Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

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Sean N
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Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by Sean N »

https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/202 ... -lake.html

Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake
Published: Mar. 29, 2023, 4:30 p.m.

Windward Pointe site on Muskegon Lake

By Lynn Moore | lmoore8@mlive.com
MUSKEGON, MI – After six years of effort, the city of Muskegon now is the owner of a rail line that will be removed to spur development of the largest undeveloped tract of vacant land on Muskegon Lake.

The city on Tuesday, March 28, closed on the purchase of two miles of CSX rail line stretching along Muskegon Lake from the corner of Shoreline Drive and West Western Avenue west nearly to the Cottage Grove Launch Ramp on Lakeshore Drive.


The city used $1.7 million in American Rescue Act Plan funding to purchase the abandoned rail line. It was motivated to make the purchase so that the Windward Pointe property, through which the rail line runs, could proceed with development.

The former long-time site of a paper mill that was served by the rail line, Windward Pointe is in the hands of a local investment group called Pure Muskegon that is seeking developers for the 120-acre property.

But the prospect that the railroad could essentially store rail cars on the property had made finding a developer extremely difficult, city officials said earlier.

Development plans for the site called Windward Pointe created several years ago suggest mixed use of the property, including housing, commercial and recreational features.

Related: Canals could be focal point of Muskegon’s Windward Pointe development


Most of the city’s expense of purchasing the rail line is expected to be reimbursed through tax capture once development of the site begins. City officials have expressed a willingness to reduce the amount it captures depending on the amount of access to Muskegon Lake is preserved for the public, City Manager Jonathan Seyferth wrote in a memo to the commission.

The city worked for more than five years to negotiate the complicated purchase agreement that the commission agreed to in December 2022, which then had to be approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board.

Seyferth’s announcement of the sale closing at the commission’s Tuesday meeting was met with applause.

“It is our understanding that in the next week or so CSX will begin the removal of the railroad tracks,” Seyferth said. “They’re going to start on the west end and work east.”


About a year ago, a $15 million state grant was awarded for cleanup of PFAS chemicals discovered at Windward Pointe. The so-called forever chemicals were left over from past industrial use and there are concerns about it leaching into Muskegon Lake.

There has been other industrial cleanup of the property, including removal of a lime pile and remediation of groundwater it had impacted and cleanup of hydrogen sulfide.
Sean

chapmaja
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by chapmaja »

Does anyone know when this line was formally abandonded? Doesn't that need to happen before the tracks can be pulled up? Granted, there is no hope for any future use of the line, so it makes sense to pull the tracks, but I don't recall seeing anything about a formal abandonment petition for the line.

Jim_c
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by Jim_c »

STB records seem to indicate that the STB gave approval om 7/11/22.
Trails to Rails. Put the track back.

chapmaja
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by chapmaja »

Thanks, missed hearing about that but it makes sense. There was ZERO future for that section as a railroad once the paper plant closed, so it makes sense to remove the line a redevelop the properties along the line for a more productive and economical use.

Plannerdad
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by Plannerdad »

It might be interesting if the City would use part of the line for a tourist type trolly service from the new developments into downtown. Maybe use some more of the COVID relief funding. And I know there would be a lot of obstacles to doing this.

Muskegonrailfan89
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by Muskegonrailfan89 »

I thought a trolly service would be a awesome idea also. Something to connect downtown to the shoreline but I guess that's a pipe dream now...

Sad to see the tracks getting pulled up and if I knew how to post photos from my phone I'd show you guys the progress so far....

The tracks are in my back yard and they won't be here much longer....

I grew up watching the train service SD Warren and Sappie one of the reasons I love trains so much.

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SD80MAC
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by SD80MAC »

I recently posted a series of photos of chasing a train on this line from 15 years ago:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1878555 ... tid=W9rl1R
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
Image

Chip
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by Chip »

SD80MAC wrote:
Tue Aug 22, 2023 10:10 pm
I recently posted a series of photos of chasing a train on this line from 15 years ago:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1878555 ... tid=W9rl1R
Says broken link when I open it

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SD80MAC
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by SD80MAC »

Works fine for me.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
Image

Chip
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by Chip »

Is it in a group? That could be why.

Conrail Quality
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Re: Old rail line sale should help develop huge site on Muskegon Lake

Unread post by Conrail Quality »

Chip wrote:
Tue Aug 22, 2023 10:40 pm
SD80MAC wrote:
Tue Aug 22, 2023 10:10 pm
I recently posted a series of photos of chasing a train on this line from 15 years ago:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1878555 ... tid=W9rl1R
Says broken link when I open it
Won't work for me either.

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