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Resident raises FOIA-discovered lakefront parking drawings; council stresses public review process if project returns
Summary
A resident submitted FOIA-obtained drawings that showed potential lakefront parking and a roundabout; he urged the city to commit not to put parking "right up on the beach." Council members acknowledged concerns and said any future project would require planning commission review and public work sessions.
At the Feb. 3, 2025, Grand Haven City Council meeting, resident Jay Hagen presented drawings obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request that he said show prior designs for additional lakefront parking and a roundabout near Lake Avenue and South Harbor Drive.
Hagen told the council the FOIA produced drawings dated September 2020 that include a sheet showing “approximately 100 spaces on South Harbor, south of Notos” and another sheet that depicts a roundabout at Lake Avenue and South Harbor with a new 20-space parking lot north of the roundabout. He said the drawings were not mere sketches and, because they are detailed, citizens should be made aware and able to comment before any such project is advanced.
“I would like to see city council and our city, administration speak up and say we're not gonna do this in the future,” Hagen said. “We're not gonna put parking right up on the beach.” He asked that the drawings be included in the public record for the Feb. 3 meeting.
Council members responded that the drawings described by Hagen had been created previously but said the records did not represent a current council-approved project. Mayor Maneta and other councilmembers acknowledged a public trust concern and said they understand why residents would worry that a plan sitting “on the shelf” might reappear without adequate notice.
A councilmember said that, if a project like the one described were proposed in the future, the Planning Commission would play a role under the city's ordinance and public work sessions or presentations would normally be held so that such proposals are not sprung on the public unexpectedly. The mayor emphasized that, if the administration or a developer brings forward a formal proposal, it would undergo public review.
Council members thanked Hagen for bringing the drawings forward and noted the city administration and council have a responsibility to ensure transparency if any formal project is proposed.
