Nineteen months after tabling their original application with the Elmwood Township Planning Commission, developers behind a controversial wellness resort are back to try again.

Exactly two years ago today (December 20), Elmwood Township planning commissioners held the first public hearing for Wellevity, a project that sought to bring lodging, a spa and fitness center, a retail market, a restaurant and bar, a “meditation dome,” an event venue, and other features to a long-vacant part of the former Timberlee Resort property. 

While that initial public hearing was sparsely attended, opposition to Wellevity began to build after the Leelanau Ticker published an article about the planned resort in January 2023. The project became so controversial in the ensuing months, it prompted the planning commission to reopen the public hearing and relocate meetings to larger venues to accommodate overflow crowds, among other breaks with standard township procedures.

Everything came to a head at a May 24, 2023 meeting, where developers asked the commission to table their special use permit (SUP) application indefinitely. Marc S. McKellar, attorney for the developers, wrote in a letter that his clients had “been listening to the individuals in the surrounding neighborhoods” and wished “to propose a major amendment to the current application.” McKellar estimated at the time that his side would likely have a new application “within six months.”

Now that “major amendment” is here. In a project application dated November 25, 2024 and labeled as “Version 1.2,” Wellevity’s developers outline the steps they’ve taken to address public pushback.

Most pushback came from the residents of two nearby neighborhood roads –Timberwoods Drive and Cottonwoods Drive – which Wellevity plans to use as the public access route. Homeowners worried such an approach would drastically affect qualify of life by bringing more traffic, reducing road safety, and exacerbating wear and tear of the streets. Other concerns included light and noise pollution, excessive use of the groundwater resources on Timberlee Hill, drainage and stormwater management, and environmental impact.

On the subject of roads and traffic, the new application includes the results of a traffic study, which Wellevity’s developer completed “to “ensure the adequacy of the road network” and “to gain an understanding if any road improvements are needed to accommodate Wellevity’s traffic.” The study concludes that Wellevity will have “no significant impact on traffic operations on the area road network and intersections” and will not result in any “projected increase of accidents based on the low volume of traffic forecasted to be generated by the site and the capacity of the roads.” Traffic estimates point to a maximum of 124 hourly trips to or from the property during peak morning hours, and a maximum of 165 trips during peak afternoon hours.

Regarding groundwater, the application notes that Wellevity has addressed “the public’s concern about drawdown from the regional aquifer” by hiring Andy Smits – a geological engineer best known to locals as the current Grand Traverse County drain commissioner – “to evaluate potential effects of the proposed water well use.” Smits’ conclusion is that “the forecasted drawdown effect of the Wellevity well is nearly immeasurable at the municipal well field, and will therefore, have no impact on Timberlee’s water supply.”

As part of the application, Wellevity has proposed a series of concessions and compromises in hopes of appeasing nearby homeowners. The biggest one is the formation of a new nonprofit organization, with membership “limited to property owners fronting or served by E Timberwoods Drive.” Wellevity would then execute a Joint Maintenance Agreement (JMA) with that nonprofit, which would “outline the cost-sharing responsibilities for the maintenance, repair, and improvement of E Timberwoods Drive.” Upon the establishment of the nonprofit and the signing of the JMA, Wellevity would also put $100,000 into escrow “to be used exclusively for the upgrade, improvement, or enhancement of the road or within the road easement area with a focus on improving safety for all users.”

Wellevity has also promised to perform condition reports for Timberwoods and Cottonwood, both before and after construction.

The project concept itself is still mostly the same, with the new application describing Wellevity as “a full-service wellness resort” with a spa, fitness center, resort hotel, sit-down restaurant, detached cottages, outdoor event space, and more.

Despite similarities to the initial plan, Wellevity developers will have to restart the SUP approval process over from the beginning. That means another public hearing, among other steps. Sarah Clarren, Elmwood Township’s planner and zoning administrator, says the township has not “settled on a date yet” for when the Version 1.2 application will appear on a planning commission agenda.

“We are carefully monitoring any notices issued by the Township for upcoming meetings and/or hearings regarding the application, and plan to make our voices heard if necessary,” says environmental attorney Lauren Teichner. Teichner represents both Friends of Timberlee and the East Timberwoods Drive Association, a pair of neighborhood organizations that opposed the Wellevity development last time around. On the subject of the new application, Teicher tells the Leelanau Ticker she is in the process of reviewing the new materials with her clients and “can’t share a firm stance yet.”

McKellar confirmed he is still representing the developers for Wellevity, but declined to comment for this article.