Boat owners who anchor their yachts in off-shore mooring fields in Newport Harbor continue to voice their opposition to a plan by a city panel to increase rents.
They are also calling into question the appraisal that was conducted for the purpose of adjusting the prices.
A total of more than 800 off-shore moorings are available within the port for anyone to use in order to park their boats ,,,
A phasing in plan that would begin in 2025 and would not reach the maximum until five years from now is now being discussed by the Harbor Commission.
This proposal would result in an increase in mooring rent for some boaters that would be greater than 400%.
Those who own boats claim that they will be priced out of the harbor, and they question the magnitude of the increase as well as whether or not it is important.
When it comes to the utilization of an asset that is owned by the state and is deemed to be a part of the public trust,,,
the commissioners have stated that they are doing everything in their power to bring the price in line with a fair market rate.
These regions of submerged land, which are more commonly referred to as tidelands, are governed by the State Lands Commission.