Hotel Moves Forward, Marina Consideration Request on Hold
By Karen Gould

Ira Green has asked the Mackinac Island Planning Commission to wait until February to consider a variance for a marina near the Island's east breakwall, while he secures permission from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The 16-slip marina is part of his Bayfront Hotel project in the Mission area.

Mr. Green is seeking a zoning variance for the dock and asked commissioners to table his request while he waits for the DEQ to chart the riparian rights to his property. Marina site plans will then be prepared by Ryba Marine Construction of Cheboygan.

The hotel and marina will be built on property that is spotzoned commercial in a residential district.

The Planning Commission tabled the matter at its Tuesday, January 9, meeting.

Mr. Green had presented preliminary drawings of the marina in December, but commissioners said they needed more information about how his plans will conform to the city's zoning requirements for marinas before issuing a permit.

The 47-room hotel was approved in January. Since then, Mr. Green has received a building permit and began purchasing Residential Equivalent Units (REUs) for the structure, although without a building permit, he is unable to purchase any for his proposed marina.

An REU is based on the average water requirements of a family of four and is used as a measure of a municipality's water and wastewater treatment capacity required for building projects. On Mackinac Island, the relatively few remaining REUs in the city are rationed and sold by the Department of Public Works.

Director Bruce Zimmerman told The Town Crier that, based on the Bayfront Hotel building permit, Mr. Green needs 12.45 REUs. One hotel room requires 0.35 REUs, he said.

A marina requires one REU plus 0.15 REU per boat slip, said Mr. Zimmerman.

Mackinac Island releases 15 REUs a year for new or expanding buildings and the city contends its wastewater treatment plant could reach full treatment capacity by 2011. Issued on a first-come basis, each REU will cost $5,587 in 2007, up 4.3 percent from last year. They are issued only after a building permit is granted.

In December, Mr. Green was issued 6.1 REUs, which accounted for all of the remaining REUs available for 2006. Early this month, he was issued 3.35 REUs, which came out of the 2007 calendar year allocation. He still needs three REUs to complete the hotel portion of the project.

Work is expected to start in the fall, beginning with the demolition of the present structure, which contains a house that was converted to three apartments in the rear and a convenience store that faces Main Street.