Open Letter To Saugatuck Township Board of Supervisors, Planning Commissioners, and Township Residents
For seven years citizens have been working to ensure Saugatuck Township’s Code of Ordinances are applied fairly and equally to all property owners and that Township decisions are based on evidence, science, sound public policy, substantiated findings of fact – and that they follow the law.
Since 2017 the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, representing Township residents, has:
Appealed the Special Approval Use permit that the Planning Commission granted to NorthShore of Saugatuck to build its proposed marina;
Appealed Saugatuck Township’s decision that homeowners in the River Mouth Neighborhood, business owners who rely on safe passage through the river mouth, and other citizens do not have legal standing to challenge the marina permit; and
Asked the Township to terminate the marina permit because it expired in 2018.
We are again asking Saugatuck Township to terminate the Special Approval Use marina permit because:
NorthShore of Saugatuck made at least five sets of significant changes to its marina construction and dewatering plans since its permit was granted in 2017. Thus, the permit granted by the Township is tied to application plans that have been obsolete for years.
Moreover, according to the Township’s Code of Ordinances (Section 40-693), NorthShore’s permit has expired:
“[a]ny property which is the subject of a Special Approval Use permit which has not been used for the purposes for which such special approval was granted for a period of six consecutive months without acceptable just cause beyond the control of the owner being shown to the Planning Commission shall thereafter be required to be used only for permissible Uses as set forth in the particular zoning classification, and the permit for such Special Approval Use shall thereupon terminate.”
Terminating the Special Approval Use marina permit is a reasonable request, especially considering:
NorthShore has not met the conditions of the permit.
The permit expired in November 2018.
The permit violates local zoning ordinances.
NorthShore’s applications to EGLE and Army Corps were denied last month because they violated state and local laws.
We encourage Township residents to contact Township Supervisors and Planning Commission members to request the topic of terminating the Special Approval Use marina permit be added to the agendas of the Township Board’s March 13 meeting and the Planning Commission’s March 19 meeting. You can find their contact information on the Township’s website.
