Embarcadero Expanding with Style

by Jack McCurdy

Summary: The Embarcadero, long a competitor of downtown Morro Bay, now may get reinforcements in the form of a rejuvenated "Embarcadero North," which a group of Cal Poly graduate students has designed to remove the sewage plant and now-closed power plant from that area and replace those eyesores with attractive facilities that will be appealing to tourists and residents alike. Their final plan is set to be submitted to the city and community on Tuesday, June 3.

Everyone knows where the Embarcadero is, as dazzling as it is (at least compared to downtown Morro Bay), so it’s not surprising that a move is afoot to extend it with an "Embarcadero North."

And at the same time, wipe out the two biggest eyesores in Morro Bay — the city’s 58-year-old but still operable sewage plant and the 59-year-old and defunct Morro Bay Power Plant, whose demise has undoubtedly saved the lives of millions of plankton and other fish life, on which the health of the Morro Bay National Estuary may depend, and probably preserved the lives of many people who now don’t have to breathe deadly particulate matter in the plant’s long-gone smokestack emissions any more.

Those replacements are requirements of the California Coastal Act, which dictates that coastal areas, of which Morro Bay has a broad swath, be free of such industrial uses.

The Embarcadero Plan that Cal Poly students prepared for the city contains a sketch suggesting that a baseball field could replace the power plant with the power plant’s smokestacks still standing in the background. That is one way to avoid the dismantling of the plant, which is expected to cost millions.

Details of the Embarcadero Plan — officially labeled Embarcadero North_Morro Bay Vision Plan — and what it may hold for that area—and Morro Bay in general— is scheduled to be unveiled next Tuesday, June 3, at a Planning Commission meeting in the Vets Hall starting at 5 p.m.

The city of Morro Bay announced on its website in April that "Cal Poly Graduate Urban Design students have embarked on a 10-week effort to review the area north of the Power Plant and present planning and urban design ideas for the development of the study area that could contribute to the City’s long-range planning efforts." No mention of the Morro Bay-Cayucos Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is a stone’s throw from the power plant and the other reason the area is undergoing planned revitalization. The city is required to replace it by the California Coastal Commission.

A presentation unveiling the Cal Poly review of the North Embarcadero area, now prominently named, was made to the city Planning Commission on May 6. That was a detailed description of the scope of the study, complete with numerous sketches and photographs to illustrate what was being proposed in the makeover of the area between the shell of the power plant on the south end, Morro Bay High School on the north, Highway 1 on the east side and Estero Bay on the west with the sewage plant alongside.

It was characterized at the Commission meeting by Dr. Hemalata C. Dandekar, professor of city and regional planning at Cal Poly, who assisted in directing the presentation on May 6, as a "great smorgasbord of ideas" for the area north of the Embarcadero (now presumably named North Embarcadero). A detailed description of the suggested outlines of the Embarcadero North Plan with illustrative maps, drawings and pictures is here.

That smorgasbord is expected to be boiled down to final proposals next Tuesday.

This is a true community event — the review of options for reconfiguring the Norh Embarcadero—and the city is asking residents, all of whom will be affected in  one way or another — to submit their thoughts at Morro Bay - Forms. And certainly by June 2.

The city said the May 6 presentation would be part of the visioning process for the City Council-directed rezone of the west Atascadero Road area-–Embarcadero to Main Street. Students will present site analysis findings as a basis for a future concept plan for the area bounded by Atascadero Road, the Morro Bay High School, the ocean and Highway One.

Whether the City Council will adopt the students’ proposals is uncertain. But something along the lines proposed by the students is almost certain to develop.

Cal Poly’s City and Regional Planning Department got in touch with Morro Bay's Public Works Department about possible needs, and they mutually agreed that the North Embarcadero area needed studies towards a future rezoning and possible revitalization ideas to be discussed with the community.

 Following is an outline provided by the students for the presentation:

Phase 1: Site Assessment
Strenghts, Weaknesses, OpportuniFes & Threats

        • •  Land Use
        • •  Physical and Natural A^ributes
        • •  Historic, Cultural and Social A^ributes
        • •  Public Services and Infrastructure
        • •  Economic Development

Phase 2: Design Research / Case Studies

1. Redesigning and Integra4ng RV Parks - River’s End Campground and RV Park, Tybee Island, GA; Kirsten Harrison
2. Heritage Park Recreation Center - South Hill, Washington; Nick Bleich
3. El Barrio Logan: A Community Gateway - San Diego, CA - Gateway Planning; Jaime Jaramillo
4. Scotland OPT Mark 3 Water Energy Project - Wave Energy PotenFal in Morro Bay; Sam Gross

5. WhiKer Greenway Trail - Whider, CA; Kelsey Steffen
6. Pensacola Bayfront Stadium - Pensacola, Florida; David Pierucci
7. BaMery Point Sculpture Trail - Tasmania, Australia; Andrea Olson
8. LID Coastal Commercial Development - Savannah, Georgia; Nora Chin
9. Iowa River Landing - Coralville, Iowa; Ricky Williams
10. Place Branding - Capitola California; Charles Coles
11. Mixed Use in Coastal Community: Venice Renaissance - Venice, CA; Fabian Gallardo
12. Cultural Center - Trinidad, California; Megan Mackay
13. Harbor Park - Kenosha, Wisconsin; Lance Knox
14. The Landing: A Public Haul Out - Okahu Bay, Auckland, New Zealand; Forest Chamberlain 15. RooTop Restaurants - Santa Monica; Danier Abbes

Phase 3: Vision and Concept Development

Vision Statement:
As a gateway to the Pacific and to Morro Bay, Embarcadero North will provide both visitors and residents with a unique place that integrates sustainable land use pracFces, California’s coast natural environment, and Morro Bay’s cultural identity. The development of Embarcadero North will promote social and economic vitality, recreational opportuniFes for the community, and the enjoyment of Morro Bay’s natural resources while complementing downtown acFviFes and adding to the city’s uniqueness.

Guiding Principles

• Encourage the efficient use of land
• Use natural resources as catalysts for change
• Complement and integrate with the Downtown
• Low-impact sustainable development
• Broad range of acFviFes for community and visitors

Development Objec4ves

Land Use

        • •  Complement downtown’s atmosphere while fostering a disFnct sense of place
        • •  Integrate diverse users through ameniFes and services

Imageability

        • •  Enhance site-serving opportuniFes
        • •  Promote an idenFty unique to Morro Bay

Cultural Resources and Open Space

        • •  Diversify recreaFonal experience
        • •  Centralize community events and create a^racFve desFnaFons

CirculaFon

        • •  Increase connecFvity to the surroundings
        • •  Promote connecFvity within the area

Economic Development

        • •  Expand opportuniFes that complement the downtown
        • •  Expand opportuniFes that support tourism

Participating students: Daniel Abbes, Nick Bleich, John Chamberlain, Forrest Nora Chin, Charlie Coles, Fabian Gallardo, Sam Gross, Kirsten Harrison, Jaime Jaramillo, Lance Knox, Megan Mackay, Andrea Olson, David Pierucci, Kelsey Steffen and Richard Williams