Large marina rebuilding projects are usually done in phases, but Santa Barbara’s Replacement Project takes this simple concept to a new level. The $14 million rebuild was originally planned in ten phases over 20 years, but as financial and operational goals were met, city managers were able to consolidate the project into eight phases over nine years.
By Robert Wilkes
Large marina projects are usually done in phases, allowing the marina to remain operational while construction carries on.
An incremental approach
Marina One encompasses over 500 of the 1,139 slips in Santa Barbara Marina. Karl Treiberg, waterfront facilities manager for the City of Santa Barbara, explained why the decadelong approach. “If we borrowed $14 million all at once,” he said, “the debt service would have required large slip-rate increases. The incremental approach allowed the city to hold rates in line with minimal annual increases in slip fees.”
To finance the project, Santa Barbara secured a series of loans from California’s Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund administered by the State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways. The City of Santa Barbara funded the design and created a “shovel ready” project which helped expedite the loan application process and secure funds. The state committed the funds and the city drew from the funds as needed.
By Robert Wilkes
With characteristic South Florida flair, the Miami Boat Show celebrates America’s love of boating every year in February. The show has been produced by the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) since the 1940s and has been held at the Miami Beach Convention Center since 1969.
Portable timber docks debuted at the 2016 Miami International Boat Show.
When the last exhibit of the 2015 show was broken down, NMMA faced a difficult challenge: the Convention Center was closing for renovation. Larry Berryman, national sales manager and assistant show manager for NMMA, said, “It was a hard decision to make. The Convention Center was planning to reopen in 2018 in a new footprint we considered challenging. About 30 to 40 percent of the building would not be available, and our event is growing every year. It became clear that we needed to look for a new long-term home for the show.”
The historic Miami Stadium at Virginia Key on Key Biscayne was identified as a potential site. The stadium is owned by a national historic trust that is in the process of raising funds and working with the city to plan a rebirth of the park. The stadium was damaged in 1992 by Hurricane Andrew and condemned as unsafe. It once seated 6,500 for hydroplane races and premiere entertainment events. City planners have renamed the site Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin and envision a “flex park” with soccer fields and events such as concerts and the Miami Boat Show. Continue Reading…
Following decades of planning two spectacular waterfront communities 1,000 km apart recently opened in Australia. Wyndham Harbour and Trinity Point are bold in scope and vision. Creating “something out of nothing” marina developments requires persistence, talent, and patient investors. Each is an example of how to build stunning new marina-based living communities on raw land and unimproved coastline.
Wyndham Harbour, 39 km (driving) southwest of Melbourne, Australia
Wyndham Harbour is located near the town of Werribee between Geelong and Melbourne. To understand the logic behind Wyndham Harbour one must take into account the phenomenal growth, cultural diversity and economic vibrancy of Melbourne.
Located 39 km from Melbourne, Wyndham Harbour has taken advantage of the economic vibrancy of the city.
According to Australia’s largest newspaper, the Herald Sun, Melbourne (population 4 million) is the fastest growing city in Australia and has been voted the world’s Most Livable City for five years running. Built on the Yarra River at the northernmost reach of Port Phillip Bay, the city spread southeastward for a century and a half. West of the city, however, is lightly populated. There is some industry near the city and farming as one travels farther west.
The developers recognized that Melbourne was bursting at the seams, bogged in heavy traffic and constrained by a shortage of affordable housing. They saw an opportunity for both a new living community and a new marina. The new marina would enhance the boating experience for all of Port Phillip Bay. Continue Reading…
Here’s a question. Is it better for the marine environment to (A) build a marina basin with a concrete floatingdock marina, or (B) leave the bay, riverside or estuary with no development at all? Years ago the answer was obviously (B). No longer.
“Marinas made of carbonates are artificial reefs,” said Todd Turrell, principal at Turrell, Hall & Associates, an marine and environmental consulting firm in Naples, Florida. “Concrete docks, piles, bulkheads and riprap are habitat. They’re colonized by bivalves, tunicates and other filter feeders that remove particulates and pollutants from the water. That allows sunlight to penetrate the water column so photosynthesis can take place, add oxygen to the water and promote plant growth. If your marina has adequate flushing, there is a good chance that the water is as clean as before it was built. Of course, there can be a negative impact from boats in a marina, but that is typically minor compared with the benefits to the ecology.”
Blue Haven Marina in the Turks & Caicos boasts crystal clear water.
Carbonate-Structure Habitat
Turrell’s firm was commissioned by Bellingham Marine to perform a detailed study of the effects of introducing a concrete floating dock marina into the environment and to identify the types and quantities of marine life that colonize such a structure. The study was conducted at Regatta Marina in Naples, Florida. Apart from the extensive list of species found, the study verified the overwhelming benefits to the environment of providing habitat with concrete structures. In the case studied, the marina replaced a barren mud bottom and a seawall. Continue Reading…
Odds are good that marketing conditions that existed when your marina was built have changed. You may have a “problem child,” a section of the marina that is underperforming. Or, you may suspect there is an opportunity you could capture if you could repurpose part of your marina.
You’re not alone. Around the world owners are adapting their facilities to welcome superyachts, and it’s paying off. In some cases a marina’s existing floats can be reconfigured and reused without additional pile. That usually avoids reliving the lengthy permitting process.
Why superyachts?
Heavy Duty Walkways Rybovich Marina are perfectly suited to handle superyachts.
Superyachts may offer the promise of increased revenues and improved brand caché. The prestige of becoming a superyacht marina can make your marina more competitive and allow you to charge more. Revenue from large yachts may be more consistent than vacancy-prone small slips. Marinas that cater to larger boats can expect higher revenues from fuel sales, supplies and services. They are also unlikely to be burdened with derelict or abandoned vessels.
There are limitations. Reliable channel and basin depth, maneuvering room and ample electrical power are required. 480V 3-phase is essential, as captains do not like to run generators in port. High-speed, high-capacity refueling nearby is an asset.