The Duval County Maritime Management Plan May 2018 1 On File Page 1 of 107 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 5 What is a Maritime Management Plan? ................................................................................................... 6 The Plan Context ....................................................................................................................................... 6 THE COUNTY CONTEXT ....................................................................................................................................... 7 County Description ................................................................................................................................... 8 WATERWAY DISTRICTS ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Definition of Waterway Districts............................................................................................................. 12 Waterway District Map and Descriptions ............................................................................................... 12 ENVIRONMENT AND RISK .................................................................................................................................. 17 Environmental Considerations ................................................................................................................ 18 Sea Level Rise Risk Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 25 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 25 PUBLIC INPUT ................................................................................................................................................. 35 Public Meetings ....................................................................................................................................... 36 Research on Behaviors and Opinions Regarding Duval County Waterways........................................... 36 WATERWAYS AND NAVIGATION CHANNELS.......................................................................................................... 49 Waterway Inventory and Analysis .......................................................................................................... 50 Navigation Channels ............................................................................................................................... 54 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 54 MOORING AND DOCKING ................................................................................................................................. 57 Docking ................................................................................................................................................... 58 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 59 Mooring ................................................................................................................................................... 60 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 61 EXISTING WATER ACCESS FACILITIES AND ASSESSMENTS ........................................................................................ 63 Boat Ramps ............................................................................................................................................. 64 Kayak Launches ....................................................................................................................................... 66 2 On File Page 2 of 107 Fishing & Pedestrian Water Access Facilities .......................................................................................... 67 Overview of Assessments ....................................................................................................................... 68 Assessment Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 68 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 68 More Information ................................................................................................................................... 68 WATERFRONT PARK AND FACILITIES EXPANSION ................................................................................................... 69 Potential Water Access Facility Site Identification GIS Methodology .................................................... 70 Site Acquisition Review: Analysis and Feasibility .................................................................................... 70 Expansion and Improvement .................................................................................................................. 70 Geographic Location ............................................................................................................................... 78 Opportunity Sites in the Waterway Districts .......................................................................................... 83 Highest Priority Projects ......................................................................................................................... 84 WATERWAYS TRANSPORTATION ........................................................................................................................ 85 More Information ................................................................................................................................... 86 Needs and Opportunities ........................................................................................................................ 86 WATERFRONT LAND USE AND WORKING WATERFRONT ........................................................................................ 89 Slip Capacity and Boat Storage Facilities ................................................................................................ 91 Working Waterfronts .............................................................................................................................. 91 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 97 ECONOMICS ................................................................................................................................................... 99 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 102 OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 103 MAPS .......................................................................................................................................................... 106 TABLES ........................................................................................................................................................ 106 FIGURES ....................................................................................................................................................... 107 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................................. 107 3 On File Page 3 of 107 4 On File Page 4 of 107 INTRODUCTION 5 On File Page 5 of 107 What is a Maritime Management Plan? The Duval County Maritime Management Plan is intended as a guide for the City of Jacksonville, the Town of Baldwin and the Beaches communities to protect and develop sustainable usage of the Intracoastal Waterway, the St. Johns River and their major tributaries. The plan focuses on the utilization of selected Duval County waterways to improve the quality of life for all residents by maximizing opportunities for waterway access and recreation, as well as protecting commercial marine interests. The Plan was funded jointly by the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) and the City of Jacksonville. The Plan Context A team of planners, scientists, geographers and engineers from the Northeast Florida Regional Council, the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University was assembled in late 2015 and held the first public meeting regarding what the Plan should include in December of that year. Public input was gathered from two surveys, extensive public outreach was conducted at community events, existing facilities were assessed and data was gathered in advance of three public meetings at the end of 2016. In 2017, the team