City of Alexandria, Virginia MEMORANDUM DATE: MARCH 23, 2017 TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL FROM: MARK JINKS, CITY MANAGER SUBJECT: 2017 MARINA FEASIBILITY STUDY In adopting the Waterfront Plan implementation priorities, City Council received public comments on the effect the Waterfront Plan and the agreement with the Old Dominion Boat Club would have on recreational boating and docking facilities. Public comments were largely from leisure boaters who rent boat slips at the City Marina from the City, and who felt at risk for the Waterfront Plan where buildout would reduce the number of leisure slips available. As a result, City Council authorized the City Manager to direct the Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities (RPCA) to undertake a study to assess boating demand, the marina program, and opportunities of maintaining and/or expanding marina facilities along the City's waterfront. The City, through RPCA, commissioned the marine engineering and consulting firm of Moffatt & Nichol to study and evaluate sites for the potential expansion of marina facilities. The location, size, and layout of marina facilities for the individual sites in this study is only intended to assess the potential maximum number of slips based on physical, environmental, regulatory, and operational considerations. As implementation of the Waterfront Plan progresses, if the City elects to move forward with expanded marina facilities, a more detailed study will need to be performed to finalize a marina program, including the number, size & distribution of slips, the waterside & upland amenities, and facility access requirements. It should be noted that the 10- year City CIP does not fund the building of new large docks contemplated in the Waterfront Plan (foot of King, new commercial piers just north ofthe Chart House), and as a result there is little risk that the leisure slips will be eliminated or substantially reduced in the foreseeable future. Attachment: February 2017 Marina Feasibility Study cc: Emily Baker, Deputy City Manager James Spengler, Director, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities Karl Moritz, Director, Planning & Zoning Mitchell Bernstein, Director, Department of Project Implementation Anthony Gammon, Deputy Director, Department of Project Implementation Jack Browand, Division Chief, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities Waterfront Commission Park & Recreation Commission MARINA FEASIBILITY STUDY CITY OF ALEXANDRIA, VA Prepared for: CITY OF ALEXANDRIA Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities Park Planning, Design, and Capital Development 1108 Jefferson St. Alexandria VA 22314 Prepared by: 4700 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27609 February 2017 City of Alexandria Marina Feasibility Study TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1-1 6. MARINA IMPLEMENTATION 6-1 2. MARINA SITING 2-1 Phasing ....................................................................................... 6-1 Evaluation criteria ...................................................................... 2-1 APPENDIX - MARINA MARKET ANALYSIS Marina Access and Operation considerations............................ 2-5 A. EXISTING MARINA MARKET A-2 Regulatory and Other Considerations ........................................ 2-5 A.1 Market Area ............................................................................... A-2 3. Designated Marina Sites 3-1 A.2 Boating Activities ....................................................................... A-3 City Marina/ King Street Pier ...................................................... 3-4 A.3 Market Size ................................................................................ A-4 Point Lumley Facility .................................................................. 3-8 A.4 Slip Size ...................................................................................... A-5 Robinson Terminal South ......................................................... 3-11 A.5 Dock Style .................................................................................. A-6 Robinson Terminal North ......................................................... 3-13 A.6 Amenities ................................................................................... A-7 4. MARINA INFRASTRUCTURE AND AMENITIES 4-1 A.7 Pricing ........................................................................................ A-8 5. OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW 5-1 B. PROJECTED MARINA MARKET B-1 Marina Staffing ........................................................................... 5-2 B.1 Boating Trends ........................................................................... B-1 Operational Management .......................................................... 5-4 B.2 Boating Demographics ............................................................... B-4 Operating Revenue .................................................................... 5-5 B.3 Projected Slip Demand .............................................................. B-5 Operating Costs .......................................................................... 5-6 B.4 Projected Slip Size Demand ..................................................... B-10 Summary .................................................................................... 5-7 B.5 Summary .................................................................................. B-10 i City of Alexandria Marina Feasibility Study LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1: Waterfront Small Area Plan (WSAP) .................................... 2-1 Figure 5-3: Festival Ship at City Marina ................................................... 5-8 Figure 2-2: Boater Engagement Survey .................................................. 2-2 Figure A-1: NOVA/DC Market Region .................................................... A-3 Figure 2-3: Boating Destinations ............................................................ 2-3 Figure A-2: Attractions ........................................................................... A-4 Figure 2-4: Debris Accumulation City Marina......................................... 2-4 Figure A-3: Existing Marinas................................................................... A-5 Figure 3-1: Overall Marina Master Plan ................................................. 3-3 Figure B-1: U.S. Boat Registration Trends .............................................. B-1 Figure 3-2: Existing City Marina .............................................................. 3-4 Figure B-2: Boat Registration Trends in VA, DC, & MD .......................... B-2 Figure 3-3: City Marina - King Street Pier ............................................... 3-6 Figure B-3: Northern Virginia Boat Registration Trends ........................ B-2 Figure 3-4: City Marina - Commercial Slips ............................................ 3-7 Figure B-4: Real GDP Growth and U.S. Registered Boat % Growth ....... B-3 Figure 3-5: Existing Point Lumley Facility ............................................... 3-8 Figure B-5: Oil Price Fluctuations and U.S. Registered Boat Growth ..... B-3 Figure 3-6: Point Lumley Facility ............................................................ 3-9 Figure B-6: NOVA/DC Boats per Capita .................................................. B-6 Figure 3-7: Existing RTS Facility ............................................................ 3-11 Figure B-7: NOVA/ DC Population Growth ............................................. B-7 Figure 3-8: RTS Facility ......................................................................... 3-12 Figure B-8: NOVA/DC Tourism Growth .................................................. B-9 Figure 3-9: Existing RTN Facility............................................................ 3-13 Figure B-9: Length of Boat Used Most Often ....................................... B-10 Figure 3-10: RTN Facility ......................................................................... 3-14 Figure 5-1: Typical Marina Management Structure ............................... 5-2 Figure 5-2: Revenue/Construction Cost vs Number of Slips .................. 5-8 ii City of Alexandria Marina Feasibility Study LIST OF TABLES Table 3-1: Factor Rating Values ............................................................. 3-1 Table 3-2: Summary of Site Evaluation ................................................. 3-2 Table 5-1: Wet Slip Potential Lease Revenue ....................................... 5-6 Table 5-2: Marina Annual Cost vs. Revenue Potential .......................... 5-7 Table A-1: Slip Counts for Comparable Facilities .................................. A-5 Table A-2: Slip Distribution for City Marina and NOVA/DC Market ...... A-6 Table A-3: Dock Types ........................................................................... A-6 Table A-4: Available Amenities ............................................................. A-7 Table A-5: Recreational Marina Slip Lease Rates .................................. A-8 Table B-1: Length of Boat Operated Most Often by Age – U.S. ............ B-4 Table B-2: NOVA/DC Age Demographics ............................................. B-5 Table B-3: Marina Slip Size by Sub-Area ............................................. B-11 iii City of Alexandria Marina Feasibility Study FOREWARD The City of Alexandria commissioned Moffatt & Nichol to study and evaluate sites for the potential expansion of marina facilities. The location, size, and layout of marina facilities for the individual sites in this study is only intended to