Will the second time be the charm for the developers behind a proposed expansion to the Leelanau Pines campground? That question will be the core topic of conversation at a public hearing scheduled for tonight (Wednesday, October 25) at Leland Public School.

Last fall, controversy erupted in Centerville Township as the new owners of Leelanau Pines proposed an expansion that would have doubled the number of campsites at the campground, among other significant changes.

The new owners, Northgate Resorts, purchased Leelanau Pines in December 2021 from the Novak family. Based in Grand Rapids, Northgate operates more than two dozen campgrounds across Michigan and 15 other states. After their first summer operating Leelanau Pines in 2022, Northgate pushed to modernize and grow the asset, which is located at 6500 East Leelanau Pines Drive, near Cedar.

Specifically, Northgate wanted to add 172 new campsites at Leelanau Pines, growing the campground from 170 campsites to 342. Plans also included renovations of existing structures – including the camp office, restrooms, a game room, a bathhouse, and a laundry facility – as well as the construction of new additions, such as a waterfront pavilion, a marina store, a boathouse, swimming pools, a splash pad, a mini golf course, sports courts, walking trails, and boardwalks.

The original expansion plan also outlined a “future phase” that would have added 113 more campsites at a later date, potentially bringing Leelanau Pines to 455 campsites within a few years. Northgate ultimately opted to remove that future phase from its proposal, in response to public concerns about tree preservation, noise, excessive vehicle or boat traffic, and more.

The Leelanau Pines expansion plan caught the attention of local residents, who turned out in droves for an August 2022 public hearing to voice their (mostly negative) opinions on the project. That hearing drew nearly 200 attendees and was standing room only, with many people giving public comment and imploring the Centerville planning commission to deny the Northgate proposal in the name of preserving the township’s “rural character.”

The planning commission listened: Last October, commissioners voted unanimously to deny Northgate’s proposed site plan, ruling that the proposal ran contrary to the township’s master plan and its tenets for preserving Centerville’s “scenic aesthetic.” Since the project is classified as a “special use” under the rules of Centerville Township’s Commercial Resort Zoning District, the planning commission must approve a site plan for any expansion of the campground to move forward. Northgate appealed the decision to the township’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), but the ZBA voted last December to uphold the planning commission’s decision.

Northgate subsequently sued Centerville Township in federal court, alleging that the planning commission had “made up its minds before it engaged in required deliberations, review, and factual findings,” among other acts of “malfeasance.”

Now, under a settlement agreement reached between the township and Northgate through a mediation process, Northgate is back with a reimagined proposal for growing Leelanau Pines. Earlier this month, Centerville planning commissioners began looking at the new proposal, which reflects several points of compromise discussed during mediation. And tonight, the new site plan will get the full public hearing treatment, with a special meeting scheduled for 6:30pm at Leland Public School’s performing arts center.

There will be no formal vote or decision on the project at this evening’s meeting, which is instead intended for the planning commission “to receive comment on a request/application from Northgate Leelanau Pines, LLC., regarding expansion of the facilities provided for the existing Leelanau Pines Campground.” A proper vote on the proposal would then likely occur at a final site plan review meeting, which is scheduled for 6:30pm on November 6, also at Leland Public School. Under the township-Northgate settlement, the lawsuit can resume if the planning commission does not approve the site plan proposal at that meeting.

What exactly has changed with the design of the Leelanau Pines expansion over the past year of legal back and forth? Under the new plan, Northgate would add 150 new campsites to the Leelanau Pines property, rather than the 170 that were initially proposed. Those 150 new campsites would be built in two phases, with the first 98 set to be available to campers by May 31, 2024 and the other 52 slated for completion by mid-October of next year. The plan also includes all the amenities expansions that were proposed as part of last year’s design, including the renovations to the existing camp office, the new waterfront pavilion, and the new walking trails, boardwalks, sports courts, and mini golf.

As noted in a public notice announcing tonight’s meeting, “What is NOT included in [Northgate’s] request is any increase in the number of boat slips or docks in their riparian area as those need approval by EGLE [the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy] prior to any consideration by Centerville Township.” Notably, the settlement between the township and Northgate caps the number of boat slips at Leelanau Pines – which sits on the southwestern shores of Lake Leelanau – at 82. Prior to mediation with the township, Northgate had submitted a permit application to EGLE for 117 slips, but Planning Commission Chair Tim Johnson said in a meeting earlier this month that Northgate had agreed to “revise the EGLE permit application” to align with the settlement. Northgate’s plans also include a new boat wash station, to serve its boaters and slips.

Documents pertaining to the Leelanau Pines site plan – including the application itself, engineering drawings, findings of fact, and more – can be reviewed on the Centerville Township webpage.