A proposed mixed-use development in Leland could bring four new housing units and four new commercial/retail spaces to the village’s main downtown drag. In September, developers will go before the Leland Township Planning Commission to seek the approval of a planned unit development (PUD) application. But is desperately needed housing enough? The project could see substantial opposition from residents at that meeting: Some locals say the development runs afoul of Leland’s quaint small-town character and want to see it redesigned or rejected before construction starts.

"William and Main" (rendering pictured) is proposed for a series of lots on N. Main Street in Leland, just across the street from the local Coldwell Banker Schmidt office and mere steps from the intersection of N. Main Street and William Street. If approved, the project would become the tallest structure in Leland – a three-story, 11,590-square-foot mixed-use building with four commercial/retail units on the ground floor and four condominiums on the upper two floors. The developer behind the project is J. Peterson Homes, a custom homebuilder that does business in both the Traverse City area and in Grand Rapids.

The presence of condos as part of the project triggers the requirement in Leland’s zoning ordinance for the developers to seek a PUD, which in turn demands that the Leland Township Planning Commission hold a public hearing to seek community input on the project. That public hearing has been officially scheduled for 7pm on Wednesday, September 6, with the Munnecke Room at the Leland Township Library serving as the venue.

That meeting could see a sizable contingent of locals pushing back against the development – at least, if Keith Ashley gets his wish. A former Leland Township Planning Commission chairperson, Ashley announced plans on social media this week to host a meeting next week – also at the Leland Library’s Munnecke Room – “for the purpose of sharing information with the citizens of Leland Township who are in opposition to the new building at 211 N. Main St.” Ashley’s meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 16 at 7pm.

“This meeting is intended to direct the citizens focus on what the Planning Commission powers are to approve or disapprove this project,” Ashley wrote in a post published in the Overheard in Leelanau County Facebook group. “Your voice is important and the Planning Commission will want you to be heard at their Sept. 6, Public Hearing. Please attend and share this invite as widely as possible. This project can be stopped, you will be the deciding factor if it is.”

When asked why he wants to organize opposition to the project, Ashley tells the Leelanau Ticker that, in his view, the development runs contrary to Leland’s zoning ordinance and master plan.

“In the zoning ordinance, a number of places use the word ‘character’ when it comes to describing what is expected from a development,” Ashley explains. “The master plan references character, as well. In my mind and the minds of others, this project doesn't meet the character of Leland.”

Ashley takes issue with what he describes as William and Main’s “very modern” design. The building, he thinks, would easily “meet the character of downtown Traverse City or Grand Rapids,” but is a mismatch with the surrounding buildings and neighborhoods in Leland.

“It’s a big building, and it’s right out at the sidewalk, and it’s the first building you’re going to see when you come into Leland from the north,” Ashley says of William and Main. “Mentally, it makes you say, ‘Oh, Leland is a modern town.’ And then you go another block and you say, ‘Oh, Leland is actually a quaint old village.’ We’d like this building to represent that appearance. If they redid the façade of this building to make it look like the rest of the stuff that’s in Leland, I wouldn't have any opposition to it.”

William and Main’s proposed uses are allowed by right in the C-1 commercial zone the building would occupy, which means that planning commissioners are required to approve the PUD proposal if it meets Leland’s zoning ordinance. But Ashley says zoning determinations the pertain to things like character are largely subjective, and that those determinations can be shaped by citizen input. He’s trying to rally public opposition to the project to bring that input to the project’s public hearing.

As proposed, the building would stand at just over 33 feet in height, while township zoning sets a maximum of 35 feet for commercial buildings. “It’s permissible under the zoning ordinance, so there’s no point arguing about that,” he says of the project’s size. “But you can argue about character and appearance, and that’s what I hope we will do on September 6.”

For their part, the team behind William and Main believes that their project does align with the vibe and character of Leland. The developer wrote in its PUD application that the building “has been designed to complement the small-scale commercial buildings found in Leland and other small villages within the region,” pointing specifically to William and Main’s large windows and N. Main Street storefronts as features that “provide a small-town, pedestrian-scale feel to the front of the property.”

“I am not going to comment on any of the opposing views to the project,” Joel Peterson – owner J. Peterson Homes – wrote in an email to the Leelanau Ticker on Thursday. “What I will say is that we spent considerable time and effort coming up with a design that we feel will enhance the village with additional retail and housing options. I own a home in town and Leland means a lot to me and my family. In planning for this project, we carefully followed the Leland Township Zoning Ordinance. The plan meets every criteria of the C-1 zoning district and as such is considered a ‘use by right.’  I’m confident the planning commission will recognize this fact and pass the PUD accordingly.”