The Leelanau Conservancy is seeking township approval for its plans to turn an iconic former ski resort into a public recreation area.

Meanwhile, conservancy leaders urge the public to remain patient as they work towards an expected mid-2026 opening of at least some of the property.

The community exploded with joy in July when the conservancy announced that it planned to acquire the long dormant Sugar Loaf property. Executive Director Tom Nelson tells The Ticker he and his staff still can’t get over the reaction, which in many ways continues.

“We knew there was a lot of love for this landmark for lots of reasons…and the stories are endless about the love for this place,” he says. “But we were not ready for the outpouring of ecstasy and enthusiasm for protecting it…we couldn’t believe just how thrilled people actually were.”

Many people assumed it was only a matter of time before expensive homes behind a gated community sprung up on the hill, Nelson says, making its current trajectory (public access for everyone, forever) that much more sweet.

The property owner, whose identity has not been disclosed, agreed to gift the property to the conservancy contingent upon the nonprofit raising $8 million for the improvements needed to transform the former resort into a public recreation area. That money has now been raised, and the conservancy recently began working with Cleveland Township on a site plan.

“We are in the beginning of the site planning process with the township, and we want to be faithful to that process,” Nelson says. “We expect the process to take a few months, and once we've gotten through that process, which we think should conclude late winter, early spring, that's when we will actually acquire title or ownership of the property.”

Once ownership is transferred, the conservancy will get to work on the property. It will take several years for the full vision to be realized – a vision that includes a mountaintop pavilion, bike trails, restrooms and much more – but the first priority will be getting people safely to the summit.

“People are going to need two things: They're going to need a place to park off the road safely, and then a way to get to the summit with good signage,” Nelson says. “And so those are the things that we want to accomplish before we open the property to the public.”

Chad Jordan, the conservancy’s infrastructure manager, said conservancy staff has been working (with the owner’s permission) to get a better feel for the property.

“We’ve been able to gain access as staff to start collecting data to see how our plan will stand up to what's actually on the ground,” he says. “It’s really allowed us to connect with the place and see what will work on the land with the land.”

Aside from creating engaging public access and recreational opportunities, the conservancy will also work hard to restore habitat, remove invasive species and generally improve the natural health of the property, Nelson says.

“The ecological restoration of many parts of the property that have been neglected for years and years will be a big part of all of this and is very much a part of that $8 million budget,” he says. “It’s a huge aspect of this project.”

Indeed, there is plenty on that front to get excited about, Jordan says.

“Historically people think of the Loaf as the big mountain where everybody skied. But part of this project is a whole southern portion that people don't normally associate with it,” Jordan said. “That’s an intact wetland, and it has a fantastic stream going through it. And our resident staff botanist has found some unusual ferns and some flora and fauna that are pretty special.”

It will also be an excellent place for the conservancy, which has permanently protected more than 18,000 acres since its inception in 1998, to talk about its mission.

“When people ask us what we do, we can take them to the top of Sugar Loaf and point to our conservation easements, farmland preservation, the watersheds we're preserving, the intact Tamarack swamps that we helped preserve,” Jordan said. “And so it will be a nice working classroom for us.”

Nelson expressed his immense, continued gratitude for the property owner that made this all possible.

“It was a shock to me that the owner would be willing to donate the property,” he says. “I fully expected to be in a position to negotiate a purchase price in addition to all the planning, so I literally fell out of my chair when the owner said, ‘Hey, if you can (fundraise for improvements), the property will be given to you.”

Read more about Sugar Loaf's history here.