SAUGATUCK, Mich. (WOOD) — The public weighed in on a controversial plan to build a private marina and dozens of homes near Saugatuck Dunes State Park at a hearing Tuesday night.
It was a packed house for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality meeting at Saugatuck High School, and community members didn’t shy away from voicing their opinions on the future of the area. Conservationists are worried about the environmental effects of moving tons of sand for the project, but some residents say the development would be a boon to local businesses.
“The marina will attract the people that have the money we need to support our 100-day economy,” one resident said.
Developer North Shores of Saugatuck LLC currently has two applications under review by the MDEQ and the Army Corps of Engineers that must be approved before the project can move forward.
What should happen to the 309-acre tract of land in Saugatuck Township has been the topic of heated debate for years — first when the property was owned by late energy mogul Aubrey McClendon and now that there’s a plan to create a new access roadway around the marina basin, a community building, boathouse, pathways and 23 new homes.
The president of Holland-based Cottage Homes, which would be building the homes, was on hand Tuesday to detail some of the project.
“We take responsibility of work along the lakeshore very seriously. We’ve developed some very leading practices from soil erosion control to drainage repair,” Brian Bosgraaf said.
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