Has The Leelanau Pines Saga Finally Drawn To A Close?

Another new year, another new chapter in the saga of a proposed (and embattled) expansion to the Leelanau Pines campground.

Though a settlement between Centerville Township and the owners of Leelanau Pines seemed to indicate light at the end of the tunnel late last year, that settlement is now off the table, which has sent the case back to the courtroom. January alone saw several major developments in the lawsuit, including the intervention of a third party, the Lake Leelanau Lake Association (LLLA), and a ruling from the 13th Circuit Court that sided with Centerville Township. But has the dispute over the Cedar RV resort reached the finish line, or is it merely entering another new phase? 

First, a quick refresher course: In December 2021, Leelanau Pines changed hands. Northgate Resorts, a Grand Rapids-based company that operates more than two dozen campgrounds across the country, purchased the property from its previous owners, the Novak family. After its 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.

Northgate’s plans would have grown the number of campsites at Leelanau Pines from 170 to 342. Other proposed changes included renovations of existing structures – such as the camp office, restrooms, game room, bathhouse, and laundry facility – as well as the construction of a waterfront pavilion, a marina store, a boathouse, swimming pools, a splash pad, a mini golf course, sports courts, walking trails, and boardwalks. Northgate also floated the idea of a potential “future phase,” which would have added another 113 campsite – but opted to remove that piece of its proposal in response to public concerns over tree preservation, noise, and excessive vehicle or boat traffic.

The modernization plans sparked public backlash: More than 200 local residents attended a public hearing in August 2022, and their public input ultimately prompted Centerville planning commissioners to deny Northgate’s proposed site plan, ruling it ran contrary to the township’s master plan. After appealing the matter to Centerville’s zoning board of appeals (ZBA) – which upheld the planning commission’s decision – Northgate sued the township, 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.”

Following a mediation process, the township and Northgate reached a settlement last year, which allowed Northgate to reimagine and resubmit its proposal for growing Leelanau Pines. The new plan reduced the number of new campsites to 150 and capped the number of boat slips to 82, among other changes. But the settlement was conditional, leaving the door open for the lawsuit to resume if Centerville’s planning commission failed to approve Northgate’s rejiggered proposal.

That’s precisely what happened: At a December meeting, the planning commission voted 2-1 to reject Northgate’s plans once more. The commission fretted about the expansion’s consequences for Centerville Township’s “scenic aesthetic” and its potential impacts on valuable water ecosystems – including in Lake Leelanau and in Rice Creek, which runs through the Leelanau Pines property.

On January 7, a judge officially granted intervenor status to LLLA, which is now officially a party to the Northgate vs. Centerville Township lawsuit. The LLLA has been a vocal and ever-present player in the Leelanau Pines matter so far, even going so far as to livestream planning commission meetings – which aren’t broadcast by Centerville Township itself – via its Facebook page. A nonprofit, LLLA serves to represent “the interests of Lake Leelanau shoreline property owners (riparians) and everyone else concerned.” The organization has more than 500 members, most of whom reside on – and own property along – Lake Leelanau’s shores.

In an email to LLLA members and other newsletter subscribers last week, LLLA board member and retired attorney Donald Baty explained the significance of the organization’s newfound intervenor status, noting that it should allow LLLA to “participate in any future settlement discussions and other proceedings if the Court orders that Northgate’s redevelopment application be reconsidered by Centerville Township.”

For now, though, no such court order appears to be anywhere on the horizon: Judge Kevin Elsenheimer of the 13th Circuit Court recently upheld the ruling of the Centerville Township ZBA, which in turn upholds the initial rejection of Northgate’s plans by Centerville’s planning commission. In other words, the courts have sided with Centerville Township – at least for now.

Northgate could still appeal the decision to a higher court – the next step would be to take the matter to the Michigan Court of Appeals – but the case is resolved for now, pending the company’s decision.

Chelsea Bossenbroek, general counsel for Northgate, did not return a request for comment about how Northgate plans to proceed.

Photo courtesy of Northgate Resorts