The Lodge at Whitefish Lake is seeking city approval to expand its marina to include 18 new boat slips and extend the marina farther out into Whitefish Lake.

The proposal seeks to expand the marina for a total of 103 slips, extend the existing dock 19 feet out into the lake and increase the amount of constructed area below the high water mark.

The Lodge is asking for approval from the city for a lakeshore variance and an amendment to its planned unit development overlay to allow for the changes. The City-County Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the matter Thursday, April 17 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

The Lodge recently purchased 87 feet of lakeshore frontage to the south, which qualifies it for nine additional boat slips. The current PUD limits the number of marina boat slips to 85 based on the lakeshore frontage owned when it was approved in 1990.

Lakeshore regulations state that a public marina is permitted one boat slip per 10 linear feet of lakeshore frontage. The Lodge is requesting to increase the number of slips by 18, which is roughly one slip per 9 linear feet. In exchange for the extra nine slips requested, The Lodge is proposing as a public benefit that all of the 18 slips be for public use with 14 included in a seasonal public lottery.

However, city planning staff doesn’t feel the additional slips beyond those allowed would meet criteria for a variance. While the additional slips would increase the number available for the general public the overall cost of leasing a slip is beyond what the average citizen can afford, according to the staff report.

The purchase of additional lakeshore frontage also allows The Lodge to add a constructed area below the annual high water mark. However, The Lodge is seeking about 1,000 square feet more than the maximum allowed of 11,283 square feet.

The existing marina dock extends about 247 feet out into the lake from the high water line. The Lodge would like to extend that for a total length of 266 feet.

The Whitefish Lakeshore Protection Committee has recommended approval of the requests with the condition that a no-wake zone be extended from the dock into the lake. The committee would like The Lodge to apply to the state to create a 200-foot no-wake zone from the dock.

Planning staff is recommending approval for only nine additional slips based on lakeshore frontage, and because the slips do not appear to be an adequate public benefit to warrant a major deviation from lakeshore standards. Staff is recommending against extending the dock into the lake because of concerns that it could create a navigational hazard and could impact the water quality of Monks Bay.