Coastal Resources Management Council denies Champlin's Marina expansion

[jullysan]

NARRAGANSETT – After almost eight years of legal twists and turns, the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council Tuesday denied a proposed expansion to Champlin’s Marina on Block Island.

But the unanimous decision by no means is the final word on the case. The Block Island Times said Robert Goldberg, a lawyer for the marina, planned to encourage his client to appeal.

The CRMC delivered the vote four years after rejecting the same proposal in a tie vote. Lawyers for the marina charged the council improperly handled the case and appealed the vote to R.I. Superior Court. There, a judge sided with the marina, only to have the R.I. Supreme Court send the case back to the council.

The council Tuesday unanimously rejected the request by Champlin’s to expand 225 feet into the island’s Great Salt Pond and make room for another 140 boats.

The town, backed by environmental groups including the Conservation Law Foundation, criticized the proposal as encroaching on a public resource and crowding the Great Salt Pond.

On Wednesday, First Warden Kim Gaffett, who attended the meeting in Narragansett, hailed the decision.

“I think they really delved into it and understood the conflict between the two ideas and came out with a very strong decision,” she told Providence Business News.

Gaffett said the town was also pleased that the CRMC voted to require a 300-foot-wide fairway between Champlin’s Marina and the town’s nearby mooring field. That effectively blocks any expansion by the marina in that direction.

Gaffett said it’s unclear what happens if Champlin’s appeals. The Town Council has not had a discussion yet about whether to fight such an appeal.