Commercial kayaking has grown “exponentially” at La Jolla Shores, causing congestion problems and threatening the beach community\u2019s small-village character.
\nThat was the gist of some residents\u2019 concerns expressed at the La Jolla Shores Association (LJSA) July 9 meeting.
\nDuring an open dialogue on the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFPs) for new three-year contracts between the city and five existing Shores kayak rental franchises, residents presented a laundry list of complaints. Everything from overcrowded sidewalks, to noise, traffic congestion and “unwanted” tour buses was discussed.
\n“That\u2019s what we\u2019re looking for, input from the public,” said Lt. Rich Stropky, the San Diego Lifeguards spokesman on ongoing negotiations for the third RFP agreement, which will spell out conditions concessionaires must live by during the next three years of their operation.
\nThe current kayak RFP expires this fall.
\nDescribing kayaks as a “big-ticket item” in the Shores, LJSA chair Tim Lucas has noted that kayaking “is a popular water sport that has a tremendous impact on our beach, park, business district and residential areas.”
\n“Kayaks are here to stay,” Lucas pointed out.
\nStropky said RFPs are “partnerships” between the city and kayak concessionaires, noting contract agreements are designed to achieve a “balance” between the needs and rights of residents and those of kayak operators.
\nAsked what criteria are used by the city to judge a kayak RFP, Stropky replied judging is done by a panel. “Personal safety,” he added, “is the number one thing for me.”
\nStropky added kayak RFPs stipulate strict operating conditions, including limiting hours of kayak concession operations and fixing the total number of kayaks that can be operated by each company at any given time. Those restrictions are especially important during the summer peak period, which is at its maximum between July 4 and the end of August, when kayak operations are likely to be maxed out.
\nRFP applicants, it was noted, must be storefront businesses. Kayak operators are also limited by the approximately 125-foot boat launch within which all watercraft have to be launched.
\nLJSA board member Ray Higgins said kayak proliferation has become problematic, altering the character of the Shores’ small commercial strip.
\n“Shores businesses have changed from a neighborhood, retail-oriented environment to a heavy tourist emphasis,” Higgins said. “Everyone,” he added, “has a right to have a thriving and growing business, but there needs to be some regulation. I can\u2019t even walk down the street anymore without being absolutely mobbed (by kayak clients).”
\nA couple Shores residents stepped forward to complain about tour buses, which they said are increasingly showing up and disgorging scores of residents at a time.
\nLJSA board member and kayak operator Sharon Luscomb noted tour buses aren\u2019t just dropping off kayak customers but serving a variety of groups and their needs, everything from schools and churches to youth camps. Luscomb also noted that the number of sidewalk cafes has grown further, increasing sidewalk crowding.
\nDennis Rush, director of operations for LJ Beach & Tennis Club, pointed out the kayak RFP is “all about sharing the neighborhood” while adding that he feels the neighborhood\u2019s “getting smaller” due to kayak proliferation. “Somebody\u2019s pushing the envelope,” Rush said, noting that kayaks aren\u2019t just adding to sidewalk congestion but in some instances are actually “blocking ocean views.”
\nShores resident Wayne Thomas asked why paperwork for kayak businesses can\u2019t be done on the beach rather than having clients stacking up on sidewalks outside storefronts.
\n“You\u2019re not allowed to do commercial business on the beach,” Thomas was told, which is also the reason kayak operators are required to have storefronts \u2013 to store equipment and transact business.
\nAfter the meeting, Lucas said the kayak RFP issue will likely be revisited this fall after kayak concessionaires submit their applications to the city. Lucas said he would also post the city\u2019s bullet points summarizing problems and issues with kayak concessions, on the advisory group\u2019s website at ljsa.org, as soon as they are available.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Commercial kayaking has grown “exponentially” at La Jolla Shores, causing congestion problems and threatening the beach community\u2019s small-village character. That was the gist of some residents\u2019 concerns expressed at the La Jolla Shores Association (LJSA) July 9 meeting. During an open dialogue on the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFPs) for new three-year contracts between the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":273789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11560","_seopress_titles_title":"Kayak rentals fuel noise and congestion, Shores group says","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11560],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-273788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-la-jolla-village-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}