Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz
Crescent City Harbor commissioners are expected to take a final step toward starting a $15 million project to replace Citizens Dock and an adjacent seawall this spring.
The Harbor Board will consider adopting a mitigated negative declaration Wednesday based on a 709-page study of its potential environmental impacts. The study includes two phases of the Citizens Dock rebuild, though the Harbor District doesn’t have the funding to complete the second phase, according to Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr.
It also includes a construction project near the small boat ramp off Anchor Way to mitigate potential habitat loss as a result, Bahr told commissioners during a public hearing held Jan. 14.
The environmental assessment was prepared by Moffatt & Nichol. The study period ran from early 2024 through November 2025 and was released to the public in December.
“That work included multiple consultations with public agencies and their recommendations and comments are included in this document,” Bahr told commissioners earlier this month.
The environmental assessment focused on potential impacts to biological and cultural resources, noise concerns as well as impacts to water quality, Bahr said. Adopting the mitigated negative declaration is necessary for both projects to be in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and for them to move forward to construction, which is expected to start in May.
Also on Wednesday, the Board of Commissioners will consider amending an agreement the Harbor District has with Moffatt & Nichol to include “permit application support services” for the Citizens Dock and sea wall projects as well as the construction of the South Harbor Habitat Restoration site.
The South Harbor Habitat Restoration project involves widening the small boat harbor near the boat ramp at Whaler Island. The restoration project also includes the removal of creosote-treated wood pilings.
The sea wall replacement project and the first phase of the Citizens Dock reconstruction project is funded with $15.36 million in 2022 and 2024 Port Infrastructure Development Program grants from the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Reconstructing the sea wall will involve demolishing the existing structure and installing 360 linear feet of new bulkhead.
Demolishing the old wall and installing the new wall is expected to take up to 12 months, according to Bahr’s staff report for Wednesday. It will also include repaving 5,700 square feet of damaged concrete as well as regrading roughly 30,300 square feet of existing pavement to raise the seawall elevation in an effort to mitigate impacts from sea level rise.
According to Bahr’s staff report, erosion control measures as well as a log boom and silt curtain will be installed around the bulkhead slated for demolition. Material that enters the water will either be removed immediately or cleared at the end of each day during demolition and the hoists and cold storage trailers on top of the wall will be removed.
Most of the debris will likely be taken to the Del Norte Transfer Station for disposal, according to Bahr’s report.
Meanwhile, the first phase of Citizens Dock reconstruction will involve the construction of a new 13,760 square foot pier south of the existing dock. The construction of a second pier, this one 20,140 square feet, is the second phase of the reconstruction project.
Other project components include a 400-foot path for the public and an observation area at the foot of Citizens Dock that will connect to the California Coastal Trail. The existing ice house, nine fish buyer shacks, a fuel station and a NOAA tidal gauge station on top of the dock will be replaced.
There will also be improvements to the utility infrastructure on top of the dock that will aim to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from idling refrigerated trucks waiting to transport incoming seafood, according to Bahr’s staff report.
At the Jan. 14 public hearing, CCHD Board Vice Chair John Evans asked about potential impacts to the fishing fleet as a result of the Citizens Dock reconstruction. According to Bahr and to Evans’ colleague, Board Chairman Rick Shepherd, Citizens Dock will stay operational through the duration of the sea wall replacement project.
Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said that the sea wall project had included the replacement of two hoists. But because of a budget shortfall in the project due to the results of a seismic study, replacing those hoists had to be “on the chopping block,” Rademaker said.
The Crescent City Harbor District is pursuing $5 million to $7 million in additional funding from the California Coastal Conservancy, Rademaker said. If successful, those dollars will be used to replace those hoists.
Shepherd said he wanted to make sure the infrastructure could support a big hoist.
“If we have larger vessels coming in with that bigger dock, there could be use for bigger cranes,” he said.
The Crescent City Harbor District will meet in closed session at 1 p.m. and in open session at 2 p.m. The agenda packet and a link to participate via Zoom can be found here.
