Summary
This document is not a set of meeting minutes but the March 12, 2025 consultant working draft of the Leelanau Township Master Plan, reviewed by the Leelanau Planning Commission on March 13, 2025. The draft (98 pages) covers demographics, housing, natural features, coastal resiliency, community facilities, parks and recreation, transportation, economic development, and land use, and still contains unresolved editorial notes (e.g., "need client to complete"). It draws on a 2021 community survey (505 responses) and open house (about 40 participants) and recommends numerous zoning and policy changes to be finalized before adoption.
Public Comments
No live public comment period is recorded; input instead comes from the 2021 community survey and open house. Survey findings: 62% year-round residents; 12% wanted more affordable/workforce housing; 99% said Lake Michigan is an asset; 83% favored more aggressive dune/bluff protection; 81% supported continued dark-sky preservation; 67% favored a Time of Sale/Transfer (TOST) septic inspection ordinance (11% opposed); 35% said shoreline armoring harms Lake Michigan (25% disagreed). At the open house, 97% supported internal and attached accessory dwelling units (ADUs), 85% supported detached ADUs, and 79% favored size regulation of ADUs. No written letters are referenced.
Affordable Housing Initiatives
The housing chapter finds Leelanau Township needs an estimated 39 additional rental units and 32 ownership units by 2025 (County-wide: 367 rental, 301 ownership). Median household income is $55,517; median home value $298,000; median rent $1,070. Roughly 42% of households are classified as "ALICE" (above poverty but financially strained). Recommended strategies include reducing minimum lot sizes in R2/R3A/R3S districts, permitting co-housing, revising ADU/guest-house residency and lot-size rules, adopting individual and community micro-unit regulations, continuing enforcement of the Open Space Residential Development (cluster) ordinance, entering a local government agreement with the Leelanau County Land Bank, and pursuing brownfield-land bank funding for affordable development.
Parks and Recreation Matters
The Township owns 285 acres across six parks (Braman Hill, Peterson Park, Buster Dame Park, Omena Beach Park, Christmas Cove Beach, Woolsey Airfield), guided by the 2022 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Six Leelanau Conservancy natural areas lie within the Township, along with Leelanau State Park (1,550 acres; 279,671 day-use visitors and 16,118 campers in 2018). Recommended action: implement the Parks and Recreation Master Plan's goals and continue partnering with the Conservancy.
Infrastructure Projects
The Village of Northport and Township jointly operate a wastewater system with available expansion capacity. The plan recommends assessing enrollment in the state Wellhead Protection Program and notes Leelanau County adopted a TOST septic/well inspection ordinance in 2023. No marina or cell tower projects are discussed.
Other Business
Additional topics include transportation (137 miles of township roads, M-22 designated a Pure Michigan Byway, no dedicated non-motorized paths currently, BATA bus service, Woolsey Memorial Airport), natural features (wetlands, dunes, dark-sky preservation), coastal resiliency (recommendation to prohibit shoreline armoring and redefine the waterfront setback datum), and land use/zoning updates aligning with a new Future Land Use Map.
Financial Summary
Key figures include median home value ($298,000 vs. County $268,000/State $154,900), median rent ($1,070), and Leelanau County's household "survival budget" (e.g., $48,480/year for two adults). CZMP grants cited elsewhere in Michigan ranged from $25,000 to $75,000. Farmland Preservation Program (PA 116) offers tax incentives; only 332 acres in the Township are enrolled, with 165 acres set to expire in 2035. Brownfield/land bank tax-increment financing is proposed to help fund affordable housing without direct Township expenditure.
Action Items
Numerous "Points to Consider" are listed for future Planning Commission/Township Board action: adopt a TOST ordinance, join the Wellhead Protection Program, revise zoning for ADUs/micro-units/co-housing, prohibit shoreline armoring, establish a scenic road overlay, form a non-motorized advisory group, and pursue a local government agreement with the Leelanau County Land Bank. The draft flags a notable equity concern: Northport Public Schools has the state's highest rate of low-income student homelessness (54%), linked to the broader housing-affordability crisis.