Wed., Nov. 4 · 7 p.m. Public hearings: Dockside Village hearing, Bellaire · Cairn Club zoning hearing, Kewadin
The Torch Lake Observer
Projects around the lake

What’s being built, and where it stands

A big project near the lake needs a string of public approvals before anything is built, and a sewage plant needs a state permit to keep running. For each one, this page shows which approvals it has, which are still pending, where the sewage goes, and the next date you can speak up.

By Observer Staff · Updated Nov. 1, 2026

Where they are

The map needs JavaScript. Every project is listed in the table below.

Construction Sewage plant Event venue Water in the Chain of Lakes flows from Intermediate Lake through Lake Bellaire and Clam Lake into Torch Lake, then on to Elk Lake and Grand Traverse Bay.

At a glance

Map numberProjectTypeWhere it standsNext date
Dockside VillageForest Home TownshipConstructionZoning hearing Nov. 4; state sewage permits still pendingWed., Nov. 4
Odd Fellow on the Lake: events at DeWitt MarineForest Home TownshipEvent venueOperating; state liquor permit backed by the townshipNone set
The Cairn ClubMilton TownshipConstructionZoning change for golf on farm land: hearing Nov. 4Wed., Nov. 4
16 rental homes off Chippewa TrailMilton TownshipConstruction16 rental homes: back before the township Dec. 2Wed., Dec. 2
Bellaire’s village sewage plantVillage of BellaireSewage plant10.56 million gallons released in April; under a state orderWed., Nov. 4
Shanty Creek Resort’s sewage plantCuster Township, near BellaireSewage plantPermits expired in 2020; phosphorus over the limitNone set
Deli and boutique hotel at 3910 US-31Torch Lake TownshipConstructionSite plan approved; other permits not checkedNone set
How to read the approvals
  • Approved: the permit has been issued.
  • Pending: applied for, not decided. The count is days since the application.
  • On hold: the agency has paused it.
  • Not checked yet: we haven’t looked it up, so we don’t say.
  • Problem on record: the agency has cited a violation or flagged a result.

Each status is as of the date on its card. We move that date only after we check the records again.

Forest Home Township · Before the Planning Commission

Dockside Village

6326 and 6340 Old Torch Lake Drive, on Clam Lake where it meets Torch Lake · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What would be built

The Dockside restaurant and watersports buildings would be torn down and replaced by one three-story building: an expanded restaurant, a bakery-café, retail and five condominiums, under a 71-foot “lighthouse” tower. It is requested as a Planned Unit Development, a zoning deal negotiated with the township.

71 ft“lighthouse” tower
29,177square feet of building
305restaurant seats on the site plan
5condominiums, rented by the week

Who is behind it

Applicant: Nick McMullen / McMullen Properties, per the hearing notice. The site has been owned since 2019 by Aqua Dome Car Wash LLC, a Florida company formed in 2017 as McMullen Properties LLC. A related company, Steiner Pit LLC, owns the land behind the site, now marketed as “BaseCamp at Torch Lake” (18 homes).

Where the sewage goes

A private sewage plant on the land behind the site, shared with BaseCamp’s 18 homes. Treated sewage would soak into the ground. A nonprofit, the Steiner Pit Sewer Association, would own and run it. The township has said it will not take responsibility for the system (letter of June 5, 2026).

Design capacity: 15,000 gallons a day. Already set aside: 14,775 (98.5%).
ForGallons a dayShare of capacity
Dockside restaurant (figured at 200 seats)7,800
BaseCamp’s 18 homes5,400
Dockside watersports1,575
The 5 condos, bakery and retail0

The site plan shows 305 restaurant seats, not the 200 the sewage design assumes.

Engineer’s sewage flow calculations, Apr. 11, 2026.

The approvals it needs

  1. Township

    Zoning approval (Planned Unit Development)

    Waiting on the Planning Commission

    Submitted Sept. 18, 2026. Public hearing Wed., Nov. 4, 2026. PUD submission →

  2. State (EGLE)

    Groundwater discharge permit for the sewage plant HQN-8FKV-VNJY4

    In process, no permit179 days

    Application received May 6, 2026. The public notice that must come before any permit has not posted. State record, as we saved it →

  3. State (EGLE)

    Construction permit for the sewage system HQN-8D5K-23FJ5

    On hold

    Application received June 23, 2026. State record, as we saved it →

  4. State (EGLE)

    Marina permit (docks on the lake) WRP048069

    Issued

    Issued Feb. 23, 2026, good through Feb. 23, 2031. It is held by the rental operator, not the applicant. The permit →

  5. County

    Building and soil-erosion permits

    Not checked yet

    These come later in the process. The developer plans demolition in fall 2027.

The documents

Read the full story →
Forest Home Township · Operating as an event venue; state banquet liquor permit backed by the township

Odd Fellow on the Lake: events at DeWitt Marine

9291 Clam Lake Road (M-88), Bellaire (parcel 05-07-530-020-00) · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What it is

Odd Fellow on the Lake is a wedding and event venue already operating at 9291 Clam Lake Road, on the DeWitt Marine property on Clam Lake. Its website advertises weddings, private parties and corporate events in an “iconic triple-arched Quonset hut,” with lakeside ceremonies and bar service. A 2024 design portfolio describes the “transformation of an existing commercial space into an elegant wedding and event venue.” In spring 2026 the township backed the operator’s application for a state Banquet Facility Permit, the liquor permit for events like these. The records we read don’t give the venue’s guest capacity, parking or hours.

Who is behind it

The liquor application was presented to the Planning Commission by Mark McCool for DeWitt Marine, on behalf of Odd Fellow Events, LLC. The county parcel roll lists the 9291 Clam Lake Road land under Clam Creek Properties, L.L.C., which also owns neighboring parcels. On June 1, 2026, Clam Creek Properties signed a mortgage with Independent Bank covering its land there; it was recorded June 4, 2026 (17 pages; we have not yet read the amount).

Water and sewage

The records we read don’t say how an event business here would handle water or sewage. Sewage permits for a building like this would come from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan or EGLE; we haven’t checked either yet.

Forest Home Township Planning Commission minutes, March 18, 2026; Township Board minutes, April 2, 2026.

The approvals it needs

  1. Township Planning Commission

    Recommendation on the liquor application

    Recommended March 18, 2026

    “The FHT Planning Commission recommends that the Forest Home Township Board approves the Liqueur License application submitted by Mark McCool for Dewitt Marine.” Discussion item: “Banquet Facility Permit.” March 18 minutes →

  2. Township Board

    Letter of support for the state permit

    Approved April 2, 2026

    The board approved “the application from Odd Fellow Events, LLC for the letter of support to apply to the State Liquor Control Commission for a Banquet Facility Permit.” April 2 minutes →

  3. State (Liquor Control Commission)

    Banquet Facility Permit

    Not checked yet

  4. Township / County / Health Dept.

    Zoning, building and sanitary permits for the event venue

    Not checked yet

The documents

Milton Township · Zoning change at public hearing Nov. 4

The Cairn Club

5664 Cairn Highway, Kewadin (parcel 05-12-535-014-31) · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What would be built

A private nine-hole golf club on a 65-acre farm, with a barn-style clubhouse, open May 1 to Oct. 15. The applicants say membership would top out around 150, with “a small number of daily tee times” for the public. Golf courses aren’t allowed on farm-zoned land in Milton Township now, so the applicants asked the township to change its zoning rules. That change would allow golf courses, under new standards, on all of the township’s Agricultural District land, not just this farm.

65acres, zoned Agricultural
9holes
~150members at most
Sept. 2028planned opening

Who is behind it

Applicant: Donald Smith, who told the Planning Commission on Sept. 2 that he owns Honch Rest Campground and the Torch Lake Campground. His partners named at that meeting are Gene Davis, the agronomy consultant, and Bruce Hepner. The property owners are Richard and Rhonda Haller, according to the township planner’s memo.

Water and drainage

The plans describe an irrigation pond kept full by a well, and mostly fine-fescue grass, which the applicants say needs “significantly reduced water, fertilizer, and pesticide.” The township planner told the commission the applicants were meeting with the state (EGLE) about drainage.

  • About 55 of the 65 acres would be fescue: 45 acres left unmowed and 20 acres of mowed tees and fairways.
  • About 3 acres of bent-grass putting greens.
  • A gravel parking lot for about 40 cars, with all traffic using one entrance on Cairn Highway.
  • The records we read don’t say how the clubhouse’s sewage would be handled.

Applicant’s project overview and FAQ, Milton Township Planning Commission packet, Oct. 6, 2026; Planning Commission minutes, Sept. 2, 2026.

The approvals it needs

  1. Township

    Zoning change to allow golf courses on farm land (ZOA 2026-06)

    Public hearing Nov. 4

    Requested after a sketch-plan review on Sept. 2, 2026. The change would add golf courses as a permitted use across the Agricultural District, with new standards (Section 117.327). Nov. 4 agenda →

  2. Township

    Site plan review for the golf club itself

    Comes after the zoning change

    The township planner told the commission that even with the zoning change, the course would still need site plan review. Sept. 2 minutes →

  3. State (EGLE)

    Drainage and any water permits

    Not checked yet

    The planner said in September that the applicants were meeting with EGLE about drainage.

  4. County / Health Dept.

    Building, soil-erosion, well and septic permits

    Not checked yet

    The applicants plan rough grading in March–November 2027 and clubhouse construction from October 2027 to July 2028.

The documents

Milton Township · Decision pending; back before the Planning Commission Dec. 2

16 rental homes off Chippewa Trail

12985 Anchor Drive, Rapid City, a new private drive off Chippewa Trail (parcel 05-12-101-008-70) · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What would be built

Sixteen small single-family homes for rent, clustered on five acres of farm-zoned land under the township’s 2024 rules for “Planned Residential Developments.” Applicant Tad Dowker told the Planning Commission on Sept. 2 that he employs 75 to 90 people and wants housing for his workers, with any extra homes rented to others. A speaker for the project said the leases would comply with fair-housing law. The project has also fed a wider fight: the township board turned down Dowker’s request to loosen the lot-size rule on May 18, 2026, and later adopted a moratorium on new applications of this kind on farm land, running until June 21, 2027. Dowker filed his application on June 2, 2025, before the moratorium.

16rental homes
5acres (the lot is about 6)
728–1,120square feet per home
1story

Who is behind it

Tad Dowker, the applicant, who owns the land according to the county parcel roll. His attorney also spoke for the project at the Sept. 2 meeting.

Water and sewage

A private community well, with a second well for backup, and on-site septic systems (the planner calls them “two-unit septic systems”). According to the township planner’s Sept. 29 memo, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan has given preliminary approval, and EGLE has tested the well.

  • The township’s rules cap this kind of development at 5 acres. The lot is about 6, so Dowker has applied for a lot-line adjustment that would cut it to 5 acres, with the community well on an easement.
  • At the Sept. 2 meeting, commissioners questioned the well’s location outside the 5 acres and the many conditions an approval would need.

Township planner’s memo, Sept. 29, 2026; Planning Commission minutes, Sept. 2, 2026; Antrim County parcel roll.

The approvals it needs

  1. Township

    Special use permit for the development (SUP 2025-03)

    Waiting on the Planning Commission517 days

    Applied June 2, 2025. The commission found it incomplete in Sept. 2025 and has discussed it several times since. The Nov. 4 agenda lists “Continued Discussion” for Dec. 2. Planner’s memo →

  2. Township

    Lot-line adjustment to bring the lot to 5 acres

    Application received

    Received by Sept. 29, 2026, according to the planner’s memo.

  3. Health Dept.

    Community well and septic systems

    Preliminary approval

    Preliminary approval from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, plus well testing by EGLE, according to the planner’s memo.

  4. County Road Commission

    Private access drive (“Anchor Drive”)

    Approved

    The Antrim County Road Commission approved the drive’s location, design and name, and the fire department approved the access design, according to the planner’s memo.

The documents

Village of Bellaire · Under a state consent order since 2023

Bellaire’s village sewage plant

505 S. Court St., Bellaire, on the Intermediate River upstream of Lake Bellaire, Clam Lake and Torch Lake · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What it is

The Village of Bellaire’s wastewater plant: three lagoons plus an added (tertiary) treatment stage, releasing treated water into a wetland beside the Intermediate River. That river runs through Lake Bellaire, the Grass River and Clam Lake, then into Torch Lake. When the lagoons run too full, partially treated sewage has gone into that wetland and river.

10.56Mgallons released April 13–20, 2026, partially treated and not disinfected
6releases reported since April 2022
52.5Mgallons in those six reports
4deadline-extension letters on the 2023 state consent order

Who runs it

The Village of Bellaire owns the plant. Its April 2026 overflow report was filed on the village’s behalf by Operations Services of Gaylord.

What the records show

From April 13 to April 20, 2026, after about 4.5 inches of rain on top of snowmelt, Lagoon #2 overflowed onto nearby land and swamp, and the plant pumped down Lagoon #3 to lower the levels. The village estimated the release at 10,557,000 gallons: “partially treated” and “not disinfected,” with “both land and water impacted” in the Intermediate River. The report says E. coli samples were “Not Taken as Required” and that the lagoons hadn’t kept their required 2 feet of freeboard (spare depth). As next steps, it says an investigation is needed into a suspected problem with groundwater and rainwater leaking into the village’s sewers.

  • Six reports since April 2022 add up to about 52.5 million gallons: 13.08 million (April 2022, a lagoon at risk of failing), 4.50 million (Aug.–Sept. 2022), 6.56 million (Nov.–Dec. 2022), 13.94 million (April–June 2023), 3.91 million of “blended sewage” (March 2025), and 10.56 million (April 2026). In the August 2022, November 2022 and 2023 releases, the village reported the water had been through treatment but without the required two-week holding period or disinfection. The plant had no disinfection then; a UV system came with the recent upgrade.
  • During the April 2026 release, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan asked Bellaire residents to cut water use and disconnect sump pumps, warned people not to enter or touch the affected water, and advised against fishing in, or eating fish from, Lake Bellaire and the surrounding area (reported April 16).
  • State law requires the village to notify EGLE, the local health department and a daily newspaper “immediately, but not more than 24 hours after the discharge begins.” EGLE was told by phone on April 13. The village’s own report versions disagree on the others: the first version, filed April 13, lists the health department and a newspaper as notified that day; the final version lists April 24 and April 25.
  • State law also requires E. coli testing of the affected waters after a discharge to surface water, unless the county health department waives it. The final report says E. coli samples were “Not Taken as Required.” It doesn’t say testing was waived (the health department did waive it for the March 2025 release).
  • Under a 2023 state consent order, the village agreed to pay $4,739 in state costs and to file a corrective action plan, first due March 1, 2024. EGLE has granted four extension letters; the latest (May 14, 2026) moved the plan to June 1, 2026, and an asset management plan to Dec. 1, 2026. We did not find the corrective plan in the state’s public file as of Nov. 1.
  • The lagoons were overhauled in 2025. During the work, the plant’s operator emailed EGLE (Aug. 21, 2025) that the construction was “short circuiting” the flow and hurting permit numbers, and on Sept. 24, 2025 that “our discharge numbers have reached a somewhat critical level” and the plant had stopped discharging. The village’s public works director reported the sewer pond project completed in December 2025.
  • The final April report names the next step as an “investigation… to address a suspected I&I problem”: groundwater and rainwater getting into the sewers. In August 2026 a village trustee asked about inspecting homes for sump pumps and improper connections; the public works director said he hadn’t found a contractor interested. That month the council also raised the starting wage for the vacant plant superintendent job from $25 to $31 an hour.
  • The village council’s posted minutes for April through October 2026 don’t mention the April release. The council’s Public Works committee did take it up indirectly on April 30, 2026: its minutes say that “with recent rainfall and flooding the sewer treatment plant was taking in a significantly larger amount of water,” blame suspected illegal sump-pump connections, and say the public works department planned to inspect properties.
  • Who pays: on July 17, 2024, the council awarded a $3,364,228.19 contract for the plant upgrade to Grand Traverse Construction, on its engineer Gourdie-Fraser’s recommendation; approved a $4,000,000 sewer bond, repaid over 30 years at 2%; and raised sewer rates for what the minutes call the state-mandated project. The village’s budgets show the money came through Michigan’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund: $3,746,096 recorded as “State Grants- CWSRF Funds” and $3,766,555.23 spent on the “CWSRF Sewer Project,” noted as “Reimbursed through Monthly Loan Draws/ Project Complete.” The 2025–26 budget says sewer revenue rose “due to increase of sewer rates / CWSRF”; the 2026–27 budget says “no increase to fees this year.” A standby generator for the plant was “post-poned… wait until 2027,” and next to the $75,000 engineering line, the approved 2026–27 budget carries the note “Asset Management Plan- Aaron- Do you still need this?”
  • Who runs it: in May 2024 the village was paying Operations Services $148,000 a year to operate the plant, and the council voted to hire its own licensed operator. Two years later the job is still open; in August 2026 the council raised the starting wage to $31 an hour. Also in May 2024, the council approved a $45,000 grant for an updated asset management plan. The state consent order separately requires an updated asset management plan, now due Dec. 1, 2026.
  • A 2024 violation notice cited phosphorus discharges of 186 to 194 pounds a year against a 130-pound limit (May–Dec. 2023). The discharge permit expired Oct. 1, 2025; it is listed as “Extended,” and the renewal filed March 26, 2024 is “On Hold.” The state lists 213 violation entries; the newest (April–June 2026) are automatic flags not yet reviewed by staff.

Village of Bellaire reports of discharge, 2022–2026 (state file); Administrative Consent Order ACO-05873 (2023) and EGLE letter of May 14, 2026; operator emails to EGLE, Aug.–Sept. 2025; Village Council minutes, 2025–2026; Health Department of Northwest Michigan advisory (April 2026); MCL 324.3112a; EGLE MiEnviro, checked Nov. 1, 2026; Village Council minutes of May 1 and July 17, 2024; Public Works committee minutes of Jan. 15, 2025 and April 30, 2026; Village of Bellaire approved budgets, 2025–26 and 2026–27.

The permit and the record

  1. State (EGLE)

    Discharge permit (NPDES) MI0044873

    Expired Oct. 1, 2025; listed as “Extended”

    Issued July 28, 2020, effective Aug. 1, 2020. State record →

  2. State (EGLE)

    Application to renew the permit HQ1-KSTX-DG8XM

    On hold950 days

    Received March 26, 2024. State record →

  3. State (EGLE)

    Consent order over sewage releases ACO-05873

    In force since July 26, 2023

    Corrective action plan first due March 1, 2024; now due June 1, 2026, after repeated extensions. The order →

  4. Village’s own report

    Lagoon overflow, April 13–20, 2026

    10,557,000 gallons

    Partially treated, not disinfected; Intermediate River impacted. The report →

The documents

Custer Township, near Bellaire · State permit renewal pending since 2019

Shanty Creek Resort’s sewage plant

The resort’s lagoons south of the Summit base (Section 5, T29N R7W); mailing address 5780 Shanty Creek Road, Bellaire · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What it is

The resort’s own wastewater plant. Sewage goes to two aerated lagoons, gets chemical treatment and filtering to remove phosphorus, and is then released underground through drip-irrigation fields. Two separate septic drain fields serve some of the resort’s condominiums. Phosphorus is the nutrient that feeds algae, and the plant’s permit caps it at 1.0 milligrams per liter.

110,200gallons a day, the permit’s daily maximum
98,279gallons, the busiest day in Sept. 2026
1.0mg/L phosphorus limit
5 of 5Sept. 2026 phosphorus tests over the limit
$16.5Min mortgages recorded on the resort in 2026

Who runs it

The state’s permit file lists the plant as Shanty Creek Resort WWTF. EGLE’s 2023 violation notice went to “Shanty Creek – Watars Association,” and the plant’s monthly reports are signed by its contract operator, Mead & Hunt. The resort itself changed hands this year. Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort LLC, which its executive vice president, Harper Sibley, described as “a Michigan-based investment group,” took over the 5,500-acre resort from Trinidad Resort & Club LLC effective Feb. 26, 2026, according to 9&10 News. Since then the new owner has recorded two mortgages against the resort with the county: a $7 million future-advance mortgage to Next Bridge Funding LLC of Livonia, signed for the company by member Jerry Pattah (dated Feb. 25, recorded April 16, 2026), and a mortgage with a $9.5 million maximum to The Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Archbold, Ohio (dated Aug. 17, recorded Aug. 19, 2026). That is up to $16.5 million in recorded mortgages. The new owners have announced hotel updates.

What the records show

The plant’s groundwater discharge permit expired May 1, 2020. The state lists it as “Extended” while a renewal application filed Oct. 30, 2019, is still “In Process.”

  • In a July 13, 2023 violation notice, EGLE listed dozens of phosphorus readings over the limit between November 2019 and May 2023, some above 3 mg/L, and said the violations “appear to be continuing.”
  • The same notice said the lagoon’s drip-irrigation field was “reportedly plugged,” one aerator was out of service, and the flow meter wasn’t working properly.
  • The plant’s own September 2026 report shows all five weekly phosphorus tests over the 1.0 mg/L limit: 2.1, 1.8, 2.0, 1.9 and 1.7.
  • The state’s website lists 1,166 violation entries for the plant. Most are automatic flags generated from the plant’s own reports, and the newest are marked “Active – Not Reviewed,” meaning EGLE staff haven’t reviewed them yet.
  • The state file also lists sewage-discharge reports filed in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
  • The resort has a second sewage permit for its Schuss Mountain side, held by the Schuss Mountain Water and Sewage Association (GW1810110). It too expired, on June 1, 2020; it is listed as “Extended,” with a renewal “In Process” since Nov. 15, 2019. Its August 2026 report shows phosphorus at 1.2 and 1.9 mg/L against the same 1.0 limit. The state lists 342 violation entries for that plant.

EGLE MiEnviro site record for Shanty Creek Resort WWTF, checked Nov. 1, 2026; violation notice VN-014717, July 13, 2023; discharge monitoring report for September 2026; Antrim County parcel roll (parcel 05-10-032-009-00).

The permit and the record

  1. State (EGLE)

    Groundwater discharge permit GW1810155

    Expired May 1, 2020; listed as “Extended”

    Issued April 6, 2017, effective May 1, 2017. 2017 permit (public-notice draft) →

  2. State (EGLE)

    Application to renew the permit HNT-GXC1-0YMBV

    In process2559 days

    Received Oct. 30, 2019. The 2017 permit was put out for public notice and comment before it was issued. State record →

  3. State (EGLE)

    Violation notice VN-014717

    Issued July 13, 2023

    Phosphorus over the limit from 2019 to 2023, a plugged drip field, an aerator out of service and a faulty flow meter. Earlier notices went out in 2012 and, for phosphorus, in 2016. The notice →

  4. Plant’s own reports

    Phosphorus tests, September 2026

    5 of 5 over the limit

    Flagged automatically by the state’s system; not yet reviewed by EGLE staff. September report →

The documents

Torch Lake Township · Site plan approved May 18, 2026

Deli and boutique hotel at 3910 US-31

3910 US-31 South, on Torch Lake (parcels 05-14-313-004-00 and -004-10) · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What would be built

The owner plans to reopen a long-vacant former restaurant building on Torch Lake as a 12-seat deli-style restaurant with three boutique hotel rooms. His first plan, introduced in February, also included new live/work units for artists. Those were dropped before approval.

12restaurant seats
3hotel rooms
1.9acres, two parcels

Who is behind it

Charles Loughrey, who is both the owner and the applicant, according to the township planner’s report.

Water and sewage

The site plan reviewed in March listed water supply and septic as “None proposed.” In May, the minutes say, the owner told the commission he was “working with MDOT and the Health Department to meet all requirements.”

Torch Lake Township Planning Commission packet, March 16, 2026; minutes, May 18, 2026.

The approvals it needs

  1. Township

    Site plan approval (SPR 2026-01)

    Approved 5-0, May 18, 2026

    Approved without the decks; a deck plan would go to the zoning administrator. The commission said an unpermitted overhang over the south entrance must be removed, and that every other permit must be in hand before a building permit is issued. May 18 minutes →

  2. Health Dept.

    Well and septic permits

    Not checked yet

    The owner said in May he was working with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.

  3. State (MDOT)

    Driveway permit on US-31

    Not checked yet

    The owner said in May he was working with MDOT.

  4. County

    Building permit

    Not checked yet

The documents

The approvals a project can need

Different offices approve different parts of a project. Most of their records are public, and you can look them up yourself.

The township: zoning

The township decides whether a use is allowed on the land, how big a building can be, and how far it must sit from the road and the water. A large or unusual project usually goes to a public hearing before the planning commission. That is often the first place residents can speak. Townships post their agendas and minutes online.

Antrim County: building and earth moving

Building permits come from the county’s construction code office. Moving earth near the water also needs a soil-erosion permit.

The health department: wells and septic

A home or business with its own well and septic system is permitted by the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, which serves Antrim County.

The state (EGLE): sewage plants, docks and wetlands

Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) permits the bigger pieces: a sewage plant that discharges into the ground needs a groundwater discharge permit, and building a shared sewer system needs a separate construction permit. Work in the lake or in wetlands, such as docks, seawalls and dredging, needs its own permit. Many of these get a public notice and a comment period first. EGLE posts them on MiEnviro, which anyone can search.

Know about a project?

If something is being planned or built near the lake, write to tips@torchlakeobserver.com. A project gets a card here once its facts are in public records we can post. If you think a status here is wrong, write to corrections@torchlakeobserver.com.

The data behind this page is public too: projects.json.

Update log

Nov. 1, 2026: Page started with Dockside Village.

Nov. 1, 2026: Added The Cairn Club (Milton Township), Shanty Creek Resort’s sewage plant, and the deli and hotel at 3910 US-31 (Torch Lake Township).

Nov. 1, 2026: Added 16 rental homes off Chippewa Trail (Milton Township).

Nov. 1, 2026: Shanty Creek card: added the resort’s 2026 sale and its two recorded mortgages.

Nov. 1, 2026: Added Bellaire’s village sewage plant. Shanty Creek card: added the resort’s second plant (Schuss Mountain, GW1810110).

Nov. 1, 2026: Added banquet events at DeWitt Marine on Clam Lake (Forest Home Township).

Nov. 1, 2026: Bellaire card: added the six-release history since 2022, the health advisory, notice and testing questions, the 2025 upgrade emails and the village’s response.

Nov. 1, 2026: Correction: the DeWitt Marine card first said Odd Fellow Events “plans to” hold events. Odd Fellow on the Lake is already operating as an event venue. The card is retitled and rewritten.

Nov. 1, 2026: Bellaire card: added the 2024 contract, bond and rate votes, the operator-staffing history, and the Public Works committee’s April 30 discussion.

Nov. 1, 2026: Bellaire card: added the project’s state revolving-fund financing and budget notes.

Nov. 1, 2026: Correction: the Shanty Creek card said the sewage plant was in Kearney Township. The resort’s address is there, but the plant’s lagoons and its permitted discharge field are in Section 5 of Custer Township. Map pins now come from county parcel maps and aerial imagery, and each pin says how it was placed.