Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz
Commissioners are expected to reach a decision, finally, on who should develop the Crescent City Harbor District’s two RV parks.
A special meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. today at the Harbor District Office.. The open session will follow a closed session meeting scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
“Tuesday’s the drop-down deadline,” Board President Rick Shepherd said at CCHD’s April 22 meeting. “We’re going to make a vote and the winner will be the lessee of the RV parks.”
Developers Daniel Dahan, of BSD Property Management, and Scott Lawhon and Sean McGraw, of Crescent City Holdings, will make presentations to the Board of Commissioners.
Sandy Moreno, the Harbor District’s financial officer, will also discuss what it would take for CCHD to continue to manage the properties, Shepherd said.
Shepherd and his colleagues will also hear from the Harbor District’s legal team, including CalMuni Advisors and Weist Law, before finally voting on the issue.
Crescent City Harbormaster Mike Rademaker has been communicating with Lawhon and McGraw since he took on the CEO job after his predecessor resigned in October 2024.
Based in Orange County, the two developers went before the Board of Commissioners in July 2025, saying they hoped to invest more than $1.2 million in Bayside and Redwood Harbor Village.
Their plans included pavement resurfacing, planting native “low-maintenance” plants and building “cabin-like RV rentals” for those who didn’t have motorhomes. They envisioned partnering with local businesses to sell their products at an RV park store as well as sponsoring sailing and fishing programs for kids.
However, despite Rademaker’s negotiations with Crescent City Holdings, commissioners issued a request for proposals seeking RV park developers.
In December, the Board entered into a $10,000 agreement with McGraw and Lawhon over the exclusive right to negotiate leasing the two parks. The following month, they rejected a proposal from Lawhon and McGraw, but agreed to continue negotiating.
Meanwhile, Dahan, the registered agent of Long Beach-based BSD Property Management, manages White Rock Resort, Pelican Beach Resort and Nautica Beach Resort in Smith River. According to a proposal he gave to the Harbor Board, the average return to investors from those developments is 22% above industry standards.
“This performance underscores the viability and profitability of our model and reinforces our commitment to expand to surrounding cities and communities with similar success,” Dahan writes.
Dahan envisions a model that caters to short-term tourists and long-term “seasonal snowbirds.” He also envisions hosting local extended-stay guests and travelign professionals.
BSD’s design includes private ocean-facing spots, landscaped communal areas, fire pit lounges, a space for pets and a venue for live music.
Following the Harbor District’s March 25 meeting, commissioners had begun to discuss self-managing the parks, Rademaker told Redwood Voice Community News. If that happened, CCHD would have to divert its scarce resources toward revitalizing the parks and embarking on a more aggressive marketing strategy, Rademaker said.
“We would only go it alone if the financial terms proposed by the developers were so unfavorable that the District believed it would be worse off financially,” he told Redwood Voice. “During these negotiations, there have been moments where that seemed like a real possibility.”
Today’s special meeting will be held at the Harbor District Office, 101 Citizens Dock Road in Crescent City. Meetings are also available via Zoom by clicking here.
The agenda packet is available at ccharbor.com.
