RV park at center Leeleanau Twp. referendum

William Perkins, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·4 min read

Oct. 23—NORTHPORT — A referendum in Leelanau Township may decide the fate of a long-defunct RV park.

It's a ballot issue that, if proponents had their way, would reverse the Leelanau Township board's March decision to impose stricter setback rules in the commercial resort zoning district. Under that amended zoning ordinance, developers would not be able to build within 100 feet of the shoreline, 125 feet from a neighbor's side yard, and 25 feet from a wetland.

"The reason that they did that is they felt it was necessary to protect the land," said Rick Cross, current township supervisor. "And obviously, people disagreed with that, and that's why they filed the petition."

Cross was not the supervisor at the time the original zoning amendment was passed. The former supervisor, John Sanders, was ousted from the position after that measure was approved.

In discourse surrounding the amendment, the policy has been hard to divorce from a certain high profile development proposed in the community.

The amended zoning law would effectively edge out plans to resurrect a shuttered RV park and campground, Timber Shores, located at a property south of Northport on M-22. A campground by that name existed on the same site decades ago, at one time occupying 450 acres.

Ownership of the property has flipped hands over the years, but a 210-acre section of it belongs once again to its original owner, Fred Gordon. Plans for the new campground would develop an even smaller, 80-acre portion of that land.

"It seems that certain members of the township board and planning commission were wanting to make the ordinance more strict so that Timber Shores would be difficult to be approved, and maybe, as a result, just go away," said Charles Wolverton, the environmental consultant who worked with Timber Shores on its plan.

A group known as Build and Invest in Leelanau Township (BILT) served as the political force behind the movement challenging the zoning ordinance. Organizers filed petitions in July with enough signatures to place a referendum on the ballot.

The ballot language, set for the Nov. 8 ballot, is worded such that a "Yes" vote would uphold the township's March amendment, while a "No" vote would maintain the prior, looser setback requirements. Timber Shores' official website includes a separate page for BILT and the ballot issue, advising residents, "If you support Timber Shores and oppose the new ordinance vote NO."

In plans submitted to the township board in early 2020, the Timber Shores project was slated to include 355 camping sites, a pond, mini cabins, putt-putt golf and staff housing. Developers also included a wastewater treatment system as the township and village facility does not have enough capacity.

The proposed resort stirred controversy in the township, with many residents saying it will be an economic boon for the community, as well as provide recreational opportunities for families. Others worried about traffic, the resort's impact on the environment, and the lack of parking in the village for campers who visit shops and restaurants, according to past reports.

In material on Timber Shores' website, proponents point out that the township's zoning rules extend beyond regulations established by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, (EGLE) which imposes no setback requirement from wetlands.

But Heather Smith, baykeeper with the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, said that's not uncommon.

"EGLE encourages communities to really fill in the gaps," she said. "They know that they're setting a bare minimum standard for protection and that if we want our water protected, if we want our sensitive lands protected, we as communities need to fill in those gaps."

The Watershed Center is a community nonprofit which worked with the township in drafting the environmental components of the new zoning laws. That advisory role was not carried out on a contract basis, nor was the work done for pay, Smith said.

Smith said the Watershed Center doesn't have a stance on how people should vote on the referendum, but said the changes were a "win" for wetlands.

"This is taking a step in the right direction for the township, so that in the future development has less of an impact on water," she said.

But Timber Shores and its proponents argue the amendment offers little to no ecological benefit, while requiring extensive site plan revisions for the park. The zoning changes were "arbitrary," and the township failed to map out the area's wetlands prior to creating its own local rules, Wolverton said.

"There was a political basis, and not an environmental basis, in my opinion, for the zoning revisions," he said.

Report for America corps member and data journalist William T. Perkins' reporting is made possible by a partnership between the Record-Eagle and Report for America, a journalism service project founded by the nonprofit Ground Truth Project. Generous community support helps fund a local share of the Record-Eagle/RFA partnership. To support RFA reporters in Traverse City, go to www.record-eagle.com/rfa.