March has been a busy month of potentially impactful news for Suttons Bay, but you might not know it if you didn’t attend recent meetings for both the village and the township. Today, the Leelanau Ticker runs down a few of the biggest developments to come out of those recent Suttons Bay meetings – from a tricky situation for a proposed workforce housing development, to a new TART Trails project that could make Suttons Bay more accessible to users of the Leelanau Trail.

Herman Road housing project hits a snag

A March 7 meeting of the Suttons Bay Township Planning Commission included a public hearing for a proposed multi-family housing development at 1054 S Herman Road. Developers Richard and Michelle Baldwin are seeking a special use permit to build a 14-unit apartment complex at the site, called Herman Road Apartments (architectural drawing pictured, top). The apartments, which are intended as affordable workforce housing and which would boast “attractive, modern, two-story architecture with two and three-bedroom units ranging from 1,024 to 1,262 square feet,” were initially slated to break ground in the summer of 2020, but have encountered several delays in the years since.

The Herman Road project hit another snag at this month’s public hearing, with the core barrier being the lack of a Village of Suttons Bay sewer connection at the development site. The Baldwins are toying with the idea of potentially building their own on-site septic system to serve Herman Road Apartments, but have been hoping that the Village of Suttons Bay would spring for a sewer extension that could serve the property and other future developments on or near Herman Road. Other developers – including Larry Mawby’s Peninsula Housing and Peter Leabo of Leabo Construction – have even spoken in support of the Baldwins’ development, noting that they are also interested in building housing in a similar area and would benefit from a sewer extension as well.

However, Village of Suttons Bay officials and staff say there are complicating factors that make extending the sewer lines a hurdle. Specifically, in the mid-2000s, a proposed condominium/housing project paid the village $2.2 million for 400 sewer access points that were intended to be used for a development called Leelanau Hills. Due to bankruptcy, that project never got built. However, the village ultimately spent the $2.2 million to help pay for the construction of its current sewer plant. As a result, some 40 percent of the plant’s capacity is still spoken for, per village officials, for the proposed Leelanau Hills property off Scott Hill Road. “The capacity is reserved and despite arguments to the contrary, the Village has a legal obligation to not sell that capacity twice,” read a report recently distributed to village officials regarding sewer capacity.

That report also recommended a community “build out plan” to help village officials understand “what can be constructed within our jurisdiction and understanding if we can service our future residents and/or developments.” That plan, if compiled, would inform future development decisions within the Village of Suttons Bay, as well as expansions of the sewer like the one proposed by the developers of the Herman Road Apartments project. In the meantime, though, developers are unlikely to get access to village sewer lines, which – in pushing the Baldwins to build their own septic system – could affect project plans, unit number, buildout timelines, and affordability.

At the March 7 meeting, Suttons Bay Township commissioners ultimately voted to close the public hearing for the Herman Road Apartments development and to table further conversations about the special use permit to a later date. The Baldwins are expected to return in the coming months with a revised plan that takes into account the septic system buildout.

Mini TART Trail expansion potentially coming to Suttons Bay 

At a regular board meeting held on March 8, the Suttons Bay Township Board heard from TART Trails Planning & Management Director Chris Cushman on a proposal from TART to build a new “access route adjacent to the township office.” The small addition would create a connection between the Leelanau Trail, the township office building, and the adjacent shopping plaza, which includes businesses like Chemical Bank, Body Balance, Lylah’s sandwich shop, and more.

Most of the new pathway would be gravel, but the project would also add a wooden footbridge to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross an area of often-soggy ground between the trail and the township offices. The township board has yet to vote on the project, but agreed to review the concept further – including a draft trail agreement between the township and TART – at their next regular meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, April 12.

Suttons Bay Township Board throws support behind 9 Bean Rows

Also at their regular meeting earlier this month, the Suttons Bay Township board voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to support 9 Bean Rows in its efforts to obtain a small winemaker license from the state. The resolution clears the way for 9 Bean Rows to go ahead with plans to apply for the license from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. 9 Bean Rows Co-Owner Jen Welty told the Leelanau Ticker last year that the business was planning to add a small on-premise tasting room where patrons could enjoy a glass of wine and “other in-house specialties, like sauerkraut, or jam, dried spices, or mustard…whatever we are growing/cooking with.” Steve Patmore, Suttons Bay Township zoning administrator, noted at the March 8 meeting that, even with the approval of the township board to seek a winery license, 9 Bean Rows will still have to go through a separate approval process with the township planning commission to obtain a special land use permit for a tasting room buildout or any other facility expansions.

Master planning and parks and rec planning in the works 

The Village of Suttons Bay is currently working on a new master plan for 2023, while the Suttons Bay Township Parks & Recreation Committee is in the midst of developing a five-year recreation plan. In late February, the Suttons Bay Village Council approved a draft of the new master plan for distribution, review, and comment. A copy of the plan can be perused here. Per the village’s official master planning website, a public hearing on the plan “will likely be in May 2023.” Local residents will have an opportunity to comment on the draft at that time.

The township’s recreation plan, meanwhile, is expected to pick up significant steam in the days, weeks, and months to come. This Wednesday, March 22, the Township Parks & Recreation Committee will hold a meeting and discuss putting together a survey to gather public input on what the five-year recreation plan should include. The committee has also scheduled a visioning session for the new recreation plan for 7pm on Wednesday, April 26 at the township offices. Per the vision session notice reviewed by the committee at their February meeting, local residents “are encouraged to bring ideas and dream for potential recreational developments at township parks.” Those who cannot attend the meeting can share their thoughts via mail by sending comments to PO Box 457, Suttons Bay, MI 49682.