BARRY COUNTY, Mich -- A local marina on Gun Lake is looking to more than double the number of boats able to dock, local residents are now fighting back after calling for a public meeting with the DEQ.
The controversy began back in 2016 when Lucas Spoor, the current Property Manager at The Landing On Gun Lake, purchased a lot along Marsh Road in Orangeville Township, building a dock for roughly 20 boats. According to public documents and the locals, Spoor is looking to expand. Leah Minshall, a concerned resident on the lake says bigger won't be better since the proposed expansion will block access they've been using for years.
"This might be a tourist destination for some but this is our home for the rest of us," Minshall said. "They have not been notifying Orangeville residents either. It wasn't until we saw the 'boat slips available' sign when we learned about this dock here."
Spoor is looking to increase his current slip allowance from 20 to 54, requesting approval from the Department of Environmental Quality. The expansion will make it one of the largest marinas on Gun Lake.
"It's not fit for the traffic," Brianna Fair, another concerned resident said. "The roads are not good enough at this point."
To rally opposition, Fair created a private Facebook page called Neighbors and Friends Against The Landing Marina which is now spreading the word about a public hearing being held by the DEQ on May 30th at 6 p.m. in the Orangeville Township Hall.
FOX 17 reached out to both DEQ representatives and the property owner but did not receive a response as of news time.
