July 13 - For immediate release
Media contacts: Jessica VanGinhoven, Ottawa County Parks: (616) 738-4810
Click here for full size drawings.
Header photo by Kelly Morrissey, Black Lake Waterfront Walkway, looking west to Big Red/Holland State Park

Coming soon: Ottawa Beach Marina

Construction is expected to begin on the new Ottawa Beach Marina in mid-October, with plans to open spring 2019, but preparations have already begun for next season's marina customers. 

The Ottawa Beach Marina will have 15 seasonal slips, four moorings, and 26 transient slips. As stipulated by a 2005 court agreement, members of the West Michigan Park Association were given the first opportunity to reserve seasonal slips at market rate. At this time, up to seven seasonal slips and two moorings are still available for rent for the 2019 season. Due to the anticipated interest in slips, they will be available via a lottery.

For more information about the lottery, please visit: miOttawa.org/marina or contact the Parks Administrative office. 

Ottawa Beach Marina Seasonal Slip Information

Lottery Rules

• Slips are non-transferable
• Lottery entries are due by August 2 at 11:59 pm. Drawings will be made on August 3.
• A 25% deposit will be required by August 17, 2018 to secure your slip (unpaid deposit will result in a loss of reservation).

Enter 2019 Seasonal Slip Lottery »

2019 Season

We intend to start construction immediately after October 15 and have the marina operational by Memorial Day of 2019. If the season is shorter due to construction delays, we will adjust marina rent in weekly increments based on a season running from May 20 through September 17. 

We will do all we can to be open by Memorial Day and we will keep in touch with our slip renters as to how the project is proceeding.

Marina details

• Docks will be fixed, not floating. Please note that the location of the seasonal slips is east of the private residence (see layout). Seasonal marina patrons will park in the lot and walk via the public walkway to the marina. There is no access along waterfront in front of the private residence.

• Slip rates are $100 per foot with an overall rate based on the size of the boat or slip, whichever is larger.

• Boats (including platforms and sprits, etc) may extend up to 10% beyond the dock length on the 40’ slips. Smaller boats are welcome in the 40' slip, but the minimum rate is $4,000 a season.

• Moorings are priced at $40/foot; dinghy storage is included.

• One parking space per slip will be provided in a dedicated parking lot. The first five spaces in the lot will be public parking for a public kayak launch located on the transient dock. No marina patrons will be allowed to park in public spaces.

• A new building will include a small marina office, plus private restrooms and showers for marina patrons. Separate public restrooms will also be available in the building. A “for fee” washer and dryer will be provided, plus vending machines and ice.

• Electrical service will be provided on a charge-back basis. Water service will be provided at no additional cost, as will wireless internet. A pump out station will be provided.

• Available slip sizes

• 30’ slip – 0 available (Please note slips were first made available to WMPA as stipulated by a 2005 court agreement; currently 8 of the 15 are reserved at market rate by WMPA. More info can be found below).
• 40’ slip – 6 available
• 75’ slip – 1 available
• Mooring – 2 available

To enter into the 2019 Marina Slip Lottery, complete the online application by August 2 at 11:59 pm. Drawings will be made on August 3.

URL: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019OBMarinaLottery

Transient slips

The 26 transient slips will be managed by Ottawa County Parks and fees are recommended to follow the State Fee Schedule C for transient slips in Michigan. 

Transient slips will be a great opportunity for visitors in the area to enjoy Holland from the water, especially if they are staying in campgrounds near the Holland State Park or renting cottages near the beach. Residents who may not be interested in paying for a seasonal slip may enjoy having the option to keep their boat in the water during a long weekend or stay-cation. There is not a boat launch on-site; trailer storage will likely be available. More information coming soon. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Ottawa County Parks administrative office.

Final piece of the puzzle

The marina and waterfront improvement plans represent the County’s final steps in completing its vision for the Historic Ottawa Beach Parks. “We have been developing the marina plan for many years – debating on facility size, weighing operation costs, and searching for grant funding. We are excited to continue the boating tradition in the area, while also providing the most benefit to the public,” said John Scholtz, Ottawa County Parks Director.   

The Parks Commission believes that providing a small marina with transient slips and a kayak launch, as well as better access to public greenspace, fulfills their mission by offering a variety of recreational opportunities to residents and visitors of Ottawa County. Park and greenspace improvements will be supported by Park Township which will invest $90,000 in the project to create a township plaza space for viewing the waterfront.

Park 12 History

Historic Ottawa Beach Parks, formerly known as Park 12, consists of 12 park parcels encompassing 58 acres that were platted as part of the West Michigan Park Association (WMPA) in 1886. Following decades of dispute over ownership of the park parcels, during which the park properties suffered from neglect, Ottawa County and the WMPA reached a court endorsed agreement in 2005, based on a park master plan developed the previous year with extensive public input. That plan called for improvements to enhance the area for public use, while also recognizing that WMPA cottagers have rights in the property beyond the general public. It called for many improvements, including a marina with a minimum of 15 slips to be made available to WMPA.

. Following the court settlement, Ottawa County Parks moved quickly to clean up the area and remove encroachments. One of the first improvement projects was a walkway, fishing dock and parking area east of the Coast Guard Station known as Black Lake Boardwalk East. “This is one of the most important recreation corridors in Michigan, with nearly 2 million visitors traveling along Ottawa Beach Road, so we made it a priority to begin improvements soon following the legal settlement,” said Scholtz. A grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund helped with the next project, a dune stairway with overlook decks up the back side of Mt. Pisgah, the dune that towers over the channel. “The dune stairway protects the dune from erosion while also providing public access to one of the area’s more dramatic natural features,” said Scholtz.  Additional waterfront walkway and fishing docks followed in ensuing years with more help from the Trust Fund and a large grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. The historic Pump House building was restored in 2015 as a partnership between Ottawa County Parks and the non-profit Historic Ottawa Beach Society (HOBS). The building once housed electrical generating equipment for the Hotel Ottawa, a huge 20th century resort hotel that burned in 1923, and later water pumping equipment, recently opened as a museum operated by HOBS. A restroom addition was added make the building more functional and also serve the many users of the waterfront walkway.  In addition to park improvements, Park Township completed its Gateway Project in 2016 which greatly enhanced the Ottawa Beach Road corridor through landscape improvements, lighting, and special paving.

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