Everyone knows about the public boat ramp at Columbia River Park, but there’s another boat ramp – less well known – that’s also open to the public. Anyone wishing to use it simply needs to follow Union Street past the intersection with Front Street, then across the railroad tracks and towards the river.
The ramp is a bit unkempt but paved well enough to allow a vehicle and trailer access to the river. According to a representative of the borough’s highway department, this lower section of Union Street is public, as is access to the river via the ramp. Potential confusion is created by two PRIVATE PROPERTY signs standing on both sides of the road, several yards past the railroad tracks. The signs, which designate property owners’ private tracts may have been strategically placed to discourage traffic on this block of Union – and to the river.
Columbia Spy has also been informed that, under federal law, access to the shoreline is a public right. In other words, you may walk along it, despite property lines, where physically possible. Rivers are subject to federal navigational servitude, including federal navigational easement, as explained HERE and HERE.
Here’s a view not everyone gets to enjoy. This photo was taken from the boat ramp.
Columbia Spy 
The focus of the article is public access not cottages or cottage owners.
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What about septic? Everyone else in town has to have public sewer.
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They'll have to hook up to LASA. Wonder if the borough will help out. Better not. We'll be watching.
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NO, everyone did NOT have equal opportunity over the years to purchase a place down there, that is a lie. They have been passed down through generations and/or sold to friends. This does not compute, there are only a few dozen cottages and there are thousands of homeowners. One was for sale in recent months, with a price tag of about 389,000. dollars. Now as for the signs, I have owned five homes, in all areas of Columbia, and NEVER had to post a no trespassing sign and never had problems. THANKFULLY, I have not ever needed section 8 housing. The signs at the entrance areas where cottages are located are absolutely there to intimidate the public into believing it's all private.
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Maybe some day a developer will get all that riverfront land through eminent domain. And before anybody types out a reply, please review Kelo v. City of New London. It can be done.
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Just checked. Thanks. That's interesting. Another 5-4 decision by our inimitable Supreme Court:”Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private owner to further economic development.”
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I checked the Lancaster County GIS site. Union Street to the river and the road that runs through the cottages, known as Riverfront, are not included within the parcels (property lots) and therefore is a public road. They would be public roads as they are not included in the taxable property parcels, much like the street in front of your home. The side road that runs to the Lancaster Water Plant does appear to be a private drive as it runs through several parcels. The borough should have those “private drive” signs removed, with the exception of the drive that leads to the water plant.
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FACT CHECK: Tax money is being used to repair the road. Some property owners are placing signs along said road to keep people out. Sounds to me like a tax payer funded issue!
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It's a landmark case, in my opinion. Don't know if it ever achieved that status officially, though.Another landmark case was Gibbons v. Ogden. That's useful for when people scream that the town should force the railroad to do this or that…. Not happening. –FMB
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Prior to the formation of the Heritage Cottage Group, a non profit organization, the land was owned by Safe Harbor and was leased to the cottage owners. If you purchased the cottage, you only owned the structure and not the land beneath your foundation. No bank would be willing to fund a structure without the land being part of the transaction, so financing would have to be personal or group funding.As for the LASA question on the cottages. They would have to invest in a pumping station with grinder pumps to facilitate this low graded land. This would cost LASA a fortune for a group of twenty plus cottages sitting on this land.The only dedicated thoroughfare would be Locust Street (now closed) and Union Street. All owners do pay taxes to Columbia Borough and have invested in their properties since this transaction has taken place. So in the future when one of the cottages come up for sale, make sure you put a bid in.Columbia Pride!
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Were they paying taxes to the Borough during all the years that they were leasing it?
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Are they properly assessed then? And paying their fair share of tax? I just noticed a home down there under construction, becoming a 3 story.
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It was discussed at a recent borough meeting that a line might be run along Heritage Drive, but the question is who would pay for the excavation and installation – LASA or the borough.
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Oh it best NOT be the borough. Tax money is not to be used to pay for home owners utilities.
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I will not live long enough to wait for one of the cottages to go on the market. I'm not sure if the lone one that was for sale recently ever actually sold at the asking price, but for 389 thousand dollars one has to wonder what kind of sewer system you would get.
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Because the federal government has control, that's exactly why the people must speak up.
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Right, the railroad enjoys broad powers because the federal government controls interstate commerce:”The Supreme Court extended the definition of interstate commerce and cemented the power of the federal government over the states when laws conflicted.”
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Was a permit posted?
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The borough needs to update and publish a complete map and mail it to every household.
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I didn't dare walk down there by myself to see if there was a permit.
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Permits are for polebarns!
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Yes, the pole barn hearing was only a year ago.
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That would be informative; therefore, it won't happen.
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The comment that states ” I didn't dare walk down there by myself”…this is exactly what they are doing INTIMIDATING!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I wonder what the commenter was afraid of.
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Imagine if there were shops where the cottages are located. Visitors walking through and stopping to get coffee and maybe even purchase a kayak. It would be such a cool draw. Columbia and its PRIDE, too selfish.
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Right, the isolationist mindset must go. We can no longer afford it.
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Some of us have more passive personalities. I wouldn't know what to do if I walked down there myself and was verbally attacked or physically assaulted by a cottage owner.
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There will be no openings in this private club, no bids, and no diversity. It is what it is and will always be.
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Let's hope that wouldn't happen, because if it did, it would be considered assault.
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There are penalties for that.
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Well those people down there seem to be connected to the local politics and being by myself, I would not have a witness either.
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All of the cottage owners have owned, and maintained these properties for many generations. The land was recently purchased by the cottage owners. The signs are to protect the owners from any liability should anyone get injured or worse yet drown. Some owners have had to confront people who have been using the the docks that they have built and paid for. We bought our properties and pay taxes just like every homeowner in town.
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Yes the cottage owners have always paid taxes to the borough and to the school district and why don't they have sewers because they have not run sewer lines down there yet when they do they will have to hook up and the borough will not be putting any money into it the owners will pay for it so why don't you all back off the cottage owners they paid for the land it is theris those cottages have been there for years so why the big fus now?
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Yes taxes were paid before taking ownership.
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No docks allowed on the river per say north-fork!!!
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Should have been voted on “THE LAND” by tax payers at the beginning!!!!
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LASA will be knocking on your cottage door very soon!!
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My understanding was that taxes were only paid on the land, NOT the improvements on the land when Safe Harbor was the landlord. So I STILL question the assessed value the property owners are paying tax on.
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What is the matter with the people in this town making such a issue about those cottages they have been there for years and will be there for many more years to come why don't you all find better things to do and worry about more important things that go on in town and not those cottages those people also have the right to sell who they want to or keep it in the family because you have the right to sell your house to every you want to or give it to a family member
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Thats right!! All others had to be taken down!!
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^ found a cottage owner.
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Safe harbor paid the land tax the owners or renters paid the improvements tax now the owners pay all the taxes
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If your docks are in the water, they are no longer on private property.
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I am sick of hearing about the horrible people at the river. I know cabins sold within the last 15 years. where were you when they were for sale. you could have purchased one yourself. The cabin owners spend a lot of time and money to keep those properties. It's not being entitled it's taking advantage of an opportunity and paying for it not expecting the taxpayers to pay for it. You people expect Colombia taxes to put something down there for you not do anything for yourself.
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What a simple “retraction”after all the chit you started.Congrats!
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Everyone here speaking against cottage owners themselves are a bunch of ignorant, uneducated dipwads that don't know what they're talking about. Those cottages have been in the owner's families for generations upon generations. It doesn't matter where your permanent residence is or anything like that. If you don't like it, blow it out your a**
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Please understand that the families have had to pay safe harbor for years in order to place docks in the water. WE DO NOT OWN THE WATER SAFE HARBOR DOES. if WE are paying to place OUR docks in the water then we should be allowed to tell the public to not use them. Every family has made their dock themselves and Whether its in the water or not it is still a peice of their property
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That 3 story under construction belongs to a close friend of mine. He and his neighbor(who is a carpenter/contractor so dont worry) are renovating that with their own money and supplies. If they own the land and the building then it'd be no different than making a tool shed in your backyard.
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As am I. And I agree with him. We have had the same opportunities as any homeowner in town. Simply because we live in a different location does not mean we have some sort of advantage over anyone. I will agree though that some of the trespassing signs can be confusing
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