Pictured is the residence at 702 N. Lakeshore Blvd. in Marquette. The property is one of just a few private residences left on the Lake Superior side of the street. The city of Marquette has expressed interest in purchasing the property and preserving it for public use. (Journal photo by Ryan Spitza)

MARQUETTE — The city of Marquette is in the early stages of purchasing a private residential property along Lakeshore Boulevard.

The property in question is 702 N. Lakeshore Blvd., at the corner of Lakeshore and Hewitt Avenue. The property, which is currently owned by the Robert T. Anthony Trust, is one of the few private residences left on the lake side of the road, according to city documents.

The city is looking to purchase the property to further expand public access to the lakeshore. The 6,727-square foot property has an appraised value of $235,000, with the city looking to pay $350,000 for the property. This purchase price was reached due to the unique value and location of the property. Another agreement, should the sale go through, is that the city include recognition of the history of the location, along with its relationship to the Anthony family.

Some city residents raised eyebrows at the purchase price, which is $115,000 above the appraised value. The topic was discussed at Monday night’s Marquette City Commission meeting before the commission voted 7-0 to authorize City Manager Mike Angeli to negotiate the sale.

“I think the price is reasonable,” Angeli said at the meeting. “Yes, it’s legal. The only restrictions we have is if we’re selling property, we cannot sell for less than 80 percent of the appraised value. Purchasing, there’s no limitation.”

While specific plans for the property have not been discussed, the city wants to purchase it with the full intent of preserving it for public use.

“In my entire history, I’ve never been aware that the city has been anywhere near possibly developing property on that (lakeshore) side of the street,” Angeli said. “There have been absolutely no plans in place and any future use will be left to a future commission or this commission.”

Several commissioners expressed their support with the city going through with the sale.

“I think this is a great idea,” Commissioner Evan Bonsall said. “I understand why some city residents might have had some initial concerns or had questions, and hopefully some of those most common and most frequently asked questions I’ve seen have been answered. I would just say if as a city resident, your desire is to not see more condominium development along the lakeshore or high-rise or high-end housing development along the lakeshore, that you should support the city purchasing this property. Because if we don’t purchase it, that’s very likely what’s going to happen if a private developer purchases it.”

“It is unanimous among us and I’m sure it is unanimous into the future that we will not develop on the lake side of Lakeshore Boulevard,” added Mayor Pro Tem Jenn Hill. “The brownfield plan in the harbor area has a different context, but on this side, above McCarty’s Cove for sure, that land is available as public beach and now we’ve brought another piece into public access, and that is what we are doing here. I appreciate the Anthony family for making it available to the public first.”

Mayor Jenna Smith reiterated the sentiments from her fellow commissioners.

“We always talk about preserving the lake as it is on that side of the road, and this is an opportunity to actually give more access to the public for the beach, for that home and the concern of what it would turn into if we don’t buy it,” she said. “Whether we buy it and make it a conservation easement, use the building for city use or tear it down, I’m not sure yet. First, we’ve got to negotiate the sale, figure that out and then decide what the next steps are. Rest assured, it is not the plan by the commission at this point to sell that to another developer. Our plan is to keep it for public use and there’s a question mark as to what the best public use is at this point. If you have feedback as a resident or a community member, certainly reach out and provide that feedback.”

The property is currently zoned as “medium density residential,” and until it becomes more clear what the city decides to do with the property, rezoning is not necessary just yet, according to City Planner and Zoning Administrator Dave Stensaas.

“If the city does buy the property, and that appears to be likely at this point, the MDR zoning district of the parcel may stay in place until such time that a decision is made to act on an alternative use for the land that doesn’t involve uses of the existing home structure that are allowed in that zoning district,” Stensaas told The Mining Journal Wednesday. “According to what was said in the Monday night city commission meeting, the legislative body will be engaging in a process to identify and evaluate alternative uses for the property, and it seems logical that depending on what is decided, a plan for re-use would follow and that would need to include rezoning the property into conservation-recreation status for uses that augment Shiras Park and public access to it.”