CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The developer behind a plan to build a marina at Navy Pier has filed a lawsuit against the city alleging the Chicago Department of Transportation illegally denied a harbor permit for construction to begin.
The plan by Navy Pier Marina Venture to build a marina between the pier and the Jardine Water Filtration Plant that would accommodate up to 150 boats was approved by the City Council in 2016. Then, state and federal authorities signed off on the plan.
But, the lawsuit states, Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi refused to approve a permit, arguing the marina poses “unacceptable security risks due to its proximity to the Jardine water treatment plant.”
According to Crain's Chicago, the developer noted that boats already randomly moor in the area to the north of the water plant, known as the Playpen, and they also transit and dock at times where the new marina would be built in the north slip.
In a release, the developer said a great deal of work and money has gone into the project, and "our goal is to move on with this project and have the marina open for the 2022 boating season.”
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