After nearly 40 years of conducting business in the same buildings, Seaforth Boat Rentals, Seaforth Sportfishing and Seaforth Marina all located around the 1700 block of Quivira Road began a major rebuilding and renovation effort last October and now the project is nearly done.
“It is definitely major construction,” said Jeton Prince, manager of Seaforth Boat Rentals. “Not only were the old buildings themselves leveled, the foundations were also removed.”
As anyone who has upgraded an older building knows, a major part of any such effort is simply making sure the new facility complies with today’s government standards and codes.
“The boardwalk has been doubled in size with lighting and landscaping,” Prince said. “All the restrooms and parking lot now meet ADA requirements. [Runoff from] the parking lot now drains into a sewer as opposed to the bay.”
The reconstruction was largely due to the leases for the businesses being up for renewal, according to Prince. In other words, the City of San Diego essentially said if the three businesses wished to renew their bayfront leases in order to stay in operation, there were going to be some changes needed.
“As a result of the construction now we have a new 40-year lease,” he said.
On the inside of the sportfishing and boat rental businesses, customers can expect to see a much larger retail area than in the previous buildings, Prince said.
“The Marina building is about the same size as before,” he said.
The completion date for the construction is scheduled for the end of May.
“The project must be completed by June 1 because no construction is allowed on or around the bay during the summer months,” he said. “Fortunately the construction is ahead of schedule so everything should be done on time.”
Despite having building materials and heavy equipment take over the area, Prince said the construction has not seriously hurt revenues.
“It (construction) has had a minimal impact on our business levels,” he said. “Considering the old buildings were completely leveled to begin with, the overall numbers are pretty good.”
One issue which will probably continue despite the new buildings is the confusion by customers over the business names.
“All three of the businesses are actually separate from each other in how they operate,” Prince said. “Because they all have ‘Seaforth’ in the name and are located near each other, many people think it is one giant operation.”
To celebrate, there will be a grand reopening “block party” Saturday, June 21. Prince said 2,500 people are expected to attend.
For more information, contact the Seaforth Marina at (619) 224-6807, Seaforth Boat Rentals at (619) 223-1681 and Seaforth Sportfishing at (619) 224-3383. The boat rentals and sportfishing information can also be found online at seaforthboatrental.com and seaforthlanding.com.