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Lansing City Pulse

Nearly a year after the Lansing Boat Club got an eviction notice from the city of Lansing, the two sides have come to an agreement allowing the club to stay at Grand River Park.

At a press conference at City Hall today, Mayor Virg Bernero and boat club Commodore Jan DeMarco signed a one-year lease agreement — the one-year lease was offered to the club by the city last February to prevent its eviction, but the club rejected the offer, hoping for a five-year lease.

Bernero said that the eviction was never about kicking the boat club out; it was about a fairer return for taxpayers and determining a long-term use for the land. It was also important to sign a lease, he said, to make it clear that the city owns the land.

Boat club members said last year that a one-year lease would be the equivalent of signing one’s own death warrant, because the club would have to worry each year that its lease would not be renewed.

The boat club will rent its space from the city — located along the banks of the Grand River in Grand River Park — at a variable rate, depending on the number of members. The club will also pay the city whatever it gets for its slip rentals, the price of which will increase to $200 for city residents and $400 for non-residents. more