To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.
(Editor’s Note: Peninsula Township Supervisor Maura Sanders reports in with updates about parking lot resurfacing at the Lighthouse, lots of citizen participation, shared waterfront, upcoming meetings and more. Big thanks to Maura for these weekly updates that keep us tuned into what’s happening at the Township offices. Read on for this week’s note. -jb)
Old Mission Gazette is Reader Supported.
Click Here to Keep the Gazette Going.
June 13, 2025
We had a great week at the Township with a lot of citizen participation!
First, a correction: The Planning Commission (PC) WILL hold a meeting in July. Their regular monthly meeting on July 1 is cancelled due to not having a quorum. They will hold a special meeting on July 10 at 7 p.m. at the Township Hall to conduct July business. Their agenda and packet will be published per the Township’s packet policy.
The Township Board (TB) had a very robust meeting on Tuesday (watch the video here). We discussed the current special use permit (SUP) of a commercial property and have sent this matter to the PC for review of SUP violations. The PC recommendations will be sent back to the TB at a future meeting.
The TB also discussed the shoreline ordinance and compliance, specifically in shared waterfront communities. This is a good reminder to ask your HOA for a copy of all documents associated with your property, including the master deed, bylaws and SUP (if applicable). It’s also vital to understand our township zoning ordinance, effective June 5, 1972. We have learned a lot about the waterfront/shoreline permitting and safekeeping over the last couple years.
If you have questions, please call the zoning administrator for clarification, or reference the regulatory branch field office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at (616) 842-5510, or the Cadillac District Office of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) at (231) 775-3960 for questions regarding shoreline and bottom lands leading to navigable Great Lakes waterways.
They will also be able to provide clarity regarding language from the USACE: “A Corps of Engineers permit does not obviate the need to obtain other federal, state, or local authorizations required by law.”
The Agricultural Advisory Committee will be meeting next week, June 17, at 2 p.m. in the Township Hall. They have a full agenda, but some of the highlights include:
- Finalizing a recommendation to the PC regarding acreage requirements for large processing facilities
- Scalable acreage requirement(s) for small processing facilities
- Agritourism definition for the township
The Survey Ad Hoc Committee is meeting regularly. If you’re not able to attend the meetings in person, you can follow their progress on the Township’s YouTube channel. Their agendas can be found under the TB documents on the website.
Mission Point Lighthouse had a beautiful keeper’s parking lot resurfacing project completed this week. Alpers Excavating did a top-notch job. Thank you!
Updates from Down the Hall
The clerk’s office is working hard on the summer edition of the Township newsletter and continuing to answer a slew of cemetery-related questions. Look for the newsletter in the mail in early July!
Looking Ahead to Next Week and Beyond
At the June 10 meeting, the TB entered closed session (pursuant to MCL 15.268(1)(d)) to discuss the Township’s financial position in regard to purchasing property on which to locate the new fire station. However, due to meeting policies, we were not able to render any public discussion or decisions because the meeting ran late. (The proposal can be found on page 92 of the meeting packet.) The TB will take this matter back up at the next TB meeting.
On June 17 at 8 a.m. at the Grand Traverse County Road Commission offices (1881 LaFranier Road), I will be meeting with members of the Road Commission and Drain Commissioner Andy Smits to discuss the future of Bluff Road. The Township is working on the fine details of our Road Commission millage and the return on the levy. We hope to have all that information available in our summer newsletter in early July. If it doesn’t make the final deadline, we’ll publish it in the winter newsletter.
The Non-Motorized Transportation Working Group will host a community workshop on June 24 from 6 – 8 p.m. at Old Mission Peninsula School. Please come and help shape the future of walking and biking on Old Mission Peninsula.
I am off to Motown for the weekend and hope to score some Tiger tickets for tomorrow night!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Maura Sanders, Peninsula Township Supervisor
Phone: (231) 223-7323
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Mondays 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesdays – Thursdays 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Friday – Sunday and Holidays. If TCAPS is closed due to weather, Peninsula Township offices are closed at least until 10 a.m. Please check the website homepage for any updates.
————–
Also Read…
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
To keep the Gazette going, click here to make a donation.
To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.
