A Midcoast group hopes to buy Merchant’s Landing on Spruce Head Island in S. Thomaston. A small marina since 1973, Merchant’s Landing came up for sale last year (WWF July 2007), threatening the shore access of island owners and others who have used the place for years. Sharon McHold, a member of the Dix Island Association and a longtime user of Merchant’s Landing, has organized an effort to buy the landing in shares in order to preserve the shore access.
“Basically we are creating a water access condominium,” McHold explained. “Owners will own a locker and an undivided interest in the common real estate, which includes everything except the lockers. In other words, we own together the land, dock, moorings.”
Shares will cost about $30,000, McHold said, and will guarantee an owner the right to rent a mooring, use the dock and park. The goal of McHold’s organization – essentially a co-operative – is to assemble 20 owners to purchase shares. “We shall raise money for a manager and taxes by renting out water access/moorings,” she said. An alternative possibility would be to expand the size of the group and allow only owners to benefit from the water access.
The purchase would include 1.7 acres of the present lot’s 2.5 acres and doesn’t include the current owners’ house.
The new association, McHold said, has planning board approvals to proceed if it can interest a sufficient number of investors.
For information contact McHold at (207) 846-5128 or by e-mail at slmdix@earthlink.net.