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f <br />C-1 <br />Indian 'River County Manatee Protection and Boating Safety Comprehensive Management Pian <br />located within Zone 3 are proximate to the ICW and Sebastian Inlet. Third, although the 11 <br />commercial, recreational and residential marinas in Zone 3 generate the highest level of on - <br />water traffic attributed to marinas in the county, only four (4) watercraft -related manatee <br />mortalities have been recorded in Zone 3. The proximity to the inlet and the existing speed <br />zones should offset the potential impacts of higher boat densities. <br />It should be noted that there is little potential for dry slip expansion in the City of Sebastian <br />due to the closeness of Indian River Drive, However, existing commercial and recreational <br />marinas could increase their number of wet slips, and utilize adjacent parcels along the IRL or <br />west of Indian River Drive to expand upland facilities. Because of the need to increase wet <br />slips, a maximum shoreline/ density ratio should not be applied to Zone 3. <br />Zone 4 <br />Generally, tone 4 is not favorable for siting or expanding boat facilities, and there are no plans <br />to site or expand boat facilities within this zone at the present time. Although seagrass <br />coverage is sparse in the Jungle Trail Narrows section of the IRL, manatee abundance is <br />significant. Large numbers of manatees have also been observed in the seagrass-covered <br />coves of Johns Island, west of Pople Point and within McCullery Cove. Five (5) watercraft - <br />related manatee mortalities were documented in or near the Indian River Narrows. father <br />constraints include the presence of archeological and historic resources, including Jungle Trail, <br />and shoreline erosion. <br />There are no properties in Zone 4 with a commercial land use designation, thus recreational <br />and commercial marinas are prohibited in Zone 4. The existing maximum 1;100 <br />powerboat/shoreline density ratio should be retained and applied to any proposed siting of a <br />new residential marina in Zone 4. <br />Zone 5 <br />The area along the western shoreline of Zone 5 exhibits sparse seagrass beds and low manatee <br />use. As a result, the probability of watercraft -related impacts to manatees is low; however, <br />five (5) watercraft -related mortalities have been documented east of the zone. Since this area <br />is south of the Wabasso Causeway (C.R. 51.0), water circulation and flushing from the inlet <br />are minimal. Although water quality is a concern, water quality impacts are evaluated on a <br />site -by -site basis and can be mitigated with proper design. Therefore, water quality issues <br />would not prohibit the siting of a residential marina in Zone 5. <br />There is the potential to site new residential marinas and/or expand existing marinas within <br />Zone 5. However, the absence of commercially zoned properties in Zone 5 limits marina <br />siting and expansion to residential marinas, or public boat ramps. Due to a lack of natural <br />resource constraints, a maximum powerboat/shoreline density ratio should not be applied to <br />Zone 5. <br />Community Development Department Page 56 <br />