Developer of Chicago’s Navy Pier Marina sues city

NPM Venture says Chicago transportation department denied a harbor permit

The Lake Michigan complex (Navy Pier Marina)
The Lake Michigan complex (Navy Pier Marina)

The developer behind a $9 million state-approved plan to build a marina at Chicago’s Navy Pier sued the city, saying the Department of Transportation illegally denied a harbor permit key to the project’s construction.

Navy Pier Marina Venture filed the suit in Cook County Civil court on Wednesday, asking for an order to issue a permit that would allow it to build a marina between the pier and the Jardine Water Filtration Plant, according to Crain’s Chicago. The Chicago City Council approved construction of a 150-boat marina in 2016. State and federal authorities also signed off the plan.

Yet the commissioner of the Chicago transportation department denied the harbor permit, saying the project posed “unacceptable security risks” because it was too close to the Jardine plant. Law Department spokeswoman Kristen Cabanban told Crain’s that the city hasn’t yet been served with a complaint and that it doesn’t comment on pending litigation..

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The developer said vessels already moor in the area to the north of the water plant, known as the Playpen, and transit and dock where the marina would be built, Crain’s said. “Our goal is to move on with this project and have the marina open for the 2022 boating season,” NPM said.

NPM Venture and Navy Pier Inc., which manages the pier for the city and state, signed a licensing agreement to build and run the marina for 25 years back in 2017.

[Crain’s] — Connie Kim