State agency denies city’s request to reconfigure mooring field
By SARA HALL
The California Coastal Commission last week denied the city’s request to reconfigure an existing mooring field in Newport Harbor, primarily citing the overwhelming concerns raised by boaters about the proposal.
Commissioners voted 9-1 on February 5 rejecting Newport Beach’s application for a coastal development permit for a pilot project to redesign the 5.5-acre mooring field C, which sits between Bay Island and the Balboa Peninsula ferry station. Commissioner Mike Wilson was the lone supporter of the proposal.
The project aimed to reconfigure the mooring field to double-row moorings, replacing the existing single-row moorings and having boats of like sizes be consolidated into the same row(s). Plans called for an increase from 55 moorings to 62 moorings, installation of conservation buoys and replacement of existing anchor tackle with helical anchor tackle. It would have also relocated any moorings outside of the defined field boundary, decreased the footprint of the mooring field and increased the open water space surrounding the field by two acres.
City staff previously explained that the reconfiguration would result in an increase in open water space within and immediately adjacent to the mooring field. They contended that the double-row mooring arrangement allows better utilization of the available area within the mooring field, grouping like-sized boats together, offering more open space between/abreast of boats moored in the same row and expanding more well-defined fairways between the double rows.
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Photo by Sara Hall
The CA Coastal Commission denied the city’s request to reconfigure a mooring field in Newport Harbor
Commissioner Caryl Hart, who has had her own boat on a mooring elsewhere, found the public commentary convincing.
“I think this is a terrible plan,” Hart said. “I have to agree with all of the folks that testified, I just can’t fathom in a million years how the boats are going to avoid crashing into each other in these close quarters.”
Considering the wind conditions, tidal fluctuations and the close proximity of the boats, Commissioner Susan Lowenberg said, “it’s a recipe for disaster.” The people who actually use the space say it’s not feasible, she noted, and their concerns far outweigh the potential benefits.
Commissioner Dayna Bochco was also impressed with the quality of the public testimony. She appreciated hearing the facts about the mooring field in question from the people who are on the water there regularly.
“Most impressive to me from the public is what we heard about the comparisons between the wind and the tides and the currents and the shape of the harbor,” Bochco said.
Chair Justin Cummings was also swayed by the strong public opinion.
“I’m also very concerned with the comments that we’ve heard today around safety that have come up from the community,” he said. “There are rare instances on this board where you have a group of people who are going to be impacted who are all 100% against the proposal that’s come before us. There’s not a single mooring holder who came before us today that’s said that they would be OK with it. And that’s rare. Sometimes we have groups that are split, some people are like ‘we’re in favor,’ some people are opposed; but to have the entire user group come out and say that ‘we don’t support this, and we’re concerned for our safety,’ really makes me want to support them in this.”
There could have been better communication and opportunities to work these issues out with the users, he added.
Commissioner Ann Notthoff added that she heard from the speakers that there was room for compromise.
“The folks who actually have the day-to-day experience there don’t seem to have been at the table because if they were at the table, how could you have come up with a proposal that is so unacceptable to the users?” Notthoff asked.
In explaining his vote in favor of the proposal, Wilson said trying this out for the amount of time proposed is not unreasonable.
A proposal for any change in a harbor community often receives a strong response, no matter what the project happens to be, commented Wilson, a former Humboldt Bay Harbor Commissioner.
“That has a lot to do with just the visceral connectivity that folks have and the day-to-day work that they do within those spaces,” Wilson said.
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Nearly 40 people spoke up during public comment, with an overwhelming majority opposing the project.
Newport Mooring Association President Anne Stenton urged the commission to deny the CDP, which diminishes safe and equitable coastal access and is not consistent with the Coastal Act, she said.
“The double-row plan is framed as an improvement, and we’re open to improvements and we do want to collaborate, but this one makes using a mooring more dangerous,” she said.
Mooring a boat can be challenging, considering the currents and wind conditions.
“It requires a safe space on all four sides of a mooring in order to afford time to react to dynamic conditions,” she said.
Ample reaction time is even more important for older boaters and those with mobility issues, Stenton added.
The NMA is eager to work with the city to address mooring concerns and they have tried to reach out, but over the past year and during her time as president, the city has not engaged with the group in a meaningful way on the permit or the proposed changes. Mooring holders’ concerns have not been addressed, she commented.
“It feels like this is being done to us, not with us,” Stenton concluded.
They appreciate the Coastal Commissioners’ commitment to prioritizing public safety and equitable access in their review, NMA posted on its website following the decision.
“We also value the Commissioners’ recognition of the importance of ensuring Newport Harbor remains a resource for all Californians,” the post reads. “Looking ahead, the NMA hopes to engage in collaborative decision-making with city leaders to address mooring-related issues, explore solutions that enhance access, and uphold the safe and equitable use of our shared harbor.”
The proposed double-row mooring configuration is not suitable for Newport Harbor because of strong tidal currents and winds, said George Hylkema, who has had a traditional 36-foot wooden sailboat in a C field mooring for more than three decades. It would be unsafe for boaters, he added.
James Haley, who has held an unlimited masters license since 1983 and was a pilot at the Port of Long Beach for more than three decades, objected to the proposal due to the negative impacts to the boat handling.
“For the same reason the FAA doesn’t allow buildings, tall buildings, at the end of an airport runway, the whole proposal should be canned,” he commented. “When an approach has to be aborted to a mooring, the only feasible way to escape is to go ahead and if you put a double-row configuration, you’re going to have either buoys or boats or both and pick up lines to get in the propellers.”
Also, half of the mooring owners would be forced to approach their mooring from a downwind direction with a prevailing wind and current.
“Which would greatly make a difficult situation even far worse,” Haley said. “I’ve refrained from using hyperbole but…I have to admit the words ‘insane,’ ‘ignorant’ and ‘ill-conceived’ have certainly come to mind.”
Speakers also raised concerns about the process, communication from the city, cost related to tackle and potential fees, liability, poor comparison to San Diego’s Americas Cup Harbor, and that the currents and wind conditions are incompatible with the design.
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Rendering courtesy of city of Newport Beach
A rendering of what mooring field C would look like after the pilot project with new double-row configuration
This project arose from a desire to increase safety and navigability within the mooring fields in the harbor, said Carolyn Groves, a coastal planner with Dudek speaking on behalf of the city.
After taking over the responsibility for administration of the moorings in 2017, a Harbor Commission subcommittee was formed and worked on potential improvements to the mooring field utilization. The group’s focus included ensuring safe navigation for all users of the harbor in and around the mooring fields and maximizing the use of space within the mooring fields in the most effective manner possible.
Newport Beach City Council unanimously approved the redesign, called the open water initiative, on May 23, 2023. Councilmembers voted 7-0 in support of the ordinance that would amend Title 17 (the city’s harbor code) related to mooring standards and permits, and reconfigure mooring field C. The approved action stemmed from Harbor Commission recommendations.
At that time, the contentious item prompted hundreds of emails and comments and a packed council chambers at the May 2023 meeting. More than two dozen people spoke during public comment, many who own mooring permits. A majority of the speakers opposed the project.
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Sara Hall covers City Hall and is a regular contributor to Stu News Newport.
