A Victoria landmark, best known for its eclectic mixture of fishermen, off-the-boat seafood stalls and floathomes, is now the centre of a million-dollar redesign.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority unveiled a $1.4 million plan yesterday to reinvigorate Fisherman's Wharf in James Bay by reconfiguring the layout to better accommodate visiting boats, doubling the area for shops, and providing more services for tourists.
By replacing some of the wharf's long, single docks with smaller, multi-berth ones that branch out, the harbour authority will boost its size to 5,400 square feet from the existing 3,600 square feet. The changes will allow 124 boats (not including floathomes) to tie-up in the marina, compared to 96 now, and will provide 131 metres of space for visiting tall ships.
The projected increase in pleasure-boat, business and tourist traffic is key to the harbour authority's plan, because while the marina is popular with locals and tourists, it isn't making any money.
The renovations will double the number of slots for businesses to 10, adding company to the existing Barb's Place fish and chips, coffee, ice cream, charter and seafood shops. To accommodate the foot traffic, an expanded seating area and washrooms are planned. New water, electrical and sewage services will be offered, and certain areas will be gated off to improve security. Also, the docks will be reinforced with steel pilings to make them stronger in the event of storms.
Commercial fishing boats -- long the core users of the wharf -- will be clustered on the west of the dock, but will also get priority over pleasure boats in the "flex" rental spots in the middle of the wharf.
"When this is complete it will be an exciting place to be," said Don Prittie, chairman of the harbour authority. "It will be safer, it will have more activities for locals and tourists alike. I think it's going to be great."
Architect William McCreery said the new design retains the feel of Fisherman's Wharf, but uses the space more efficiently.
"If you look around Victoria, you've only got a limited number of places where you can put a marina and this is one of them," said McCreery. "I think we have a responsibility to use the lot as efficiently as we can."
The GVHA unveiled the redesign plans Wednesday night to the 33 floathome owners on the wharf. No floathome spaces will be removed, but they will be reorganized into two, extended, docks on the east corner. "It is not the design I'd have liked to see, but on the whole I think it will work," said Sherrill Davis, who has lived on a floathome for about a year.
The harbour authority estimates the work will be done within two to three years.
