Kingsville council has given town staff permission to initiate discussions with the federal government on potentially acquiring the lands in the Cedar Island Channel.
The town says owning the land next to Cedar Island Beach could be useful for future development.
Chief Administrative Officer, John Norton, said the town was approached earlier year by someone asking if the lands could be rented out.
"We made inquiries to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and they let us know that it might be best perhaps rather than go down the path of a lease, or a sub-lease to a private company or a private user, it might be best instead to simply have a conversation with the federal government about purchasing that channel," said Norton.
Mayor Dennis Rogers said he wanted to make sure the town was covered for maintenance of the lands.
"We're asking for this to be downloaded to us, so obviously if something is downloaded to us, there's services, there's upkeep, there's a whole bunch of stuff, so I would our conversations lead us to asking for dollars for maintenance," Rogers said.
Norton said there is a cost of dredging the channel on a regular basis and that would be included in the discussions.
"Controlling these lands might be of value to the community, to the municipality, for the future. We've mentioned already tonight about plans for a future waterfront master plan or study, and this type of thing can factor into it, having more control," said Norton.
The report said vacant lands provide flexibility to introduce interim, low-impact uses such as food trucks, with the goal for longer-term commercial opportunities, including a restaurant or other tourism-focused development that would enhance Kingsville’s waterfront experience.