In Ikle v Goebel (No. 360854, December 21, 2023), the Michigan Court of Appeals addressed a dispute over riparian rights in the Glen Echo Shores subdivision. Front-lot owners claimed fee ownership and riparian rights to a park lot dedicated in 1921 for lot owners’ use, abutting a lake. The circuit court initially ruled front-lot owners held these rights, but back-lot owners appealed. The Appeals Court held that front-lot owners did not have riparian rights, as the park was dedicated for general lot owner use, not exclusively for front-lot owners. The court clarified that riparian rights—special rights to use water adjacent to property—required direct ownership of the shoreline, which the plat’s dedication undermined. The Ikle court emphasized that easements for park use did not confer riparian privileges like dock installation.
The Michigan Supreme Court later declined to review the case.
