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A. General Land Use Recent improvements in this area in-
clude the SPX development and Heri-
Existing Conditions tage Landing, both in the immediate
vicinity of downtown. The most pris-
tine sections of shoreline are generally
Although much industry has left the at the extreme east and west. Bluffton/
shores of Muskegon Lake over the past Harbourtown and Richards Park/ Vet-
several decades the physical remnants eran's Park respectively.
of its industrial past still remain in the
form of the numerous jetties, wharves
and docks which dot the shoreline. Be- General Recommendations:
cause of its history, the southern shore-
line of Muskegon Lake has a pro- Greater Mixture of Land Uses spur significant private investment
nounced "jagged", or uneven profile along the water.
which stands in marked contrast to the As a visible reminder of the lakefront's
northern shore which saw much less utilitarian history, large tracts of water- By increasing the mixture of land uses
cutting, filling and dredging. front land remain in a semi-industrial or along the lake to include more housing,
de-industrialized state. Much of this public recreation and other waterfront
Although pockets of industrial "scar property, although rezoned for more compatible uses, the city will become
tissue" can be found along the entire waterfront compatible use, remains in physically oriented to the water instead
length of shoreline, from Bluffton (sand the hands of a relatively small number of turning its back to it. With a wider
mining) to the Causeway (power plant), of landowners who have not sought to variety of uses, the lakeshore will be
the most intensive industrial uses were redevelop their properties to their animated with a variety of year-round,
generally concentrated between what is "highest and best" use.. 24 hour activities, and more fully inte-
today the Great Lakes Marina on the grated into the larger city.
west, to what was the Teledyne - Con- The reasons for the present inertia may
tinental Motors property on the east. include: residual commercial/ industrial
Along this approximately 3 mile stretch activity, environmental cleanup con-
are a number of sites which have been cerns, land speculation and/or a lack of
deemed (contaminated) "facilities" pur- recent development pressure. Although
suant to recent site assessment activi- greatly improved over recent years by
ties. Many others have been identified projects such as Heritage Landing and
as having underground storage tanks the Great Lakes and Hartshorn marinas,
(UST sites). these facilities have generally failed to
Waterfront Redevelopment Sub-Plan 9
Bird's eye view of the southern shore of Muskegon Lake, circa 1940. Much of the industry that fueled the City's booming wartime
economy, was located directly along the shore.
Waterfront Redevelopment Sub-Plan 10
The shoreline in the 1990s. Sections of waterfront have been reclaimed for public use such as Heritage Landing (foreground).
Waterfront Redevelopment Sub-Plan 11
Relocation of Industry are rather disjointed and poorly linked. recreational nodes should be created
The City has already undertaken reme- which tie into the bike trail. Active rec-
Increasing the mixture of land uses dial efforts in this regard through the reational spaces for sports activities, are
along the lake requires opening up construction of Shoreline Drive particularly needed.
large sections of shoreline for uses such
as recreation and housing. In many in- Downtown - Waterfront Focal
stances this may involve the movement Point
of existing land intensive activities
such as industry and bulk handling in An equally critical land use goal, and
order to effectuate the necessary one directly related to the above, is to
changes. "wed" downtown to the lakefront. The
downtown waterfront should be used to
Although certain "benign" industries accommodate a variety of public and
should be allowed to remain on the quasi-public facilities that will both
lake, the relocation of several non- feed, and be fed, by downtown.
water dependent industries inland (Aquarium, cross-lake ferry, Maritime
would have to be facilitated. Those in- A "step down" development pattern Museum, public pier, housing, outdoor
dustries that are dependent on water would help accentuate Muskegon's markets, shops, planetarium-
frontage should be allowed to remain modest topography and protect views. observatory, arboretum, botanical gar-
on the lake, or relocated to a "central The lakeward end of Third Street dens, amphitheater, public sports com-
port" location. should terminate with a strong visual plex etc.)
element.
Key objectives in relocation are miti- It is critical that these facilities be lo-
gating existing visual and traffic im- and the pending construction of the cated in a fairly dense pattern so that
pacts, the utilization of existing deep Lakeshore Trail; a project designed to pedestrian cross-traffic and spill-over
water berths and the availability of serve as the recreational spine of the into downtown is fostered. The dedica-
nearby transportation linkages. waterfront. tion of a waterfront site primarily for
public cultural and recreational use, in
Unify the Lakefront and Improve Expanding on the success of projects direct proximity to downtown, will help
Public Access. such as the aforementioned Lakeshore catalyze the "synergy" currently lack-
Trial as well as Heritage Landing ing in both.
As alluded to in the introduction, exist- should be a top priority of the City's
ing public access points along the lake lakefront redevelopment efforts. New
Waterfront Redevelopment Sub-Plan 12