Citizen Action

Glynn County - Harbor Development, LP - Liberty Harbor - Written Comments Due By 11/4/06

PUBLIC NOTICE
October 5, 2006
Harbor Development, L.P.
Liberty Harbor
Brunswick River
Glynn County, Georgia

Project Application
Marina Checklist
Project Drawings
Project Description
Marina Market Study
Stormwater Management Summary
Archaeology Information
Underwater Archaeological Remote Sensing Survey
Ground Photos
Aerial Photos

This serves as notification from the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources of a request from Harbor Development, L.P. for a Coastal Marshlands Protection Act (CMPA) permit under Official Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) 12-5-280 et seq., to construct and maintain a recreational marina and bridge crossing over a tidal creek located on the Brunswick River in Glynn County, Georgia.

Harbor Development, LLP, is creating a 110-acre mixed use development. Included in this development will be over 1400 single-family houses, condominiums, hotel, shops, fitness facilities, and a proposed 450-slip marina and 200+ unit dry stack facility. The site of this development was occupied during WWII as the J.A. Jones Shipyard and built 440' long Liberty Ships for the war effort. Since that time the site has been used by various industries, including the boilermaker Babcock-Wilcox, and defense contractor Jered-Brown Industries.

The proposed marina facility consists of a 12' x 355' fixed pier with two 8' x 30' estuary and historic shipway observation platforms, all with handrails. The fixed pier will extend to a 40' x 40' covered fixed deck. A floating perimeter (wave attenuator) was designed to provide access to dockage and to attenuate waves to protect boats within the interior of the facility by placing two 20' wide sections, one 1657' long and the other totaling 1108' long. The wave attenuators extend beyond one another and are offset to provide the 130' wide entrance for the facility. The northwest side of the floating dock facility (967' long) is a continuation of the wave attenuator system providing protection from waves derived from the East River and the Brunswick River. The entrance to the marina is on the side of the facility adjacent to the Brunswick River but opens toward the East River. This entrance configuration was designed to attenuate waves prior to entering the facility while still providing adequate clearance for vessel traffic. The size of the wave attenuators was determined based on analysis described in the Applied Technology and Management (ATM) Wave and Current Study. The 20' wide wave attenuation system proposed for the marina was designed to accommodate a 25-year storm event. The use of a 25-year storm event as a design parameter is considered an industry standard in marina design. The ATM report states that the use of a 20' wide attenuator can attenuate waves to an acceptable level providing adequate harbor tranquility. The wave attenuators will provide mooring space on both sides. A series of 5' floating fairway docks 10' x 927' placed within the perimeter of the marina will provide docking slips on either side. Each of these fairway docks will have finger docks constructed off of both sides and terminate with a T-dock varying in length from 90', 102', 115', 125' and 135'-long by 5' to 8' wide. This fairway/finger dock system will provide the bulk of available permanent docking slips. Most slips are for the owners of upland residential units. A comparatively small number of slips will be available for public rentals.

Also extending from uplands along the western side of the project is a 16' wide fixed pier. This structure will be used by a forklift to accommodate vessel launch and retrieval in conjunction with an associated 8' x 60' floating staging dock accessed by a 4' x 25' gangway. The staging dock will allow for the temporary mooring of vessels and in times of peak demand provide an avenue to assist in locating the vessels to a staging area as not to impede the lift operations. Lift operations will only be available to vessels utilizing the dry stack facilities. Along with this fixed pier a 6' x 200' pedestrian companion way will extend beside the forklift pier with an 80' ADA compliant gangway providing access to the floating docks.

The applicant desires to extend services to jet skies by providing storage, launching, mooring and operation. Personal watercraft will have to abide by the rules and restrictions set forth for all vessels that utilize the marina facility and public waterways.

The applicant also proposes to provide a fueling station on the western most finger pier. The fueling station will be constructed with automatic over flow prevention devices and emergency cut-off switches remotely located near the fueling station and other strategic locations shutting off fuel supply from the mainland to the marina. All fuel storage will be maintained on the mainland in a dedicated facility with the appropriate and necessary (as required by city, state, and federal regulations) containment and safety precautions provided. To facilitate fueling operations an 8x 8 structure will be positioned at the fuel dispensing area. From this structure an attendant will oversee and assist vessel owners during fueling operations and transactions. This structure will also provide storage for emergency response tools including fire suppression and spill containment devices in the event of an accident during fueling.

The entire marina facility will extend approximately 1450' from MLW on the northern shore of the Brunswick River. The total width of the river at this point is approximately 4500'-wide. The floating dock structure will be 470' from the edge of nearest maintained channel and 645' from the center of the channel in the East River. The section of the floating dock structure extending southward toward the Brunswick River Navigational Channel will be approximately 700' to the edge and 900' to the center of the maintained navigational channel in the Brunswick River. The portions of the marina extending into the Brunswick River closet to the Brunswick and East River navigational channels will be equipped with navigational lights.

The fixed structures that will provide access to the floating docks all originate from the upland 30'-wide riverwalk constructed landward of the 25' DNR marsh buffer. The riverwalk will be constructed of pervious material. Any necessary fill associated with providing access to these piers will be performed in uplands.

A section of the riverwalk will have to cross over a manmade tidal ditch located along the eastern property boundary in order to provide marina access to the city park planned in the adjoining parcel. This will be accomplished with the construction of an elevated 13' x 70' timber boardwalk, spanning high ground to high ground. The width of the boardwalk was designed to allow safe two-way golf cart, bicycle, and foot traffic to and from the park and marina facility. To insure the riverwalk is limited to the above-mentioned modes of transportation, a guard post-type bollard system will be implemented on each end of the boardwalk.

As proposed the marina facility and tidal ditch crossing will impact approximately 214,216 square feet (4.9-acres) of coastal marshlands, of which approximately 5,625 square feet (0.13-acres) of vegetated marsh.

The main construction materials for the marina will consist of concrete supplemented with steel where necessary to meet engineering specifications for anchor and support pilings, floating docks, and decking. To a lesser extent wood will also be used for timber pilings, joists, decking, railing and the pierhead shelter structure. The gangways will be constructed out of aluminum.

There is an existing, on-site, dock structure located northeast of the marina project area. The removal of this structure is planned to coincide with the construction of the proposed marina facility. As with the construction of the proposed marina facility BMPs will be implemented and care taken to insure the demolition is done in accordance with applicable regulations.

An upland, marina service area is proposed to include a dry stack storage facility for boats up to 35' in total length, to hold 200+ boats, along with buildings for a marina office and restaurant, wash down facility, and fuel storage. The marina office will provide the services necessary for the operation of the marina and will include services such as a ship store, showers, restrooms and laundry facilities for transient boaters needs. These features will all be located in an upland complex along the western property boundary. A wash down facility is also planned for this area with waste wash water being diverted to the sanitary sewer to prevent direct runoff into the river.
The project site will utilize a combination of structural stormwater controls and Best Management Practices (BMPs) to manage stormwater. The stormwater management system consists of interconnected ponds and associated drainage piping. The ponds are connected in series with a final outfall through a bubbler system. A notch is located on the bubbler structure to control the water elevation. The ponds will have a normal pool elevation of 5.75' MSL, but will build in height during periods of heavy rainfall. The notched control structure will detain the water quality treatment volume and release it over a minimum period of 24 hours.

The storm drainage system for the Liberty Harbor project was designed utilizing criteria established by the State of Georgia as well as Best Management Practices required by the Stormwater Manual for Beaufort County, SC. The applicant contends that the design should provide stormwater runoff quality that is equivalent to a project with impervious coverage of 5% for fecal coliform and 10% for Total Phosphorous (and all other significant pollutants).

It is the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate that the project is not contrary to the public interest and that no feasible alternative sites exist. Impacts to coastal marshlands must be minimal in size. In passing upon the application for permit, the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee shall consider the public interest: (1) Whether or not unreasonably harmful obstruction to or alteration of the natural flow of navigational water within the affected area will arise as a result of the proposal; (2) Whether or not unreasonably harmful or increased erosion, shoaling of channels, or stagnant areas of water will be created; and (3) Whether or not the granting of a permit and the completion of the applicants proposal will unreasonably interfere with the conservation of fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, clams, or other marine life, wildlife, or other resources, including but not limited to water and oxygen supply.

A detailed public notice with drawings has been distributed and is available by visiting the Department of Natural Resources website: http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us/ under Permits and Public Notices.

Please provide this office with substantive, site-specific comments as to why the proposed work should or should not proceed. Comments and questions concerning this proposed project should be submitted in writing and be postmarked by November 4, 2006 to Karl Burgess, Department of Natural Resources, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, Georgia 31520.