Glen Arbor zoning vote could determine future of Mill project

By Jacob Wheeler

Sun editor

The signs are seemingly everywhere around Glen Arbor this summer: the black and white “VOTE YES! Save The Mill” up against the red white and blue “Glen Arbor Zoning Proposal VOTE NO.”

Here’s what at stake. During the primary election on Tuesday, August 3, Glen Arbor Township residents will vote to either approve, or overturn, the Township Board’s decision on February 16, by a 4-1 vote, to rezone the Brammer parcel next to the historic, 1870s era Kelderhouse-Brammer grist mill on the Crystal River from “residential” to “recreational.” The outcome could dramatically impact the stretch of M-22 northeast of Glen Arbor, where the river makes an oxbow before heading north toward Lake Michigan. 

A recreational zoning designation would allow the mill’s owner, Turner Booth, to build a parking lot that would supplement whatever commercial activity he pursues for the restored mill. Booth acquired the decaying mill from The Homestead in 2018 and has repaired the roof and taken steps to renovate the interior. He has floated several possible commercial uses for the mill—including a museum, a café, a community center, a health and wellness yoga studio, or a restaurant. According to Booth’s website, the mill may accommodate “small weddings or similar events during reasonable business hours.” However, Booth has not publicly committed—or has not yet decided—how the mill will ultimately be used.

Booth’s permit application to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, seeks a new kayak dock in the lower level of the mill where it meets the Crystal River and a parking lot on the neighboring Brammer parcel, which he and the Township Board consider zoned “recreational.” Booth also approached neighboring landowners with property on the corner of M-22 and Bay Lane in September 2020 and sought, unsuccessfully, to acquire their property.

Many locals view Booth as a savior for his bid to revive the old mill, which deteriorated for decades. Before moving to Glen Arbor three years ago, where his family has long owned property at The Homestead, Booth played football (and majored in philosophy) at the University of Michigan, then worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in New York City.

Booth has said that the Brammer parcel must be zoned “recreational” in order for the mill to become a viable and profitable venture. 

At issue for the group “Love Old Glen Arbor” (LOGA) isn’t the restoration of the mill, per se, but the status of the neighboring land parcel and the process by which the Glen Arbor Township Board rezoned it as “recreational.” LOGA gathered 100 signatures in March—15 percent of the 666 people who voted in Glen Arbor Township during the 2018 gubernatorial election—to put the issue before voters on Aug. 3.

LOGA charges that the rezoning conflicts with Glen Arbor’s 2019 Master Plan, which seeks to keep new commerce within the unincorporated village, itself, and curb sprawl. The citizen group also contends that the Township Board bypassed procedures, dismissed neighbors’ concerns, and ignored calls for transparency when it rezoned the Brammer parcel. LOGA, which purchased two half-page advertisements in this edition of the Glen Arbor Sun, accuses the Board of “spot zoning” and states that its objection is “not about the mill. It’s about zoning.” LOGA encourages voters to visit the website, VoteNoAugust3.com, for information about their cause.

In response to LOGA’s ballot initiative opposed to the rezoning of the Brammer parcel, Booth and his team have run a carefully crafted public messaging campaign all summer, which includes uplifting and inspirational photos posted to Instagram and Facebook which offer a sneak preview of the mill’s interior restoration. Through the month of July, Booth has also appeared at Glen Arbor’s Tuesday morning farmers markets to appeal to voters to support the rezoning effort and the mill’s future plans. His website, TheMillGlenArbor.com, calls on citizens to “join us in saving The Mill and vote yes for our community and future generations to enjoy access to this rich history and beauty along the Crystal River.”

In response to charges by LOGA that development of the Brammer parcel “could lead to increased traffic and congestion on the northeast end of Glen Arbor, changing its character forever, and environmental damage to the Crystal River,” Booth responds on this website that “increased traffic and congestion are a reality of a growing tourist destination. Plans for the mill contemplate adequate parking to accommodate mill visitors. My mission is to revive this historic structure and maintain a peaceful destination for Glen Arbor residents. I love Boone Docks, Art’s Tavern, Crystal River Outfitters, and Cherry Republic but I do not envision a competing operation at the mill.”

Visit GlenArborSun.com/Mill to read our full coverage of Turner Booth, the historic grist mill, and the Township Board’s effort to rezone it recreational.