BPW to sell portion of 4036 Hillside Trail waterfront parcel; council accepts plan to preserve utility easement

The Holland Board of Public Works (BPW), represented at council by General Manager Dave Koster, described plans to sell a portion of a 24-acre parcel in Laketown Township at 4036 Hillside Trail while reserving a utility corridor and lake access easement.

Koster said the BPW bought the parcel in 2001 to preserve a potential Lake Michigan intake and currently pays about $50,000 per year in property taxes on the unused site. He told council staff are proposing to create boundary extensions for two adjacent lakefront property owners who have offered a combined $400,000 to buy those extensions, while the BPW would retain a roughly 325-foot-wide utility rectangle back to the east with a 50-foot easement along the north edge to preserve future access.

The proposal includes an amended and restated easement and a revised restrictive covenant intended to remove antiquated deed language and to clarify permitted uses. Koster said the covenant will restrict public amusement uses and set setback and dwelling-location rules, but will exempt the reserved utility area for future water-extraction or related infrastructure. The covenant would also permit limited short-term rental uses (up to four weeks per year) subject to Laketown Township rules.

Koster noted contingencies: Laketown Township must approve the lot divisions and boundary adjustments, and certain deed language must be cleaned up at closing. He also reminded council that a 2022 charter referendum authorizing board and council authority to dispose of waterfront/utility property passed with 67% support, enabling the current transaction approach.

Council moved to accept staff’s recommendation to proceed with the sale path described; Brenda called the roll and the motion carried. Staff said next steps include updating surveys, engaging Laketown Township on approvals and executing amended easement and covenant documents prior to closing.