ramp
exist in King Harbor? “There is no good place for a boat ramp in King Harbor,” said Harry
placed is a major impediment. Coastal
Commission staff discussed the lim- ited possibilities of a public boat launch ramp in a 2006 report. “The city has
King Harbor’s boaters have been without a boat launch ramp since the waterfront venue became Los Angeles County’s major boating destinations.
Munns, a Redondo Beach boater. Rescue Our Waterfront co-founder
Nils Nehrenheim said the city of Redondo Beach has been trying to get a boat launch ramp installed at King Harbor’s Mole A but the best location for the boating infrastructure is probably Mole D. The organization has been a driving
force behind a ballot initiative aiming to scale down the proposed waterfront revitalization. Nehrenheim said a launch ramp
at Mole A makes the least amount of sense since it probably could not handle medium or large boats and might be closed during inclement weather. He added the boat launch ramp
is exclusively the city’s responsibil- ity but where the ramp should be
acknowledged the need for a public boat launch and is investigating potential loca- tions in King Harbor and
trying to secure the necessary fund- ing for it. It is not feasible or safe to build a launch ramp at the Portofi no Marina because of the strong ocean current and wave energy at Mole C,” a Coastal Commission staff report stated. “Therefore, at this time, the existing small slips in the area must be protected in order to ensure that recreational boat- ing opportunities are protected.” Munns did not rule out the possibility of a public boat launch ramp being built in King Harbor, however. Any such ramp built there, he said, would be smaller than what is sought by boaters. “There is a strong possibility that
through deliberations and further study (it has been 60 years since the topic was fi rst discussed) there may be a way to build a boat ramp in King Harbor. If that
happens, it will be like everything else in King Harbor, small, smaller than what the proponents of a ramp would like to see,” Munns said. The size of the boat launch ramp could ultimately be determined by how much space would be allocated to the adjacent parking lot, Munns predicted. “I believe parking will ultimately dic- tate the size and capacity of the ramp. Because parking is so limited in all the proposed ramp locations, any ramp that gets built will be one or maybe two lanes,” Munns said. “It will also be lim- ited to small boats; my guess would be 16- to 18-foot maximum. “The irony of that limitation lies in
the fact King Harbor has very limited protected water,” Munns continued. “The very boaters who would be most compatible with the harbor, namely larger boats that can comfortably and safely go out into the open ocean, will be restricted from using the ramp.” Representatives from Redondo
Beach’s Waterfront Department and CenterCal Properties were not available for comment on this story. Both parties are apparently in negotiations about the waterfront revitalization; offi cial updates could be announced in May or June. Boaters rely on one of two boat hoists to launch their vessels into King Harbor. The hoists were inoperable for almost all of 2015, making it diffi cult for boaters to launch any vessels into the harbor.
Marine Gear Swap Meet
Saturday, May 7 7 am - Noon
at Chula Vista Marina Resort
• Hundreds of Vendors • Thousands of Deals • Sunbrella Material Man • Rope & Line Man • Tool & Hat Man
• SoCal State Fire Protection for Recharging Fire Extinguishers • Music by The Freaky Band • Tamales & Tacos
SPACES TO SELL: Used Items $15 New Items $30
CVM MARINA TENANTS One Space Free!
Concierge Services Ask About Our
Boat Concierge Services
Ask About Our Boat
CHULA VISTA MARINA RESORT • 619-862-2819 •
www.cvmarina.com 550 Marina Parkway • Chula Vista, CA 91910 •
boatslips@cvmarina.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
