Summary
This document is a piece of correspondence submitted to the Leelanau Township Board ahead of its May 13, 2025 meeting, rather than a record of board deliberations or votes. The letter, from a resident identified as Eric, addresses residents of Northport regarding "Buster Dame Park" and argues against a reported proposal to swap or redevelop the park for housing. The correspondence includes copies of two legal documents: a 1992 Michigan DNR Development Project Agreement (Project No. BF 91-125) and a 1991 Grant of Easement between the Village of Northport and the Township of Leelanau.
Public Comments
The correspondence is from a resident named Eric, writing to "the residents of Northport." He states that community members have shared memories, joined discussions, displayed yard signs, and spoken up to preserve Buster Dame Park as open green space. Eric's main concern is that a land swap or housing development on the park would violate two binding legal restrictions: the 1992 DNR grant, which requires the land be "maintained in public outdoor recreation use in perpetuity," and a 1991 Village of Northport easement (recorded in Leelanau County Records, Liber 321, Page 124) restricting the land to "public recreation purposes only," enforceable by the Village. Eric argues that any conversion would require a lengthy, rarely approved DNR process and formal Village Council rescission of the easement, and that bypassing these restrictions could expose the Township and Village to lawsuits and loss of state funding eligibility. He urges residents to attend the Township meeting on May 13 at 5:30pm and the Village Council meeting the following Thursday at 7pm, and calls for officials to explain how they intend to address the two sets of restrictions. No response from the Board is recorded in this document.
Parks and Recreation Matters
The correspondence centers on Buster Dame Park (formerly the Leelanau Twp. Rec. Field), a parcel in the Village of Northport (Block 1 and the west half of Ransom Street, Kehl & Ransom's Addition, Section 34, T32N, R11W). The 1992 DNR grant funded ballfield backstops, fencing, player benches, landscaping, irrigation, a hockey rink, a sand volleyball court, and a storage building, with the Township contributing $16,100 (32% of costs) and the DNR covering up to 68%, capped at a stated maximum. The agreement requires the facilities remain open to the public in perpetuity and imposes reporting, maintenance, and non-discrimination obligations on the Township. The 1991 Village easement, granted for $1.00 consideration, restricts the same parcel to public recreation use, a restriction that "runs with the land" and is enforceable by the Village. No Township or Village decision on the proposed land swap is documented in this correspondence.
Action Items
- Resident Eric urges the public to attend the Leelanau Township Board meeting on May 13 at 5:30pm (in person or via Zoom).
- Resident Eric urges the public to attend the Village of Northport Council meeting on Thursday at 7pm (in person or via Zoom).
- Eric calls on local officials to clarify how they plan to address the DNR grant restriction and the 1991 Village easement restriction before pursuing any land swap or housing proposal for Buster Dame Park — an ongoing point of community concern given the legal protections cited.