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
Wed., Dec. 2, 2026 · Milton Township Planning Commission, continued discussion (public comment is taken at the start of each meeting) · 7023 Cherry Ave., Kewadin
The commission took the project up again Dec. 2. We will report what happened when the minutes are posted.
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.
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
- 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 →
- Township
Lot-line adjustment to bring the lot to 5 acres
Application received
Received by Sept. 29, 2026, according to the planner’s memo.
- 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.
- 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.