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