Going, going, gone

With the marina up against the side of the creek, the main channel remained open for boaters and kayakers. In any case, almost no one knew that the slips along the creek were in violation of the agreement the city had with the state. Thus, no one seems to have complained and Docktown Marina operated unimpeded for a great many years. In 2013, however, the then-owner of the marina closed the business and sold the 7.9-acre parcel on which it was located to a property developer. To protect Docktown’s residents, Redwood City assumed management of the slips and began collecting rents. Not long after, however, the California State Lands Commission realized that Docktown Marina was incompatible with the management agreement it had with the city and instructed the city to begin shutting down the marina and restoring full public access to Redwood Creek.

As you might expect, there was a great deal of pushback from the marina residents.

The watercraft of various types — from small conventional boats to two-story houses on floating platforms — at Docktown Marina served as affordable housing for some 70 households and eliminating the marina meant reducing the city’s supply of reasonably priced housing. The city crafted an agreement that would have allowed the residents to remain for an additional 15 years but, as I understand it, that agreement didn’t garner the required level of support from the residents. Thus, through a consultant, the city instead developed and then began implementing a plan to help Docktown residents relocate.

Many residents grudgingly moved on. Some, however, elected to fight and hired lawyers. Because the wheels of justice grind slowly, the city’s original deadline for the closure of Docktown Marina came and went, with some number of people remaining in residence. Spurred by the city’s failure to shut the marina down in a timely fashion, Ted Hannig and his law firm got involved. That initial lawsuit ultimately cost the city $4.5 million — $3 million of which was earmarked for cleanup and to pay residents to relocate.

In May 2018, Redwood City approved a proposal by the new owner of the marina property for a 131-unit townhouse development and demolition of the former marina buildings ensued shortly thereafter. Although the piers to which Docktown Marina’s floating homes were moored remained in place, swept away were the parking lot where residents parked their cars, the adjacent clubhouse and bar where they used to gather and the shoreside restrooms and showers that saw use by some with minimally equipped conventional boats. Understandably, that action greatly complicated life for those still living on the waters of Redwood Creek. Redwood City did allow parking on a small city-owned lot adjacent to the land slated for development and, although the city placed a portable restroom facility on that lot for use by those residents who needed it, the writing was clearly on the wall. Unless the few residents who were suing won their cases, Docktown Marina clearly had no future.

Presumably those residents didn’t win their cases — today, Docktown Marina is no more. I last paid the site a visit in late April and not only were nearly all of the piers gone (several concrete pilings that anchored them remain), there was only one boat moored at the one remaining small pier plus one two-story floating home, which was boarded up, ready for removal or demolition. Which presumably explains why the latest lawsuit — which had been motivated by the slow cleanup process on the part of the city — was settled.

Once, Redwood City had a handful of residential marinas that together had slips for more than 600 live-aboard boats. Today, with the closure of Docktown Marina, we’re down to around 65 total slips at which one can keep a boat where one can live.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.