Council presses staff on marina leases, Seaside Lagoon and harbor coordination

Council members used the strategic-planning workshop to press staff on several waterfront and marina priorities, including vacancy management, upcoming lease expirations, Seaside Lagoon reconstruction, and improved interdepartmental coordination for special events.

Mayor Light and staff discussed options to broaden what the city can allow for waterfront tenants, including potential tidelands-trust solutions (purchase, swap or other disposition) to attract larger tenants. City Manager Wansky said staff will "expand" the related objective language to capture options to remove tidelands constraints where feasible.

Key requests and staff commitments:
- Leasing and vacancies: Council asked for a proactive leasing strategy and an internal reporting mechanism on waterfront vacancies and upcoming lease expirations so staff can approach prospective tenants earlier rather than responding after spaces sit empty. Staff acknowledged leases coming due and agreed to add an internal vacancy-reporting metric.
- Seaside Lagoon and boat ramp: Council emphasized advancing construction drawings and design work in parallel with state permitting and grant-from-DBW steps; staff agreed to move design and RFP work forward while tracking permitting dependencies.
- Harbor coordination and events: Members raised concerns that waterfront responsibilities were distributed across multiple units and that recent spikes in special events exposed coordination strains. Staff committed to steps to improve integration, to brief the council on actions taken, and to evaluate additional event-staffing resources in the next budget cycle.

Grants and capital: Staff noted recent grant awards for the waterfront (including a Coastal Commission award for the Local Coastal Program work and a HUD award for Basin 3 dock repairs) and said those funds support near-term improvements. Council asked staff to maintain a clear, public-facing CIP status for waterfront projects and to include vacancy and lease strategy work in the next draft objectives.

What comes next: Staff will add language about tidelands options, report on a waterfront-vacancy tracking mechanism, and outline near-term design and procurement steps for Seaside Lagoon and the boat-ramp grant project when the draft strategic plan returns for council consideration in May.