Tuesday and Wednesday Public Open House Sessions

On Tuesday, February 26, 2019 and Wednesday, February 27, 2019, the planning, engineering, and economics team hosted a two-day open house that allowed the public to come in and provide input on the five sites as part of the Valdez Waterfront Comprehensive Master Plan. The intent of the two-day open house was to gain more information from the public about the waterfront and the five sites. In addition to providing background information, the public was asked to provide their input on a 5 year and 30 year vision for Valdez's waterfront. The public was also asked to contribute to the SWOT analysis for each site. A summary can be found below.

Open House Summary

The following summaries include input received during the two-day Open House.

5 Year Vision:

Complete the following statement: "In Five (5) years the Valdez waterfront will...."

• Have a Geoduck clam farm
• Have an appropriate space/city for cruise ships
• Focal point of the town
• Even more food trucks
• Have 10x the public access and a few more businesses
• Be connected
• Seaweed farming
• King salmon run
• New harbor/port office in central location – or at least ADA accessibility to existing building
• Start of a marine industrial park with large vessel haul out
• Another seafood processor
• More parks and rec
• Commercial dock space
• Create  more private business opportunities
• Fastest growing segment of Valdez
• Will be seen as an economic contributor to Valdez
• Boat launch out of town
• Provide better flow of traffic for launches, more waterfront access for visitors, more boat storage
• Generate more revenue
• Have year-round fisheries
• Will have marine industrial park
• Marine RR (railway)
• Ship docking port
• Walkable, filled with small businesses, connected
• Be known for its great restaurants! Valdez should be synonymous with great restaurants
• 3 level parking structure to minimize parking spots
• Businesses along boardwalk of old harbor
• Waterfront development at Mineral Creek and Robe Lake
• Build larger lift
• Increase cruise landings
• More seafood plants
• Retail seafood port

30 Year Vision:

Complete the following statement: "In Thirty (30) years the Valdez waterfront will...." 

• We should be the shipping hub for the Far East by ship
• 5 harbor basins
• Still have cruise ships and wildlife
• Replacing A-G (m) docks
• A bridge between dock point and the old harbor
• 3rd basin
• Hold market share of international exports (imports?) (any amount)
• Have largest haul out and boat repair business in south central Alaska
• Bustling retail including restaurants and boardwalks
• Waterfront will be #1 economy in Valdez
• Have small boat 3rd basin, permitted and funded
• Expanded harbor, center of town, strong marine services, large CCID storage
• Provide support/sustain our city more than or as much as the oil
• Have a tram from water front to mineral creek hill (20 years)
• Market share of marine port activity in PWS
• Be connected, walkable, with natural shoreline (protected and accessible)
• Have a 3rd harbor
• 3rd basin, more opportunities for local business, more availability for parking
• Still have free parking

SWOT Input

Small Boat Harbor

Strengths

• Views

Weaknesses

• Fiber in Kobuk Road
• Flush harbor
• Icing

Opportunities

• Valdez famous for good food
• More land/parcels available for shops/restaurants

Threats

• Motor homes and parking and blocking views

Programming

• Outdoor free wifi
• Kayak launch and storage on waterfront
• One lane walking waterfront
• One lane with way traffic
• Ice machine
• Pringle/cover by top of dock ramp
• North harbor one-way road (right side road)
• Unblock road by launch ramp
• Public restrooms
• Walkways/trails over duck flats
• Develop 1-2 charter rows in harbor
• No dry stack
• Add kayak launch on north side of dock point
• Need to keep boat storage until new site is developed

Sea Otter Park

Strengths

• Water upgraded 10"-8"

Weaknesses

• Verify electric cap for new processor
• Poor soils

Opportunities

• New blast freeze plant/processor
• Existing operator with existing fleet
• Move SBS dock from harbor to south with fill

Programming

• Maintain public access along waterfront - no matter the use
• Lease Peter Pan lot to water
• Park space here please
• Need wave barrier to west to protect offloading
• Find new site for shore fishing
• Pile supported buildings
• Commercial fisheries site
• Travel lift 200+
• Add accessible fishing float at harbor entry
• Seasonal employment park/rec area
• Rest/turnaround point for walkers/bikers

New Boat Harbor

Opportunities

• Congestion at fuel docks in old harbor

Programming

• Need fuel dock
• Add launch ramp
• Viewpoint/trail on top of hill
• Kayak launch and storage

Old Town

Strengths

• Beautiful views
• Bear views

Opportunities

• Trails, recreation opportunities, tourist walks
• Better fishing pond… water issues
• Promote kings for early season visits
• Old town interpretive and recreation facilities and trails
• Historic signage
• Loop road property likely for sale
• Create a ‘fishing hole’ similar to Homer

Threats

• Wind
• Dredging needs
• Soils/hazards
• Liability 

Programming

• Connection to Bike Path
• Historic district and on registry
• Move fuel dock and tank farm from downtown 
• Expand what’s there a bit (Develop recreation and history)
• Coordination with pioneers of Alaska for usage
• Picnic facilities
• Need kayak launch
• Add dry stack and service to north (big state area)
• Marine railway with 3-4 spurs
• Add king hatchery at creek
• King pond rehab
• Canal back to highway
• Kayak launch
• Interpretive trail and signs of old town
• Lupines in old town 
• Old Town historical park
• Boat storage parcels near highway

Valdez Container Terminal

Strengths

• Grain silo - 40k income

Weaknesses

• Fix water lines

Opportunities

• Remove silos or add a mural to them
• Climbing facility at silos

Programming

• Remove silos - explode on fourth of July?

The information above summarizes public input received. If we overlooked or did not accurately portray your input please reach out to vcwmp@pndengineers.com.

Public Workshop #1 Summary - February 25th

On Monday, February 25, the planning, engineering, and economics team hosted an evening public workshop at the Valdez Civic and Convention Center. Approximately 15 people attended the interactive workshop to discuss economic opportunities, site inventory, and programming priorities for the five sites.

Two presentations were part of the evening activities. Jeremy Talbot, the Port Director, presented a project overview and shared the previous preliminary planning efforts for 14 waterfront sites in Valdez. A link to Jeremy's presentation is provided below.

Click link to access preliminary planning efforts

Dan Lesh, an economic analyst with McDowell Group, presented an overview on the Valdez maritime economy that included opportunities and challenges facing the community and potential application to the project. A link to Dan's presentation is provided below.

Click link to access economic presentation

Group SWOT Analysis of Five Sites:

Attendees of the Monday night public workshop were split into two groups and asked to complete a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) and programming ideas of the five sites along the waterfront. 

Summary Boards from Small Group Exercises:

SWOT Summary:

A summary of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and some programming ideas for the five focus sites that the Valdez community shared are as follows:

New Boat Harbor:

Strengths

• Existing marine repair facility
• Useable space
• Most viable businesses on waterfront
• Tourist attraction/draw
• It exists
• Existing food/restaurant businesses
• Easy to fuel up
• Non-commercial fish processing nearby
• Proximity to eat/coffee
• City downtown proximity
• Downtown processor docks/fairly large uplands
• Cheap moorage
• Newer condition
• Walkability

Weaknesses

• Demand exceeds footprint (lay down space)
• Limited parking
• Utility lines (overhead)
• Ditch/limited repair suitable drainage
• Discontinuous sidewalk on north side of parking along Kobuk Drive
• Deferred maintenance
• Doesn’t flush
• Traffic congestions (north harbor)
• Lack of parking
• Congested/full (150% occupancy)
• 3rd launch ramp not as easy to use due to lack of dock
• Tourists walking
• No specific viewing area
• Crowded launch ramps
• Lack of business property
• Shallow

Opportunities

• Can expand space across street (north of Kobuk Drive)
• Re-do dock configuration
• Underutilized footprint (slips/parking/businesses)
• Sheet pile (above)
• Organize user base
• Great amount of empty 20’ slips
• Sheet pile to add to uplands 
• Make north harbor a one way
• Create walkway for tourists
• Lower powerlines to have better access to aux lot
• Pull back SBS dock
• When they re-do Kennicott add flushing capabilities
• Make more room by sheet pile docks
• Potential commercial business space on water side
• Pull back toe of slope (south side)

Threats

• Proximity to wetlands
• Museum expansion?
• Non-thru traffic (vehicle/pedestrian circulation)
• Organizing user base (multiple mixed uses)
• Dunleavy
• Aging facility
• Shotgun cove (Whittier)
• Overuse
• Poor water quality
• Loss of major maintenance funds
• Fishing industry collapse

Programming

• Sheet piling north side
• Boardwalk
• Bury power lines
• Expand repair yard
• Recreation / tourism focus
• Put up sheet pile to build slips
• Sheet pile dock @ SBS
• Move SBS dock
• Sheet pile and dredge for better access
• Get more land into commercial development
• Expand parking area by filling in wetlands by Bayside RV
• Create loading zone by harbor office (fish processing)
• Bury powerlines for travel lift
• Sheet pile from a dock to harbor office
• Maintenance pad 
• Electrical improvements
• Move industry to out of commercial and recreation site

Sea Otter Park:

Strengths

• Proximity to downtown / cruise ships
• Potential for deep water 
• Looped water utilities
• Sport fishing from shore
• View
• Room to expand
• Location for additional food processor
• Last development place of waterfront commercial property
• Deep water nearby
• Expandable

Weaknesses

• Traffic flow – routing traffic
• Existing tideland leases (long term / property under contract)
• Not enough electricity?
• Noise conflict
• To many opportunities
• Satisfying public / access / uses
• Money? Community Resource?
• Not large enough to create a marine repair facility
• Access through industrial traffic
• Poor traffic flow
• Wind
• Potential for bottlenecking with expansion
• Surrounded by industrial property
• Heavy equipment vehicle congestion
• Needs dredging for vessel access
• Slower access due to active processors in summer
• Undersized utilities for development (water and power)
• Not enough water/power to area

Opportunities

• Expandable
• Existing industry in the area
• Better access to fishing processors
• Undeveloped public waterfront
• Seafood plant tours
• Successfully balancing variables
• Possible marine industrial area
• Fill out for additional deep water moorage
• Large taxable investment
• Seafood plant
• Large job creator
• Marine industrial park
• Increased salmon returns
• Increased processing operations

Threats

• Existing industry in the area
• Heavy truck traffic / conflicting uses
• Potential for fish processing – smelly, industrial nightmare
• Land use conflicts
• Slime line workers
• Utilities unable to meet demand
• Parks vs industry

Programming

• Museum
• City dock replacement
• Fish plant
• Park recreation
• Double fast-land footprint
• Tender vessel overflow
• Recreation and industrial manage mixed-use common in revitalizing industrial urban areas
• Processing
• Boardwalk
• Park around periphery 
• Recreational fishing pier
• Commercial fish -
• Processing fleet offloading
• 3rd fish process
• Deep water moorage and add fill
• Fish plant
• Expand it add fill

New Boat Harbor:

Strengths

• New facility
• Depth
• New and shiny
• Bilgewater treatment building
• Flow of traffic
• New business opportunities
• Deep water
• Drive down float
• 30 year current life span (new)
• Ready for fuel provider
• Parking
• Ready space to use

Weaknesses

• Close to services
• Close to duck flats
• Too small
• Expensive
• Profit loss
• Uncertainty for future of launch ramp
• No fuel provider
• No history / experience of use
• Proximity to town / walkability
• Presence of hotel hill
• No provisions for maintenance
• Visibility of site

Opportunities

• Dry stack
• Commercial property
• Hotel hill removal
• Fuel dock
• Launch ramps
• Commercial uplands available
• Expand moorage on other side
• Expanding a 3rd basin opposite in harbor cove
• Fuel dock/contract
• Undeveloped/shovel ready for western ramp
• Boatel?
• Ramp?
• 300,000+ cubic yards of fill
• Picnic shelter/mixed use on hotel hill
• Nice view from hotel hill

Threats

• Duck flats
• Exposed to weather
• Blast zone extra-large, ammo move?
• Inability to develop uplands due to funds shortage

Programming

• 3rd basin off north side
• Bike/walking trail to get to “town”
• Retail
• Dry stack
• More uplands (remove hotel hill)
• Fuel
• Picnic pavilion on top of hill
• 2-300 boat dry storage

Old Town:

Strengths

• Biggest amount of undeveloped acreage
• Accessibility to Richardson Highway
• Space
• Less in town traffic
• Wide open
• Flat 
• Sport fish opportunity
• Keep industrial work out of downtown
• Industrial zoned
• FTZ nearby

Weaknesses

• Shallow water depth/dredging
• No covered year-round maintenance facilities for any boat size
• No current boat launch
• Not suitable for 24 hour operation
• Day use plan
• Seismic zoning
• Wetlands
• Farther away from marine shops, etc
• Sentimental 
• Unknown contamination
• Old town sensitivity

Opportunities

• Foreign trade soil
• Old townsite/rebuild
• Big enough for multiple uses
• Commercial services / food restaurant
• Efficient traffic flow
• Dry dock maintenance area
• King salmon hatchery
• Room to grow
• Marine industrial / haul out facility
• Marine industrial park
• Dry stack
• Space for shops (working on boats, etc.)
• Marine industrial 
• Sport fish enhancement

Threats

• Very strong opposition for Old Town residents (opinions)
• Flood plain
• Soils/liquefaction
• Dredging needed
• Glacier stream
• Soil
• Earthquake
• Tsunami zone
• Uninsurable?

Programming

• Rail landing
• Recreational – kayak, SUP. Park? Launch
• Old town
• Zoning for lay down yard
• FTZ storage / distribution
• Big lift baby
• Replacement for container terminal
• Covered boat maintenance facility
• Maintenance shops
• Chinook hatchery
• Boat haul out
• Marine industrial
• Waterfront access/park
• Marine industrial
• Boat launch

Valdez Container Terminal:

Strengths

• Secure Area
• Depth profile
• Electric investment (pods)
• Location for large, odd-shaped shipping items
• Floating dock
• Best port in the state
• Lots of electrical soon…
• Room to grow
• Ice free
• Large yard
• Heavy lift
• New lights
• North star
• Perfect for oversize freight

Weaknesses

• Accessibility from town
• Footprint limitations/expansion
• Gate issues
• Needs another mooring dolphin
• Ro/Ro ramp is tide dependent
• Aging infrastructure
• Small yard congested in summer
• One access point
• Life cycle facilities
• Powerlines at entrance
• General fund subsidy
• Birds
• Not big enough

Opportunities

• Large floating dock on same site
• Silo’s – uses?
• Deep draft
• Meet needs of boats displaced by cruise ships
• Yard storage organization could be better
• Ro/Ro ramp off floating dock
• Restaite building upgrades ex: water and bathroom
• Vacancy (new tenants)
• Crane rail
• Hub fish for region
• Dry bulk wide open
• Concrete storage in silos

Threats

• End of life span for floating dock
• Access at end of life span
• Duck flats
• Season dependent (ex: fishing)
• Aging infrastructure

Programming

• Bigger floating dock
• Permit land expansion
• Demolish grain towers or paint them
• Maintain infrastructure
• Increase yard size
• Increase park space
• Mooring dolphin
• Larger dock if it needs or when replaced

The information above summarizes public input received. If we overlooked or did not accurately portray your input please reach out to vcwmp@pndengineers.com.

Project Introduction

The Comprehensive Waterfront Master Plan will provide the City of Valdez with an essential planning and implementation tool for development. The five areas that are being focused on are:

• Small Boat Harbor
• Sea Otter Park
• New Boat Harbor
• Old Town
• Valdez Container Terminal

Welcome to the Project Blog

The project is just starting. Content will be posted here as it is developed.