Undiscovered Traverse City
Glen Chown and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy are polishing up little-known gems of the shoreline in East Bay, and pioneering the way to combine environmental protection with new business opportunities.
June 2, 2011
By Center for Michigan
If you’re among the hundreds of thousands of people who get an opportunity to spend a little time each summer in Traverse City, you have probably recognized the impact of Michigan’s decade-long recession along East Grand Traverse Bay.
For many years, the little community of Acme included a bustling community of mom-and-pop motels and upscale shops greeting travelers as they rolled along East Bay. But in recent years, some of those shops have closed and some of the motels have fallen into disrepair. And the old Mountain Jack’s Restaurant next to the marina — a monument to Michigan’s late-20th century prosperity — sits dark and vacant.
And that’s the grand opportunity of it all … “Everyone was writing off this stretch of road,” says Glen Chown, executive director of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. “But it’s going to be the new gateway into Traverse City.”
Glen Chown, executive director of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, points out shoreline being protected through the efforts of the conservancy.
Three of those old motels were flattened and carted away, revealing acres of new beach. Next, community leaders organized into the Acme Shoreline Committee have their eyes trained on removing the Mountain Jack’s building and another motel. With the help of some $6 million in state Natural Resources Trust Fund money and matching funds from a wide range of regional sources, Acme seeks to open up thousands of feet of new beachfront for public use. “We took this on in a difficult economy,” Chown points out. “And that’s the metaphor for Michigan. This whole state needs to do what Acme is doing … be bold as we transform into a new economy.”
Over the past 20 years under Chown’s leadership, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has preserved more than 35,000 acres through conservation easements and acquisitions of public preserves and park lands. Continue reading on Center for Michigan's Website
