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High Point University to seek lease for Sailboat Point boathouse after multi-site review
Summary
City staff outlined plans for a proposed 0.6-acre boathouse lease for High Point University’s Division I rowing program at Sailboat Point, described how dock changes affect trailer launches, and detailed HPU investments including a $104,000 return dock installed in 2024.
High Point University plans to seek a lease of about 0.6 acres at Sailboat Point for a new boathouse for its Division I rowing program, city staff said during a presentation to the Prosperity, Livability and Safety Committee. Staff said the proposal will appear on the council agenda for Sept. 22 as a lease for the land footprint only; operational rules and public access would remain under city control.
The proposed site followed a multi-year evaluation that rejected Festival Park and Oak Hollow Marina because of space, event conflicts and zoning or access constraints, staff said. "We decided Sailboat Point would serve as our home base," Lee Tillery, director, said during the presentation. He and facilities staff outlined the program’s seasons, storage arrangements and the boathouse design the university has been developing.
Why it matters: Staff said the boathouse would concentrate rowing activity and storage at Sailboat Point while preserving Festival Park as the primary staging area for larger regattas. City and university officials said that could support continued regattas that bring visitors and associated economic activity to High Point.
City staff said High Point University (HPU) launched its Division I rowing program in 2024 and uses late August–early November for fall season and mid-February–mid-May for spring season. HPU has made several investments on Oak Hollow Lake: staff said the university paid about $104,000 to purchase and install a return dock at Festival Park in 2024 and funded a dock replacement at Sailboat Point. The university also helped purchase buoy materials for a race course in 2024, staff said.
Colton Marbell, of the city’s special facilities division, described recent dock reconfigurations at Sailboat Point. "When we did this dock change, it reduced the number of the high profile docks. We had 2 there before. Now there's only 1," Marbell said. Staff said the new layout includes one high‑profile dock and two low‑profile docks and that the change reduced the number of trailerable vehicle ramps at Sailboat Point from six to four.
Staff emphasized that public access remains available. Dame Ducane, assistant city manager, said traffic studies and past usage indicate no net increase in neighborhood traffic due to the improvements. "There's no increase to traffic going out there with these improvements. These activities are already occurring," Ducane said, and staff noted that many rowing activities take place early in the morning outside typical commute hours.
Current operations and user groups: Triad United Rowing and Oak Hollow Sailing Club both operate from Sailboat Point. Staff said Triad United Rowing stores shells there year‑round, buys annual launch passes at $75 each and typically purchases six passes based on simultaneous launches. All docks at Sailboat Point remain publicly open, though primary users stage launches from assigned docks during practice.
Regattas and staging: Staff said major visiting-team regattas are staged at Festival Park, which has been the preferred site for two large regattas each year; visiting teams bring trailers and store equipment there for event days. The proposed boathouse is intended primarily for HPU operations and storage rather than replacing Festival Park’s staging role.
Next steps: Staff said the city will present a lease item on the Sept. 22 council agenda that would cover only the land area where the boathouse would sit. No formal council vote or lease was reported during the committee presentation. Staff said the boathouse design includes on-site storage for race-course materials and that HPU plans continued investments in infrastructure to support the program.
The presentation drew questions from council members about neighborhood traffic, launch logistics and how public access would be preserved; staff responded by describing site choices, dock changes and existing park operations. The committee hearing was a presentation only; staff noted the meeting did not have a quorum and no formal committee action was taken.
