USACE Design Alternatives

;

Get Involved  |  Take me to >>

Recommended Alternative

Alternative 2 is the USACE project team’s recommended Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP).

At their April 13, 2026 regular meeting, Homer City Council passed Resolution 26-024 concurring with the USACE selection and endorsing Alternative 2 as the Tentatively Selected Plan. Visit City Council Regular Meeting City of Homer Alaska Official Website for meeting information.

The USACE is expected to release the Draft Feasibility Report on May 22, 2026. This will start a 30-day opportunity for the public and agencies to review and comment on the plan.

Alternative 2 Details

  • Mooring Basi: 37 acres
  • Dredging: 1,312,000
  • Breakwater Rock: 500,000 cy
  • Breakwater alignments remain the same after geotechnical study results; breakwater cross-section widened from 15’-20’
  • The parking area does not appear in the current diagram because the USACE considers it a Local Service Facility — not required for safe navigation and moorage and therefore outside the federal project scope. The City fully recognizes the importance of adequate parking to harbor users and the community and is committed to addressing this as a key consideration in future design phases.

USACE Design Alternatives

Plan view labeled “ALT 2” showing a proposed marina and harbor layout. The drawing depicts an entrance channel with depth labels, curved east and west breakwaters, a protected mooring basin with multiple dock slips, and a marked fairway. Additional features include a barge ramp, boat launch, harbor master office, fishing lagoon, fuel float, and system float, with a small table at the bottom comparing basin acres, dredging volume, and breakwater rock quantities for alternatives
  • Click image above to enlarge

To reach TSP, the USACE applied the feasibility analysis to four final concept designs, each representing a distinct vision of the fleet to be served — varying in the scope of moorage demand addressed. Hydraulic and geotechnical assessments, environmental surveys, ecological modeling, transportation and vessel traffic data, and economic analysis informed the development and evaluation of each alternative. Engineering and design constraints, environmental considerations, and cost-effectiveness were weighed against the study’s navigational safety, operational, and community viability benefits.

Alternative 2 advances the core objectives of the study by directly addressing the navigational safety risks, overcrowding, and operational inefficiencies that define the current harbor’s limitations. Its selection reflects not only engineering and economic analysis, but the environmental assessments and ecological modeling that shaped each alternative from the outset and informed the final determination.

Homer Harbor has undergone four expansions since its original

construction, and at least two major studies have been conducted since the last expansion was completed in 1985. Each expansion was quickly outgrown. By accommodating all currently waitlisted vessels, Alternative 2 represents a sustainable, long-term solution for the community and for federal investment.

Alt 1A
Alt 1B
Alt 2
Alt 3

Your feedback is helping to make this project a success!

    Additional information may be found on the Documents and Resources Page:

    We are committed to keeping you informed.

    The USACE is expected to release the Draft Feasibility Report on May 22, 2026. This will start a 30-day opportunity for the public and agencies to review and comment on the plan. Information on how to comment will be shared here at that time.

      You are on our mobile alternatives site.  The tables presented here is large and requires scrolling and is best viewed at 100%  on a laptop, desktop or tablet.

        +

        You can reach out to the City of Homer HHE project team with questions at

        Email:

        info@homerharborexpansion.com

        Phone:

        (907) 268-2909

        Address:

        Homer Harbormaster Office
        4311 Freight Dock Road
        Homer, AK 99603

        2025 Draft Alternatives

        The Draft Alternatives shown below were presented at the March 15, 2025 Public Meeting.

          Alternative 0: No Build

          Work throughout the study will compare the conditions of the current harbor against conditions created by an expanded harbor design to determine the value and feasibility of an expansion.

          A satellite image of the homer harbor in its current state

          Alternative 1A: Immediate Needs

          Alternative 1A-Idea 1: Aerial view of the Homer Harbor with large vessel additions on the northern side and a large roughly rectangular breakwater built around it, which has an exit on the northern most end
          • Idea 1: Click image above to enlarge
          Alternative 1A - Idea 2: aerial view of the Homer Harbor with large vessel additions on the northern side and a large roughly rectangular breakwater built around it, which has a long curved exit on the north western side.
          • Idea 2: Click image above to enlarge

          A1A

          Immediate Needs

          • Includes a new exterior harbor
          • Relocates vessels from Transient Float System 5 from the small boat harbor to the new exterior harbor
          • Accommodates vessels that use the deep-water dock
          • Provides additional small craft moorage in existing harbor

          Reduces rafting for large vessels within the new harbor basin.

          A waitlist remains for the harbor.

          A1B

          Immediate Needs+

          Alternative 1B contains all Alternative 1A features plus:

          • Provides large vessels with dedicated stalls in new harbor basin
          • Eliminates rafting
          • Provides opportunity for additional uplands for local services facilities such as a fuel dock or barge ramp

          A waitlist remains for the harbor.

          Alternative 1B: Immediate Needs+

          Alternative 1B - Idea 1: aerial view of the Homer Harbor with a large rectangular addition on the north side, featuring additions for large, medium, and small vessels. The Expansion is surrounded by a breakwater on all sides with an exit on the northern most corner.
          • Idea 1: Click image above to enlarge
          Alternative 1B - Idea 2: aerial view of the Homer Harbor with a large rectangular addition on the north side, featuring additions for large, medium, and small vessels. The Expansion is surrounded by a breakwater on all sides with a long curved exit on the eastern most side.
          • Idea 2: Click image above to enlarge

          Alternative 2: Current Needs

          Alternative 2 - Idea 1: An aerial graphic of the homer harbor showing a more angular addition to the harbor, featuring docks for large, medium, and small vessels and surrounded by a breakwater, with an exit on the northern most corner.
          • Idea 1: Click image above to enlarge
          Alternative 2 - Idea 2: An aerial graphic of the homer harbor showing a more angular addition to the harbor, featuring docks for large, medium, and small vessels and surrounded by a breakwater, with a long curved exit on the northern most end.
          • Idea 2: Click image above to enlarge

          A2

          Current Needs

          Alternative 2 contains all Alternative 1B features plus:

          • Additional floats to accommodate current waitlist for moorage in the harbor
          • Additional uplands for local services facilities.

          Meets the existing harbor needs and demand.

          A3

          Modeled Growth

          Alternative 3 features the largest footprint to meet current and likely future projected needs by:

          • Containing all features from Alternative 2
          • Adding extended uplands and floats

          Accommodates modeled “likely” growth over the next 50 years.

          Alternative 3: Modeled Growth

          Alternative 3 - Idea 1: An aerial graphic of the homer harbor showing a more angular addition to the harbor, featuring docks for large, medium, and small vessels and surrounded by a breakwater, with an exit on the northern most corner.
          • Idea 1: Click image above to enlarge
          Alternative 3 - Idea 2: An aerial graphic of the homer harbor showing a more angular addition to the harbor, featuring docks for large, medium, and small vessels and surrounded by a breakwater, with a long curved exit on the northern most end.
          • Idea 2: Click image above to enlarge
          Loading...
          error: Oops! That doesn\\\'t belong to you. That content is protected!! If you wish to use any elements on this site, please contact the site administrator.