North Causeway boat ramp dock revamp project: What is NSB planning for the area?

The city is planning a major revamp of its North Causeway boat ramp dock, one of New Smyrna Beach's most popular spots to launch vessels into the Intracoastal Waterway.

But for repairs to take place, the city will need to secure the necessary funding for the project, which has been in the works for two years and intends to make infrastructural improvements while modernizing the area.

With the total estimated construction costs exceeding $4.7 million, the City Commission March 26 approved a measure to direct city staff to apply for a Florida Inland Navigation District grant, which could reimburse half of that amount.

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FIND’s grant programs are meant to financially cooperate “with local governments carrying out public navigation, increasing boater access, local and regional mooring field management, public recreation/waterfront parks, inlet management, environmental education, and boating safety projects,” according to the district’s website.

What does the North Causeway boat ramp project involve?

The process began in March 2022 and the city decided to divide it into two phases.

Overall, the project is expected to include “approximately 372 linear feet of floating dock; boat slips; 350 linear feet of timber boardwalk extension; a new kayak launch site; shoreline improvements; and outdoor picnic pavilions,” according to the city.

The first phase’s main objective is to convert the existing five fixed finger docks (on the east side of the facility) into floating docks.

“Those floating docks provide safety and better use for our public along with resiliency against storms, because they rise and lower with the tide,” Jesse Kobe, the city’s capital improvement project manager, said at the meeting.

Two of those docks are “taped off, because they are damaged, and they’re not safe and structurally sound for the public to use,” Kobe added.

The final design is expected to be completed by the end of April. Kobe said staff hopes to send out a bid for construction of phase I this summer so that the work can “hopefully” start this fall, with a cost estimate between $640,000 and $660,000.

The second phase on the west side of the facility will include two floating docks with boat slips; approximately 480 linear feet of rock revetment for shoreline stabilization; and an additional 400-square-foot pavilion.

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The proposed design could also include 474 linear feet of a timber boardwalk, which would be installed along a part of the shoreline that connects and facilitates access between the east and west sides of the facility.

According to Kobe, the current cost estimate for phase II’s construction is around $4 million, plus $183,000 for the design.

If the city receives the 50% reimbursement grant from FIND, something that would happen in October or November, construction is expected to begin in December and continue through 2025.

Commission weighs in; possible future master plan

One line of questioning from City Commissioner Jason McGuirk and Vice Mayor Valli Perrine included the construction's financial affect on the city marina.

“The idea out of this one is really to generate revenue,” said City Manager Khalid Resheidat. “It’s not to have a day dock there, it’s really to be an extension of the city marina.”

Docking fees at the city marina range between $1.25-$2 per feet per day, according to the city website. Daily, weekly or monthly electric fees, between $6 and $160, also apply.

Commissioner Jason McGuirk asked whether the boat slips would be private or transient. Resheidat said there will be some transient boat slips as well as slips that can be “leased.”

The city marina currently offers 43 boat slips. The North Causeway upgrade could add 10 to 35 slips, "depending on how much funding the project ultimately receives," according to city spokesman Phillip Veski.

Commissioner Lisa Martin also asked about what could be done to improve the entire property and make it more inviting to “non boaters,” including a possible living shoreline and more bathrooms in the community as well.

Kobe said these improvements would require extra funding and could be part of a future master plan for the property.

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Mayor Fred Cleveland said that “as long as this does no harm to what a master plan would be, I say yes.”

“I’m not afraid of another bite at the apple for more money and more money from a granting authority,” Cleveland said. “The city may not be able to afford this in this decade, but over time, eventually we could afford to have what is a very flushed out marina.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NSB seeks grant help in North Causeway boat ramp upgrade project