On Monday March 6, 2017, the Coalition’s Marina Committee met with the S.R. Community Development Department (CDD) and S.R. Dept. of Public Works (DPW) for our regular monthly review of the developments at The Village at Loch Lomond Marina (aka “The Strand”). The Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) also participated by conference call. The public is encouraged to communicate with the Marina Committee using the Contact the Marina Committee form to raise any issues or concerns so that they may be brought to the City’s attention.
The following items were discussed:
[NOTE: MVA below refers to Marina Village Associates, the owner and developer of this property]
BCDC Order to MVA: MVA continues to be in non-compliance with some of the conditions in the BCDC Cease and Desist Order. BCDC intends to issue a notice to MVA as to what actions it intends to take on this matter. Meanwhile, BCDC has determined that the permit amendment request from MVA has been deemed incomplete and will need to be resubmitted.
Fuel Dock: The fuel dock does require BCDC approval and requires that MVA formally request this as an amendment to the current BCDC permit. This item was not included in the current permit amendment from MVA, but could possibly be included in the this amendment request since it must be resubmitted. The City requires the fuel dock in its permits for this development and will require MVA to submit this item to BCDC for approval.
Yacht Club: The yacht club is currently on a month-to-month lease with MVA. They have been unable to communicate with MVA to establish a longer lease term. This is necessary so that the yacht club can expend funds to make improvements. The yacht club has asked for the assistance of the City to facilitate these discussions.
Restaurant & Harbormaster’s Office: This combined building, to be located adjacent to the Yacht Club (but separate from it) between that building and Andy’s Market, will require a lot line adjustment as well as permits from the City and BCDC. Neither BCDC nor the City agencies indicate any problems in going forward with these plans.
Exterior Lighting: There are still three existing, unapproved light poles at or near the marina gangway entrances on the eastern portion of the boardwalk that are problematic. The City and MVA have meet on this issue and MVA has agreed to remove them. The old power poles at the eastern end of the boardwalk have now been be removed (one of which was in the middle of Loch Lomond Drive).
Flooding on the Breakwater Connector and Eastern Jetty (playground): The BCDC Cease and Desist Order required that MVA hire a certified specialist to conduct a flooding study. This study is underway and must be completed by April 28, 2017. MVA then has until June 30, 2017 to apply for a permit to BCDC to conduct the work specified in that study’s findings. That order did not include any requirement to correct identified flooding problems at the eastern jetty/playground, only on the breakwater connector! BCDC could address any needed correction on the eastern jetty/playground through its maintenance enforcement process, or it might request those corrections be included in the now-delayed current permit amendment from MVA. Meanwhile, the City has not accepted the project as complete for either area nor release bonds tied to that project area because of these serious problems and does not intend to do so until these issues are resolved.
Dog Regulation Signage & Bags: The City has approved the final design/wording on signage requires all dogs to be on-leash. Additional locations for signage and bag dispensers have been identified, especially along the breakwater, but not yet finalized.
Utility Installation Along the Roundabout: Recently, three rather massive plumbing fixtures have been installed in the grass areas at the roundabout. These are back flow preventers for buildings in the western part of this development. They were included in the original permit drawings that were approved by BCDC and the City, but their negative visual impact was overlooked. BCDC is not intending to dispute these installations since they were approved. The S.R. Fire Department had suggested they be placed elsewhere but the S.R. Water Department insisted on this location. The Public Works (DPW) and Community Development (CDD) Departments would prefer they be placed in a less visually-impacting area, but it is unclear whether that can now be done. It is equally unclear how much they can be masked given the Water Department access requirements. This issue is still under investigation by DPW, but the Coalition strongly disapproves of their current location.
Andy’s Market: In a recent conversation with Andy Bacich, he stated that he was targeting April 20 for the opening of his new market location. He plans on conducting the move from the old location overnight so there would be no period in which the market would be closed.