The work of an ad hoc committee, looking at the best uses for Sturgeon Bay’s west side waterfront property, released their findings during the meeting of the Sturgeon Bay City Council Tuesday evening. The group’s recommendations, nine months in the making, brought positive feedback from council-members. The ten person ad hoc west waterfront planning committee met close to two dozen times and received comments from several hundred individuals in fashioning a document that works as a road map for development on the so-called “Sawyer” side of the city.
Based on a dozen assumptions, the plan looks at land use, the placement of buildings and businesses in the area, an extended waterfront path, the construction of multi-purpose buildings, including family housing, areas dedicated for recreational purposes, and a possible new home for the old grain elevator. Speaking of the granary, the current plan calls for the more than 100 year old structure to be returned to its old location. However, the consensus on the committee is to locate the building closer to the Maple/Oregon Street Bridge. Other recommendations focus on the placement of tugboats on the waterfront and the development of a waterfront promenade.
As with other development plans presented over the years, the creation of a “wish list” doesn’t always signal the makeup of a final product, but it does provide a tool for action in the future.
