Leelanau.com Blog
leelanau county news • traverse city news • michigan news

UPDATE 4/10: A reader sent a collection of annotated links that offers some interesting reading.

UPDATE 4/8: TV 7&4 has a report that includes an interview with Liko Smith that addresses tax issues. Definitely worth watching!

Yesterday the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported that Liko Smith, a Las Vegas-based entrepreneur is working to purchase Sugar Loaf Resort in Leelanau County:

The Las Vegas-based entrepreneur has big plans for Leelanau County's long-shuttered Sugar Loaf Resort, and he wants it open in a hurry. If all goes according to plans, he'll plunk down millions and have 100 rooms open at the resort's hotel by July 4.

"The key to this is speed and pragmatism," he said Friday.

The once-popular resort that covers several hundred acres in Cleveland and Centerville townships closed in 2000 amid a sea of financial troubles and back-to-back poor snow seasons. Multiple attempts to reopen never materialized.

Smith, 39, said he'd spend about $10 million to purchase the entire resort, an attached golf course and a supporting water treatment plant, parcels now owned by separate parties. He's been in contact with owners and hopes to finalize the purchase soon.

"All the contracts are being drafted; we expect to close by the end of the month," he said.

Then yesterday, in response to a slew of internet postings, the Record-Eagle followed up with news that he faces felony grand theft and embezzlement charges in California's El Dorado County, and is the subject of numerous derisive Internet postings about past business endeavors.

On Monday, Smith said "everybody makes mistakes," and said he remains committed to the Sugar Loaf purchase.

"If the citizens of Leelanau County and Traverse City want that place open; I'm the guy to do it," he said.

I did a lot of reading on Smith, both through articles about his endeavors linked from the Sugar Loaf Facebook group and other places as well as what he has to say on his web site. Sugar Loaf does need someone to come in and hit it very hard and very fast with a lot of money, something that Smith appears to bring to the table. Not having met or spoken with him, I find it hard to gauge whether or not he's a person who can be trusted to get the job done. Here's hoping...

The photos for this article were provided by Glen Arbor photographer Jeff Rabidoux. See these and a lot more beautiful landscape photos at lifeonthe45th.com.

The Sugar Loaf Vision Session Report is now available and the Traverse City Record-Eagle has a report on the results that says most residents:

...want to see it either returned to a popular tourist destination or converted to a community recreational center.

Those options were the clear favorites gleaned from June meetings designed to help township officials determine zoning and land use for the Sugar Loaf area, said Leelanau County Planner Trudy Galla.

The two most popular concepts aren't mutually exclusive, nor do they rule out other ideas that may still be incorporated into preliminary drafts, she said.

"This is just the beginning, so whatever ends up being developed for there could be quite different," Galla said.

...Some activities mentioned in the report ranged from extreme sports and water slides to bungee-jumping and golf.

A community recreational center scenario came from those who prefer a more family oriented, quieter use geared mostly toward locals. That conceptual plan includes an athletic and spa center, restaurant, sports fields and skiing interspersed with residential housing.

What do you think should be done with Sugar Loaf? Post your comments below!

On June 24 and June 25, 250 participants attended a series of sessions to discuss the future vision of Sugar Loaf. Representatives from Kansas State University TAB program, and from MSU will present these results and a short video clip from the final visioning session on Tuesday, August 18 in the Lower Level of the Leelanau County Government Center at 6pm.

Prior to this unveiling,  all Leelanau County elected and appointed officials, business owners, property owners, consultants, developers, and residents are invited to a workshop focused on Leelanau County brownfield initiatives at 3:00pm in the Leelanau County Government Center.

This is YOUR opportunity to speak to EPA officials about proposed projects, ideas, questions you have on current projects or funding possibilities, etc. Bring your questions and be ready to learn!

There will be a brief introduction followed by an update on the EPA grants Leelanau County has received for site assessment work.

Mr. Jim Van der Kloot from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office in Chicago, will give an overview of Sustainable development techniques that have been applied in the Midwest, with a focus on practical steps that can be taken which yield long-term benefits in terms of affordability, re-use of brownfield sites, and enhancement of the ecological setting of a site.

Mr. Mike Gifford, EPA Region V Brownfields Project manager from Chicago, will present the nuts and bolts of EPA’s Revolving Loan Fund Grants that can be used to cleanup contamination on brownfield sites. Find out what works, what doesn’t work and what your commitment is, if you apply for and receive one of these grants. This Workshop was coordinated with assistance from the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC).

Please RSVP by calling the Leelanau County Planning office at 231-256-9812. FREE – for Leelanau County Residents.

Photo: Sugar Loaf January 2003 by farlane

Sugar Loaf Resort closed almost ten years ago, but thanks to the efforts of Cleveland and Centerville Townships and the Leelanau County Planning Department, Sugar Loaf has a vision for the future.  A series of three visioning sessions, supported through the EPA's Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (TAB) program and funded through efforts of the Leelanau County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (LCBRA), and its Environmental Consultants, were held last month.

The 250 participants received an overview of the area and constraints to development. Sabine Martin, from TAB, facilitated the 8-person groups, which outlined their land use and design visions for the area. Each group presented their visions and priorities, and had chance to rank all priorities and visions. The top priorities from the sessions included topics such as: a year round recreational center, increased job opportunity, development of the airstrip for revenue, and local commerce. The priorities form all of the sessions are listed on the Cleveland Township government site.  In addition to the sessions, the public was able to submit comment online.

What's next? A report will be prepared, with input from the three session and public comments, by the TAB (Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities) program of Kansas State University. The authors will be Lisa Szymecko and Dr. Sabine Martin, with renderings done by Professor Pat Crawford of Michigan State University. The report will be released in August and will form the basis for the Townships' Sub-Planning process.

When Andy asked me to write a piece about how Northern Michigan survived the Great Depression, I was eager and interested from a historical perspective to reflect on the lessons of the past. Would our story reveal some truths or opportunities about our future? Soon I realized that the piece was really about wealth, or rather, the meaning of what we value in Northern Michigan. Over time, those values probably shift, but this region is abundant in natural wonders as well as resources, and that combination offers a potential that--to this day--attracts people with a pioneering spirit.

The depression era came as no great shocker to the people of our region. As news, it was certainly alarming, but in actuality, the lumber boon of the early 1900's, which had brought Northern Michigan an abundance of wealth, had already began its decline. The entrepreneurs that settled this region began employing their ingenuity in new directions. Former lumberman, D.H. Day, began marketing the region as a mecca for tourism, primarily along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Much of the area he promoted then has been preserved by the Park Service and lies within the boundaries of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, though it certainly extended to the neighboring towns.

Traverse City had established a strong local banking system and newspaper. Still, there was not an abundance of federal money flowing into the region. One of the methods for stimulating the local economy was inventing a local currency. This project helped create jobs for some of the locally unemployed. Innovative for its time, the local currency of Traverse City during the depression added money to the regional economy and stimulated trade, allowing fluid local exchange. Though only remnants of this depression-era currency still exist, a new local currency has been circulating for several years, known as "Bay Bucks," with the same intention of safeguarding our local scene from national economic adversity.

Traditionally, Northern Michigan has also enjoyed rich agrarian resources, graced with verdant soil--a gift bestowed upon us from the glaciers. During the depression, human activity (especially in rural regions), was not solely dependent on mass transportation for food stuffs. Combining the regions agrarian resources, abundance of water, strong financial institutions, a local currency, beautiful beaches and an aspiring tourist destination, the region survived the depression. Of course, the locals had to buckle down, they had to live without. However, swimming in a lake is inexpensive; in fact, much of what Northern Michigan offers abundantly is free to enjoy.

Today, the ability of Northern Michiganders to survive economic struggles may be attributed to a time-tested practice of successful living. Cyclical in nature, survival for many northerners is dependent on summer influx of tourism and on seasonal agricultural abundance. In meantime, we buckle down and ride the wave of recession; here, it is commonly call "winter." This seasonal economic drought has remained one known in the equation of Northern living, so we are trained to follow the ebbs and tides of abundance. Though not immune of state struggles, Northern Michigan is again relying on the wealth of our community, on the strong foundation of its past--infused with ingenuity and hope--as we approach the future.

Photo: Sunset Swimming by PammyLZ

The townships of Cleveland and Centerville invite the public to provide input and ideas for the future of the former Sugar Loaf Resort AND the surrounding areas.

Sugar Loaf Resort closed nearly ten years ago and now a vision for the future of the site and surrounding area is sought to provide guidance for how the Townships' master plans and ordinances could address potential development. Ideas and perspectives from the public will assist the townships as part of a sub-planning process initiated by the Cleveland and Centerville Planning Commissions.

There are 96 slots at each session (12 round tables with 8 at a table), the first two sessions filled up and the one they added next Thursday (Jun 25) from 1:30 - 4:00 pm is filling up fast – call them at 231-256-9812 to make a reservation! Visit the Leelanau County Government web site for all the info on these visioning sessions and to add your comments online if you can't attend.

Photo: Leelanau Cedar Mi Little Rare Little Traverse Lake & Sugar Loaf Hill by UpNorth Memories - Donald (Don) Harrison

Acting as a private citizen, Leelanau County Commissioner David Shiflett has posted a petition to call on Leelanau governmental units to get control of Sugar Loaf. TV 9 &10 interviewed David about the petition last night.

"Every year that the Sugar Loaf resort remains closed, more and more people leave the area," says David Shiflett, Leelanau County Commissioner. "The businesses are floundering, their struggling to survive."

Shiflett decided -- on his own time -- to start an online petition to encourage the county to help private investors take over the resort.

"My personal belief is 'let's give it a whole new look, wipe the slate clean, start with a new plan and go from there.'"

Background (Preamble)

Since the winter of 2000, Sugar Loaf resort has been closed, resulting in a loss of the employment for over 300 people at the resort itself, not to mention the impact on the economy of Leelanau County, and the Grand Traverse region as a whole.

The residents, business owners, and tax payers can no longer accept the fate of what once was our economic engine. It's time to take control and form a public/private collaborative for re-development.

Petition

We, the undersigned Leelanau County tax payers, residents, visitors, and friends, call on Leelanau County's Landbank authority, Brownfield Redevelopment authority, Economic Development Corporation, with assistance from Leelanau County Board of Commission, Cleveland Twp. Board, Centerville Twp. Board, to take the necessary steps to get control of the lands, buildings, recreational facilities, and Infrastructure that make up the historical Sugar Loaf Resort Hotel, Ski Runs, Sugar Barn, and Sugar Loaf Service Company and Sewer Plant, including, if necessary, the formation of a nonprofit or municipal entity to manage the facility for the benefit of the entire community.

We urge all private and governmental entities, and all citizens, to come together in a joint effort to bring about the redevelopment of this significant community asset.

Click to read & sign the petition to Purchase & Redevelop Sugar Loaf.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that McKeough Land Company, developer of the Bay Hill project (Leland Township off M-204 at Hoeft Road) has gone out of business.

“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t weather the real estate and credit crisis,” company president Mike McKeough was quoted as saying in a news release provided in response to an Enterprise query.
“Our cash flow really began to seize up in the beginning of 2008,” McKeough said. “And although we had many terrific properties with apparent equity, like Bay Hill of Leland, we just couldn’t raise the necessary capital to continue operating as McKeough Land Company.”

...A new company, Terra Firma Management, has been established to manage, market and sell McKeough’s holdings, offering many of its properties at “bank pricing” that in some cases may be 65 percent below previous list prices.

Photo: Dark times on Bay Hill by Andy McFarlane

Today begins a 3 week period in which year-round and seasonal residents from all across the region will fill out "The Grand Vision Scorecard", a survey designed by The Grand Vision to establish a long-term vision for the next 50+ years of development in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Wexford counties.

The Leelanau County Kickoff event takes place next Monday (October 13) at the MSU Horticultural Research Station.

Visit thegrandvision.org to fill out your scorecard online and get a list of locations where you can pick one up around the county!

Full disclosure: Leelanau.com is working for The Grand Vision!

In just over a month, residents of Leelanau County (also also Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Wexford counties) will be asked to help decide the next 50+ years of transportation and land use development in our region through a project involving community, government, business and citizens known as The Grand Vision.

Leelanau.com has been working on videos that explore what people across the region feel about issues surrounding the growth of the area. Here's the latest (click to YouTube to watch in high-quality) - please share this important effort with your friends & family and click over to thegrandvision.org to see more videos, learn more about the project and how you can get involved!