_{Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park is one of two RV parks that the Crescent City Harbor District is looking to lease to Daniel Dahan, investment manager for BSD Property Management. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews}

Before Crescent City Harbor commissioners approved leasing Redwood Harbor Village to him, Daniel Dahan outlined a timeline that included upgrading the electric system, redoing the parking lot and bringing in homes on wheels.

It will take several months, the developer said, adding that winter rains will likely make installing the septic system impossible. Eight to 10 months will pass before the revitalized RV park is ready to accept visitors, but, Dahan said, his investors are committed to making it a success.

“I promise you that by this spring, you will not recognize this place,” he told commissioners at their meeting June 24.

Two months ago, Dahan impressed commissioners with his company’s management of White Rock Resort in Smith River. Despite skepticism from the public, commissioners unanimously selected his investment firm, BSD Property Management, to revitalize and operate Bayside RV Park and Redwood Harbor Village.

The Board of Commissioners on June 24 unanimously approved the official lease with Dahan for Redwood Harbor Village. The Board also agreed to direct counsel to include a “cross default” clause in the RHV lease and other leases still being negotiated.

According to Harbormaster Mike Rademaker, this clause means that if Dahan defaults on one lease, his company would also default on the other two leases with the Harbor District.

On Friday, they were expected to vote on a lease for Bayside RV Park and a parcel near Redwood Harbor Village known as the overflow lot, but Rademaker asked them to postpone that decision until the district’s July 15 meeting.

“We’re so close that we’re contemplating issuing him a license agreement to let him start delivering materials and doing some work,” Rademaker told commissioners. “But there are a few tweaks to make especially with Bayside because of the long-term tenants and some other minor issues.”

According to Rademaker, there are 33 long-term tenants at Bayside RV Park. Dahan is planning for them to stay, the harbormaster said, and is exploring potential financial assistance to help them obtain newer trailers.

On Friday, Rademaker told commissioners and the public who attended that the tenants may be relocated to other areas within Bayside. 

While the proposed lease agreement had only been available for public review for about 24 hours as of Friday’s meeting, Bayside residents are aware of the development, Rademaker said. Still, he said he felt it would be better practice to vote on both leases at a regular Harbor District meeting instead of a special meeting.

“At least this way they’re out there and the public can start to look at them and give us feedback,” Rademaker said.

Under the terms of the approved lease for Redwood Harbor Village, Dahan would pay a monthly rent to the Crescent City Harbor District of $7,500 plus 10% of his gross monthly sales if they exceed the rent.

As the lease currently stands, BSD is expected to pay a monthly rent of $5,000 to the Crescent City Harbor District for Bayside RV Park plus 10% of the park’s gross sales. The proposed rent for the overflow lot will be $50,000 a year, though Rademaker said Friday that there are details still to be negotiated.

The Crescent City Harbor District has been in negotiations over the development of its two RV parks for about 18 months. In July 2025, Scott Lawhon and Sean McGraw, of San Juan Capistrano-based Crescent City Holdings LLC submitted a proposal to revitalize and operate the parks. About a month later, the Board of Commissioners decided to seek other proposals.

On April 28, both sets of developers presented their vision for the parks to the Board and to members of the public. CCHD Fiscal Officer Sandy Moreno also gave a presentation about the district potentially operating the RV parks itself. 

Dahan came to the Harbor District Board in September, about three years after it purchased White Rock Resort. On April 28, he told commissioners that after upgrading the electrical pedestals, heating and roofs, the number of guests at the Smith River resort grew from 1,800 in 2022 and to 4,100 in 2025.

At the June 24, 2026 meeting, Dahan said after opening White Rock Resort, BSD purchased four more Del Norte County properties to develop into resorts. He said his firm has made an offer on a sixth parcel, a 11-acre parcel on the ocean.

“There’s no doubt in our mind that we’re here to stay and we need this growth,” he said. “When you see the amount of money we put into the city, it’s millions of dollars. And what we’re buying, you may not believe that, but we need this to be successful as much as you need it to, if not more. Because in your case, with all due respect, should you not succeed, at the end of the day, you still have a parking lot. We lose millions of dollars.”

Last week, Dahan noted there are 220 spaces at Redwood Harbor Village. Once commissioners approve the lease, he said he planned to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements. This includes reconfiguring the spaces to allow for pull-throughs, replacing pedestals at 67 sites as well as addressing water, sewer and electricity.

Dahan said he’s also budgeting $150,000 a year for marketing. Redwood Harbor Village’s name would change, he said, and it would be branded differently.

Dahan also mentioned the possibility of operating on a subscription basis similar to a time share. That’s a model that’s currently working for White Rock Resort, he said, but it may not work for the RV parks at the Crescent City Harbor. 

“It’s going to take time to get the water into the food court. You don’t have a public bathroom, how long will it take to build that? These components are going to slow us down,” Dahan said. “The first year, I’m not going to say wasted, but it’s going to be utilized to build everything up. To open up on Sept. 1 and say we’re ready? It’s a mistake.”

Though they were skeptical two months ago, the few community members who showed up urged commissioners to move forward with the lease agreements with Dahan. 

Mike Bahr, CEO of Community System Solutions, the nonprofit that manages CCHD’s grants, said called the White Rock Resort “pretty phenomenal.”

“This is a difficult place to work in as you know and this gentleman has hung in through basically nine months of back and forth with the district and now is ready,” he said. “We’ve got something really interesting at the table right now that I think everybody can support.”

Frequent Harbor District critic Linda Sutter, who on April 28 brought up Dahan’s history of litigation as a reason to think twice about working with him, apologized to the developer. 

“I appreciate what you said,” she said, holding up photos of buildings she says are dilapidated. “Anything you do is going to be better than this.”

Sandy Moreno, the Harbor District’s fiscal officer, said that while the revamped RV parks are part of the “anchor tenant plan that we’ve got going on,” the lease agreement doesn’t include a boardwalk. The Crescent City Harbor District needs a board walk, she told Dahan.

“Though you’re not putting it in a contract, that’s our expectation,” Moreno said. “We expect you to give us a board walk in a short period of time. And maybe not in three years, (maybe) it takes you awhile to get there, but that certainly should be your expectation and demand of what you’re going to bring us.”