After more than two decades of talking about and planning a renovation of Dana Point Harbor, construction equipment has finally arrived and the demolition of old and brittle docks between Baby Beach and the Island Way bridge has started.
The cranes and workers, belonging to Bellwether Financial Group, started with pulling piles and fingers from C Dock in the harbor’s West Cove. The debris will be hauled away and new docks, which are being built in Northern California, will be trucked down and installed in September.
The work is the first step in a five-year, 17-phase overhaul. Work will be done in the existing marina and the outer basins. The work is expected to cost about $100 million.
“It feels really good to start,” said Joe Ueberroth, founder of Bellwether Financial Group.” People have been waiting for decades.”
“A project of this size is extremely expensive,” he added. “After we finish the first phase, we’ll move to the adjacent docks and do the same thing there.”
The marina work is part of an overall renovation of Dana Point Harbor, which in return for, Bellwether, a Newport Beach marina developer, and two other development groups working together as Dana Point Harbor Partners, won in 2018 a 66-year lease from the County of Orange.
The overall cost of the harbor’s redevelopment is estimated to cost around $400 million. Bryon Ward, president of Burnham Ward Properties, is heading up the development of the commercial core, and Bob Olson, of R.D. Olson, will build two hotels once entitlements from the California Coastal Commission come through.
Under the public-private partnership, the developers are expected to design, fund and build the improvements, then operate those portions of the harbor through the life of the lease before returning the property to the county. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Harbor Patrol building and docks are not part of the partners’ lease.
To get ready for the demolition at C Dock, Ueberroth said boaters in those slips were relocated to other harbor areas. Once the docks are completed, the boaters will return.
The potential noise impact on local marine life when it is time to drive the piles 15 feet into the bedrock floor of the harbor for the new docks will be monitored by an observer – it is a requirement the Coastal Commission has for approving the work. The harbor is home to dozens of sea lions and other marine mammals.
“We’ve built most of the coastal marinas in California,” Ueberroth said. “We haven’t seen any adverse effects over decades. But, to be overly cautious, we’ll take the extra step.”
To finally start is a relief, he said. “A lot of people questioned if this would ever come about. We’re really pleased to have executed our plan and begin construction ahead of schedule of the coastal permit. COVID delayed the project, but not by that much.”
As additional dock space is added, Ueberroth said he will be able to begin moving boat owners off the waiting list, which is now at 2,165. The harbor renovation has generated more interest from local boaters looking for 60- to 65-foot slips, he said.
While Dana Point Harbor is known for and will remain a “small boaters harbor,” the new marina will offer about 24 slips for the larger boats, he said. There are currently 15 slips that are 60 feet long. There will be a total of 2,265 slips available after the renovation – the vast majority will be for boats 30 feet and under, Ueberroth said.
In 2021, Ueberroth increased slip fees. Owners of boats under 30 feet saw a 26% increase. Boat owners in the largest slip categories – between 55 feet and 60 feet – faced a 90% rise in their rental cost.
The Dana Point Boaters Association characterizes the rate increase as excessive and unfair and has taken its argument with Ueberroth to court, adding to its complaints that the hike in rents violates the California Tidelands Grant, which provides for public access to amenities such as the county-owned harbor.
Anne Eubanks, president of the boaters group, said there is also a concern among owners about how long it might take to fund future phases of the marina work.
Eager for the renovations to progress is Donna Kalez, who operates Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching and its fleet of 17 boats. Her docks in the harbor are in critical need of repair, she said. “I’m excited to see construction.”
She noted that the start of the work on Aug. 4 was just a day after her father, Don Hansen, who started the whale watching charter in the harbor, was posthumously honored with a plaza rededication at the harbor. The late Hansen was a persistent advocate for the harbor with county and city officials to move the harbor renovation along.
“I’m also happy knowing that the parking structure is coming right behind,” Kalez said.
Ward said the harbor’s new structure will be the first project on land and that he expects to break ground in October. He is also in discussions with harbor restaurants, he said, as he plans the future footprint for retail — which is expected to be significantly larger.
“We’re doing all we can to negotiate,” Ward said. “Local color is important. We worked hard to keep that in the design and to embrace the DNA of Dana Point, not Newport Beach.”
Ward said the renovations should allow merchants to reinvest in their businesses by reinventing menus, redesigning their kitchens and drawing even more customers.
“We have learned from COVID that patios are very important and this will very much be an outdoor experience,” he said. “It’s also important that we curate food, so we don’t have similar concepts. We want people to think of Dana Point Harbor as a food destination.”
Jim Miller, who operates Coffee Importers and the Scoop Deck, has crowded patios now. He is located just across from where some of the larger boats will be docked once all the new slips are in. Like Kalez, his business has been in the harbor for decades and he has also been the president of the Dana Point Harbor Merchants Association and worked tirelessly to push forward on the harbor renovation.
“After waiting 24 years,” he said, “I’m excited to see the construction begin.”
