Commission finds safe port in Newport

June Casagrande

The waters adjacent to Rhine Wharf Park at Lido Drive could soon

be home to a 100-foot-long floating dock where boaters can berth

temporarily to get to the businesses on shore.

The $100,000-plus proposal, controversial among some residents who

say it will add to noise, traffic and parking problems there, is just

one of the major items on tap for the city’s Harbor Commission.

The young commission, formed in April, has only met seven times.

But in its short life, it has already emerged as one of the most

important decision-making bodies in the city. Finding ways to dredge

the harbor without violating eel grass protections is one of the

colossal tasks the commission faces. The 50 or so “derelict boats”

now bringing down the harbor’s beauty form another monumental

challenge for the commission, as does the highly controversial

question of whether private dock owners should be allowed to continue

to rent out their dock space.

“The commission is involved in some very important things,” said

Seymour Beek, a member of the commission and one of the original

advocates of creating the body.

The commission does more than just fill the void created by the

Harbor Committee, which was disbanded after the end of last year.

That ad hoc body, which existed for about three years, was mainly

responsible for creating a “harbor element” for the city’s general

plan. After that list of priorities and goals for the harbor was

created and approved by council members, the committee became

somewhat moot.

The commission -- made up of Beek, Timothy Collins, John Corrough,

Marshall Duffield, Donald Lawrenz, Paulette Pappas and Ralph Rodheim

-- has much farther-reaching powers than its predecessor. On Tuesday,

the City Council gave its preliminary approval to changes to the

city’s municipal code that will clear the way for the body’s expanded

powers.

MORE POWER TO THEM

For example, a mooring user whose permit for the mooring was

revoked will have to appeal to the Harbor Commission to have the

matter reconsidered. Previously, either city staff members or the

City Council had to hear each appeal. The commission will also hear

appeals from owners of “derelict boats,” as identified by the

Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol. Though about 100 boats have been removed

from the harbor since the city passed an ordinance two years ago,

it’s an ongoing problem that commissioners want to correct.

“One of the things that gives Newport Harbor charm is the fact

that there are boats in the harbor,” Beek said. “But if they’re

sitting there just accumulating bird droppings, then it’s an eyesore.

And that doesn’t do anybody any good.”

Much of the commission’s powers are geared toward implementing the

harbor element, Harbor Resources Director Tony Melum explained.

“One of the goals of the harbor element to the general plan was to

provide additional access to the harbor,” Melum said.

It was with this goal in mind that the commission has pursued the

idea of a floating dock at the end of the Rhine Channel to allow

out-of-town boaters to come to Newport Beach. The plan, however, has

met with some opposition.

Some residents worry that it will create problems with noise,

increased traffic and the less-than-attractive effect of too many

boats blocking the view of the water. Commissioners are working to

address these problems, by forbidding charter boats and large boats

from using the dock, along with some other rules. Melum said that

construction of the floating dock will likely begin in the spring.

DREDGING UP OLD ISSUES

The dredging issue, however, has even wider implications for even

more Newport Beach residents. Environmental rules that protect

endangered eel grass have, so far, proved a major hindrance. But a

subcommittee of the commission is trying to get creative. One

solution could come in the form of the eight eel-grass restoration

areas already designated by the Army Corps of Engineers. These areas

could provide a place where the city could plant even more eel grass

to replace the plant life that would be removed due to dredging.

But if there’s one item coming down the pike most likely to make

headlines, it’s the issue of private pier rentals. The commission

will soon begin looking into the question of how many residents rent

out boat space on their private piers. If they learn that the

practice is widespread, perhaps totaling the $4 million and $8

million a year estimated in one report, commissioners may agree that

the practice should be regulated.

Private piers are considered to be in tidelands, which are owned

by the state but the city has stewardship. When tidelands are used

for profit, in many cases state rules require that a tidelands fund

gets a cut. The commission has decided that this matter should be put

on the agenda for an upcoming meeting, but scrutiny could prove

politically unpopular. Solutions to the problem, which will likely

come before the City Council, could include forbidding the practice

altogether, tacking on a fee that would benefit the tidelands fund,

or even doing nothing at all.

“That one’s a hot potato,” Beek said.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.