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Planning Commission Approves Marina Building Project

Water bikes that can be rented from Bemus Bay Water Toys, which is located at the Lawson Boat & Motor marina, located at 365 Fluvanna Ave. The city Planning Commission approved the site plan for the construction of four new boat storage buildings that will be built at the marina over the next two years. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Over the next two years, four more boat storage buildings will be constructed at the marina along Fluvanna Avenue that sits on the border of the city of Jamestown and the town of Ellicott.

On Tuesday, the city Planning Commission approved the site plan for the construction of new buildings at Lawson Boat & Motor marina, located at 365 Fluvanna Ave. According to Andy Johnson, engineer for the project, there will be four new buildings constructed at the marina over the next two years. He said the owner of the marina has previously restored three buildings at the site. He added that two of the four new buildings will be constructed this year, with the other two to be constructed next year. Most of the project will be built on the land in the town of Ellicott, but portions of two of the new buildings will be located in the city, Johnson said.

The Planning Commission also approved a resolution recommending the sale of city land to the owners of Lawson Boat & Motor marina, with the condition that two easements be given to allow the city and Jamestown Board of Public Utilities access.

One of the easements would allow for the city to possibly construct future sections of the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk. Currently, the Riverwalk’s ends at Clifton Avenue, which is near the marina. If in the future city officials receive grant funding to extend the Riverwalk, it would need to be constructed on property where the marina and boat storage business is located.

The second easement would allow BPU officials to access the pipeline and electric lines on the property. The Jamestown City Council would need to approve the land sale before it could be finalized. The council’s next voting session meeting is Monday, Aug. 31.

Andrew Finson, Lawson Boat & Motor president, told The Post-Journal that the business has been renting heated and cold storage space to boat owners in three existing buildings on the property since last fall. He said this summer the marina started renting fishing boats, pontoon boats, kayaks and water bikes to people through the marina’s Bemus Bay Water Toys business. He added that they have 22 water bikes people can rent to explore the waterways around the marina.

“It’s been very busy,” Finson said. “On the weekends, our parking lot is packed.”

For more information, visit lawsonboatandmotor.com or visit Lawson Boat & Motor on Facebook.

In March 2019, the renovation of the former L-S Aero Marina was discussed during a Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency meeting, Mark Geise, deputy Chautauqua County executive for economic development, told The Post-Journal the $1.7 million project is entering its second phase, which included renovating existing buildings and demolishing a dilapidated building. The IDA board approved a mortgage record and sales tax exemption along with a 15-year tourism destination payment in lieu of taxes agreement for the project. The total tax savings is estimated to be $315,435.

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