|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
December 30, 2005Agency may issue permit for boat slipsOpponents voice displeasure with marina idea
Developer Wayne Tyge wants to construct 14 new boat slips along the Lake Leelanau Narrows. The slips would run from the boathouse on the right of the narrows to the foreground of the picture. His plan and a proposed state permit that would allow it are opposed by the Lake Leelanau Lake Association. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality recently issued a proposed permit to Wayne Tyge and the Narrows Development Co. to construct 14 boat slips along the Narrows, the area that divides north and south Lake Leelanau. It is the most recent step forward for the project that first aroused neighbors' ire in 2003 when Tyge filed initial plans with the state. The DEQ will accept public comment on the permit until Jan. 26, and the Lake Leelanau Lake Association is urging residents to speak their minds. "The 30 days are very important," said Mary Taylor, past president of the lake association. "It's far from over." The DEQ in 2004 rejected Tyge's original permit application, which called for dredging a canal to allow residents of the proposed Provemont Village condominiums access to Lake Leelanau. He has altered those plans, but neighbors remain concerned. The permit would allow construction of a dock 252 feet long by 5 feet wide, as well as installation of seven 22-foot piers on the east side of the Narrows. Provemont Village residents would use the slips. The permit also includes removal of an existing boathouse and pilings. The lake association cites concerns about boater safety, shoreline damage and ecological impact. Those worries prompted a recent letter to members, a letter-writing campaign and a drive to raise funds to pay for future actions on the issue. Taylor said the group does not oppose the condominium construction but is concerned about potential negative impacts on Lake Leelanau. She predicted the association will contest the case and seek an injunction if the DEQ issues a final permit after Jan. 26. Tyge said residents' concerns have not gone unheeded. He said the marina site is in one of the more easily navigable areas of the Narrows, docks were designed with safety in mind, and the project will minimize environmental impact. "I think we're being very conscious of what is around us," Tyge said. "That's the way I've run my construction company since day one." Public comment can be submitted in writing to John Arevalo, DEQ Land and Water Management Division supervisor, at 2100 W. M-32, Gaylord, MI 49735. Taylor said the lake association also is encouraging residents to write state legislators and the township planning commission. Tyge will present his special land-use permit application to the township planning commission next week. He said he hopes the additional information will help alleviate opposition concerns. The earliest construction would begin is this spring.
|
|
