Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance to Call on Township Board to Reject Proposed Saugatuck Dunes "Settlement" & Aggressively Pursue Other Options

SAUGATUCK, Mich., July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance will call on the Saugatuck Township Board to reject the proposed "settlement" of the McClendon lawsuit and pursue other options.

Where: Oval Beach
Far Northeast Parking lot
Saugatuck, Michigan

When: 12:00 Noon EDT
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Who: The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance is a coalition of individuals and organizations working cooperatively to protect and preserve the natural geography, historical heritage, and rural character of the Saugatuck Dunes coastal region in the Kalamazoo River Watershed, beginning with the Saugatuck Dunes.

Why: The proposed "settlement" is not a compromise. It gives McClendon special status to build a hotel, a 66-slip marina and support buildings, 110 houses, a golf course, horse stables, restaurants and retail, a skeet shooting range and more on the former Denison property – none of which are allowed by current zoning.

It gives McClendon – and anyone McClendon might sell the land to – unfettered rights to develop the property without the normal review processes that any other developer would face.

It not only fails to eliminate the possibility of future lawsuits, it chills the likelihood of  township oversight by stipulating that the township will be required to pay all legal costs should the developer prevail in a court challenge.  

Residents will voice their opinions on the proposed "settlement" at a public meeting on July 18, 2011.

SOURCE Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance