The city of Kirkland is looking to further capitalize on its downtown waterfront by attempting to increase boating tourism at Marina Park.

At the moment, the moorage at Marina Park is overwhelmingly used by boaters from outside of Kirkland – 82 percent to be precise – according to a new study commissioned by the Kirkland Tourism Development Committee.  The results of this survey, among other things, are leading the city to explore ways to attract more visitors via Lake Washington. BST Associates, which conducted the study published Jan. 5, found that 66 percent of boaters surveyed used moorage in Kirkland. There are 28,000 registered boaters within 10 miles of Lake Washington.

They also found that the Kirkland waterfront is well known and popular, with 77 percent of boaters surveyed saying they had used its moorages, and 87 percent of them would use transient moorage with the city if more were provided. One boater surveyed described Kirkland’s downtown as one of the few accessible by moorage.

“I find this to be one of the great assets as a boat owner,” the boater said. “It provides a destination when out for a cruise.”

While the Kirkland Parks Department is already seeking state grants to improve the docks, the city is thinking of increasing slips, among other things, though this will probably be one of several solutions, according to Director of Economic Development Ellen-Miller Wolfe. The council’s hope, she said, is to find easy, short-term solutions that can be implemented with relatively low costs, while looking at possible long-term but more expensive options. Before any plans are solidified, she said, they will be seeking public input.

Marina Park moorage has 72 slips, while Second Avenue moorage has 18 slips. Of the public transient moorages on Lake Washington, Kirkland accounts for 64 percent, as well as 12 percent of all residential docks.

Eventually, the city may add daytime moorage to Juanita Beach Park as well. The proposal is included in the park’s master plan, but for now the council has decided to focus on downtown.

In addition to adding more slips, the city could also add breakwaters, structures designed to control waves. While it would undoubtably be expensive, the consultant has suggested charging a higher fee for moorage use. Other cities have done the same, and raising the rates did not negatively impact mooring use, the consultant said.

One other possibility is creating software that would allow boaters to reserve a slip in advance, which may make them more inclined to visit downtown when there is certainty about securing moorage. At the same time, Wolfe added that the city still wants to keep slips for boaters who come into Kirkland on the spur of the moment.

If the city wants to add more slips, however, they will want to begin work sooner rather later, as Wolfe told the council to do so would require around 17 months to two years to complete the engineering work, prepare permits, and then an additional nine months of permit analysis and evaluation. The work would also only be able to be done during certain times of the year.

“It’s a fairly long lead time,” she said. “Which is why we want to advise them we need additional money to pursue some of the infrastructure work.” Before any proposals are carried out, Wolfe said, the city will engage in more public outreach.

Another proposal made by the Tourism Committee to attract boaters is to create a passport they can use at numerous marinas, including Kirkland, that offers coupons or discounts at participating businesses. The committee has already provided $20,000 to promote the downtown waterfront.

One possibility is charging small fees for shorter stays, an idea the city of Poulsbo implemented. Their usage grew from 600 in 2010 to 1,500 in 2014, according to BST Associates.

More expensive propositions included a breakwater and creating separate docks for cruise businesses such as Argosy Cruises, which has a multi-year moorage lease, and Waterways Cruises, which is seeking a similar lease, according to BST Associates.

The recession took a severe toll on boat sales, with half the number of boats sold compared to its peak in 2007. The number of registered boat owners within 10 miles of Lake Washington is down as well, at 28,000 compared to 36,000 in 2006. Yet, BST Associates considers overall number of boats still strong, and boat sales have gone up significantly since 2009.

For downtown businesses, the correlation between more boats and more customers is obvious. The consultant found that for a boat moored in Kirkland, $150 was spent in town. In 2013, it is estimated that boaters spent $600,000 at Kirkland businesses.

Kirkland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bruce Wynn said that they are supportive of the overall plan to increase moorage, which they hope will increase tourism downtown without adding more cars to the road.

“The merchants love the idea of expanding the marina because it doesn’t impact people downtown,” he said. “It allows them to walk from the marine up the street…it only makes sense that we provide more places for boats to tie up. The last thing we need in summertime are people coming to downtown who get frustrated because they can’t find places to park, while the boater strolls in.”

Incidentally, Wynn’s first visit to Kirkland was by boat.

“I had known about Kirkland,” he said. “I had probably driven through it, but I hadn’t spent any time downtown until I came by boat.”

Wynn says the city has a unique waterfront marina that few others along Lake Washington have to offer. He added that the businesses have already implemented some of their own ways to attract people by offering coupons during events like Winewalk or on Valentine’s Day, though he questions whether or not this will apply to boaters who are obviously not constrained by financial costs.

Because of downtown Kirkland’s proximity to the waterfront, Wynn believes this gives Kirkland a chance to capitalize on its position by making it more convenient and easier for boaters to come in, especially during the busier season between May and September, when Kirkland experiences its peak moorage use, according to the survey.

“Kirkland is the only town around the entire lake that has such immediate access to so many things to do from a boat,” he said. “It is a pretty unique city for that factor alone. The last thing you want to see if they come in a boat is they can’t tie up and go home… I’m a boater and that is the one thing that anyone with a boat is looking for.”

He added that other cities such as Bellingham and Everett are trying to do the same thing as a way of bringing more revenue into the downtown businesses.

“Everyone knows that the boaters bring in revenue,” he said. “They want to have a good time but they don’t have walk to get there…it’s always going to be a disposable income purchase to people that buy a boat. They enjoy it not because they have to.”

Restaurants and bars benefit the most from boat tourism in Kirkland, where consultant’s found half of them spent money. Though which ones specifically is difficult to determine. The businesses who spoke to the Reporter said their customers tend to not say how they came to Kirkland, and the businesses don’t keep track.

Nevertheless, Wynn said he tries to impress upon businesses the long-term benefits of bringing first-time tourists to downtown, even when the effects on the bottom line are not immediately felt.

“They may not walk in the first time, but they will say ‘I had no idea I could buy these things,’ and then come back later,” he said. “That’s tough, because they (businesses) want to see results. They have had the best results during Winewalks where people walk into the store, get to know the owner. That has always been the one that hits out of the park.”