Towering Stacks Might Stay As Part Of Visitor Complex
August 3,2016-
Morro Bay City Manager David Buckingham says talks between Dynegy, who own the mothballed Morro Bay Power Plant, and an unnamed developer are “progressing” and it could be only a matter of months before there is definitive news.”We may see something happen before the end of the year.”
Buckingham states the buyer would not use the property for power generation but for “public space and tourist facilities.” He adds the city is not involved directly in the talks but is well informed on what could be a huge deal for the future of this coastal community.
Asked about how the three 450-ft stacks might be taken down Buckingham says they may be left in place and folded into a new design.He adds that “the Tate Modern Museum in London was a former power plant that kept their stack in place.”
Dynegy closed the 107 acre power plant site in 2014 and it has been for sale – on and off the market since. Trident Winds who has a 100MW offshore wind project in the works, says they want to utilize the PG&E owned substation to the rear of the old plant but the two projects do not seem to conflict.
Instead of energy production along their waterfront the city appears to be implementing a new vision for the North Embarcadero to be a mix of public and open space and visitor-related uses, hotels, cabins, restaurants, although the intensity of these uses remains up for debate.
A 2014 CalPoly grad student plan for the North Embarcadero envisioned keeping the stacks in place on some new complex – a convention center/hotel perhaps? The Cal Poly plan also offered the option of more modest visitor facilities on a smaller scale like cabins and camping areas.
Buckingham says the city also has a 26 acre oceanfront site that will be redeveloped next to the power plant land – the current wastewater treatment site. This acreage on Atascadero Rd will be zoned for visitor uses once the new the new water treatment plant is built inland about 5 years from now predicts Mr Buckingham.
The student plan also envisioned tying the North Embarcadero to a new entrance to town off Hwy 41 including a roundabout where 41 meets Highway 1 – a plan that now has CalTrans blessing.
In other Morro Bay news Buckingham says they are moving forward on a new $15 million aquarium to be built in place of the current 50 year old aquarium. The new complex to be associated with Avila aquarium will be open by 2018. It would be two-story and tie into the docks on the water side.Buckingham says the aquarium will have no marine animals on display.The facility will have an educational component as well as a visitor side in with CalPoly marine science studies located here.
In more development related news Buckingham is excited about the installation of very fast fiber optic lines in parts of Morro Bay as a we speak.HP Communications will be installing fiber optic cable on existing utility poles throughout the City of Morro Bay starting on Tuesday, July 26th until August 8th.The City Manager says Phase 1 of the project mostly around Downtown involves installation of 1 gigabyte of download capacity as well as 1 gigabyte of upload speed. Additional phases could tie in the rest of the town. Buckingham says the 1 gigabyte of download speed is some 20X faster than available now.The 1 gigabyte of upload speed is more like 200X faster than you can access now in town and is part of the city’s economic development strategy to attract tech companies to Morro Bay.
“We need economically sustainable strategies for Morro Bay”,who has had money troubles like may small towns.
In other business news the city’s TOT receipts ( bed tax monies) are some 6% higher than the same time last year as more visitors stay where we live.