Crystal Harbor Marina purchase, major housing development sought by On the Narrows owner
Crystal Harbor Marina photo by Angela Doster DeWitt, Leelanau Vacation Rentals
Glen Arbor Planning Commission meeting draws passionate crowd in opposition
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
The McCahill family from Littleton, Colorado, hopes to greatly expand its boating business on the Glen Lakes by acquiring Crystal Harbor Marina, which is located on tiny Fisher Lake, where the Glen Lakes flow into the Crystal River. The McCahills currently own On the Narrows Marina at the Glen Lake Narrows.
Their plan, if it passes state regulatory approval and wins the blessing of Glen Arbor Township, would include updating and replacing the decades-old classic wooden marina, building 14 high-end homes in a horseshoe formation along the waterfront, and 12 “workforce housing” units behind them. Crystal Harbor Marina is in a commercially-zoned district where housing is also permitted.
“We’re interested in this property because it could let us expand our marine operation in service and sales and grow the number of full-time employees,” On the Narrows manager Conor McCahill told a packed crowd at a Glen Arbor Township Planning Commission meeting on January 2—many of whom spoke in opposition to the development. “On the Narrows is maxed out. We can’t grow anymore there.”
The McCahills would keep fuel sales and boat rentals at On the Narrows, but move seasonal slips, boat service, and boat sales to Crystal Harbor. Conor McCahill offered that the development would help their business house and retain local employees.
Crystal Harbor Marina, which Don Lewis has owned since 1982, is listed at $4.5 million. McCahill contacted Lewis on Oct. 1 to inquire about the purchase after Lewis turned down a previous, far smaller offer from a local group of citizens.
Those in attendance expressed concern, and outright alarm, about the size of the development and whether it could change the character of the Fisher Lake shoreline and ecosystem.
Rob Karner, watershed biologist for the Glen Lake Association and a Crystal River homeowner, worried how increased activity on Fisher Lake would impact the river.
“Whatever happens on Fisher Lake comes by my house,” he said.
Katy Rabidoux, who lives on Fisher Lake, expressed concern that the new development wouldn’t have enough parking to accommodate all 30 boat slips, forcing cars to park up and down Dunn’s Farm Rd.
“It will be like parking on M-22 near On the Narrows Marina,” she said, as some in the crowd mumbled the word “dangerous”.
McCahill was also asked how he could guarantee that the 12 single units would actually be priced at “workforce” or “affordable” rates—given the marina’s pristine waterfront location.
One opposed citizen urged McCahill to return to the Planning Commission with a plan with a lower footprint.
McCahill stressed to the commissioners and the crowd that the site plan he displayed was only preliminary and conceptual, in an effort to solicit feedback from officials and stakeholders.
His plan for onsite wastewater treatment in an ecologically sensitive area would have to pass the muster of Michigan’s Department of Energy, Great Lakes and the Environment (EGLE—formerly the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, MDEQ). His plan would also need approval from the Leelanau County Road Commission and Glen Lake Fire Department.
If the development wins state regulatory approval, the McCahills would submit it to the Glen Arbor Township Planning Commission, and then the Township Board. John Peppler, chair of the Planning Commission, said he would recuse himself from an eventual vote because of a conflict of interest: Peppler is the realtor listing Crystal Harbor Marina.
Zoning Administrator Tim Cypher said that a public hearing would be scheduled before the development is approved, and all homeowners living within 300 feet would be notified.
Local opposition to the plan appears to be fierce.
Frank Siepker, Sr., who lives across Big Glen Lake from On the Narrows (his son Frank, Jr. has the Christmas tree on a raft) accused the McCahills of being poor neighbors. He referred to their MDEQ-approved 2012 expansion of On the Narrows, which added five times more boat slips and moorings.
“I believe you have overbuilt that marina more than allowed,” Siepker said. “I’m not convinced you have any sensitivity to the neighbors. Many single-family homes will be very adversely impacted by this.”
