Feasibility Study
The City of Homer and the USACE signed a Federal Cost Share Agreement (FCSA) to advance a Homer Harbor Expansion Study. The cost share agreement is a contractual arrangement between the City and USACE to help share costs and resources. The 5-year feasibility study, led by USACE, will help determine whether it is technically feasible and financially viable to expand the harbor.
The study involves developing and analyzing design alternatives, evaluating economic and environmental impacts, and encouraging community input to address benefits, risks, and concerns.
The City is committed to delivering a robust public engagement process to ensure that the input and ideas of the diverse Homer community are considered and reflected in the development of the design alternatives. Visit the Get Involved page for details.
Growing Harbor Demand
A combination of increased demand, larger vessels, and safety concerns has prompted the City to thoroughly examine the current and future needs of Homer’s Port and Harbor for a better tomorrow:
- Demand for moorage exceeds the harbor’s capacity, and nearly 400 small and medium vessels are on the harbor’s stall wait list.
- Between 2008 and 2018, the local fishing fleet grew by more than 42 percent. Since 2022 alone, harbor use by research, cargo, pleasure, tug and military vessels increase from 16% for tugs to 44% for research vessels.
- Large marine transportation vessels and commercial fishing vessels are currently being moored three abreast due to space limitations,
- vessel sizes are increasing, with lengths that exceed the harbor’s largest stalls and drafts that exceed the present harbor’s depth, preventing harbor entry.
Expanding the harbor will help keep the region’s economy diversified and strong by meeting today’s needs, promoting good job opportunities in the marine trades and support sectors, and positioning Homer Harbor to flexibly meet future needs.
What’s Next
The planning process advances along two coordinated tracks—City of Homer HHE Execution and USACE HHE Execution—as illustrated in the graphic at left. The scoping and opportunity appraisal phases began in May 2023. The subsequent alternatives evaluation and analysis phase began in September 2023 and is currently underway. Public engagement will continue throughout this phase, ensuring that the alternatives are developed and evolve in a manner that considers and reflects community needs.
At a July 2025 Tentatively Selected Plan Milestone meeting, the USACE delayed selecting a plan to advance due to a recent change in USACE’s General Investigation policy, which now requires engineering design to reach 35% maturity during the feasibility phase, up from the previous 15%.
The draft feasibility report is now tentatively projected for release in May 2026, giving time to advance design before selection of a Tentatively Selected Plan.
While this policy change extends the timeline to complete the study, it brings substantial benefits. Advancing engineering and design earlier in the process helps reduce cost risks in the end by allowing for early identification and resolution of seismic design requirements for the breakwater, as well as other design uncertainties. Pending geotechnical investigation and ship simulation modeling will further inform the Tentatively Selected Plan, optimize the 35% design and improve the reliability of cost estimates. This proactive approach results in a more robust and reliable draft feasibility report.
Moreover, completing 35% design during the feasibility phase is expected to lower costs in the subsequent Project Engineering and Design phase, should the study be recommended to proceed, by reducing the need for rework and accelerating implementation.
Look for additional updates as the study progresses and we get closer to the draft study release.
Mission
Work collaboratively with all segments of the community to explore opportunities to expand necessary infrastructure while ensuring Homer’s maritime future, navigational safety, environmental integrity, and regional connectivity. Align the development of any opportunities with the City of Homer Port and Harbor Department Mission Statement.
Vision
Recognizing Homer’s unique environmental setting and our common love to live, work, and play here, we will enhance Homer’s maritime opportunities in a fiscally, environmentally, and socially responsible manner for the benefit of all.
Charter Document
Study planning activities began with the City of Homer in the spring of 2023, including the draft of a Charter Document at a joint public work session with the Homer City Council and Port and Harbor Advisory Commission. The document outlines a shared vision, goals, objectives, and success factors for the City’s involvement in the Homer Harbor Expansion study. View the Charter Document, which was adopted by Resolution at the Homer City Council’s June 12, 2023, meeting.