Right Decision for Dana Point

Orange County officials deserve credit for not taking the wind out of the sails of Dana Point boaters. Instead, the county listened to sailors’ concerns when it came time to plan the spruce-up of Dana Point Harbor.

The Army Corps of Engineers built the harbor 30 years ago. Owned by the county, the 212-acre marina now has room for about 2,500 boats. Shops and restaurants dot the shore, as do picnic areas and barbecue grills.

Several years ago the county rightly decided it was time to upgrade the marina. But the early plans drew the wrath of owners of small boats, concerned that they would be pushed out in favor of bigger boats, whose owners pay more for moorings based on boat size.

Many people think of boaters as yachtsmen who own million-dollar vessels and can afford hefty monthly docking fees without twitching. But the truth is many sailors own small boats, watch the nickels and dimes, and are constantly looking for marinas willing to take minnows as well as whales.

Another concern was the possibility of new hotels and amusements going up on shore, turning the harbor into a southern version of Marina del Rey in Los Angeles. Of the 21 marinas in Marina del Rey, 20 are private. In Dana Point, both marinas are public. Marina del Rey also has a plethora of hotels and restaurants on shore and more construction scheduled in the years ahead.

But in the end, county planners listened to boaters’ concerns and decided on a redeveloped Dana Point Harbor that provides a good mix.

It adds only a parking structure, which will be a boon to visitors during whale-watching months, as well as a pavilion at ocean’s edge and an expanded park along the main channel of the marina.

That means slips probably won’t be added, though changing the layout is likely to provide space for more big boats.

The county says changes in agreements with the restaurants and shops in the marina also will boost revenue substantially over the next 20 years, always an important consideration.

The county’s manager of harbors, beaches and parks, Bob Hamilton, recognized that the marina was built as a small-boat harbor and will continue to include those tenants while making room for some bigger vessels.

That’s proper recognition of the mix of boaters at Dana Point, which gives the marina a family feel, where owners of sailboats can exchange good-natured gibes with powerboat owners and where those living on boats keep an eye on one another’s moorings.