Fall River City Pier work moves forward with building phase completed

The building phase is over, utilities are buried underground and drainage is coming next on the 4-acre pier owned by the city Redevelopment Authority.

FALL RIVER — The tide is finally rising at the City Pier.

But it could take more than a year before sailboats and cabin cruisers float in.

The building phase is over, utilities are buried underground and drainage is coming next on the 4-acre pier owned by the city Redevelopment Authority.

“We voted to sign an RFP (request for proposals) to go forward,” said Kara O’Connell, chair of the RDA. “An engineering group will work with us to determine what we can do with the property.”

Foth Engineering, a national company with an office in Marion, will look at the land, the water around it and the various regulations in place to determine the best use.

“They will be looking to do conceptual design for recreational boating and for mooring service,” said Ken Fiola, the executive vice president of the Bristol County Economic Development Consultants, which is the business agent for the RDA.

The company has to petition the state and get exact boundaries in the water to determine how far developers can extend piers and where they can set moorings. Foth will come up with a set of design rules for buildings on the property and will begin the permit process to establish the right to build docks and drop moorings.

That report is due this winter, possibly as early as January, O’Connell said. The RDA then must determine if it will advertise for developers to bid on the land.

Foth Engineering will receive $57,050 for the work.

“The lowest bid came in from the group that we rated the highest,” O’Connell said. “That almost never happens.”

The next step will depend on a project going on right next door.

“The relocation of Route 79 will add some additional land to the City Pier,” Fiola said. “Because of that, they might decide to hold off on developing the site until they know what the entire parcel will look like.”

“The big decisions are coming up soon, within the next six months,” O’Connell said. “But, honestly, we are probably looking at a year from now.”

With that timetable, docks and moorings could go into the water as early as the summer of 2020.

Public access will be quicker, Fiola said.

The RDA is searching for grant money to put up fences and build sidewalks to allow public access to the pier. O’Connell said the agency is also looking at municipalities that have leased space to kiosk operators to sell ice cream or coffee or offer henna or temporary tattoos in temporary slots along the water.

“No matter what happens, the pier itself will be a public parcel, open for people to enjoy,” Fiola said.

Email Kevin P. O’Connor at koconnor@heraldnews.com.