Front Page  »  

Morro Bay council approves boardwalk extension

January 21, 2014

morro bay plantThe Morro Bay City Council approved a boardwalk and bicycle trail that would connect the Harbor Walk to the north end of the city. [Tribune]

The council voted 4-1 last week, with Councilwoman Nancy Johnson dissenting, to issue a conditional use permit for the project. Plans include an 8-foot-wide boardwalk and an adjacent 12-foot-wide bike path that will begin near the Morro Bay Power Plant entrance and end at Atascadero Road. A bridge would take the trails over Morro Creek.

Morro Bay planners expect a U.S. Department of Transportation grant to pay for much of the project. However, the city has yet to secure funding for the entire project, which may cause a delay in construction.

Johnson said she voted against the project because she felt it fell within a flood plain.

The city must still gain approval from the California Coastal Commission before beginning construction. If approved, construction is planned to begin in August and last six months.

 


Loading...
Subjects:                 
Related:


51 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

mostly grant money to build it! How about enjoying a nice , new bike/pedestrian path everyone can enjoy.


0

Why not fix the streets? How bad do they have to get? Potholes so big you can trip at night. Put in sidewalks so we don’t have to walk in the street. How about streetlights, we need them? Our water bills are outrageous. Where does the money go….pensions? Don’t waste the taxpayers $ on s project that will just benefit the. Embarcadero businesses. Our city government needs to pull their heads out of their posteriors.


0

You are absolutely correct about the streets in Morro Bay.

I remember back when X Mayor Roger Anderson promised to fix / pave them in the Del Mar area and North M.B.

Eventually the city put down CHEAP “Chip Seal” (just like Cal Trans does) and from the start that stuff started falling apart all over M.B.


0

I love what you say, smiley, and agree with everything 100%. Those potholes are horrible and sidewalks would be very nice. Streetlights? Ah, grand, grand. Our water bills should go way down – they’re too high. Pensions: boooo! Taxpayer’s money being wasted is bad especially if it benefits the Embarcadero businesses. Heads should not be in posteriors. Very excellent comment.


0

Well Smiley, think about this. Over 350K just went to severance payments that could have been used for streets, sidewalks, or lights. Add on another 25K for the attorney that was hired to “negotiate” these severance packages, add on another 3K/week since November for the attorney that is currently working, add on another 25-30K for the cost of a search for a new city manager. Then add on the costs to recruit for staff members that are leaving or have left the City since September. And my guess is this is just the beginning of the costs. It is mind boggling, distressing and of significant concern.


0

Don’t forget to add in the $2million plus that Yates, Rob and Andrea spent pursuing a WWP that was doomed from the start. That lobbyist took them for a ride, trying to wine and dine the Coastal Commission.


0

Another life threatening problem solved, let’s go eat!


0

Good point. You’re saying it’s an overreaction? I like it! :-)


0

Good Grief…and to think Sad Sack is leading the charge. Too funny!


0

I’m not smart enough to figure out who Sad Sack is but I like your sense of humor! Keep it up!


0

Sad Sack was the only one voting No.


0

But can I park the SUBARU WAGON THAT I LIVE IN on it, or is the Council solving a different problem?


0

I’m not sure about this, but by the looks of the images in the Tribune this morning, it looks like it’s going to be like the Harborwalk – riding path & walking path side by side with a narrow divider between them so that cyclist and walker don’t get in each others’ ways. Could be wrong.


0

I think that’s the plan. Given the incredibly positive response to the Harbor Walk from both residents and visitors, this project should be a real winner for Morro Bay


0

It will be another lovely attraction for our waterfront, to the wildlife /birds bathing in the creek outlet, and looking at the rock from that view is spectacular. I like John Sogenfry (sorry about the spelling), he use to be our marketing person for promoting the City but was fired by Joan Solu and her committee who hired another group, then hired Karin Moss (whom I like), and now fired her and will be selecting another management firm/person. Anyway, John created the logo for our City and the ‘brand’ , which I like, ‘DISCOVER YOUR BETTER NATURE.It has a special , unique ring to it and as many of us treasure and promote our wildlife, the nature part appeals to us!! I know visitors will get the message! The new bike/pedestrian path will be really fun, extending both ways to the rock parking lot, beach, path or into town for lunch and a nice loop around the City. You can even ride to the Natural History Museum if you’re energetic enough. I sure hope this path/bridge is completed ASAP, so we seniors can enjoy it too. Thanks to Noah, Christine, Jamie for voting for it and continuing on with its construction.


0

You may not be allowed to park there but just find a “red” curb somewhere else on the embarcadero and park there, it is not illegal and red curbs are not for locals, Morro Bay Councilman George Leage informed us all of that recently.


0

I understand now what you’re getting at, racket, and I apologize to you for writing the name of my vehicle in capital letters. It was very inconsiderate of me and I’m sorry if it offended anyone. Your comment is very good. We don’t want a bike path too wide. I agree with a lot of what you say! Keep up the good comments!


0

Didn’t Nancy Johnson support rebuilding a sewer plant in a flood plain?

Flip flop.


0

Yes, she did.


One thing about this project that is going to really bug the old boy/old girl crowd is that it will essentially kill their decades-long campaign to funnel all the tourists coming in on Hwy 41 straight to the Embarcadero business district, bypassing North Morro Bay and downtown. The idea was, of course, to connect Hwy 41 to Embarcadero Road with a car bridge across the creek.


Once the bike/pedestrian bridge is in, and the bike and pedestrian lanes are established on the Embarcadero extension (the unpaved section north of Coleman Drive), it will be pretty much impossible to get what they originally wanted, and they will have to continue to share the tourist dollars with businesses in other parts of town.


It has been suggested that this is connected with the reason that, against all logic, a few people have fought to keep the sewer plant where it is. The suggestion is that, with the sewer plant gone, that land will be dedicated to visitor-serving uses – like maybe more beachside RV parks – something that can be evacuated easily if there is a flood threat, but that will attract and serve tourists. That, too, would limit the share of tourist dollars that the Embarcadero merchants would get, with some of that money likely being spent in North Morro Bay or downtown.


0

If the bridge can’t hold heavy traffic then that’s another mistake made by the current council. If there’s ever a need to evacuate the waterfront or if the power plant is ever removed that’s one less escape route or way for trucks to escape. Forcing everything to go through downtown if the sirens ever go off at Diablo is completely illogical.


0

You’re really reaching….


0

I also find it amusing that you and your buddies keep raising the roof about extra costs to move the sewer plant – with numerous justifications based on the fact that tsunamis and floods don’t happen all that often. Yet, you now seem to suggest that it would be better to spend a whole lot of money for a car bridge over Morro Creek (as opposed to the simple prefab/drop-in bike and pedestrian bridge) just in case Diablo Canyon has a meltdown.


It’s obviously more of the same old wish to funnel all the tourists coming in on Hwy 41 directly to the Embarcadero, keeping them from spending their money in other parts of town.


Beyond that, do you really think it would make sense to direct waterfront area evacuees to the western end of Atascadero Road, where they would run smack into the evacuation of students and teachers from the high school? There are a number of streets that can be used to take people eastward from the waterfront. It’s not like there is just one. If the power plant goes away, you can suggest putting a road through that area to help evacuate the waterfront.


0

Funnel tourists from North Morro Bay? The tourists do not hang out in the slums.


0

anything that bugs them, I’m all for.


0

I take this statement back. It was rude and inconsiderate. I don’t want anybody in Morro Bay to be bugged by anything. :-)


0

She’ll just vote against anything she can to continue to be contrary.


0

I think you’re right. I heard she had another one of her tantrums at the last Council meeting.


0

yes a childish crying tantrum, only she stated:

damn you Jamie…..

I am packing up and I am leaving….

Nancy Johnson stomped off in tears,

in disbelief she was bumped from Community Development Committee.


0

Ha ha! Yeah, really! Excellent comment! :)


0

If it’s true, that’s a great observation. You’re one of the many smart people in Morro Bay. I wish I was as observant as you! :-)


0

Had Nancy Johnson bothered to consult the FEMA flood maps for the area, she would have seen that, other than the area where the new bridge will cross Morro Creek, the flood maps show no water anywhere in the area of the project. They do, however, show a great deal of water in the area where she wanted to build the new sewer plant.


0

I’m sure that Betty will oppose this project as she should, its in an ecological sensitive habitat and with that area being in a flood plain, when the bridge washes out to the ocean it would cause major problems for the ecosystem.

And this should really be opposed and shut down anyway,bicycles don’t need two 6 ft paths to operate on, and the economics just don’t justify wasting this amount of taxpayer money on this.


0

I doubt she would oppose something that gets people out of their vehicles and onto walking and biking paths, enjoying Morro Bay’s natural beauty in a non-invasive way. Sure, there will be some nature disturbed in the construction of this project, but people like Betty tend to think a little farther into the future than others.


0

My understanding the bridge will free span the creek, thus not encroaching at all into any environmental sensitive habitat. It has the potential to get overweight americans out of their cars and possibly back into shape, instead of porking on

the cheese fries along the Embarcadero.


0

Welcome to 2014.


0

Gee, I thought you considered the prior Council and its views to be just wonderful. Weren’t they the ones that started this project? Wasn’t it your friend Schultz who got the power plant folks to donate the land for this project? Now, when the current Council needs to act to finish up the project, all of a sudden you don’t like it anymore.


0

Just a quick addition here – of course, what the prior Council majority had in mind was a bigger bridge that would carry cars across Morro Creek, not just bikes and pedestrians, but I believe they did start this project.


0

So the previous council wanted a bridge that could be used by everyone. What a novel concept!


0

Well, it was a novel concept for them.


0

Truth be known I was against the extortion of PG&E by our former Attorney, that did nothing but put another nail in the lid when they extorted money from PG&E, they had gone on many years before they had to pay fees and then got raped,any time you hose a corporation like this all they do is raise the rate some where some how and in the end we the consumer pay for it.

The prior council did some stupid things also, where did you get the idea I blindly supported them,they had Betty on with them of course they would do stupid stuff.

And if Betty doesn’t complain and whine about this that would make her what.


0

Wow, you folks are still afraid of Betty.


0

Oh by the way the land/easement that Schultz was suppose to finalize along

with the triangle piece of property on the south side of the Power Plant along the Embarcadero, is still not a done deal. Even though we were all led to believe by Schultz that it was a done deal. Sounds like Morro Bay’s famous round about

that was two thirds of the way through the project when former Morro Bay City Attorney Schultz forgot about the additional property needed to complete the

project. And what did this cost Morro Bay citizens?


0

Is that true? You would think she would be more careful. Oh well, everyone tries their best! Let’s just all be glad we live where we live. Good comment! :-)


0

Very classy, Nancy. Very classy.


0

Who’s Betty?


And exactly how many feet does a bicycle need? What if two are riding side by side?


If the bridge washes out to the ocean as you claim it will do, then in my opinion it won’t hurt the environment but will help it by creating an artificial reef. But that’s unlikely to happen.


As for the economics, with easier access from the Harbor Walk to the North end of M.B. I believe more tourist money will be spent, thus increasing your city coffers. There’s the economics of putting in that bridge.


I did read this article and the one at the Tribune and still can’t figure out who’s Betty?


0

I presume Betty Winholz, former MB Councilwoman. She ran against Yates for MB mayor and unfortunately lost.


0

Here I fixed this for you.


Betty Winholz,former MB City Councilperson,she ran against Mayor Yates for Mayor and fortunately lost.


0

It’s Betty Boop! Boop.Boop Oop a Doop…One of the many cartoon characters working on turning Morro Bay into a Nerd Sanctuary.


0

Like I said, you folks are still afraid of Betty. Were you not, you would not find it necessary to keep bringing up her name and launching new attacks.


0

No I’m not afraid of that old bitty,but the rest of the people need to know what a pain in the ass she is,stalling projects that have been given approvel by city,county or coastal,standing in the way of tree trimmers doing their job as per permits,they should have dropped a limb on that fool that day,now shes gonna cost the Harbor Hut because she doesn’t like the office troy wants to install that has been approved by all the above,this nut ball needs to be locked up.


0

That’s a nice compliment to pay someone, slophocles. Good postivity on your behalf! :-)


0