Up Next: ZBA Hearing Monday, July 31

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTERS TO EGLE!

A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who wrote a public comment to EGLE telling them to deny the permits for the NorthShore marina! Many of you sent us copies of your letters and we are SO moved and energized by your passion for protecting and preserving the Kalamazoo River mouth … ‘where river, lake, and forest meet.’ We could learn of EGLE’s decision as early as mid-August.

UP NEXT:

The Saugatuck Township Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is holding a hearing at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 31 to determine whether the Coastal Alliance has standing to challenge the permit the Township granted for the marina in 2017.

Standing is a gate-keeping function that helps ensure lawsuits are brought by parties who have legitimate first-hand interest in the matter, who have ‘skin in the game.’ The Coastal Alliance meets all the criteria required for standing as defined by the Michigan Supreme Court:

• We have participated in the challenged proceedings

• We can claim some protected interest, e.g., a protected personal, monetary, or property right that is likely to be affected by the decision we’re challenging

• We can provide some evidence of special damages that are more significant in degree than the effects on others in the community

• Please join us at the ZBA Hearing at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 31, in the Saugatuck High School auditorium, 401 Elizabeth St. There will be a public comment period before the formal hearing begins.

The criteria for standing are clear. Coastal Alliance members and partners clearly meet it. Join us as we make our case to the Township ZBA.