Parks Tacoma, the public park district serving Tacoma, Washington, has resumed management of Breakwater Marina’s on-water facilities today, 1 October, after its lease agreement with Tacoma Yacht Club ended. The transition expands the Point Defiance Marina complex, with plans for both permanent and transient moorage.
The management transition was already written into the lease established by the two parties in 1993. Now that the on-water facilities are back under its management, the park district plans to increase public access and waterfront programmes at the site, with a long-term plan to offer both permanent and transient moorage across all slip sizes.
The district also describes the marina as Tacoma’s gateway to Puget Sound for boaters and plans to continue its work in marine preservation, conservation and education. The marina will also be staffed by a supervisor, administrative support and two maintenance positions, joined by seasonal dockhands, maintenance workers and administrative staff.
In an announcement on 2 September, Parks Tacoma said the 123 tenants of the marina, located in the waters off Dune Peninsula, would see changes to their moorage costs under the new rates introduced for the transition. The rates would lower rent for 67 tenants and increase it for 56, following a market analysis by Edgewater Resources of seven other marinas in the South Sound area.
According to Parks Tacoma, existing tenants in good standing were offered new moorage agreements for their current slips and vessels or boathouses at the marina. The application, rates, rules and regulations became available in September, and accepted applicants were given until the end of the month to complete their agreements ahead of today’s handover.
