Floating docks at Newport Beach public piers to be replaced, pending Harbor Commission approvals

Newport Beach is looking to replace the floating docks at all 10 of its public piers, though seven of them will need to be considered by the city’s Harbor Commission before staff can take the next step in planning the project.

At their meeting on Wednesday, the commission will consider approval of a harbor development permit to replace the existing floats at 15th Street, 19th Street, Coral Avenue, Fernando Street, Opal Avenue, Park Avenue and Washington Street, where the floats extend beyond the pierhead line. The three other piers by M Street, Emerald Avenue and Sapphire Avenue are not impacted by this action.

The city of Newport Beach is replacing and reconfiguring the floats at 10 of the city’s public piers like this one at the end of Coral on Balboa Island.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

City Council policy requires that the Harbor Commission hold a public hearing and have a staff report before approving any pier or float that extends bayward.

Public Works administrative manager Chris Miller said Tuesday the floats were last replaced in the early 2000s, though the floats along with the pier have been in their current configurations for decades. The floats are now past their usable lifespan and need to be replaced. Miller added the city is not planning to replace the entire public pier structure.

“We’re not replacing all of the components,” added Miller. “We’re just replacing the floating section that the boats tie up to.”

If approved, the plan is to keep the floats in the same configurations, with minor adjustments that primarily relate to guide piles being in-board some of the floats as opposed to on the outer edge of the floats.

The city of Newport Beach is replacing and reconfiguring the floats at 10 of the city’s public piers like this one at the end of Fernando Street on Balboa Peninsula.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Additionally, the 19th Street float will be modified at its easternmost end to better accommodate dinghy tie-ups and avoid shoaling.

Miller noted this is just the first step in a longer project. The total costs of replacing the floating docks is unclear at this point. City staff have drawn up conceptual plans and, pending Wednesday’s decision, the project will then be required to go through the regular permitting channels.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.