City Finalizing Plan to Develop Waterfront Near Yacht Club

This drawing shows “Concept A” for constructing a new Sail Training Foundation building at the end of Nautical Drive. Submitted.

The City of Sturgeon Bay is seeking to have the final touches put on a master plan by the Michigan-based Edgewater Resources to develop the waterfront area on city-owned property at the end of Nautical Drive next to the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club.

Edgewater Resources, which has a $20,800 contract to look into options for that area, put together two concept plans.

Concept A, which is boater-recreation focused, includes a new 2,700-square-foot building proposed for the Sail Training Foundation (STF) with an attached 900-square-foot public restroom. That concept also includes a boat launch close to the Yacht Club, a bioswale collection system in the parking lot, a naturalized shoreline, and multiple fingers for boats to tie onto the “E-Dock.”

Concept B incorporates a 6,000-square-foot visitor center, in the event the Bay of Green Bay’s National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) would locate its center following the NERR’s planned designation next year by the federal government. The STF would have a smaller, separate building, along with the boat launch being farther away from the Yacht Club, a larger dock for the STF and the E-Dock having fewer fingers to tie up, but enough space for research vessels.

Both concepts include a multi-use trail and benches, a bridge across the creek, trailhead amenities, seating/viewing areas, replacement of the E-dock, STF docks, a renovated boat launch, flexible lawn space and parking improvements.

“The city has the option to always alter the plan as the needs of the community change,” said Stephanie Servia, city planner/zoning administrator. “This is simply a proposal for the site to help not only city staff, but the community to have an idea for what can be done at this property.”

The Common Council agreed last month with a recommendation from the Finance/Purchasing and Building Committee to approve both concepts from Edgewater Resources and have the firm incorporate comments from the public to come up with a final rendering.

Many of the comments received favored improving the area for continued use for sailing, along with input from marina users and charter fishermen.

District 1 Alderwoman Helen Bacon, who chairs the finance committee, noted that the area has been used for sailing since the 1950s.

“It’s really kind of a sailor-focused area,” she said. “It’s not a really big site.”

Bacon said she was part of the first sail-training class in 1957, and there haven’t been any improvements to the area that she can think of since then.

“Something needs to be done there,” she said.

District 3 Alderman Dan Williams, who is also on the finance committee, said approving both concepts provides the most options for the site.

“I think accepting A and B was a good one, because we can pick the good and the bad and make it all work to a better outcome,” he said.

Though improvements aren’t expected to begin this year at the end of Nautical Drive, District 5 Alderman Gary Nault said the city received “a lot of good input, and hopefully by next year we [will] see some shovels in the ground, or in the water, or something.”