ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager with a Request to Allow the PEORIA BOAT CLUB to Continue Some Operations Should the City Acquire Certain Property from the DETWEILLER PLAYGROUND TRUST. (1st District)
Body
BACKGROUND: As part of the River Trail redevelopment project, the City will be required to acquire private property to serve as replacement for the public open space in Riverfront Park that will be developed. This process, called "conversion," is governed by grant rules associated with Land and Water Conservation (LawCon) grants obtained by the City in the 1980s for the creation of Riverfront Park. The conversion must be approved by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and National Park Service (NPS). The City has purchase options and contracts for two separate properties, one of which is approximately 4.5 acres owned by the Detweiller Playground Trust ("Trust"). The Trust currently leases this property to the Peoria Boat Club ("Club"), a private, members-only marina that can house up to 36 boats.
The LawCon grant rules require the replacement property to be publicly owned and recreational space open to the public. The presence of a fenced, private boat club would not be allowed. As a consequence, the lease with the Club (currently running through December 31, 2015) will not be renewed. The City Council has expressed an interest and desire in allowing the Club to operate in some manner should the City acquire the property as part of the River Trail project. Staff had previously expressed a similar position in a letter sent to the Club on September 15, 2015 (attached). The staff proposal essentially offered two things:
1. The Club could continue its current operations through April 30, 2016. The City received permission from IDNR that it would accept a "non-conforming use" of the land that would allow the fenced boat storage to remain during this next winter should the conversion be approved and...
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