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Council approves local approval for Great Lakes Yacht Club barge bottomlands lease
Summary
The St. Clair Shores City Council voted 6–0 to grant local approval for a state-level bottomlands lease limited to the breakwater barge at the Great Lakes Yacht Club, after the club’s attorney corrected the legal description and pledged insurance and maintenance commitments.
The St. Clair Shores City Council on a 6–0 voice vote gave local approval to a state conveyance application that would lease the bottomlands beneath a breakwater barge maintained by the Great Lakes Yacht Club at 2430 Jefferson.
The decision came after the yacht club’s attorney, Tim Orlando, told the council the legal description in the application was revised to cover only the barge footprint and not adjacent dock leases. Orlando said the club has worked with the state’s environment agency and nearby property owners to resolve earlier concerns.
"The purpose of this lease is to maintain the breakwater to protect the boats in the harbor," Orlando told the council, describing the current barge as a 195-foot-long structure installed in 1986 that shields slips from wind and waves. Club commodore Michael Banks was present to answer operational questions.
Council members pressed for assurance that the conveyance would not encroach on neighboring conveyances, and staff and the club said the revised survey excludes docks already under separate leases. Council member Reubella asked whether the change would permit objections at the state review stage; staff confirmed Trader Todd and other interested parties could raise issues with the state regardless of local approval.
The club also confirmed insurance and financial protections: Orlando said the lease will require $2 million of liability insurance and a $10,000 performance bond and that the club has committed to landscape and maintenance work and to coordinate signage and color choices with Trader Todd.
Council moved to adopt a resolution giving local approval to the conveyance and directed that the matter proceed to the state for final approval. The council’s approval is limited to the city’s local-consent determination and does not guarantee the state’s decision.
The council approved the resolution by voice vote with all six members present voting in favor. The city clerk will transmit the council’s local-approval resolution to the state as part of the formal review process.
