Complete fact sheet Providing public access in coastal areas: options for landowners available from Cornell University.
The development of Whiskey Island Marina is a model of how coastal access for the public can be achieved through public and private sector development agreements. Located on Cleveland's downtown lakefront, this marina was designed by a developer with a vision for creating public access in combination with the operation of a privately-owned and operated marina.
In 1992 Whiskey Island Partners, the owners of the marina, purchased a former railroad property on the Cleveland waterfront. The former leaseholder agreed to remove three barge loads of contaminated soil and debris prior to the redevelopment of the site. A full-service marina is now being developed in stages by Whiskey Island Partners and, when completed, will include 1,000 floating docks, an indoor dry-stack storage facility, restaurants, a marine-related retail facility, and year-round security. The marina property is open to the public with the exception of the private club, docks, and boat hoist. Visitors pay to park their cars at the public-access area and then are free to use the picnic facilities, beaches, waterside walk, laundry room, and showers.
The marina consists of 35 acres of dry land and 25 acres of submerged land (land below the average high-water mark of Lake Erie). Because the state of Ohio acts as trustee for the public in matters related to the use and development of submerged lands of Lake Erie that border the state, developers building on these lands are required to secure a lease from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Program.
Whiskey Island Partners entered into an agreement with the state of Ohio to develop 10 acres for public access within eight years. This agreement became part of the lease agreement between the state of Ohio and Whiskey Island Partners. In addition, the city of Cleveland agreed to contribute to the project by financing improvements to the marina's main access road.
This project meets a significant public need since Cleveland's lakefront lacks varied opportunities for public access. An additional benefit has been the revitalization of an obsolete industrial site into a new enterprise with positive economic impact. Any coastal community interested in increasing its public access, but with limited financial resources to acquire, develop, operate, and maintain a public access area, could consider a similar arrangement with a private developer. Urban waterfront communities, in particular, may find this project of interest.