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VMRC approves Gallant Point Yacht Club floating docks with no overnight mooring condition
Summary
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission approved Gallant Point Yacht Club’s application to install floating docks and five transient slips on the Pagan River, after staff and club representatives said the docks will improve safety for youth sailing programs; the commission imposed a $5,064 royalty and a permanent prohibition on overnight mooring in the transient slips.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted to approve Gallant Point Yacht Club’s proposal to add a series of 8-foot-wide floating docks and five transient slips at its marina on the Pagan River in Isle of Wight County.
Staff presented the application and recommended approval with conditions, citing prior permits for the facility and written consent from an affected leaseholder, Battery Park Fish and Oyster Company. Staff also recommended a royalty of $5,064 for the 3,376 square feet of new dock area at a standard rate of $1.50 per square foot and included a permanent condition prohibiting overnight mooring in the transient slip area.
Club representatives told the commission the docks are needed to make youth sailing camps and small-boat recreation safer and to provide sheltered access for kayaks, canoeing and paddleboarding. Applicant Gordon Holloway and co-operator Nick Hess said the proposed floats will protect students and members from fetch and wave activity that make the alternative (moving floats to the east) impractical. Bessie Cameron, the club’s outdoor activities director, and other supporters said the interior location provides calmer water for teaching and storing small craft.
Nearby property owners who opposed the location raised objections about noise, loss of privacy, and potential impacts to property values, and urged moving the floats to the east. Protestants and staff discussed a court-recorded deed restriction dating to the facility’s 1987 permit that prohibits private docks for individual lots in that development; staff said the permit condition remains in force and that the proposed layout is consistent with the marina’s long-standing footprint.
After Q&A and public comment, Associate Member Headley moved to approve staff’s recommendation; the motion was seconded and the commission voted to approve the permit as submitted. The approval includes the royalty payment and the no-overnight-mooring condition for transient slips.
The commission did not specify further implementation timelines at the meeting. Staff said the project has prior approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is awaiting final VMRC authorization.
