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Working Waterfronts

PUBLIC COMMENT BEING ACCEPTED

The Alabama Water Access Study Committee has released a draft of recommendations it may make to the state Legislature. The committee is accepting comments on these recommendations until 5 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2009.

Public Water Access Study Committee recommendations (PDF, 229 KB)
Make comments about the draft recommendations online 

Residents may make comments at three public meetings that are being held throughout the state:

  • Tuesday, Oct. 13: Building 1, Aerospace Training Center Auditorium, Calhoun Community College, 6250 U.S. Highway 31 N, Tanner, Ala., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Oct. 27: East Room of Library Tower, Auburn University Montgomery, Montgomery, Ala., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Thursday, Nov. 12: Mobile, Ala., 6 p.m. to 8 pm, location to be announced

The public also may comment on the draft recommendations through the mail. Written comments may be addressed to Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center, 4170 Commanders Drive, Mobile, AL 36615, Attn: Water Access Comments.

A charter boat and a line of shrimp boats dock at a working waterfront in Bayou LaBatre, ALWHAT ARE OTHERS DOING?
Groups in states like Maine, North Carolina, and Florida, are working to ensure waterfront access for fishermen and waterdependent businesses. In Maine and Florida, large and diverse groups of stakeholders, including fishermen, realtors, recreational clubs, and state officials, formed coalitions to address working waterfronts. Maine used ordinances, legislation, and grant funding as tools to preserve water access for fishermen. North Carolina has formed the Waterfront Access Study Committee to examine the degree of loss and potential loss of diversity of uses along the coastal shoreline and how the losses impact access to the state’s public trust waters.

ALABAMA WATER ACCESS STUDY COMMITTEE
House Joint Resolution 656 passed during the 2008 Legislative Session places Alabama in the forefront along with Florida, Maine and North Carolina in addressing waterfront access. Issues related to access to the working waterfront have come to the national forefront. In its 2007 report Access to the Waterfront: Issues and Solutions across the Nation, Sea Grant describes how increased development and expanding coastal populations are decreasing water access for working waterfront businesses and the general public.

The charge of the Waterfront Access Study Committee is to provide to the Alabama Legislature by the 2010 regular session, a report studying the loss and potential loss of the diversity of uses along the shorelines of Alabama, and how these losses impact access to the public trust waters of the state. Objectives are to:

  1. Gather information about local land-use management and zoning, current shoreline development trends, and local tax rates, including tax assessment trends for shoreline properties.
  2. Collect research and information from Alabama and other states and jurisdictions regarding incentive-based techniques and management tools used to preserve waterfront diversity.
  3. Assess the applicability of such tools and techniques to coastal shorelines of Alabama.
  4. Prepare a draft report with a statement of the issues, a summary of the research, and recommendations to address issues of diversity of waterfront use and access in Alabama.
  5. Hold at least 3 public meetings to present the draft report and recommendations to the public and user groups.

For more information on the Alabama Water Access Study Committee, please contact Jody Thompson, 251-438-5960.

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING
No committee meetings are scheduled.

JUNE 2, 2009 MEETING
June 2, 2009 Agenda (PDF, 78 KB)
Waterfront Access Study Committee - Minutes of the 6/2/09 meeting (PDF, 19 KB)
Alabama Waterfront Access Study Commitee welcome [presentation by LaDon Swann] (PDF, 24 KB)
Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2009 [presentation by LaDon Swann] (PDF, 54 KB)
HR Bill 2548 - Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2009 (PDF, 182 KB)
North Carolina's Initial Approach to Retaining and Enhancing Working Waterfronts and Public Access [presentation by Mike Voiland] (PDF, 741 KB)
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program: Providing Legal Research to Support Decision-Making [presentation by Stephanie Showalter] (PDF, 355 KB)
Working Waterfront Recommendations [presentation by LaDon Swann] (PDF, 64 KB)

MAY 4, 2009 MEETING
May 4, 2009 Agenda (PDF, 66 KB)
Waterfront Access Study Committee - Minutes of the 5/4/09 meeting (PDF, 132 KB)

MARCH 3, 2009 MEETING
March 3, 2009 Agenda (PDF, 76 KB)
Waterfront Access Study Committee - Minutes of the 3/3/09 meeting (PDF, 16 KB)
Alabama Waterfront Access Study Commitee welcome [presentation by LaDon Swann] (PDF, 2.42 MB)
Incentive Based Techniques [presentation by Jodie Thompson and Marie Dyson] (PDF, 52 KB)
Alabama Working Waterfront Access Sea Grant Project Summary [presentation by Diane Hite] (PDF, 6.31 MB)
Waterfront Access Study Committee Interim Report (PDF, 22 KB)

RESOURCE DOCUMENTS
Committee and Invitees (PDF, 68 KB)
North Carolina Waterfront Access Study Committee Final Report (PDF, 1.68 MB)
The Southwest Alabama Working Waterfront Inventory Project Final Report (PDF, 1.13 MB)
Alabama Issues and Concerns (PDF, 16 KB)
House Joint Resolution 656 (PDF, 43 KB)
Florida House Bill 955 (PDF, 157 KB)
North Carolina Senate Bill 646 (PDF, 29 KB)
Florida 2008 Amendments - RE: Current use tax and easements (PDF, 149 KB)
Access to the Waterfront: Issues and Solutions Across the Nation (PDF, 5.94 MB)

WORKING WATERFRONTS FACT SHEET
All the facts about Alabama working waterfronts are available on this PDF (2.72 MB).