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Handout
Mailer / Flyer
Summary: A shareable one-piece mailer/flyer for property owners
around North Lake Leelanau. Explains what LLLA introduced to the Leland
Township Planning Commission, what the model language actually contains
(75-foot shoreline setback; one dock and one boat lift/hoist per 100 feet of
frontage; two motorized and four non-motorized watercraft per 100 feet;
mandatory site-plan review for most waterfront development; and additional
restrictions on structures and lighting), what EGLE guidance does and does
not identify as statewide best practices, and why an independent
property-owner organization is needed. Written to be handed to a neighbor,
mailed to a friend on the lake, or distributed at community gatherings.
Download DOCX
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August 13, 2026
Letter to Neighbors
Summary: The North Lake Alliance's letter to its North Lake
Leelanau neighbors, in downloadable/printable form. Introduces the Alliance,
explains why the Lake Leelanau Lake Association's July 1 handout raised
significant concerns for property owners, and invites neighbors to join.
Provided here so you can print it, forward it, or share it with a neighbor at
the lake. The same letter also appears
on the home page.
Download DOCX
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July 1, 2026
Meeting Summary
Summary: On July 1, 2026 the Lake Leelanau Lake Association
(LLLA) provided a handout on model zoning language for a new Waterfront Overlay
District to the Leland Township Planning Commission. The overlay would apply
from the ordinary high-water mark to 100 feet inland and would add a new layer
of zoning on top of existing rules — including a 75-foot waterfront
setback, a 35-foot vegetative shoreline buffer, dock/boat-hoist/watercraft
limits per 100 feet of frontage, restrictions on shared waterfront access,
a 25% impervious-surface cap, prohibitions on new marinas and hardened
seawalls, lighting restrictions, and site-plan approval for all development
within the overlay. No overlay was adopted; the Commission Chair described the
process as at the "very beginning phase."
Read summary
Download DOCX
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July 1, 2026
Official Draft Minutes
Summary: The Leland Township Planning Commission's own draft
minutes of the July 1, 2026 meeting, together with the exhibits distributed
with the packet — including the LLLA proposed Waterfront Overlay District
model-language document itself. This is the primary-source record from the
Township. The plain-language meeting summary above
covers the same meeting; use these draft minutes when you want to see the
official record and the model-language text exactly as presented. Large file
(~14 MB, 144 pages, mostly the attached exhibits).
Download PDF (14 MB)
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April 2026
Primary Source
Summary: The Lake Leelanau Lake Association's own
model-language document for a proposed Waterfront Overlay District, dated
April 2026, and distributed as a handout at the July 1 Leland Township
Planning Commission meeting. Six pages of proposed ordinance text covering
purpose, definitions, the waterfront areas regulated, and development
standards — including waterfront lot width, the 75-foot setback, the
35-foot vegetative buffer, docks and watercraft limits, shared access,
impervious surface caps, stormwater, marinas, shoreline armoring, lighting,
and required site-plan approvals. Provided here without commentary so
property owners can read the actual proposed language exactly as LLLA
drafted it.
Download PDF
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Reference
Actively Supported by LLLA
Summary: A concise one-page reference documenting that the
"model language" was not simply drafted for discussion — it has been
actively supported by the Lake Leelanau Lake Association in another Township.
Lists the specific new restrictions the model language would add that are
not found in current Leland Township zoning and are not
identified by EGLE as statewide best practices: a 75-foot shoreline setback;
one dock per 100 feet of frontage; one boat lift/hoist per 100 feet; two
motorized and four non-motorized watercraft per 100 feet; mandatory site-plan
review for most waterfront development; and additional restrictions affecting
structures, lighting and waterfront uses.
Download DOCX
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Reference
Comparison Table
Summary: A side-by-side comparison of the current Leland
Township ordinance, the LLLA proposed model overlay, and EGLE (Michigan
Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) guidance. Covers the
topics most relevant to waterfront owners — overlay applicability,
waterfront setbacks, shoreline vegetative buffers, vegetation removal and
view corridors, docks, boat lifts, watercraft counts, shared waterfront
access, impervious surface, stormwater, shoreline armoring/seawalls, marinas,
boathouses, lighting, site-plan review, and outside permits. Useful for
understanding, at a glance, what would actually change under the proposed
overlay versus what is already required today.
Download PDF
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November 1, 2011
Historical Context
Summary: Attorney Peter Miller's November 1, 2011 letter and
Summary of Concerns to the Leland Township Planning Commission regarding
proposed waterfront provisions of the then-draft zoning ordinance. Submitted
on behalf of six waterfront families, the letter raises objections to
proposed dock limits (one per lot or 100 feet), slip/hoist limits (one per
25 feet), dock-length restrictions, and — most importantly — the
Planning Commission's stated intent not to grandfather lawfully established
pre-existing shared-waterfront situations. Includes concrete examples
(Waterford Hills, Whelden's Shores, Country Club Estates, Sugarbush Lane), a
discussion of investment-backed expectations, and specific proposed
ordinance language. Significant today because it documents that fifteen
years ago a similar restriction-heavy approach was proposed for Leland
Township, and property owners had to organize and hire counsel to push back
— the exact reason a standing, independent property-owner alliance is
needed now.
Download PDF
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Reference
Zoning Map
Summary: The Leland Township zoning map (Public Hearing
Draft, February 2013). Useful for understanding why the Alliance is starting
as a North Alliance: Leland Township — where the July 2026
LLLA overlay proposal was presented — primarily borders the north
basin of Lake Leelanau. Property owners on the middle and south portions of
the lake are in Bingham, Solon, Centerville and Elmwood townships, each with
their own zoning authority. As similar model language reaches those
townships, additional property-owner voices in each will strengthen the
case.
View map (PDF)
← All documents
The short version: The Lake Leelanau Lake Association (LLLA)
presented proposed model zoning language for a new Waterfront Overlay
District. It is significantly more than a general water-quality policy
— it would add a new layer of zoning affecting setbacks, vegetation,
docks, boat lifts, watercraft, shared access, seawalls, lighting, stormwater
and future development. No overlay was adopted. The Commission
Chair described the proposal as at the "very beginning phase" and said the
public will have opportunities to express concerns as the process continues.
What was presented
At the July 1, 2026 Leland Township Planning Commission meeting, LLLA
representatives Nancy Popa and Jeff Green presented a proposed Waterfront Overlay
District and provided model zoning language for consideration. According to the
draft minutes, LLLA described the overlay as a tool to protect water quality and
shoreline character through additional land-use regulations, and stated it is
working with the six townships surrounding Lake Leelanau. LLLA asked the Leland
Township Planning Commission to review its zoning ordinance and consider
implementing the practices contained in the model language.
Commissioners noted that Leland Township already has water-related regulations in
its zoning ordinance and discussed whether such regulations should be centralized
in a separate section. During public comment, residents raised concerns about
existing properties, grandfathering, communication with LLLA members,
enforcement, and whether a "one size fits all" approach was appropriate.
What the LLLA model language would do
The April 2026 model language is substantially more than a general water-quality
policy. It establishes an additional zoning layer that is supplemental to
existing zoning, with the more restrictive provision controlling when
requirements conflict. The overlay generally covers land from the ordinary
high-water mark (OHWM) to 100 feet inland and includes Lake Leelanau as well as
natural or constructed watercourses such as channels, drains, rivers, creeks and
streams.
Key proposed requirements include:
- 75-foot waterfront setback for principal structures,
accessory structures and parking. Existing lots could potentially use
setback averaging, but the setback could not be reduced below 50 feet.
- 35-foot vegetative shoreline buffer, with restrictions on
vegetation removal, clear cutting and tree topping; generally only one
access pathway would be allowed.
- Dock and boat-hoist limits: one dock and one boat
hoist/shore station per 100 feet of frontage; each additional dock or hoist
would require another 100 feet of frontage.
- Watercraft limits: no more than two motorized and four
non-motorized watercraft per 100 feet of frontage.
- Shared waterfront access restrictions, including site-plan
approval, minimum frontage and lot-area requirements, parking requirements,
and sanitary facilities when more than six users are served.
- Maximum 25% impervious surface coverage within the overlay
and requirements that stormwater be retained and treated on-site.
- No new or expanded marinas and a prohibition on new
hardened seawalls, jetties and similar structural shoreline armoring.
- Lighting restrictions, including a general prohibition on
lighting within the waterfront setback except Township-approved safety
lighting.
- Site-plan approval for all development within the
Waterfront Overlay District, including documentation of vegetation,
structures, grading, lot coverage and stormwater management.
Bottom line
No Waterfront Overlay District was adopted at the July 1 meeting. The meeting
represented the beginning of a discussion initiated by LLLA's presentation of its
model language. However, the language presented is significant because it would
add a new layer of zoning requirements affecting waterfront property —
including setbacks, vegetation, docks, boat lifts, watercraft, shared access,
seawalls, lighting, stormwater and future development.
Download summary (DOCX)
Official draft minutes (PDF)
Comparison table (PDF)
All documents