Phoebus seafood market plan advances; staff seeks use permit and schedules public meeting

Fred Whitley, the city’s chief engineer, presented the Phoebus Waterfront Improvements — a project to stabilize the shoreline, install an industrial‑strength pier and host one or more floating seafood barges. Whitley said the city has removed old pilings, completed construction plans, filed the VMRC permit application and recently briefed the wetlands board as a courtesy.

Whitley said staff will hold a public information meeting in Phoebus before the planning‑commission hearing for the pier, which is tentatively scheduled for December; staff intends to bring the use permit to council in December or January, advertise construction bids in January and begin construction in spring with pier work and decking completed by August 2008, barring permitting or contract delays.

On the operational model, Whitley said barges are roughly 80 feet long and would be moored to a heavy pier; because of the Mugler Bridge’s vertical clearance constraints, some barges would be trucked in and assembled on site. Evan Seafood was identified as an interested vendor but staff said the vendor wants more project progress before finalizing participation.