The Parking Task Force is a cross
functional group, co-chaired by DPBA and OC DPH that has been
meeting periodically for more than a year and a half now. The
membership includes boaters, merchants, marina operators and other
stakeholders as well as OC DPH, the City of Dana Point and their
design consultants.
In the Wednesday afternoon
meeting there were three new versions of the existing plan for the
build out of the new parking structure and Embarcadero presented.
A set of drawings from Bryant Palmer Soto, Inc. was passed out and
an interactive PowerPoint led discussion ensued. The later two of
these three new alternatives, known as Non Panhandle Alternatives A
and B were the product of past proposals made by DPBA directly to
OC DPH and last reported on here in
June.
The meeting lasted about 2
hours. We've included two sketches (not drawn to
scale) illustrating the "Panhandle" related problem /
opportunity.
Figure A -
Existing Design with Square Parking Structure
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Above is the existing design for
the parking structure at the edge of reconstructed commercial
core. The "panhandle" designation is in recognition of the narrow
dry boat storage area between end of structure itself and corner of
Harbor Drive and Golden
Lantern.
Figure B
- New Non Panhandle Alternative
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Above is the new design,
featuring a longer, skinnier parking structure of the same surface
area square footage which eliminates the panhandle shaped boat
storage area. This new design adds 125 parking spaces and thereby
eliminates the need to add a third level to the parking structure
at a later date. Because the design requirements of that 3rd story
won't have to be included, the infrastructure is less expensive to
build.
Here are those 3 new plan
alternatives discussed at the Parking Task Force
meeting:
1. Revised Panhandle Plan
This alternative is
essentially a status quo design approach with certain engineering
revisions, in particular movement of the Embarcadero entrance
further away from Dana Harbor Drive on Puerto Place to solve a
previously identified congestion problem. It
provides:
- 493 dry storage spaces
(400 in a boat barn), 334 vehicle with trailer spaces for day use,
144 auto-only spaces for boaters.
- 697 parking structure auto spaces total (610 spaces in structure
itself plus 87 spaces in the
Podium*).
*The area called "the Podium" is
the double decked space for dedicated slip boater parking between
the proposed new buildings and the new parking structure. (not
shown above).
DPBA Analysis: This version of the plan
also reflects some useful, relatively minor improvements in
Embarcadero flow through with the same number of parking spaces
within the parking structure.
2. New Non-Panhandle Plan, Alternative A
Both non-panhandle plans, alternatives A and B, feature a longer,
skinnier public parking structure and a more rectangular (more
desirable) Embarcadero following reconstruction. Alternative A
eliminates the panhandle area but retains the previously proposed
boat barn. This alternative provides:
- 493 dry storage spaces (400 in boat barn), 334 vehicle with
trailer spaces for day use, 144 auto-only spaces for boaters.
- 822 parking structure auto spaces total (735 spaces in structure
itself plus 87 spaces in the Podium).
DPBA Analysis: Alternative B provides 125
more parking spaces, improved Embarcadero flow through and it costs
the same to build, or less than the panhandle layout. There is a
lot more room in front of the launch ramp because the public
parking structure is skinnier. However it does not provide the
various other boater benefits associated with Alternative B.
3. New
Non-Panhandle Plan, Alternative B
Alternative B also eliminates the previously proposed boat
barn in favor of a two level boat storage facility, the same height
as the public parking structure. The boat storage facility would
intersect with the corner of the public parking structure and
extend along Dana Harbor Drive to Puerto Place. The lower level
would be primarily intended for transit use by tow vehicles
and empty boat trailers. The upper level primarily would be
designated for dry boat storage on trailers. This
alternative provides:
- 822 parking structure
auto spaces total (735 spaces in structure itself plus 87 spaces in
the Podium).
- 493 dry storage spaces (for boats and trailers), 334 vehicle and
trailer spaces for day use, 120 auto-only spaces for boaters. 24
less auto-only spaces would be required than with the other two
alternatives because the boat barn is eliminated along with the
associated additional auto parking it
requires.
DPBA Analysis: This alternative provides
125 more parking spaces and improved Embarcadero flow through.
It allows all boats to continue to be stored on trailers to
eliminate the requirement of boaters storing their trailers outside
the harbor. It continues to provide 24 hour direct boater access
to their boats. It also frees up on water space for an
undetermined number of additional temporary slips within the
immediate area of the dry boat launch ramp (since a boat barn would
not overhang the water). There may be new opportunities to address
parking issues associated with the temporary slips (temporary
unless parking problems can be solved) planned near the bait barge
jetty. There may also be opportunities to make refinements in the
layout of the shipyard to recover the .9 acres now used for boat
storage and currently planned to be merged into the new Embarcadero
configuration. According to OC DPH consultants, Alternative B
costs about 8 million dollars less than the other two
alternatives. There are as yet unresolved concerns (potential
design issues) with movement of boats, trailers and autos within
the two level boat structure.
A group voted and a unanimous
consensus decision was reached to go ahead with a non-panhandle
approach. In other words, to design the longer skinnier public
parking structure that DPBA originally presented and has been
lobbying for during the past
year.
Of course DPBA also presented and
has requested consideration of Non-Panhandle Alternative B. The
group agreed that this consideration is appropriate.
NEXT STEPS
There will be further meetings to
review and consider additional information as it becomes
available. There is a lot more design engineering work to be
done and more group vetting needed regarding Alternative B.
It makes sense to do a mock up demonstration of the engineering
design for the trailer boating structure using aisle stripes,
barricade cones and a few boats and tow vehicles. Obviously
the question is: Just how feasible is Alternative
B?
The
Parking Task Force now is to reach a well informed group decision
on which of the two non panhandle approaches to recommend. Since
Alternative B is much cheaper, provides all mast-up storage with
boats on their trailers and accessible anytime, provides more
staging slips, it follows that Alternative B would appear to be the
way to go. That is of course, if it is indeed entirely
functional. Should this turn out to be the determination, then
these findings would be vetted to a much wider boater audience,
similar perhaps to what was done during the large public meetings
in 2006 and 2007.
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