Firm plans 240-unit lakeshore housing development

Firm plans 240-unit lakeshore housing development

A drawing of a townhouse building at The Docks. Courtesy city of Muskegon

A 240-unit housing development, including boating access, is coming to the lakeshore.

The Muskegon City Commission recently approved The Docks, an estimated $100-million housing and boating community headed by Damfino Development.

The conceptual plan for The Docks consists of approximately 240 units, including 143 site condominium lots for detached homes, 67 townhomes and a 30‐unit, four‐story condominium building.

The development site is situated on approximately 77 acres along Edgewater Street and Wilcox Avenue and is between 1,000 feet of existing Muskegon Lake shoreline on the east and a short walk to Lake Michigan on the west. The Docks is meant to emphasize engagement of the water and open space throughout pedestrian-oriented development.

A 12‐acre boat basin takes center stage in the project, providing immediate access to Muskegon Lake and is minutes away from Lake Michigan via the Muskegon channel. This feature provides one mile of new waterfront, varying in width from 140 feet to 400 feet, and contains a variety of shoreline conditions, from gradual sloping sand shore to hard seawall, enabling for a variety of uses.

Anchoring the boat basin is a condominium building with a pool and fitness center, pickleball courts, and kayak launch for residents, and a neighborhood restaurant with approximately 81 seats.

The project’s developer, Damfino Development, obtained a Special Exception Permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in May 2018. The permit allows for Damfino to remove vegetation, construct an access road and pedestrian walkway and re-vegetate the disturbed areas.

The property is zoned as a Planned Unit Development. A public hearing was held in connection with the Preliminary PUD application on Oct. 11, 2018.

In March 2019, the MDEQ was notified work was commencing and trees were removed from the permitted area. Damfino plans to begin construction of the road in the fall of 2019, with construction of the boat basin beginning in early 2020 and the additional aspects being rolled out in multiple phases.