Redwood City addresses Docktown progress

The city had initially attempted to preserve the floating community, either by grandfathering in those living in the marina before 2016 or undergoing a land swap. Those attempts were shut down by the State Lands Commission because the land is in the public trust and therefore expected to be accessible to residents.

“Ending residential uses at Docktown Marina is required in order for the city to meet its legal obligation to allow full public access to the land on which the marina is located. The city serves as a trustee for the state lands on which the marina is located. In that role, the city must ensure that use of these lands is in accordance with the statutes which granted the land to the city, State Lands Commission policies, and the public trust doctrine,” the city wrote in its blog post published on the platform Medium Thursday, Nov. 16.

A few years after taking over the site, the City Council agreed to spend $4.5 million to settle a lawsuit with Ted Hannig, who filed the lawsuit. While $3 million was meant to go toward a fund to clean up Docktown and relocate 70 liveaboards residing on the creek, the other $1.5 million was to go to Hannig, also an attorney for the Daily Journal.

The city has settled a number of lawsuits with Docktown residents over the years, offering many $190,000 in exchange for vacating the site and dropping all claims against either party. In its blog post, the city said four tenants remain in the area and officials are continuing to draft settlement agreements.

The city also noted in its blog post that it faces a new lawsuit from the Hannig Environmental Research Organization which alleges the city failed to use the funds to clean up the marina, the dilapidated dock and relocate the remaining nine liveaboards.

Hannig, in an email, said the city’s blog post ignores “ongoing, significant,” “avoidable” and “irreversible” contamination issues, the death of a 14-year-old child in 2020, and other details as to why former residents weren’t allowed to continue living in the area.

The city has yet to develop a long-term plan for the Docktown marina but said in its blog post that it anticipates evaluations of public uses in the area could begin in the next year as part of a comprehensive planning process, including public open space and amenities, for the Inner Harbor area.

“The city must ensure that the land is used in accordance with the statutes that granted the land to the city as well as with the California Constitution, applicable case law, and the common law Public Trust Doctrine,” read the Thursday blog post. “In the next year, the city anticipates evaluating future public uses of the Docktown Marina as part of comprehensive planning for public open space and amenities in the Inner Harbor area.”