Redondo Beach Boat Launch Ramp Facility Feasibility Report for the California Department of Boating and Waterways 2015 Grant Cycle For the City of Redondo Beach Submitted by March 13, 2014
Table of Contents 1 Proposed Project... 1 2 Location/Access to Project... 1 PROJECT LOCATION... 1 ACCESS TO PROJECT... 1 3 Existing Site... 2 4 Previous Commission Action and DBW Funding... 2 5 Description of Area and Proposed Project Site... 2 6 Engineering Feasibility... 4 7 Cost Estimate... 9 RECREATIONAL DEMAND ANALYSIS... 10 TOTAL BENEFITS... 10 TOTAL COSTS... 10 BENEFIT/COST RATIO... 11
Redondo Beach Boat Launch Ramp Facility Feasibility Report for the California Department of Boating and Waterways 2015 Grant Cycle 1 Proposed Project As part of the overall revitalization of the Redondo Beach Waterfront, a new boat launch facility is planned to be constructed in King Harbor. The current Joe s Crab Shack site is proposed to be cleared, with the existing restaurant to be relocated within the new commercial core of the harbor. For the launch ramp, new construction will include (1) a 2 to 4 lane boat launch ramp, (2) 1 or 2 boarding float docks, each with 3 or 4 plastic coated steel guide piles, (3) a paved parking area for 30 to 40 vehicle/trailers (pull- through) and 10 to 20 single vehicles, (4) a breakwater, (5) boat wash down area and water quality system, (6) site lighting, (7) information and directional signage, (8) a self- pay parking station, (9) landscaping and irrigation, (10) a fish cleaning station, and (11) a California State Parks/Division of Boating and Waterways dedication sign. 2 Location/Access to Project PROJECT LOCATION King Harbor is located within the City limits of Redondo Beach on the Pacific Coast south of Manhattan Beach and north of Palos Verdes, in Los Angeles County, just 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles (see Figure 1). Figure 1 Project Location and Access (Map copyright Google) ACCESS TO PROJECT King Harbor is immediately adjacent to State Highway 1, and 15 minutes from the nearest freeway. Directional and entrance signs mark the access to King Harbor. 1
3 Existing Site Construction of King Harbor in its current configuration began in 1956 with the official harbor dedication in 1966. The proposed project site within the harbor is on an existing 1.33 acre rectangular parcel at 230 Portofino Way, west of the Seaside Lagoon, and east of the Portofino Hotel (see Figure 2). Currently, there is an approximately 10,000 square foot one- story restaurant building on it occupied by a Joe s Crab Shack Restaurant to be relocated as part of an overall Waterfront Revitalization Project. The parcel is protected by an elevated seawall along the approximately 250 feet of frontage facing the harbor. Figure 2 Existing Site and Seaside Lagoon (Map copyright Google) The City of Redondo Beach s Local Coastal Program (LCP) specifically states that A public boat launch ramp shall be constructed in association with future development projects within the Harbor area. 4 Previous Commission Action and DBW Funding Recently, no DBW funds have been utilized to do any improvements within the harbor. In the last 5 years, Federal Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) funds have been used to provide transient vessel moorings within the harbor and a visiting vessel and small boat dock adjacent to Seaside Lagoon. 5 Description of Area and Proposed Project Site Regionally, King Harbor lies on the California coast, 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles, in Los Angeles County. The harbor is south of Marina del Rey, Los Angeles International Airport and Manhattan Beach and north of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and within the limits of the City of Redondo Beach and Los Angeles County. There are approximately 70,000 people residing in Redondo Beach and 10 million people within greater Los Angeles County per the most recent census data. 2
Construction of King Harbor in its current configuration began in 1956 with the official harbor dedication in 1966. As a result of damage sustained from the 1988 storm, the harbor s outer breakwater was widened and raised by the Army Corps of Engineers to provide additional wave protection. Water levels and elevations are referenced to the Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) datum for the 1983-2001 tidal epoch. The tides at King Harbor are classified as mixed semidiurnal (two unequal highs and lows per day) and are measured from the nearby Los Angeles outer harbor tide gage. Daily tidal fluctuations have a typical range of about 6 feet between Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) and Mean Higher High Water (MHHW). Maximum annual Spring tides can increase the daily tidal fluctuations to over 8.5 feet with high tides around +7 (ft, MLLW) and low tides around - 1.5 (ft, MLLW). The types of water related recreation activities available within and surrounding King Harbor include surfing, fishing, sailing, and power boating as well as an increasing number of non- motorized on the water activities such as kayaking, outrigger canoeing, stand up paddling and swimming. The boating season typically lasts all year round with the peak season occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. There is an existing private boat launch facility across the harbor at Mole D in Basin 3 with two 5- ton hoists (see Figure 3). Launch fees range from $18 to $40 and hours of operation are limited. Currently, the existing private launch handles accommodates just over 2,000 launches per year and provides no designated car/trailer parking stalls. Figure 3 Existing Mole D Boat Hoist Area (Map copyright Google) The proposed boat launch ramp facility site is directly accessible to the harbor entrance on an existing 1.33 acre rectangular parcel within the harbor at 230 Portofino Way, west of the Seaside Lagoon, and east of the Portofino Hotel (see Figure 2). Currently, there is an approximately 10,000 square foot one- story restaurant building on it occupied by a Joe s Crab Shack Restaurant to be relocated as part of the 3
overall Waterfront Revitalization Project. The parcel is protected by an elevated seawall along the approximately 250 feet of frontage facing the harbor. Other boat launch facilities within (or close to) 10 miles of the proposed site include the 8- lane Marina del Rey boat launch facility 9.3 miles to the north which charges $10 per launch and the 4- lane Cabrillo boat launch facility 11.5 miles to the south in Los Angeles Harbor which charges $15 per launch. 6 Engineering Feasibility A topographical map of the launch ramp land area is shown in Figure 4. The existing site parking lot elevation is between +11 and +12 MSL (or +14 MLLW) and the adjacent splash wall crest elevation is about +14 MSL (or +16 MLLW). All utilities are available for the site including water lines, electrical lines, sewer lines and a direct access road since the existing site has a full service restaurant on it. Seaside Lagoon Portofino Way Proposed Boat Launch Ramp Area King Harbor Basin Portofino Hotel Figure 4 Existing Joe s Crab Shack and Seaside Lagoon Landside Topography (Courtesy PSOMAS) 4
The bathymetry for the water area adjacent to the proposed launch ramp site is shown in Figure 5. Figure 5 Existing Joe s Crab Shack and Seaside Lagoon Offshore Bathymetry (Courtesy Coastal Conservancy) 5
The top of ramp and promenade is proposed to be at approximately +14 ft MLLW to account for future sea level rise and wave overtopping and the toe of ramp at approximately - 6 ft MLLW. The overall length of concrete boat ramp at a 15% grade is estimated to be about 135 feet long with boarding float docks anticipated to be about 120 feet long by 8 feet wide. Of the five alternative presented at the last public outreach meeting, the Yellow Alternative was the most well received by the public. This alternative was preferred for various reasons including: The reversing of the existing hook breakwater provided a distinct physical barrier between the launch ramp and lagoon users; The parking lot layout provided close to the maximum number of pull- through car/trailer parking spaces and single parking spaces possible on the site; and The adding of the third lane on Portofino Way and circulation within the parking area. The Yellow alternative shown in Figures 6 and 7 are indicative of what the project may look like before the adjacent Seaside Lagoon reconfiguration and after the reconfiguration, depending on timing, permitting and funding schedules. The Seaside Lagoon reconfiguration is a separate project to be completed with separate funding from the proposed boat launch ramp and is also a key part of the overall waterfront revitalization effort providing additional recreational opportunities and public access to the water. The Seaside Lagoon reconfiguration elements are shown only for informational purposes. Figure 6 Alternative Yellow Launch Ramp Improvements (Launch Ramp ONLY, before Seaside Lagoon reconfiguration) 6
Figure 7 Alternative Yellow Launch Ramp Improvements (after Seaside Lagoon reconfiguration) As an example, other alternatives explored options such as having 2 launch lanes and a single boarding float dock (see Figure 8 - Alternative Green ) while pulling the launch ramp landward into the site. Figure 8 Alternative Green Launch Ramp Improvements 7
Figure 9 Alternative Blue Launch Ramp Improvements Figure 10 Alternative Light Blue Launch Ramp Improvements (Subsequent to Public/Harbor Commission Meetings) 8
7 Cost Estimate Total project costs for the boat launch facility are estimated for the Yellow alternative (without the Seaside Lagoon improvements). The estimated base construction cost is around $5.8M and the total project cost (with contingency, engineering, inspections and permits) is approximately $7,452,000. 9
RECREATIONAL DEMAND ANALYSIS The proposed new Redondo Beach Boat Launch Facility is located in the South Coast region of California in a densely populated urban area in close proximity to prime fishing grounds, Catalina Island and the Santa Monica Bay. Assuming a peak usage of 10 hours a day on a weekend or holiday, and four launches per lane per hour for those estimated 100 peak usage days, for a 2- lane launch ramp (corresponding with the limitation of parking of about 40 pull through car/trailer parking stalls on site) this would account for an anticipated 8,000 launches. On the remaining sub- peak usage days, less than half or only 4 hours of peak usage are estimated for the remaining 265 calendar days, accounting for an additional 8,480 launches given 2 parking supported boat launch lanes. Total launches per year are estimated at up to 16,480 given the limitation in adequate parking may only support considering 2 boat launch lanes for demand estimating purposes. The Benefit/Cost Analysis Worksheet provided by the Department of Boating and Waterways allows for 3.0 users per boat per launch while the data published in the 2002 California Boating Facilities Needs Assessment (BNA) indicated that the average party size is 3.7 persons per boat. The expected number of boaters that could potentially use the new facility annually is calculated at between 50,000 and 60,000 boaters. TOTAL BENEFITS Total benefits for each year are determined by multiplying the estimated number of launches by the average party size and the user day value. The user day value provided in the Benefit/Cost Analysis Worksheet is $7.50 per person while the data published in the 2002 California Boating Facilities Needs Assessment (BNA) indicated that a mid- range value, using a travel- cost method based on boater s actual expenditures on vehicle fuel, was $17.89 per person, per day. Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (http://data.bls.gov/cgi- bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=17.89&year1=2002&year2=2014) CPI Inflation Calculator and projecting forward to 2014, the user day value is approximately $23.26 in today s dollars. Using the formulae from the Benefit/Cost Analysis Worksheet to project benefits over the 20- year grant period and then estimate their present value yields a total project benefit of approximately $18.5M, assuming parking supports a minimum 2- lane launch ramp and up to 16,480 launches annually. TOTAL COSTS The total costs of the project are comprised of base construction, non- construction and operating costs. Non- construction costs include construction contingency, engineering, inspections and permits. Maintenance and operating costs are determined in the Benefit/Cost Analysis Worksheet as $4.50 per person using the facility, and at 24,288 launches annually operating costs over the 20- year grant period and adjusted back to present value is approximately $1M. The Redondo Beach Launch Ramp will likely charge a launch fee of between $10 and $12 (to be adjusted for CPI incrementally) to mainly cover maintenance and operation costs. The calculated present value of the sum of the total costs (including maintenance and operating costs per the DBW worksheet) is approximately $8.42M. 10
BENEFIT/COST RATIO The Benefit/Cost (B/C) ratio is obtained by dividing the present value of benefits by the present value of total costs. The B/C ratio must be greater than unity (1.00) before public investment in a project is justified. The Redondo Beach Boat Launch Facility is considered feasible with a B/C ratio of 2.19 based on the formulae in the Benefit/Cost Analysis Worksheet provided with the grant application and the user day values from the 2002 California Boating Facilities Needs Assessment (BNA) adjusted for inflation from 2002 to 2014. 11