A year long study was undertaken in 2004, allowing designers to derive ways that would "enhance waterfront access".

But advocates of waterfront access are angry at what they say is a slap-on-the-wrist penalty for a developer who should have known better.

At the high end, she mentioned a five-bedroom home just west of Nantucket with direct waterfront access.

The governor's $900 million West Street park will have no waterfront access, and four lanes of traffic running through it.

If waterfront access is lost, Ms. Libby said, her family will probably go out of business.

In the end, the success of this new waterfront access will depend on how vigorously the state enforces it.

Similar conflicts over waterfront access have flared up throughout the metropolitan region.

Modern 1980s-style homes were later built on the site, and belong to some of few homes in the complex which do not have waterfront access.

Mercer Island also has many smaller parks maintained by the city, some of which have waterfront access.

The council's principal demand is greater waterfront access and more land for the nonpaying public.