Earth Month Blog Series

Warm greetings as we all get ready for spring!  

New Community Vision (NCV) continues to make exciting progress to acquire, preserve and restore the former Timber Shores property.  In April we also recognize Earth Month, a time where people around the world reflect on our relationship with nature and ways we can help protect this special corner of the planet where we live. So, over the next few weeks we will be sharing highlights with you from the valuable environmental investigation work conducted at the Timber Shores property last summer and fall. 

The findings from these environmental investigations supported a federal grant application and culminated in partnership with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa (GTB), for whom the former Timber Shores property holds deep ecological and cultural significance.  In fact, historical documents from the early 1800’s refer to the area as Mashiigaki, and translations emphasize the term’s reference to the wetlands, creek, shoreline and these interconnected ecosystems.

Investigations also illuminated  the special environmental impact of the property within the EPA-approved Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Plan, which designates the shoreline, creek riparian corridors, and wetlands as a “Special Critical Area”.  

One of the most valuable inputs of our environmental studies was a Natural Communities Mapping by a forest biologist and botanist, Liana May of  Borealis Consulting.  The findings of her report will be presented in three separate blog posts/reports in emails to you and on our website.  As you will see, her assessment of the Timber Shores property indicates incredible and varied habitats and its potential for restoration, finding the property to be of “significant conservation value, particularly for protections and restoration of Great Lakes shoreline communities.”

Throughout the blog posts, the landscape’s historical and current natural communities are outlined as well as an abbreviated list of native plant species.  The first blogpost focuses on the wetlands on the property.

Leelanau Enterprise on RV Waste Permit

Meakalia Previch-Liu

April 4, 2024

Timber Shores Family RV Camping & Beach Resort received a groundwater discharge permit on March 26 from Michigan’s department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). Monday, the permit officially went into effect, clearing another small step in a lengthy development process.

Good through April 1, 2029, this permit essentially gives authorization to discharge approximately 38,688 gallons per day of treated sanitary sewage to the groundwaters at the Timber Shores property off N West-Bay Shore Drive in Leelanau Township. Timber Shores would utilize a moving bed biofilm reactor that discharges to rapid infiltration basins.

Development plans for the campground and sewer in the last few years have been contentious among county residents and local government officials, resulting in application delays and zoning changes along the way.

The permit is based on an original application submitted in November of 2022 and amended through February 14, 2023. However, a final decision was made after a draft permit was public notice from July 18 through August 17 last year, during which EGLE received many comments from residents requesting a public hearing.

The public hearing, which garnered much input from locals of Leelanau Township, was held on Nov. 7. Neighbors of the property in attendance at the virtual public hearing were completely opposed to the idea of a discharge permit being issued, and urged EGLE not to do so.

In addition to the permit being granted, RVTS Acquisitions and NM Investment Co. owner Fred Gordon, who first bought the Timber Shores property in 2007, passed away in early March. Timber Shores developer/ representative Rick Cavenaugh said due to Gordon’s passing, he is working with his estate and partners that own the property to help get things in order and to ultimately find a long-term solution for the 200-plus acreage. For now though, the project is on hold.

“We’re working on getting some things cleaned up. I had been working with Fred for about three years on the development process,” Cavenaugh said. “Last year, we received the EGLE/Army Corps wetlands permit for the property — there’s not a lot, but there’s a few acres of wetlands… The two things that the township wanted to have before we could ever submit for a new site plan were the wetlands and groundwater permit issued, so what we’ve been doing in the background is getting those prepared.”

Cavenaugh explained they pursued a permit to operate its own wastewater treatment system because the Northport Wastewater Treatment Plant does not have the capacity to handle additional wastewater flow.

“It’s (the permit) the first step before you can design a package plant on a site to handle whatever the demands are,” he said. “So the discharge permit, coupled with the wetlands permit, gives us the two unknowns from EGLE and the government before we could proceed with any kind of site planning… It’s one of the next steps that we can take, but it’s not imminent.”

After the groundwater permit application was submitted, Cavenaugh said that Gordon signed an exclusive option agreement in 2023 with the local nonprofit, New Community Vision (NCV), that has been working to raise enough funds to buy the 213 acres of land. The option is still valid and in place, Cavenaugh added, and he is open to continuing working with NCV in the months ahead.

“The option agreement expires in June, but there’s always negotiations,” Gordon said. “... I know they (NCV) are very interested in moving forward, so we will continue to work on that agreement, and we will continue to decide if and when it makes sense for us to submit a site plan approval as a backup, or an alternative use if the land doesn’t sell.”

According to NCV, the permit approval does not alter its urgent fundraising appeal to preserve the property. The group “remains fully-focused on the outright purchase of the former Timber Shores property with a vision that will ensure its permanent protection, with the majority of critical lakeshore and open space set aside as a nature preserve.” NCV added that this is an alternate vision for a historic property “that the entire community can embrace.”

Additionally, NCV recently negotiated an amendment to its exclusive purchase option that extends its right to buy the entire property until the end of September 2024, allowing for more time to fundraise.

Read article here.

Special thanks to the Leelanau Enterprise for allowing us to share this article with you.

NCV Statement Regarding the EGLE Permit Approval for Proposed RV Park

On March 26th 2024, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) executed the permit for a wastewater discharge permit for the proposed Timber Shore Family RV Camping & Beach Resort development.  The developer originally applied for this permit several months before New Community Vision (NCV) secured an exclusive Option Agreement to purchase the property from the owner and subsequently began a fundraising effort. This approved wastewater permit is one of the steps forward in the development of Timber Shore’s RV park application.

New Community Vision remains fully-focused on the outright purchase of the former Timber Shores property with a vision that will ensure its permanent protection, with the majority of critical lakeshore and open space set aside as a nature preserve. NCV believes this is an alternate vision for this historic property that the entire community can embrace.

Importantly, to extend the window of opportunity to achieve this goal, NCV recently negotiated an amendment to its exclusive Purchase Option that extends its right to buy the entire property until the end of September, 2024.  This allows NCV additional time to continue fundraising through the summer months.

Related to this effort, NCV’s ongoing environmental studies of the former Timber Shores property have illuminated the truly special nature of this lakeshore gem. The property boasts a coastal landscape defined by sand and gravel beaches, interdunal wetlands, wooded dune and swale complexes and rich conifer swamps that are all ranked as “vulnerable” habitat in the state of Michigan, with interdunal wetlands ranked as “imperiled habitat”.  John Sentell, president of NCV notes that “such a special landscape is what helps to define Leelanau and protect our watershed. This continues to confirm why this property is deserving of conservation, restoration and careful stewardship.” 

The approval of the wastewater permit does not alter NCV’s ongoing and urgent fundraising appeal to preserve the property. As John Sentell, NCV president says, "Many of the special places in Leelanau are preserved by the power of people joining together to make a difference in our community's future. This is one of those important moments for our community." NCV welcomes the public to learn more and to get in contact via their website at newcommunityvision.org. 

Sincerely, 

The NCV Board of Directors