Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

The long-running legal feud over plans by Champlin's Marina to expand in Block Island's Great Salt Pond is going to the state Supreme Court, possibly propeling the case to ranking as one of the biggest Rhode Island coastal battles in decades.

The court Tuesday agreed to hear appeals from the Conservation Law Foundation and island conservation groups. It also continued a stay it previously issued that blocks the marina from going ahead with any expansion work this summer.

The case will not be resolved quickly. The court issued a series of deadlines for filing briefs through the summer, and assigned oral arguments to its Sept. 29 calendar. Justice Maureen Goldberg, whose husband Robert is representing Champin's, did not participate.

The appeals are in response to a ruling by Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel last February that disqualified three members of the Coastal Resources Management Council for inappropriate behavior, in effect approving the controversial expansion. Previously, CRMC rejected the expansion in a tie vote.

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