Walnut Creek considers boat lifts
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on September 23, 2004 1:58 PM
The Walnut Creek Village Council said Wednesday it would consider allowing boat-lift structures to be built next to the lake, but decided the matter should first be reviewed by the Planning Board.
Village resident Greg Ricker asked the council if the zoning ordinance could be changed to allow people living on the lake to have a structure where they could lift up and cover their boats.
He showed them pictures of a boat lift he had when he lived at another lake.
"As you can see, it's a see-through structure with no vertical walls," Ricker said.
He said that he had spoken with other people in the village that were interested in seeing the ordinance changed.
"I'm not talking about any kind of storage building, or anything with doors," he said. "I think if we can draft the language right, people aren't going to build whatever they want."
Ricker said he also thought it would give a better look to the community.
Neil Dupuy, a member of the lake committee, said the structure would basically be "a gazebo where people could park a boat."
Dupuy said he and other members of the lake committee had discussed the issue at length and had agreed with Ricker's proposal.
"We have drafted a proposed ordinance," Dupuy said. "We stand behind having these structures if they're built properly. They should match the landscape and the homeowner's property."
Dupuy said he had spoken with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding environmental concerns. The corps told him that the digging had to be done on the homeowner's property and couldn't be done if the area was deemed a wetland.
"The corps will come out to tell if it's a wetland," said Dupuy.
Village Attorney Phil Baddour said that the restrictive covenants in the subdivisions at Walnut Creek might prohibit the structures from being built. He said that the council had no power to change the covenants.
The council decided to refer the matter to the Planning Board.