Jessica Cejnar Andrews / Friday, April 1, 2022 @ 12:19 p.m. / Local Government
Crescent City Harbor Officials Decline On-Site Development's Request to Present Their Vision For Redeveloping Bayside, Redwood Harbor Village RV Parks
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Crescent City Harbor commissioners will not hear a presentation from On-Site Development, the construction company with ties to the area that’s offering an alternative to Alex Lemus and Renewable Energy Capital for revitalizing two RV parks at the port.
In a Thursday email to On-Site Development’s project manager, Kay Fry, Harbormaster Tim Petrick said commissioners have chosen to deny her request to be placed on Tuesday’s agenda at the advice of their attorneys.
“In this matter, the Crescent City Harbor District Board of Directors put out a Request for Proposal in 2020 and subsequently selected a developer,” Petrick told Fry. “We appreciate your interest in working with the Harbor District and encourage you to watch for and submit proposals to any future RFPs.”
According to Petrick, because the Harbor District Board of Commissioners approved a project from Lemus, who was the only respondent to a request for proposals in December 2020 to redevelop the harbor, they could not entertain On-Site Development’s proposal.
After extensive negotiations including holding a closed-session meeting on Thursday, the Harbor District Board is expected to consider a lease agreement with Lemus on Tuesday, Petrick told the Outpost.
In August 2021, Lemus unveiled his plans to upgrade the landscaping and infrastructure at Bayside RV Park, purchase Airstream travel trailers and install cabins for short-term overnight stays. He also proposes placing electric vehicle charging stations at Spotty’s Car Wash, installing solar panels on the former car wash facility and building a co-op for local fishermen to sell their catch.
In January, in response to residents’ worries that they will be evicted to make way for the project, Lemus said he and his firm would create transition plans for each individual tenant.
Fry appeared before the Harbor Commission at its March 15 meeting, saying that she and her father, On-Site Development founder Jim Fry, had developed a plan for redeveloping Bayside RV Park and Redwood Harbor Village that includes its long-term tenants.
In a subsequent conversation with the Outpost, Fry said she and her father approached RV park tenants before making their pitch to the Harbor District. Though she wasn’t ready to say what On-Site Development’s vision is for the parks, she said one possibility would be changing the layout to accommodate both overnighters and long-term tenants.
However when asked why she didn’t answer a December 2020 request for proposals the Harbor District sent to developers, Fry said her company had already accepted a project to build a $2.4 million RV park in Cave Junction and was unable to answer the RFP, though it piqued their interest.
On March 15, Fry, speaking during public comment, pointed out to Harbor Commissioners that they have yet to sign a lease with Lemus and “negotiations can’t last forever.” She received an invitation from Harbor Board President Rick Shepherd to give her company’s presentation to the Harbor District on Tuesday.
In an email to the Board of Commissioners earlier this week, Fry praised that invitation.
“The invitation from President Shepherd to hear more on April 5th demonstrated that you are approaching this in a fair-minded and open manner,” she said.
The Crescent City Harbor District Board of Commissioners will meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Agendas are available here.
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