The City Council this week approved a proposal to spend no more than $105,000 to have Al Larson Boat Shop repair Float #1 at the Cabrillo Mole.
In other news, the council continued to the meeting a proposed ordinance concerning accessory dwelling units.
Cabrillo Mole float repair
Larson Boat Shop gave the lowest of three bids—less than $81,000—to repair the float for two years, according to Harbor Master J.J. Poindexter’s staff report.
“However, in addition to being the lowest responsive bid, Larson’s Boat Shop’s quote includes an option to sand blast (rather than manually sanding) the entire float, plus the application of four coats of Marine Grade paint, which is estimated to extend the life of this float for another ten years,” Poindexter wrote.
The float project was originally on the Consent Calendar. Items on the Consent Calendar are generally voted on collectively, without discussion, unless pulled at the request of a council member or the public. Council Member Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy pulled the item for further discussion. She wanted to know how Al Larson Boat Shop could give a quote without visually inspecting the float.
Poindexter said he sent them photos. He also pointed out that it was an old float and its exact condition wouldn’t be known until it was taken out of the water. He said the float had been in the water for years. According to his staff report, “SUMMARY: Float #1 at the Cabrillo Mole has not been removed from the water for maintenance since 2009. At this point in time, this float is in dire need of maintenance.
MacGugan-Cassidy also expressed concern that time and materials could lead to cost increases. Poindexter said, “I think we can keep a pretty good eye on it,” but he also said he didn’t want to send the float over for repairs and have to send it back two years later.
Poindexter said this would be a 10-year fix. He told the council that Avalon Harbor Department staff would tow the float to and from the mainland.
“Do we have a sense of how much it will cost to build a new float?” Council Member Pam Albers asked.
Poindexter put a “ball park” figure of $160,000 to $180,000 on the cost of a new float.
Mayor Anni Marshall and other council members said there should be some sort of warranty for the work. Council Member Oley Olsen moved to approve the project for no more than $105,000. The expense was unanimously approved.
Accessory dwelling units
The council discussed, but took no action, on the first reading (or introduction) of an ordinance establishing regulations of “accessory dwelling units.”
The state legislature recently passed laws that limit the discretion city governments have to regulate accessory dwelling units, which has resulted in cities throughout California. The purpose of the laws was to increase the state’s housing stock. Among the issues raised was the length of “short-term rentals.” Marshall was not comfortable with the proposed ordinance’s definition of a “short term rental” as less than 30 days. She suggested six months.
Albers thought it would be appropriate to require the design of accessory units to be consistent with the main units on the property
Planning Director Amanda Cook said the Avalon Municipal Code currently requires a conditional use permit for short-term rentals. However, the state’s new laws don’t allow cities to impose CUP requirements on accessory dwelling units.
The matter is scheduled to return to the City Council in two weeks.