Community Government
City taking applications for non-motorized boat storage at Ancich Park
Kayakers, canoers and stand-up paddle boarders, take heed.
The city of Gig Harbor is now accepting applications for rental of storage spaces for non-motorized watercraft at Ancich Waterfront Park, even though the storage building won’t open until May.
The storage facilities are provided as a public service, and it’s possible that there might not be enough spaces to meet the demand. If there are more applications than the building can handle, the city will use a lottery system to determine whose boats will be accommodated.
Ancich Waterfront Park Photo courtesy of city of Gig Harbor
Spaces on one side of the building will be used exclusively by the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team and will be separate from the public side. So, according to Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm, there is no set number of public spaces.
“It depends on how many of each type of boat we put in the public side of the building. For example, stand-up paddle boards take up much less space than a canoe so we can fit more SUPs if we don’t have very many/any canoes,” Langhelm said in an email.
There will be two application windows every year. Applications for this year’s initial six-month period — July through December — need to be submitted by Feb. 28. Renters approved for the first go-round might have early access to the storage facility when it opens. Opening date depends on the completion of the nearby public paddlers’ dock. The city hopes to have its official ribbon-cutting for the dock in March.
The next six-month window will open in November, for rentals from January through June 2023. There are no “extensions” beyond each six-month period. Renters must re-apply every six-months.
The contract for construction of the building’s storage racks will be approved at the Feb. 14 City Council meeting, with an anticipated installation date of early May, hence the assumed May opening of the facility. The racks will accommodate watercraft ranging from 11 to 14 feet long, with a limited number of racks for boats longer than 17-feet available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the racks are installed, the city will know how many spaces will be available for public rental.
The building also has a few vented storage lockers that can also be rented. A locker rental request is included in the boat storage application form.
Stainless steel art by Gary Jackson at Ancich Waterfront Park Charlee Glock-Jackson / Gig Harbor Now
Rental costs for city residents range from a base fee of $90 plus a surcharge of $9 per foot for SUPs to $132 plus $9per foot for canoes. So rent for an 11-foot SUP will be around $190 for a six-month period; and $285 for a 17-foot canoe.
Rates for non-city residents are higher. A chart of rental fees is available on the city’s website at https://www.cityofgigharbor.net/675/Ancich-Boat-Storage-Building.
It has taken years for the facility to be ready for use. The building was actually finished in 2019, but it has taken many months to work out the rental system and the storage system.
“This has been a long time coming,” Langhelm said. “But we’re finally able to use this building that the city spent a lot of time and money to build.”