Redwood City settles 2 Docktown Marina lawsuits

In exchange for the city’s payment, the Reids and Flemings must agree to leave the Docktown Marina, a floating community on Redwood Creek east of Highway 101, Ramirez said. All parties will also release mutual claims and dismiss actions against other parties, she said.

“Both settlement agreements resolve litigation and claims between the parties, relating to the Docktown Marina and Docktown Plan. The Fleming estate and Tina and Jonathan Reid have each agreed to the settlements prior to the closed session. Thus, upon the

City Council’s votes approving each of the settlements, the city has taken final, reportable actions,” Ramirez said.

Redwood City has been the trustee of Redwood Creek and tidelands since 1954 and took over operating the marina in 2013 after its then-owner, Fred Earnhardt Jr., opted to no longer oversee the harbor, which had fallen into disrepair.

A few years later, 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 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.

After the initial settlement, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the Final Docktown Plan, estimated to cost $10.4 million, with about $4 million for acquisition of barge-based dwellings. Part of a lawsuit settlement found the floating community to be a violation of the public trust, and the plan required residents to vacate the marina by early 2018 and outlined how the city will assess housing alternatives, criteria for relocation assistance and a timeline for property appraisals.

Hannig Environmental Research Organization, a nonprofit, is now suing the city, alleging the city violated the terms of a previous settlement agreement by failing to use the funds to clean up the marina, the dilapidated dock and relocate the remaining nine liveaboards.

That lawsuit was also on the agenda for a closed session discussion by the council Monday but no report out was made on the matter. The city has previously declined to comment on the lawsuit since it’s a pending legal matter.