Momentum Builds For Timber Shores Preservation Plan

One milestone down, another one to go.

That’s the current status report for a local nonprofit and its ambitious plan to buy and preserve the Timber Shores property near Northport.

The Leelanau Ticker broke the news in June that New Community Vision (NCV), a then-newly-formed nonprofit, had an option to purchase the 200-plus-acre Timber Shores land from its current owner. Now, following a successful, sold-out benefit concert last weekend – and teasing a strong show of donations and philanthropic support from the local community – NCV says it is ready to move into the next phase of its campaign.

The Timber Shores land presently belongs to the developers who tried in 2021 to turn it into an RV resort. But that project was plagued by considerable public backlash, lawsuits, and even a ballot referendum, all of which derailed plans to put 355 RV sites and 15 tent sites on the property. The cool reception also ultimately opened the door for NCV to mount a campaign aimed at purchasing the property and utilizing it as a publicly accessible nature preserve and the home of a small attainable housing development, among other potential uses.

According to John Sentell, board president of NCV, the organization has made good progress to raise public awareness and support for the project since unveiling its intentions in June. Last weekend, on Sunday, August 13, NCV held its first true benefit event, in the form of a sold-out concert at The Ridge at Verterra in Northport, featuring the talents of singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor. Sentell says other events will likely follow soon, among other efforts to bolster NCV’s fundraising campaign.

That campaign is subject to a ticking clock: Sentell tells the Leelanau Ticker that NCV’s option to purchase the Timber Shores land has an expiration date, and that the nonprofit needs to hit certain “funding milestones” ahead of that deadline in order to pursue grant funding that would ideally cover big portions of the purchase price. Right now, Sentell says, the goal is to raise $5 million by October 1 to keep the dream alive.

“We are raising funds to buy this property outright from its current owner under an option agreement, but it's an option agreement that has a limited timeframe,” Sentell explains. “So, our concert was really part of the effort to raise awareness and also raise the funding needed to accomplish that goal. By reaching some big funding milestones prior to October 1, that would allow us to pursue the next phase.”

“Given the environmental protection and attainable housing components that are incorporated into our efforts to buy the property, we've identified some promising state and federal grant programs,” Sentell continues. “These require applicants to first secure a significant level of private philanthropy and thus, are part of the urgent need to secure $5 million in pledges by October 1.”

Though the Leelanau Ticker asked Sentell to provide a dollar figure update on how much NCV has raised so far – and how much the organization has yet to cover in anticipation of the October 1 deadline – he declined to disclose specific numbers.

“We’re not really able yet to share details in terms of the total donations secured,” he says. “But I will say that, since launching just six weeks ago, we're thrilled with the response in terms of donor interest and grant potential.”

One reason Sentell gives for not disclosing a fundraising total just yet is that NCV is still tallying donations and pledges from last weekend’s Livingston Taylor concert, as well as from other verbal commitments that potential donors have given to support the campaign. The Livingston Taylor event was limited to 300 attendees and attracted a capacity crowd – which, given the ticket price of $60, would equate to $18,000. In addition, attendees had the option to contribute “donation add-ons,” with $500+ in donations guaranteeing “VIP seating in the first five rows” for the concert. Sentell teases that NCV has “received many contributions” beyond concert ticket sales, and says the organization is “working hard to connect with everyone who has expressed an interest in supporting us with a pledge.”

As for grants, Sentell also isn’t ready to share which specific funding programs NCV is targeting, but notes that the organization is seeking “a mix of private foundation and public funding grants,” and says that the potential attainable housing component, especially, should open some doors for the project.

“There are a lot of funders that are very interested in this type of project right now,” he says.

Sentell urges local residents who are interested in seeing the Timber Shores property “preserved in perpetuity” to consider pledging donations to the campaign. He also promises further events – and further transparency about fundraising progress, grants, and other project details – “within the next month.”

“We plan to further utilize our website to provide community updates on fundraising soon, and we do have some other fundraising events scheduled,” Sentell concludes. “We also have some open houses scheduled, where we're talking about this endeavor and showing off the property, and we would encourage people to reach out to us via email from the website if they have any questions. We're responding to many, many requests right now, and we would welcome any and all questions and interest in the project.”

Andy Thomas, a Northport native and NCV board member is hopeful that members of the general public will bring the same amount of energy to supporting the efforts to preserve the Timber Shores land as they did to opposing the RV resort.

“When you consider the spectacular piece of the world that is Leelanau County, within Leelanau Township, other than road ends in Northport, we have only two pieces of public access frontage on Grand Traverse Bay: the township beach in Omena, and Northport’s public frontage of the marina and beaches. The Timber Shores property offers the possibility of public access, 1,800 feet of beach facing Gull Island, room for an attainable housing project, and 211 acres of grassland, wetland, and woods that, with community ownership, can be conserved for wildlife habitat. There will probably never be another opportunity on this end of the peninsula to achieve such a prize for the public good and enjoyment of our beautiful piece and peace within this natural world.”

Pictured: A map of the Timber Shores property in question.