Two major projects received the green light in East Bay Township this week, with planning commissioners approving a 171-unit neighborhood of single-family rental homes between Vanderlip and Four Mile roads and a 131-room Homewood Suites by Hilton at the corner of US-31 and Three Mile Road.

Brigantine
Allen Edwin Homes and Liv Communities are partnering to build 171 single-family rental homes across nearly 39 acres off Hammond Road between Four Mile and Vanderlip roads. The development team received unanimous support from township planning commissioners this week for the project (pictured, rendering), which will feature a mixture of housing sizes geared toward different income levels.

The Brigantine development, as the neighborhood is being called, will include a mix of “2-story and bi-level dwellings with floor plans ranging between 1,800-2,085 square feet with 3-5 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, and an attached 2-car garage with private driveway,” according to project plans. While many homes will be rented out at market rates, the developers said they’re also pursuing a brownfield tax increment financing (TIF) plan that will allow them to commit a portion of units as “missing middle” homes geared toward tenants earning 80-120 percent of the area median income (AMI) level.

Recent legislative changes in Michigan now allow for brownfield funding of workforce housing projects. Brigantine is the second recent project to come forward in Grand Traverse County seeking to use brownfield TIF funding to build housing. Another development group, Keel Capital, recently received approval for a TIF plan to build a 149-unit apartment complex on US-31 South just north of McRae Hill Road.

Township Director of Planning & Zoning Claire Karner noted that a proposed development for the Brigantine site has “started and stalled multiple times with other plans and other developers” over the years, adding that it’s “good to be moving forward with this.” The neighborhood will offer amenities including a centralized open space in the middle of the property with a playground, sports courts, fenced-in dog park, and a system of walking paths and benches, according to Mike West of Allen Edwin Homes. 

Primary access will come from Four Mile and Vanderlip roads. Road improvements will include a left-turn lane at the Four Mile Road access, a left-turn lane at the Hammond Road/Vanderlip Road intersection, and the paving of the southern portion of Vanderlip Road to the project entrance. Karner said Brigantine will not be connecting to adjacent neighborhoods Headwaters Apartments or Crystal Ridge, in large part because those developments haven’t built roads up to their own property lines. However, paved pedestrian connections to and through Headwaters will be provided. With the project approved, developers said they plan to begin construction later this year.

Homewood Suites by Hilton
After originally proposing to build two Hilton hotels on the southeast corner of the US-31 and Three Mile Road intersection, development team Bacall Group scaled back their plans to target just one hotel – and received township approval to move forward.

Bacall Group plans to build a 131-room Homewood Suites by Hilton on the property. A commercial building and two residential homes on the site now will be demolished. Bacall Group originally hoped to also build a Hilton Garden Inn but changed course after receiving significant planning commission pushback during an early sketch plan review. Several other aspects of the project also changed since that review, including reducing building height from six stories to five stories and eliminating a public restaurant/bar. An on-site pool remains but will only be open to the guests, developers said.

Officials expressed the most concern about impacts to Mitchell Creek, a worry that was shared by The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. Developers this week outlined their plans for stormwater control and emphasized they will not be impacting wetlands on the site. Bacall Group is removing 16 mature trees but will be planting new trees elsewhere on the site, developers said. Karner said Bacall Group had gone “above and beyond the ordinance requirements” in addressing buffering and landscaping and felt comfortable – based on the development team’s progress with Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) approval – in allowing the project to proceed.

Extensive consideration went into potential traffic impacts from the hotel given its location on a prominent corner that frequently experiences left-turn lane backups on both US-31 and Three Mile. Vehicles will only be allowed to turn right out of the hotel onto US-31, and only right both in and out of the hotel on Three Mile. Developers are also required to share a connection with the neighboring Hampton Inn, which Karner said is “going to be really critical.” With the state planning to reconstruct the US-31/Three Mile intersection, Karner said the township is advocating for pedestrian crossings to be installed “on all three edges of that intersection,” though the preliminary design now only has two – with one absent at the corner where the Hilton is planned.

Homewood Suites by Hilton specializes in “spacious studio and one-bedroom suites featuring fully equipped kitchens with separate living and sleeping areas,” according to its website. The properties offer free breakfast, a 24-hour fitness center and sport courts, a pool, and outdoor grills and firepits.