By Scott Sullivan
Editor
So much for Saugatuck Township’s planned $3.6 million bond ask to buy Pine Trail Camp.
The 20-acre parcel with 350 feet of Kalamazoo River frontage at 3525 Dugout Road, listed for sale at $4.4 million in July, has been sold to an undisclosed buyer.
The township board, which first discussed acquiring the three years’ unused facility this spring, voted to seek a $3.6-million Aug. 18 toward bidding $3.8 million to acquire it as a public park.
Members at a special meeting 10 days later scrubbed their planned Nov. 5 ask upon learning owner Pine Trail LLC had accepted another offer.
That session last Wednesday replaced a planned public input session on plans for the property.
“Because the township didn’t have a purchase agreement in place, the Pine Trail bond proposal was removed,” township manager Daniel DeFranco said.
“That’s how real estate goes sometimes.”
The riverfront land, long operated by the New Life Church consortium of Chicago as an overnight summer camp, lies contiguous to Jeff Padnos-owned North Shores of Saugatuck LLC’s planned development stretching north and west 200+ acres north and west to Lake Michigan.
Work has advanced slowly there due to ongoing litigation but continues, North Shores builder Scott Bosgraaf said Thursday.
North Shores Realtor Chad Van Horn of Beacon Sotheby’s International, who is partially underway developing 47 acres at 3515 66th St. adjacent to Padnos’ land east of Pine Trails, said Thursday he found the news “interesting” and plans continue there apace.
For the township and preservationists, whom for decades have pursued acquiring what some call “The Wild Heart of Saugatuck” untouched for public use, still have not exhausted those possibilities.
Real estate has been known to go that way too.
“Our plans for the park,” said DeFranco, “would have secured public water access, preserved the natural shoreline and provided space for diverse recreational activities and programming for our residents and visitors — making this the community’s first dedicated water access point.”
The township also owns frontage at 27-acre River Bluff Park east of Blue Star Highway and south of Allegan Road, but it’s a one-mile trail inland, hence not boat in and out accessible.
“The township remains committed to working with interested stakeholders to explore options to acquire the (Pine Trail) property, in part or in whole, for future parkland and public water access,” DeFranco said.
Other township parks include Sundown overlooking Lake Michigan but without water access at the end of 126th Avenue; Tails n’ Trails Dog Park, 6359 134th Ave.; Blue Star Memorial Highway Park, a picnic table and marker south of I-196 Exit 41 on Blue Star Highway; and undeveloped Amelanchier Park, 3461 Clearbrook Drive.
