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Editor’s Note: Peninsula Township Supervisor Maura Sanders reports on a new PDR contract for an OMP farm, an education session on “Right to Farm” and GAAMPs, a patriotic event at the library and more. Big thanks to Maura for these weekly updates. Read on for this week’s note. -jb)
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June 11, 2026
The Planning Commission’s Zoning Rewrite Ad Hoc Committee met on June 2nd. View the meeting agenda here and the minutes here. Please follow along on our YouTube channel, available through July 1st.
The Planning Commission (PC) met last week on June 4th. View the agenda here and the meeting video on our YouTube channel here. Discussion took place regarding: signage – zoning amendment #208; special use process – zoning amendment #210; chickens and accessory dwelling units – zoning amendment; small processors – zoning amendment (from Agricultural Advisory Committee); and their meeting schedule. Thank you to the Planning Commission for getting through a packed agenda in three hours!
The Township Board (TB) met on June 9th for our regular monthly meeting. View the agenda here. We Signed Resolution 2026-06-09 #1 to Approve Purchase of Kelly Easement via our Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. This is a win-win for Mr. Kelly and the residents of Peninsula Township as it will keep the Kelly Farm, 100 acres, in farming in perpetuity!!
The TB also approved to move forward with our project consultant, Beckett & Raeder, for additional design and permitting services for the new launch at Kelley Park. There is an excellent reporting piece found in The Ticker here.
Updates From Down The Hall
The Treasurer’s Office reports that Peninsula Township was finally able to settle the 2025 tax roll with Grand Traverse County. We have received our check for all delinquent taxes, and all millages are paid in full.
We are hard at work getting ready for the 2026 tax season. Summer bills will be sent to the printer by the end of next week and will hit mailboxes around July 1st. If you do not receive your bill by the end of July, please contact our office. We are happy to put another one in the mail or email one directly to you. Happy Summer!!
Looking Ahead To Next Week – And Beyond
The Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) will meet on June 16th at 2 p.m. View the agenda here. They will be receiving updates from the Planning Commission and discussing: the status of the sign ordinance, the small processor recommendations, and the farm stay request.
The Peninsula Community Library (PCL) will be hosting a celebration as a part of the Sharing the Spirit of America event. They are hosting a reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8th, the date in 1776 that the document was first read aloud. PCL is registered for this nation-wide event, which will happen on the front porch at 6 p.m., a synchronized time across the State. Peninsula resident Jane Boursaw will start us off and end with a few patriotic songs, and the event will be followed by cherry pie for all. The event is supported by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The TB and the Planning Commission will hold a special meeting with MSU Extension and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) to host an education session regarding the Right to Farm Program and Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs) on July 13th. This will help inform and educate the PC during the planning process for the zoning ordinance re-write in the agricultural district based on recommendations from the Township’s Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC).
Please keep an eye on all upcoming meetings via the township website and our live streamed meetings (saved for 30 days on our YouTube Channel).
Have a great weekend, neighbors!! 🌻
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…
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Public beware: if the truth matters, there is reason to ask whether PTP will again attempt to shape, limit, or influence the township’s ordinance process. In 2022, Ryan Coffey Hoag, a land-use educator from MSU, was invited to speak to the Citizens Agricultural Advisory Committee to further educate members on GAAMPs and the Right to Farm Act while the committee was drafting proposed Section 201 language. At that time, Grant Parsons sent a letter urging the committee to control what Mr. Hoag presented and identifying questions the committee should not ask. The stated purpose of the letter was to” express the fervent hope that Mr. Hoag stay as far away as possible from discussing the application of GAAMPs and the Right to Farm Act to Peninsula Township”. Weakening an expert’s presentation in this way raises serious concerns about good faith and about PTP’s influence on the ordinance-drafting process. This time around, will the presentation content and the township’s questions be controlled again to avoid preemption or application issues? Included are links to Parsons’s March 23, 2022 letter; the same-day request that it be added to the meeting packet so the committee could discuss it before Hoag’s presentation; and a letter from Lew Siebold expressing concern about tainting the process.
PTP’s and Parson’s letter to township:
https://www.peninsulatownship.com/uploads/1/0/4/3/10438394/03-24-22_citizens_ag_advisory_committee_packet_addition.pdf
Lew’s Letter to committee:
https://www.peninsulatownship.com/uploads/1/0/4/3/10438394/03-24-22_citizens_agricultural_advisory_committee_packet_addition_2.pdf