SAYC More Harm Than Good –Petition

/ harshe711

ActionNetwork.org <info@actionnetwork.org>

Mayor Gavin Buckley & City Council,


106 people have signed a petition on Action Network telling you to SAYC Marina Plan – Protect Our
Water Rights!.
Here is the petition they signed:
I am a resident and/or property owner in Annapolis. I oppose the portion of the application of
the South Annapolis Yacht Centre (SAYC) in PORT2017-024 that relates to the placement of
certain of its T Docks, and support of a modification of the SAYC proposal that would address
some of my concerns.

1) I believe that the SAYC proposal should only be approved if SAYC agrees, at a minimum, to
place the outer edge of its T docks at its proposed B, C, and D Docks 40 feet from the existing
harbor line rather than at the 20 foot distance that SAYC has proposed. *

2) I believe the SAYC proposal should only be approved if SAYC agrees to remove the docks in
the Newport Condominium’s Water Rights Area, as marked in yellow in the attached
drawing.**

  • This is required by City Code § 15.18.080, which mandates that “All piers, ‘T’ heads [etc.]
    must be set back from the harbor line an appropriate distance to assure that no moored
    vessel . . . extends channelward beyond the harbor line.” (emphasis added). Additionally, this
    additional space for SAYC’s proposed B, C and D Docks is necessary to “make certain that
    the placement, erection, or construction of structures or other barriers in City waters do not
    render navigation too close and confined . . . .” Annapolis City Code § 15.16.020 (emphasis
    added). See also Annapolis City Code § 15.16.030(c) (requiring the Port Wardens to consider,
    among other things, the effect of proposed structures on “navigational hazards,” “congestion
    within the waters” and “the effect on other riparian property owners”).

Our Harbormaster twice testified that she felt the pinch point would be unduly restricted by the
proposed marina configuration – once in her testimony at an earlier hearing on the previous
proposal and once in an email written as part of the second set of hearings on the revised
proposal. She’s right.

** That Citizens have asked the Mayor to request a legal opinion (from our office of law or
outside council) regarding who owns the “infill” property on which part of the SAYC
application is based rather than force Citizens to file litigation and hire experts to resolve an
issue which the city can resolve.

Also, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is scheduled to meet to discuss the
issue of who owns the “infill” land and the SAYC application in March so why not allow MDE
determine who owns the property before we allow the Port Wardens to make a decision that
will have to be appealed, costing citizens thousands of dollars in litigation and expert fees?

This Statement is not intended to preclude others from requesting additional relief with respect
to these piers and T docks or any other aspect of the SAYC proposal that is before the Port
Wardens

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