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County study finds few viable mainland boat-ramp sites; staff to ask land trust about single promising parcel
Summary
A Coastal Technology siting study found limited locations in south Indian River County suitable for a new mainland boat ramp; the board asked staff to seek interest from the Indian River Land Trust in one 27-acre parcel near Barber Bridge and to fold the finding into the parks master plan.
A county-contracted boat-ramp siting study presented April 8 found limited practicable locations on the county's mainland shoreline south of Wabasso Causeway for new public boat ramps, and commissioners directed staff to ask the Indian River Land Trust about a potentially suitable parcel and to close the study unless a viable property interest emerges.
Coastal Tech engineer Tim Fontaine told commissioners the firm used an Army Corps alternatives-analysis approach that weighed environmental constraints (seagrass, mangroves), water depth, regulatory considerations and practicability (land ownership and access). The study's screening ranked candidate parcels into three tiers: relatively feasible, challenging and highly unlikely to permit. Most south-county shorelines are heavily mangrove- and seagrass-dominated; Fontaine said those environmental constraints and the need for upland parking and stormwater systems made many sites impracticable.
One parcel north of Barber Bridge (identified in the study as —Parcel 17', about 27.35 acres) ranked among the most practicable in environmental terms but is owned by the Indian River Land Trust. Commissioners said the parcel would be the most promising mainland option for better upland access and parking; they unanimously directed parks staff to inquire with the land trust about possible interest or negotiation and to incorporate the siting conclusion into the parks and recreation master plan.
Why it matters: commissioners said they had been asked by the City of Vero Beach to re-examine possible county boat access options after earlier work limited expansion at the Oslo ramp and other sites. County staff and commissioners noted that while the county's current level-of-service ratio for boat lanes met the comp plan standard, seasonal demand and visitor use are not reflected in that metric; staff recommended any decision on new ramps be informed by demand data and folded into the county's master planning and capital-improvement program.
Action: by unanimous vote the board directed staff to contact the Indian River Land Trust about Parcel 17, include the siting study conclusions in the parks master plan, and close the study unless the land trust expresses interest.
Next steps: parks staff will report back with any land-trust response and the parks master-plan presentation is scheduled at a subsequent meeting; commissioners asked staff to consider usage data collection methods before proceeding to acquisition or permitting.
