ROCKLAND – City councilors have reached consensus in favor of the Samoset Resort’s proposal for a marina.

City Manager Tom Hall said Friday that councilors seem to favor the plan in principle and made some headway Wednesday in identifying changes they want to see.

The resort needs the city to approve a zoning agreement to allow commercial use of what is now a residential zone. The Samoset made a lengthy presentation to the Rockland Planning Commission earlier this year and a formal presentation to the council earlier this month on its plans for an 850-foot pier adjacent to the Rockland Breakwater.

The council delayed a vote on the zone change until next year.

The city’s harbor master and code enforcement officer joined the five councilors in the 31/2-hour discussion Wednesday, Hall said. Late in the meeting, the Samoset’s Jim Ash was invited to participate by answering questions from councilors.

“The central issue that seemed to be pivotal had to do with public access,” Hall said.

Councilor Joe Steinberger, in particular, wants to ensure that residents who walk from the end of Samoset Road to the breakwater will not face any barriers. The Samoset’s plans provide for an unimpeded walkway, but Steinberger objected to two gates that block access to the resort and the marina.

Ash has explained that the marina needs to provide security for the 25 to 35 boats that will use it, which is the reason the gate was planned. But he also has said the resort could use security staff to patrol the floats, and perhaps let the public onto the docks.

Hall said Ash agreed to discuss the idea with the resort’s designers and attorneys.

Councilors also suggested that the public could have access to a building the resort plans for the bluff overlooking the breakwater. That structure, which the Samoset is calling a chandlery, would feature a fog bell tower design and be used to sell drinks.

The ideas for increasing public access to the breakwater area rather than impeding it met with favor with councilors, Hall said.

“That really seemed to break the log jam,” he said.

Having a water taxi business serve the harbor also was discussed by councilors. The water taxi – probably run by an independent, private business, Hall said – could carry Samoset guests from the marina to the public landing near downtown Rockland, something councilors and others want to see so stores and restaurants could benefit from visitor spending.

A water taxi might also be able to bring people from the downtown to the breakwater, councilors suggested.

If a water taxi does serve the harbor, Hall said, the city could avoid having to build more dinghy floats because many boat owners probably would choose to pay a small fee to be shuttled to their moorings, instead of rowing to their boats.

There are about 500 moorings in Rockland harbor, Hall said, with many belonging to recreational boaters.

“It was an upbeat meeting,” the manager said of the discussion.

The council will meet Jan. 8 to discuss the contract zoning agreement.