Rick Otis says: (11/22/08 10:37 AM)
Thanks for the update.

Boat House Row plan looks good, but the devil is in the details. The land for boat house row is apparently being transferred from the National Park Service to DC based on a decision two years ago. Those of us with boats and trailers at the last upriver marina received a letter in the first week of November from the Park Service telling us the marina would be closed and we had to vacate the property by the end of the month and that the marina vendor would help with alternative locations. On November 18th, I received a letter from the GSI (the vendor) also telling us to remove our boats/trailers by the end of the month and suggested an alternative (land locked!) location near Dale City south on I-95. DC's web site for the Boat House Row Master Plan says the marina site will likely become a marina in the next 5-10 years and they will accommodate existing users. Somehow this translates into kicking out the existing boaters with 3 weeks notice when nothing will happen at the site for 5 or more years. Doesn't give much confidence that one more DC public planing exercise will translate into anything good.

Michael says: (11/22/08 11:19 AM)
Maybe you could park the boats at Canal Park blacktop along with DC school buses!

BBC says: (11/23/08 2:44 PM)
I welcome these changes because this government land which is currently only used by a handful people can be enjoyed by a lot more people when transformed. For those familiar with Boston's Esplanade, this should be quite exciting. Of course the Esplanade streatches for miles and miles, but this could be similar to a small piece of it. A halfshell (outdoor concert area) would be grand.

Rick Otis says: (11/25/08 12:06 PM)
BBC - if you look at DC's Boat House Row plans you will see that this site (and others along the river) is scheduled for a public marina in 5-10 years - they are not planning a grand esplanade (therefor the name 'Boat House Row'). The existing facility (including the building, docks, electrical and water systems, fencing, etc) if left vacant is a waste of an investment and will degrade and be an attractive nuisance. I'd also note that all the marina's along the Potomac (upriver from south of the Wilson Bridge) and Anacostia Rivers are managed by contractors on public land. They are open for public use, including gas docks, cafes, and over-night stays. If I'm not mistaken, there are boat rental facilities along the Charles as well. There doesn't appear to be a lack of public access to these rivers - including existing and planed esplanades - for non-boating purposes. The whole focus of efforts to improve the Potomac and Anacostia river fronts is multiuse. I'd also note that the 'hand full of people' you refer to have long been defenders of the river and have enjoyed it's many aspects (including spotting bald eagles high in the trees while boating on a stunning fall day) - it seems odd to me that you suggest some greater public good would be served if we few are kicked out because the rest of the world has discovered what we've known - and cared for - all along.