650-RICR-20-00-1. Red Book (version Periodic Refile, 10/09/2003 to 09/05/2013)

Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Program Original Edition Page 1 Section 200.3 Section 200.3 Type 3 High-Intensity Boating A. Definition This category includes intensely utilized water areas where recreational boating activities dominate and where the adjacent shorelines are developed as marinas, boatyards, and associated water-enhanced and water-dependent businesses. B. Findings 1. Marinas are the principal means by which the boating public gains access to tidal waters, and therefore provide an important public service. Only beachgoing involves more Rhode Islanders in a recreation activity that makes direct use of tidal waters. In 1978, some 65 percent of all slips and moorings were within marinas and yacht clubs, and nearly all of these are within Type 3 waters. 2. Marinas face a number of difficulties. The boating season in Rhode Island is confined to six months, with most of the activity concentrated in June, July, and August. Many marina operations have difficulty in generating income during the remainder of the year and are economically marginal businesses. Nearly all the existing marinas were built when the value of waterfront property was far lower than it is today, and the pressure is mounting to convert marginal operations occupying high-value waterfront land to more profitable uses. 3. Areas suitable for marinas are severely limited, and the steady growth in the number of recreational boats is increasing the competition for the available facilities. Unfortunately, sheltered waters suitable for marinas are limited, and most of the remaining potential sites contain salt marshes that could only be developed at great environ- mental as well as high economic costs. Persons proposing new marinas are also hampered by local zoning and high land costs, and neighborhood opposition is frequently vociferous. The solution to growing demand is therefore to use the available facilities more efficiently and to recycle already altered sites in the upper Bay and on excessed Navy holdings, such as Allens Harbor in North Kingstown and along the Aquidneck west shore. 4. In many locations, marina operators are plagued with siltation problems and find it difficult to find acceptable sites for their dredged materials. Dredging problems can be best solved if the marina operators within a cove or harbor join together to finance the dredging and find a common local solution to the disposal problem. Options such as marsh building, beach nourishment, or the transport of materials to a more distant location become technically and economically feasible when a sufficiently large volume of material is to be moved and a united effort to solve the problem is organized. 5. The growth in the size of the recreation fleet, limited berthing opportunities, and the increasing expense of in-water storage have contributed to rapid growth in the number of trailered boats. This has placed a heavy demand on public launching ramps, which are in short supply and many of which are in deteriorating condition or have limited parking capacity. 6. Type 3 waters and the adjacent shoreline, while utilized intensely for the needs of the recreational boating public, nevertheless retain numerous natural assets of special concern to the Council. These include coastal wetlands, and the value these areas provide as fish and shellfish spawning and juvenile rearing grounds. These factors must be weighed when the Council considers proposals that may impact these assets. C. Policies 1. The Council's goal is to preserve, protect, and, where possible, enhance Type 3 areas for high-intensity boating and the services that support this activity. Other activities and alterations will be permitted to the extent that they do not significantly interfere with recreational boating activities or values. 2. The highest priority uses of Type 3 waters and adjoining land areas within the Council jurisdiction are (a) marinas, mooring areas, public launching ramps, and other facilities that support recreational boating and enhance public access to tidal waters; and (b) boatyards and other businesses that service recreational boaters. 3. The Council encourages marinas to seek innovative solutions to increased demands for moorings, dockage, and storage space, and allows Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Program Original Edition Page 2 Section 200.3 marina operators to alter the layout of their facilities (see Section 300.4). 4. The Council shall encourage more and improved public launching facilities by protecting existing facilities from interference by other uses subject to Council jurisdiction, identifying appropriate sites for new ramps and parking areas, and working with other agencies to build new ramps and maintain existing facilities.