Mill
Below you’ll find our full coverage of the Crystal River gristmill and the Brammer family that owned it, Turner Booth and his bid to revive the mill, the Township Board’s effort to rezone the neighboring Brammer parcel from “residential” to “recreational” and the community’s response, in the run-up to Glen Arbor Township’s August 3, 2021, zoning referendum.
Glen Arbor zoning vote could determine future of mill project, July 30, 2021
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’s 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 Bram- mer parcel next to the historic, 1870s era Kelderhouse-Brammer grist mill on the Crystal River from “residential” to “recreational.”
Zoning: The Laws of the Land, July 31, 2021
Codified into laws and upheld by the courts, modern zoning ordinances have evolved to become the “laws of the land.” In Leelanau County, townships possess police power to enact and enforce zoning ordinances, while the county takes an advisory role through its planning commission.
Grist mill zoning spat confounds Glen Arbor Township, March 20, 2021
Glen Arbor was described in 2011 by the Good Morning America TV show as “The Most Beautiful Place in America.” Today Glen Arbor Township, which has experienced unprecedented growth pressure as a resort destination, faces a community reckoning. It involves a new resident with ambitious development plans, deep pockets, and close partnership with regional heavy hitters; longtime neighbors; zoning irregularities; and old wounds from a 40-year-old environmental controversy.
Grist mill on Crystal River will host museum, community space, potential restaurant, November 12, 2020
The historic, 1870s era Kelderhouse-Brammer grist mill on the Crystal River is a step closer to being reborn—potentially next summer—as a museum, a café, and a community gathering space. Turner Booth, the ambitious entrepreneur who acquired the mill from The Homestead Resort two years ago, secured a site plan approval from the Glen Arbor Planning Commission on November 5.
Old mill’s new owner: smart, young, free and open to whatever develops, October 20, 2018
Turner Booth, a former University of Michigan football player who left the New York City legal grind to follow his Glen Arbor dreams, is now the proud owner of the Kelderhouse-Brammer mill on the Crystal River.
Glen Arbor’s 19th century grist mill has new owner, October 16, 2018
Robert Kuras, owner of The Homestead, has announced that the historic grist mill and miller’s residence on the banks of the Crystal River in Glen Arbor have been sold to The Mill Glen Arbor, LLC. The acquiring entity is owned and operated by Turner Booth, a Michigan native who has relocated to Glen Arbor to rehabilitate and preserve the historic structures. Turner is a graduate of the University of Michigan and U of M Law School.
Turning back the clock: A history of the Brammer Mill, August 9, 2007
Edna Brammer reports that Mr. Fisher built the millpond in the 1800s. He dammed up the Crystal River north of Glen Arbor. The millpond was made by damming the water up but also letting the remaining water continue on to Glen Arbor and then come back to the bridge. The river ran under the bridge and the floom and around Mr. Brammer’s house, past the mill where it continued to flow down to Lake Michigan. He also built a sawmill on the millpond across from the mill in 1859.
Canoeing the Crystal River in the 20’s and 30’s, June 29, 2000
Seventy-five years ago Leelanau County was a very different place than it is today. Logging left the hills bare of trees. Electricity, running water, and the telephone were luxuries. Water levels in the lakes and rivers fluctuated with the weather. Water levels in Glen Lake and the Crystal River were especially affected then because there was no dam to control the water flow. Back then, a canoe trip cown the Crystal was an all day trip, an annual trip that our family looked forward to. We rented canoes from Krull’s Marina on Glen Lake, located on the south end of Lake Street. The marina is still in operation and is now known as Glen Craft Marina.
