The issue of setbacks and where people can build along Lake Michigan in the city of St. Joseph along Ridgeway appears to have been settled. The city commission has approved the recommendations of Edgewater Resources to establish setbacks and not allow any breakwalls or seawalls to be built. Edgewater engineer Mike Morphey presented the plan, saying the line will not be reliant upon the water level of Lake Michigan.
The city commission has a moratorium on any new building in the area through January. Morphey suggested revisting the issue at least once a decade or whenever the water levels of Lake Michigan change by more than four feet. Only one structure would be impacted by the setback line, which is the home that started the controversy earlier this year when the owners requested permission to build a seawall to protect their home. It was built very close to the water, and earlier this summer, city commissioners were shown photographs that indicate if the lake were at a high level mark, the house would be in the water.
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The city commission has a moratorium on any new building in the area through January. Morphey suggested revisting the issue at least once a decade or whenever the water levels of Lake Michigan change by more than four feet. Only one structure would be impacted by the setback line, which is the home that started the controversy earlier this year when the owners requested permission to build a seawall to protect their home. It was built very close to the water, and earlier this summer, city commissioners were shown photographs that indicate if the lake were at a high level mark, the house would be in the water.
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