It’s been more than 20 months since the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and a local nonprofit took ownership of the former Timber Shores property south of Northport.

The announcement was hailed as a victory for the tribe, which received nearly 200 acres of ancestral land – now called Mashkiigaki – and generated considerable excitement about the potential for more affordable housing in an area that badly needs it.

So, what’s the latest?

The Ticker connected with the tribe and New Community Vision (the nonprofit formed to pursue affordable housing) for a project update.

Background

Most of the 212-acre coastal property had been an RV park called Timber Shores, and later a summer camp, through the late 1980s. When a developer proposed resurrecting its former use in 2021 – with 355 RV sites, 15 tent sites and other amenties – a community uproar ensued and the project faced a series of legal challenges. Developers dropped the proposal in late 2022.

In the summer of 2023, New Community Vision formed with the purpose of raising funds to buy the land for a “hybrid land trust model,” with some of the land used for a nature preserve and some used for an affordable housing development. NCV partnered with the tribe for the project.

Eventually, an $11.9 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to GTB made the acquisition possible. Announced in July 2024, the NOAA grant earmarked some $6.5 million for the purchase and restoration of the property.

The tribe and NCV announced their acquisition in late December 2024. The tribe received 188 acres and NCV received an adjacent 24 acres.

Grand Traverse Band update

The tribe is working through several ecological and cultural processes with the property.

“GTB Natural Resources staff have been engaged in community outreach efforts to understand the diverse visions and priorities of the GTB community as the Tribe re-establishes a relationship with this 188-acres of land – including community surveying, outreach at events, the formation of a Tribal Youth Advisory Council, and plans for a facilitated winter engagement series within the Tribal community,” the tribe said in a written statement to The Ticker.

The tribe recently hosted a community potluck beach night, which brought 130 people together at Mashkiigagi. It served as a “pre-Powwow gathering and celebration of the land’s return to GTB.”

Efforts to assess the landscape of Mashkiigaki and inform future restoration actions are also underway, the tribe said. The Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network completed a survey of the property and the properties of numerous adjacent landowners in July.

The tribe’s natural resources department is also soliciting engineering firms to conduct a formal hydrologic assessment of Mashkiigaki and forensic investigation of the historic alignment of Ennis Creek, as well as preliminary designs for removing and/or remediating eight road-stream crossings that intersect the creek.

Portions of the property will eventually be open to the public, tribal attorney Bill Rastetter tells The Ticker.

“Public access to the property will be determined through tribal-led visioning sessions, ensuring that all approved activities are determined and supported by the ancestral stewards of the land,” he said, quoting the deed to the property. 

New Community Vision update

In the time since acquiring its chunk of land, NCV undertook a conceptual planning process conducted by Urban Design Associates (UDA), a national land planning firm with an office in Suttons Bay. The process – supported by grants from the Leelanau Township Community Foundation and Rotary Charities – included a series of stakeholder focus group sessions.

These stakeholders included area employers, employees/people in need of housing, neighbors, nearby property owners and NCV donors.

According to a written statement to The Ticker from NCV, “significant consensus emerged related to the local need, desired types and scale, and the aspects of character and values important to incorporate” at the property. Of note are desires that rural/scenic character be maintained at the site, that the focus be on owned properties rather than rentals and that deed restrictions preserve affordability and a sense of community. 

The conceptual planning process also included initial site, zoning and civil engineering analysis.

“The analysis indicates that no more than 30 units – and likely somewhat less – are possible on the 25-acre site, including a possible mix of stand-alone single-family homes, duplexes and, possibly, two smaller-scale townhouses,” NCV’s statement reads. “Taken together, this conceptual planning work is now serving as a planning baseline for NCV to explore partnership prospects and for more detailed planning.”