DANA POINT — After more than 20 years, plans to renovate the 47-year-old Dana Point Harbor are in place.
On Friday, Nov. 2, Supervisor Lisa Bartlett joined other county officials and developer Dana Point Harbor Partners at Coffee Importers, in the harbor, to announce that the 66-year lease was signed Oct. 29.
“The Dana Point Harbor Revitalization Plan is the result of over 20 years of collaborative efforts,” said Bartlett, who was a councilwoman in Dana Point when talk of renovation first came up. “Our collaboration and partnership with Dana Point Harbor Partners, the city of Dana Point and community stakeholders has never been stronger and will continue throughout revitalization.”
The Newport Beach developer group received approval from the Orange County Board of Supervisors in July to develop the harbor and take over the lease.
Bryon Ward, of Burnham-Ward Properties, and Bob Olson, of R.D. Olson Development, will work together on the harbor’s commercial core. Joe Ueberroth, of Bellwether Financial Group, will build the waterside.
The project includes reconstruction of the commercial core and the east and west marinas, two new hotels, and fully rebuilt docks.
Under the public-private partnership, the developer will design, fund and build the improvements, then operate those portions of the harbor on the 66-year lease, before returning the property to the county. The deal means that Dana Point Harbor Partners will take over the harbor immediately.
Over the past 90 days, the developers met with harbor merchants and boaters to discuss details and gather input on their development plan.
On Oct. 23, during a meeting of the Dana Point Harbor Advisory Group, the development team outlined the project. Construction on the first phase — which includes a three-level parking structure near where the launch ramp day parking is now — could start by the end of 2019.
On the waterside, Ueberroth plans to build docks that will fit the needs of the future. He plans to reduce the number of slips in the harbor from 2,451 to 2,323, partly due to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and by adding larger slips.
Ueberroth said he expects it will take two years to get through the entitlement process with the California Coastal Commission and then four to five years to build the marina in phases.
“Seven years from now the marina will be fully revitalized,” he said.
James Lenthall, president of the Dana Point Harbor Advisory Group and the Dana Point Boaters Association, on Friday thanked the county and Dana Point Harbor Partners for their diligence in moving forward with the harbor plan and for considering community input.
“Though I can’t say all the community collaboration has made the process faster or easier, I can confidently say it has shaped how future generations will enjoy this harbor,” Lenthall said. “The course we set upon today is borne from this community, it is constrained in scope, mindful of the community it serves and with faith and charm to the community of Dana Point Harbor.”
