November 2025 Project Update: Land Acquisition

Sleeping Bear Gateways is making strong progress toward our attainable housing goals. We are now in active discussions on five potential properties that together could provide up to 300 Workforce Housing units for our community. Each location is being evaluated for affordability, infrastructure access, and zoning readiness to ensure we can move quickly once agreements are in place.

At the same time, we are preparing to present a proposal to a joint session of the Empire Village and Township Councils to explore a 99-year lease of a 40-acre parcel of land. This site would be dedicated exclusively to Attainable Housing, offering an opportunity to create a long-term community asset that will serve working families for generations.

The 99-year lease approach is central to the Community Land Trust (CLT) model—keeping land in community ownership while ensuring homes remain permanently attainable. It represents a sustainable, forward-looking solution that helps local workers live where they work, preserving the fabric of our community.

Your support makes this progress possible. Every conversation, every partnership, and every donation brings us one step closer to creating a stronger, more inclusive gateway region for all who call it home.