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Draft Noyo Harbor multimodal circulation plan proposes walkway, parking changes and emergency access improvements
Summary
Consultants and MCOG staff presented a draft circulation plan for Fort Bragg's Noyo Harbor that outlines a continuous harbor walkway, parking reallocation, a stairway under Highway 1, improved emergency access, wayfinding and other multimodal options; the plan is unfunded and requires coordination across multiple agencies.
MCOG staff and consultants presented a draft Noyo Harbor multimodal circulation plan that identifies projects intended to reduce vehicle trips, improve pedestrian and bicycle access, and enhance safety in the harbor area.
The study, funded by a Caltrans planning grant, lays out a range of potential improvements developed with extensive stakeholder engagement: a continuous walkway through the harbor (including cantilevered sections in constrained areas), reallocation and formalization of parking, a pedestrian stairway under State Route 1 with ADA-compliant ramps, improved emergency-only access and a coastal trail connection, updated wayfinding and informational signage, and potential bus service or private water-taxi operations during peak periods or events.
Staff emphasized the plan is a planning-level document with no construction funding identified; implementation would require project development, design and cooperation among multiple agencies (City of Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, the Harbor District and Caltrans). The presentation included cost estimates for selected projects in current-year dollars: a harbor walkway segment estimated at $2,200,000 (construction only) for the constrained harbor portion and $1,500,000 for the approach into the harbor; a cantilevered stairway under the highway estimated at $2,400,000; a short-term parking-management effort estimated in the low tens of thousands; and intersection improvements at State Route 1 and North Harbor Drive ranging from about $282,000 for short-term measures to $3,000,000 for a roundabout.
Speakers and members of the project team noted the harbor area sits across multiple rights-of-way: portions of the descent into the harbor are city-owned, much of the harbor and the parking lot are county-owned, and the state (Caltrans) controls highway right-of-way. A number of public outreach events informed the plan, including a well-attended charrette and a harbor festival booth that generated more than 80 survey responses.
Public comment flagged the need to align circulation and capital investments with sea'level rise and storm-surge studies. Peter McNamee urged the board to ensure coastal flooding and sea-level rise risks inform any recommendations that seek construction funding. MCOG staff responded that project design and implementation would incorporate sea'level-rise resilience measures at the design stage and that the City of Fort Bragg has an ongoing sea'level'rise study for the harbor.
The draft plan will be finalized in October and returned to the MCOG board for acceptance in November or December; implementation would require securing construction funding and interagency agreements.
