Vessel Owners Invited to Apply for New City Mooring Licenses
By Newport Indy Staff – December 27, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/vessel-owners-invited-to-apply-for-new-city-mooring-licenses/
The City of Newport Beach has introduced a new license program offering 16 onshore and offshore City-owned moorings to the public in a variety of sizes. Applications for the initial licenses will be accepted through March 1, 2024.
The new program is designed for vessel owners to lease moorings long-term without having to acquire a permit, sub-permit or mooring equipment.
Monthly fees will be charged based on the size of the mooring, starting at $162 a month for an 18-ft. mooring. There is no cost to apply for one of the 16 new mooring leases.
The licenses will be issued by random drawing from among the applications received by March 1. Assignments will be made based on the fit of available moorings to vessel size. Applicants who do not receive a mooring assignment in the initial drawing will be placed on a waiting list, as will applicants who submit after March 1.
Successful applicants will be contacted after the drawing and have 14 days to execute a mooring license agreement.
The mooring license application can be completed and submitted online via the City’s Virtual Connect application portal.
For more information please visit www.newportbeachca.gov/harbor or contact the Harbor Department at ha**********@ne************.gov or (949) 270-8159.
By Newport Indy Staff – December 27, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/vessel-owners-invited-to-apply-for-new-city-mooring-licenses/
Photo Credit: Sara Hall/Newport Beach Independent
Newport Beach has a handful of iconic attractions that have stood the test of time: The Newport Pier, which replaced the original McFadden Wharf (1888-1939) and is registered as a California Historical Landmark; the Balboa Pavilion, which opened on July 1, 1906 and is the city’s oldest standing building; and the Balboa Island Ferry, which went into service in 1919 to bring cars and passengers across 900 feet of water between Balboa Island and the Balboa Fun Zone.
All permits are in place for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge channels in Lower Newport Bay and bury any contaminated sediment in a massive underwater pit at the heart of Newport Harbor.
But the project is now facing multiple legal challenges that could slow it down or thwart it entirely, as resident and environmental groups that tried to block those permits cite ongoing concerns over risks to marine life and bay contamination.
The Balboa Island Ferry, one of our most iconic Newport Beach tourism experiences, could be no more.
If that sounds dramatic, it is. I can’t imagine our city without the ferry, but unless something is done, this treasured piece of our city could be gone in less than two years.
Thousands of locals and visitors use the ferry every year and it’s a vital part of our culture and history. It is part of what makes us Newport Beach, and in my mind, it is as important as our beaches. But all of that is now threatened and could be lost.
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