Council accepts grant funding and awards feasibility study to HRC for Lakeshore Road seawall
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Summary
Grosse Pointe Farms accepted a Great Lakes Commission/EGLE grant and approved a feasibility/design study by Hubbell, Roth & Clark (HRC) for a roughly 3‑mile Lakeshore Road seawall corridor; the council also authorized a subrecipient agreement and consultant contract award.
The Grosse Pointe Farms City Council approved two motions to accept and advance a Great Lakes Commission/EGLE‑funded feasibility study for the Lakeshore Road seawall and to award the study to engineering firm Hubbell, Roth & Clark (HRC).
City staff said the seawall has experienced accelerated deterioration since record high Lake St. Clair levels in 2020 and that the city previously used emergency funding for urgent repairs. The city manager reported a recent allocation of $1,000,000 for urgent repairs and described pursuit of a longer‑term, funded feasibility/design pipeline to address structural repairs, undermining and habitat restoration along the public shoreline.
Consultant Jamie Burton (Hubbell, Roth & Clark) summarized a three‑phase approach: feasibility and hydrodynamic modeling, design including two pilot areas, and implementation planning tied to competitive grant readiness. He emphasized nature‑based design options, pilot breakwaters and habitat enhancement, and explained that the Great Lakes Commission will act as grant recipient/subrecipient administrator. Council discussion clarified that the study is fully funded through the grant (no general‑fund appropriation expected) and that shore communities will coordinate on applications and outreach.
Council voted to approve a subrecipient agreement with the Great Lakes Commission and then to award the feasibility study to HRC (motion carried). Staff said the study cost estimate for HRC would not exceed the grant amount being administered through the commission.
