Housing proposal clears first hurdle: Once again, the council considers the sale of land on Barker's Island for housing development.

Byline: Shelley Nelson

May 5--A proposal to build additional homes on Barker's Island cleared its first hurdle Tuesday night when the city council cleaned up language in the marina lease to restore less than an acre of land to Sailboats Inc. management.

The land was taken out of the lease in 2007 to accommodate a proposed expansion of the hotel and conference center, a project that fell through when financial lending markets dried up a few months later.

That land between the marina and hotel is back under management of Sailboat's Inc., making way for the sale of three acres available near existing housing on the southeast end of the island. The land sale is …