A resolution requesting special legislation in Madison to determine the ordinary high water mark for Sturgeon Bay’s west side waterfront property is expected to be taken up Tuesday during the city council meeting. Action was tabled at a previous council session while an effort was made to work out an agreement with a group that has sued the city to block the construction of a hotel based on the state constitution’s public trust doctrine. During the court case, a judge ruled that one of two parcels could not be sold until an ordinary high water mark is determined and formalized. The resolution says legislation to formalize a preliminary determination by the Department of Natural Resources on the ordinary high water mark for the two parcels would resolve any remaining uncertainties regarding its location and public trust issues, allowing the implementation of the city’s redevelopment plan to proceed.
